The Story

Xi Jinping is consolidating his position as the all-powerful president of China. But who is the man at the top of the sharpest pyramid in the world of politics?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Host: David Aaronovitch.Guest: Michael Sheridan, former foreign correspondent for The Sunday Times and author of The Gate to China: A New History of the People's Republic & Hong Kong.Clips: ABC, South China Morning Post, No Comment TV, BBC, CCTV Video News Agency, Periscope Film, Al Jazeera, CBS, VICE News.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last month, the government brought in a new law to stop under-eighteens using Botox and fillers for cosmetic reasons in England. But with reports of botched procedures and easy access to products online - is this law enough to tame the industry? And who's paying the price for beauty?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Host: Sevda Moyassari.Guests:-Arti Nachiappan, news reporter, The Times.-Ashton Collins, director, Save Face.-Helen, who had lip filler at a high street beautician.Clips: Channel 4, BBC, AFP News.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ink has dried on the agreement and the dignitaries have returned home - so what really happened at COP - and what does it mean for the planet?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Host: Manveen Rana. Guests: - Ben Spencer, science editor, The Sunday Times. Clips: COP26, Reuters, TDC, DW News, Sky News, Downing Street, Euronews, France 24, The NationalThis podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They used to be the stuff of sci-fi and futuristic Hollywood films. But now, artificially intelligent weapons are transforming armies around the world. A technological arms race has begun - should we be worried?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Host: Manveen Rana. Guests: - Matthew Campbell, foreign features editor, The Sunday Times. - General Sir Richard Barrons, former Commander of the UK Joint Forces Command.- General Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the Defence Staff.Clips: DW News, BBC, CBS, WION, MSNBC, Sky News, Slaughter Bots/Prof Stuart Russell, Double Down News, Al Jazeera, Warner Bros Pictures/Stanley Kubrick, France 24, Science Time.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The scandal at Yorkshire County Cricket Club has triggered a wave of resignations at the county and condemnation from all corners. It's led to an existential crisis for the game in this country. Today, the man at the heart of the story, Azeem Rafiq will speak to a parliamentary committee to discuss the alleged racist abuse and bullying he experienced while playing for Yorkshire CCC. So how did we get here? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests:-Elizabeth Ammon, cricket news reporter, The Times and The Sunday Times.-Taj Butt, chair of Quaid E Azam cricket league in Bradford.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Sky News, ITV News, BBC. This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spectrum 10k was supposed to be Britain's biggest ever study of autism. But just weeks after launch, it was put on pause. As the genetics revolution picks up pace, could this be among the first of many such confrontations between researchers and those who feel threatened by their work? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests: - Holly Smale, bestselling author of the Geek Girl series. - Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge.- Sue Fletcher-Watson, professor of developmental psychology at the University of Edinburgh.Host: David Aaronovitch.Producer: James Shield.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a sport in which men and women compete equally. But is horse racing all that it seems? New accusations paint a picture of a culture that condones threatening behaviour - and frowns upon those who report it. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests: - David Walsh, chief sports writer, The Sunday Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips: BBC, Racing Post, Racing TV, Sports Tonight.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There was public outcry when MPs voted against stricter penalties for water companies dumping raw sewage into England’s rivers. But following a U-turn, the Government has now passed a new Environment Bill it says will reduce the amount of raw sewage polluting our waterways. But do the measures go far enough?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests:Alice Thomson, Columnist, The Times.Hugo Tagholm, Surfers Against Sewage.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: BBC, ITV, Sky, DW News, WaterElectroScan, Institute of Civil EngineersThis podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Sunday Times investigation revealed this weekend that every chief Conservative Party treasurer in the past seven years gave the party £3m – and every one was offered a peerage. Manveen Rana speaks to the Insight team, renowned for carrying out some of the most groundbreaking investigations on Fleet Street. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests: - Jonathan Calvert, Insight Editor, The Sunday Times.-George Arbuthnott, Insight Deputy Editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Parliament TV, BBC.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A debate on changing the procedure by which standards in Parliament are upheld last week led to a backlash from MPs - and a major u-turn. So, as the government defends itself against allegations of 'sleaze', where, does it leave the current system of policing standards in Westminster?