Stories of our times

After a stinging rebuke from the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom - which ruled that the devolved Scottish parliament cannot authorise an independence referendum - SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has doubled down saying democracy itself is now at stake, and vowing to turn the next general election into a 'de facto' referendum. Could that work? And what does that even mean?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Kieran Andrews, Scottish Political Editor, The Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips: Sky News, BBC News, The Guardian, Scottish National Party. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One hundred years ago, when the tomb of King Tutankhamun was discovered in Egypt, the world learnt of the treasures via The Times which had secured the exclusive rights and photographs. So just how did the newspaper get the scoop?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Nick Mays, archivist, The Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips: BBC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every prime minister's last act in office is to choose a final list of people to elevate to the House of Lords, parliament's second chamber. And Boris Johnson's resignation honours are already kicking up a storm…This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Lara Spirit, Red Box reporter, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Parliament TV, Times Radio, Al Jazeera English, BBC News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2020, retired Gwent police officer Ricky Jones took his own life. Jones’s family - who he’d subjected to years of abuse - looked through his old iPhone to try to understand more about their husband and father. But it revealed things even they were not prepared for.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.   Domestic abuse helpline and support:England - Refuge - The freephone, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247Wales - Live Fear Free - Helpline 0808 80 10 800Scotland - Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline 0800 027 1234Northern Ireland - Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline 0808 802 1414Articles: How a dead officer’s iPhone exposes misogyny, corruption and racism in a police forceGwent police officers joked about Jimmy Savile and ‘sex pests’ in the forceMy life as a female firearms officer in the misogynistic police boys’ clubGuests: David Collins, Northern Editor, The Sunday Times.Hannah Al-Othman, News Reporter, The Sunday Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Romeo agents have infiltrated the West German Government by wooing secretaries of high-up officials. In the second part of this two-part series, a new agent reveals information about corruption at the very top.You can read Oliver Moody's article here.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests:Gunnar Take, historian at the University of Stuttgart.Katja Hoyer, historian and author of 'Beyond the wall'.Host: Oliver Moody, Berlin Correspondent, The Times.Clips from: Timeline, Tele Studio West, Operation Romeo: The Love Commandos of the Stasi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s the best way to spy on your enemies? Sleep with their secretaries. In part one of this two-part series, new evidence is unearthed of East Germany‘s ruthless blueprint for Cold War sexpionage, revealing for the first time stories of the agents sent to seduce young women working for West Germany’s top politicians.You can read Oliver Moody's article here.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests:Gunnar Take, historian at the University of Stuttgart.Katja Hoyer, historian and Visiting Research Fellow at King's College London.Host: Oliver Moody, Berlin Correspondent, The Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fast fashion clothing company Boohoo has exploded in popularity since the pandemic. After reports of appalling working conditions in 2020, the company had made a big show of trying to do better. So has it? A Times reporter goes undercover at one of their warehouses to find out.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Tom Ball, Northern Correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: Sky News, E!, Reuters, Times Radio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amid staff shortages, Covid backlogs and potentially the first national nursing strike in the NHS’s history, the health service is facing a challenging winter ahead. How did we get here? And just how bad could things get?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Shaun Lintern, Health Editor, The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: Sky News, WION, CBC News, 5 News.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was the worst-kept secret in US politics: that former President Trump would be running again in 2024. After a disappointing midterm election for Republicans, where Trump candidates under-performed, the announcement last week was met with a groan by many of Trump's own party. Now that he's in the ring, though, he's immediately the frontrunner. So can he win?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Ben Hoyle, Assistant Foreign News Editor, The Sunday Times. Presenter: Jenny Kleeman. Clips: CBS, Fox News, Candace Owens podcast, CNN, Washington Post, Newsnation, ABC News, Forbes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ukrainian troops forced Putin’s war machine into a chaotic exit from the city of Kherson last Friday. After eight months of Russian occupation, it was free.But as the Russians fled, stories of brutality and torture poured out. What scars has the occupation left on its remaining inhabitants, what poison has it left behind – and how can a devastated city return to something like normal life? This episode contains descriptions of torture. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Marc Bennetts, foreign correspondent, The Times and The Sunday Times.Presenter: David Aaronovitch.Clips: NBC News, Times Radio, BBC News, ITV News, CNN. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the 27th UN Climate Change Conference draws to a close, The Times’ environment editor Adam Vaughan has travelled deep into the Amazon rainforest talking to British-backed scientists at their base camp to find out whether the Amazon is at tipping point.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Adam Vaughan, The Times’ environment editor.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Channel 4, The Guardian, Times Radio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tomorrow, our newest Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will announce his Autumn Statement. In previews, he's prepared the country for 'some pain' to fill a £50 billion 'black hole' in the public finances. If this means Austerity 2.0, what have we learned from the first one?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: David Smith, Economics Editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: BBC News, Fox News, CNBC, Sky News, Parliament TV, Times Radio, Telegraph, The Guardian. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The team behind one of the most successful Covid-19 vaccines have returned to their original mission: making cancer vaccines. The BioNTech professors say the jab will be with us before 2030. What will it mean for the future of cancer treatment? Who will get them? And if cancer isn't killing us, what will? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Tom Whipple, Science Editor, The Times. Clips: BBC, ITV, CNBC, Sky News. Host: Manveen Rana. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the twelve years since Qatar was awarded the World Cup, a number of questions have been raised about the appropriateness of hosting the tournament there. For one Times sports writer preparing to cover the tournament, it’s taken him through the five stages of grief.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Matt Dickinson, senior sports writer, The Times. Host: David Aaronovitch. Clips: TalkSport, Sky Sports News, RTE, Sky News, FA TV, ABC News, Euronews, DW News, Channel 4 News, ITN, CGTN, Sky Sports, Visit Qatar, Times Radio, Reuters, CBS News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Draconian Covid rules and crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters turned the global business hub into a walled city. As it slowly reopens, expats are curiously divided on the power of Beijing - so what’s going on inside fortress Hong Kong?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Oliver Shah, Sunday Times associate editor. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: travelfilmarchive, izzitEDU, Real World Economics, ABC, SKY, WION, CNBC, SWCC lectures, Reuters, France 24, NBC, CNA, Bloomberg, Parliament TV, AFP. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final episode of the series, the woman who made an allegation against Martyn Percy speaks out about intimidation by some of the Dean’s supporters. And has Christ Church tried to hide the astronomical cost of the feud?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Host: Andrew Billen, journalist at The Times.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Home Secretary Suella Braverman is at the centre of a migration crisis after the Manston immigration centre was reported as unsafe, understaffed and 'wretched' by the borders watchdog. So, how did the situation unfold, what are the politics behind it and what do we know about the people risking their lives crossing the Channel to come to the UK?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Matt Dathan, Home Affairs Editor, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Sky News, ITV News, BBC News, Times Radio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over 5.5 million farm birds have been culled to stem the largest outbreak of avian influenza ever recorded in the UK. The virus has spread to Britain’s seabirds causing a huge environmental impact and killing tens of thousands. From this week, all poultry and captive birds in England must be kept indoors. So what does it mean for the meat and eggs we eat? And how bad could the outbreak get?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Ben Spencer, science editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Sky News, CBS News, AP, TVB News, ITV News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tomorrow, for the first time since the election that many Americans still believe was 'stolen', voters in the US head back to the polls. Almost everything except the presidency is up for grabs – and for many Americans on both sides, the fate of the nation itself hangs in the balance. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: David Charter, US Editor, The Times. Host: David Aaronovitch. Clips: BBC News, TV Ontario, MSNBC, News 19 WLTX, NBC, CNN, CBS, ABC News, PAHomepage.com, Dr Oz, Sky News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brazil’s left-wing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has achieved a historic victory over his far-right rival, the incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro. With many seeing this election as the last chance to save the Amazon rainforest, will Lula be able to reverse Bolsonaro’s destructive policies?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Stephen Gibbs, Latin America correspondent, The Times and The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Times Radio, CBC News, Deutsche Welle, Channel 4 News, Reuters, France 24, Al Jazeera.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Martyn Percy’s employer questions the Dean’s mental capacity as the feud shows no sign of abating. And he's in hot water over an article, published on his website, in which he references the Holocaust.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Host: Andrew Billen, journalist at The Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In recent years the once dominant social media platform has been hit by problem after problem. Fewer people use it, and revenues and profits are down. So just what has taken a bite out of Mark Zuckerberg’s empire?