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests: - Charlotte Ivers, political correspondent, Times Radio- Jonathan Calvert, Insight Editor, Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Parliament, BBC, Sky News, ITV NewsThis podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the past six weeks, The Sunday Times has been reporting on the unsolved murder of Agnes Wanjiru, a young mother living near a British Army base in Kenya. She was last seen alive with a British soldier: 'Soldier X'.Today: the latest on the investigation, as members of Soldier X's regiment name the accused killer, and as one former soldier speaks to the police.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests: - David Collins, Northern editor, The Sunday Times.- Hannah Al-Othman, news reporter, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: James Shield.Clips: KTN News, NTV Kenya, Parliament TV, BBC.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the first week of COP26 draws to a close, we're going on a journey, deep into the heart of the Amazon rainforest to see how one indigenous tribe is fighting miners, farmers and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for survival.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Host: David Aaronovitch.Guest: Christina Lamb, Chief Foreign Correspondent, The Sunday Times. Clips: AFP, Rainforest Documentary 2017 - STING & FRIENDS THE RAINFOREST SPECIAL.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since 2016, a mysterious illness has affected US diplomatic and security staff working abroad. The symptoms include headaches, fatigue and problems with balance and memory, but are they victims of attacks with sonic weapons or is there another explanation?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Host: David AaronovitchGuest: Warren Strobel, National Security Reporter for the Wall Street Journal.Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan, consultant neurologist.Clips: BBC, CBC, CBS, CNBC, CNN, Global News, NBC, ReutersThis podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A year on from the US presidential election, America's most conservative citizens are relocating en masse to a remote region in the Pacific Northwest. Times filmmaker Alastair Good takes us into the American Redoubt, where talk of secession and civil war is routine.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Alastair Good, deputy head of video and audio, The Times and The Sunday Times. You can watch Alastair's full film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy6RQJQ6J5wHost: Manveen Rana.Producer: Arlie Adlington.Executive producer: James Shield.Clips: CBS, ABC, BBC, C-SPAN, Radio Free Redoubt.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lebanon is in economic crisis with shortages of food, medicine and electricity on the ground. Today, how did the country, whose capital was once described as the Paris of the Middle East, get here? And is there hope for the future?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Host: Manveen Rana.Guest: Richard Spencer, middle east correspondent, The Times.Clips: The Baim Collection: Soundtrack from 1961 film ‘This is Lebanon’, BBC, UPTIN, CNBC, Thames TV, Al Jazeera, Channel 4, RT.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As delegates from almost two hundred nations gather in Glasgow for the COP26 climate conference, the stakes couldn't be higher. But can the conference succeed if the leaders of some of the world's biggest polluting nations haven't even turned up?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Host: Manveen Rana.Guest: Ben Spencer, science editor, The Sunday Times.Clips: Al Jazeera, BBC, France 24, ITV, CNBC.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will this winter be good, bad, or somewhere in between? Today we take stock of the pandemic, and science editor Tom Whipple helps us imagine what might be just around the corner.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Host: David Aaronovitch.Guest: Tom Whipple, science editor, The Times.Clips: BBC, CNBC, CBC, CBS.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Perez Hilton was the original celebrity gossip blogger, who spared no one with his spiky, often malicious posts – and Britney Spears became a favourite target. As his actions come under fresh scrutiny, Sunday Times freelance writer Sarah Ditum assesses the impact he had on celebrity culture, and asks: how complicit were the rest of us?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Host: Manveen Rana.Guest: Sarah Ditum, freelance writer.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ahead of the chancellor's budget and spending review tomorrow, we look for lessons from the past. Plus, The Times speaks with Rishi Sunak.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Host: Manveen Rana.Guests: - David Smith, economics editor, The Sunday Times.- Oliver Wright, policy editor, The Times.Clips: Parliament TV, NBC, Thames Television, Global News, ITV News, Channel 4 News, Sky News.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The desire to live forever is as old as life itself. Now some of the world's richest people are investing heavily in the science of immortality. Could we get to a point where dying becomes optional?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Host: Manveen Rana.Guests: -Tom Whipple, science editor, The Times.-Danny Fortson, West Coast correspondent, The Sunday Times.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Westminster, the shock was palpable. How could this have happened again? While MPs' safety is being re-examined following the killing of Sir David Amess, a new bill has been proposed to end online anonymity. It's being called David's Law – but how much does this proposal have to do with what actually happened to Sir David?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Host: Manveen Rana.Guest: Rosamund Urwin, media and technology correspondent, The Sunday Times.Clips: Times Radio, BBC, Sky News.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As politicians in France vie to be the challenger in next year's French presidential election an outsider looks to be a contender. Who is Eric Zemmour, the right-wing journalist and author and what does he believe in?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Adam Sage, Paris correspondent, The Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips: Al Jazeera, C A vous, France 24, Front Populaire, RMC.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a landmark deal signed earlier this month, Newcastle United was bought by a Saudi Arabia-led consortium. The club now has the richest owners in the Premier League. Fans are ecstatic, but as money floods into the club, there have already been protests raising moral objections to the club's new owners. What does this deal tell us about the state of English football?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Matt Lawton, chief sports correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Sky News, ITV, Sky Sports, Channel 4, talkSPORT, 5Pillars, BBC, CNN, The Mirror.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When a cargo plane containing four helicopters and a large consignment of military hardware touched down in the capital of Mali last month, observers raised an eyebrow. The kit was definitely from Russia – but was this the Russian army, or something else?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Roger Boyes, diplomatic editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Al Jazeera, BBC, NBC, Euronews, France 24, Reuters.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Boris Johnson may have appeared unassailable last week at Conservative Party conference, but could the next few months cause the prime minister more of a headache than he's expecting?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Tim Shipman, chief political commentator, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: BBC, ITV, Channel 4 News, Sky News.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the UK, there is no clear consensus about how trans athletes should be included in competitive sport. Last month, a major review by the Sports Council Equality Group (SCEG) found that trans female athletes retain some competitive advantages and that inclusion cannot always coexist with fairness and safety. While the new guidance has been welcomed by some, it's also faced criticism from LGBT+ groups. But what impact has the controversy around the topic had on trans athletes themselves?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guests:-Amelia Cox, journalist at TalkSport.-Verity Smith, trans rugby player, Trans Inclusion in Sports Youth Worker, Mermaids. -Sammy Walker, trans football player and writer.-Madeleine Pape, Olympian, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Lausanne.Host: Calum Macdonald.Clips: eNCA, The Guardian, ITV, CBS.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nine years ago Agnes Wanjiru was found dead in a septic tank in Kenya. The young mother vanished after British troops enjoyed a debauched night out in a hotel. Now detectives want to question the soldiers who were there.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guests:-Hannah Al-Othman, news reporter, The Sunday Times-David Collins, northern editor, The Sunday Times. -Esther, Agnes Wanjiru's niece.Host: Manveen Rana.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With allegations of sexual abuse, a dubious friendship with a convicted paedophile and a court case set to unfold in America, is it the end of the road for Prince Andrew? Should the Duke of York ever be allowed to play a public role again?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Roya Nikkhah, royal editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: 5 News, ABC Australia,BBC, CBS, Channel 5, Harpo Production, ITV News, NBC, Pitch@Palace, RNZ, Sky News, Times Radio.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Something a bit different on Stories of our times today.Today's show consists of a recording that was thought to have been lost, of an electric performance at the 2014 Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival - one of the most memorable in the festival's history - by husband and wife Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory of love poems from the poetry collection The Love Book edited by Allie Esiri.Earlier this summer, Damian rediscovered a recording of the event, which he offers here now to listeners as a tribute to his wife, who died in April this year at the age of 52. This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The murder of Sarah Everard by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens has brought the force to a point of near-crisis. The government has announced an inquiry. How can the police regain women's trust?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.'Sarah Everard murder: Killer and police shared abusive messages' was first reported by Fiona Hamilton, crime editor at The Times. Guests:- Josh Glancy, special correspondent, The Sunday Times.- Shabnam Chaudhri, former Detective Superintendent, Metropolitan Police.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: BBC, Sky News, Channel 5.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second of two episodes this week, taking a deep dive into the pharmaceutical industry.Big drug companies have won plaudits for their work producing Covid vaccines within a year of the start of the pandemic. How much money are they making from them? And why are vaccines for other emerging diseases not being produced?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Billy Kenber, investigations reporter, The Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips: BBC, National Geographic, PBS, Voice of America.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first of two episodes this week, we're taking a deep dive into the pharmaceutical industry. How much does the medication you take actually cost? What if a company came along and bought the rights to a particular drug and started charging double, triple, or even 10,000 times as much for the same drugs? Today: how a company made millions by raising the price on drugs that should have cost pennies. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Billy Kenber, investigations reporter, The Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The childcare sector is on its knees with nursery staff on low wages struggling to make ends meet. Meanwhile parents buckle under the pressure of soaring childcare costs. And yet, the government has done little to help. Does this broken system need a complete rethink?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Rosie Kinchen, features writer, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: BBC 2, ITV.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's being called a 'perfect storm'. Rocketing gas prices and a shortage of lorry drivers have combined to cause a devastating ripple of chaos for businesses and families across the country. How much of this crisis could have been avoided? And how bad could it get?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Ashley Armstrong, retail editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: 7NEWS Australia, ABC News, The Telegraph, Channel 4 News, ITN, Sky News, ITV News, BBC News.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cannabis is far stronger than it used to be, and psychosis rates are soaring. What's causing some cannabis users to develop mental health issues, and how can they be treated? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes Guest: Megan Agnew, commissioning editor, The Sunday Times MagazineHost: Calum Macdonald.Clips: Howard Stern show, ITV, Channel 4 News.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Insulate Britain has staged sit-ins on the M25 and on the roads to Heathrow and the Port of Dover. The protesters are willing to risk going to prison for the cause. Who are they? And will they succeed?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Tom Ball, reporter for The Times.Host: Calum Macdonald.Clips: BBC, ITV, ITN, LBC, Insulate Britain.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clarence House is caught up in a scandal involving a Russian banker, a group of royal fixers and a £500,000 donation that went missing. The Sunday Times has been investigating the practice of paid intermediaries taking money from wealthy donors in exchange for honours and access to the Prince of Wales. How damaging are the revelations? And what do they mean for the future king?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall Correspondent, The Sunday Times. Host: Calum Macdonald.Clips: BBC, Sky News, Leus Family Foundation.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Until last week, it was one of the government's most closely guarded secrets. Only about ten people in Britain had been privy to the details.And then – out of the blue – the UK, the US and Australia unveiled a new strategic alliance. The deal promises nuclear-powered submarines for Australia, and renewed security in the Indo-Pacific region. Today we look at how the announcement has been met in Southeast Asia, where tensions over the South China Sea continue to grow.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Sky News, The Guardian, The Telegraph.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In her two years as Home Secretary, Priti Patel has cultivated an image as a hardliner on immigration. Despite all her tough talk, the extent to which she's achieved anything concrete is debatable, and this summer has seen record numbers of migrants crossing the channel. With the Nationality and Borders Bill -- a radical overhaul of asylum laws -- making its way through parliament, will Patel finally get the crackdown she's been gunning for?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Matt Dathan, home affairs editor, The TimesHost: Calum Macdonald.Clips: ITV News, Sky News, Channel 4, London Business School, The Guardian, Telegraph, GB News, Channel 5.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been an intense year for the BBC: budget cuts, a series of staff departures and redundancies, accusations of bias… and now, it has a hawkish new culture secretary to contend with. Plus, just around the corner, a new deal with the government over the licence fee is widely expected to shrink budgets further. How will the BBC look and sound for future generations?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Rosamund Urwin, media and technology correspondent, The Sunday Times. Host: Calum Macdonald.Clips: ITV, BBC, LBC, Channel 4 News, GB News, Parliament TV, CNN, Bloomsbury Publishing.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Violence and neglect are rife in unregistered schools across the UK. We explore how a legal loophole allows these establishments to operate under the radar, ignoring basic educational and safeguarding standards. With inspectors powerless to intervene, the abuse continues.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Tom Ball, reporter for The Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips: BBC.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Attempts at conversion therapy are taking place across the country: in village churches, Harley Street clinics and counsellors' treatment rooms. In this final episode of a seven-part series, reporter Emily Sargent turns her attention to Westminster. What's happened in the three years since the Government pledged to end the practice of conversion therapy?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.If you, or someone you know, has been affected by the issues raised in this episode, the following organisations can help:Switchboard provides an information, support and referral service for anyone who needs to consider issues around their sexuality.Phone: 0300 330 0630 (10am-10pm).Samaritans is available for anyone struggling to cope and provide a safe place to talk 24 hours a day.Phone: 116 123Guests: Matthew Hyndman, co-founder, Ban Conversion Therapy. Jayne Ozanne, director and founder, Ozanne Foundation; chair, Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition.Reverend Jide Macaulay, founding Pastor and CEO, House Of Rainbow.Joe Hyman, LGBTQ+ activist and conversion therapy survivor. Peter Lynas, UK director, Evangelical Alliance.Chris Csabs, co-author and co-founder, SOGICE Survivors.Host: Emily Sargent, journalist.Clips: X-Out-Loud, BBC, Core Issues Trust, ITV.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last month Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau called a snap election, hoping to capitalise on support for his pandemic response. With the election just days away, and polls showing a neck and neck race, could the move become one of Canada's biggest political miscalculations?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Charlie Mitchell, Canada correspondent for The Times and Sunday Times.Host: Calum Macdonald.Clips: Ruptly, CBC, Soheil Koushan, Sun News, Global News, The Canadian Press, Reuters.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new law restricting abortions in the state of Texas could spell the end of the 1973 Supreme Court ruling which guaranteed access to abortion for women in America. Today: the legal history of abortion in the US, and the effect the new law might have.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Mary Ziegler, Stearns Weaver Miller Professor at Florida State University College of Law and author of Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: ABC, AP, BBC, CBS, Channel 4 News, CNBC, CNN, Global News, KMUW, NBC, PBS, WFAA.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the internet boom in the mid-90s, San Francisco has become a tech superpower, overtaking Silicon Valley. The city has more billionaires per square mile than anywhere in the US, but it also has more homeless people. Danny Fortson meets the residents of its tent cities.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Danny Fortson, West Coast correspondent, The Sunday Times.Host: Calum Macdonald.Clips: CNBC, CNN, Fox News, CBS.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As people return to work and school, and Covid numbers continue to rise, just how normal might this autumn be?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests:-Jill Treanor, City Editor, The Sunday Times.-Tom Calver, senior data journalist, The Times and The Sunday Times.Presenter: David Aaronovitch.Clips: BBC, Channel 4 News, ITV News, Number 10.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Attempts at conversion therapy are taking place across the country: in village churches, Harley Street clinics and counsellors' treatment rooms. Research suggests that trans people are twice as likely to have been offered some form of conversion therapy than any other group in the LGBTQ+ community.In this sixth episode of a seven-part series, reporter Emily Sargent speaks to Dr Kate Nambiar: an endocrinology specialist at a gender identity clinic, as well as being a trans woman herself. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.If you, or someone you know, has been affected by the issues raised in this episode, the following organisations can help:Switchboard provides an information, support and referral service for anyone who needs to consider issues around their sexuality.Phone: 0300 330 0630 (10am-10pm).Samaritans is available for anyone struggling to cope and provide a safe place to talk 24 hours a day.Phone: 116 123Guests: -Dr Kate Nambiar, endocrinology specialist at a gender identity clinic.Host: Emily Sargent, journalist.Clips: LBC.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next month world leaders will come together in Glasgow for COP26, the annual UN climate change conference, where the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. The summit will be just the culmination of a long process; much of the real work happens now, in the days and weeks beforehand. So, as COP26 draws closer, are negotiations as far along as they need to be?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Rachel Kyte, Dean of Fletcher School at Tufts University.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips: 5 News, ABC News, BBC, CBS, Channel 4 News, DW News, euronews, On Demand News, PBS, Straits Times, The Royal Family.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After 16 years as Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel is exiting the international stage. What did the world's most powerful woman stand for, and what will her legacy be?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Oliver Moody, Berlin Correspondent for The Times and The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: euronews, Channel 4 News, BBC Newsnight, ABC News.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A hundred years ago last month, The Times published a series of articles proving the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a conspiracy theory that Jews were looking to control world governments, were a forgery.In part two, David Aaronovitch dives into The Times archive to find out what happened after the proof was made public and why the conspiracy theory never quite went away. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests:-Rose Wild, Times writer.-Liane MacIver, Times assistant archivist.Presenter: David Aaronovitch.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.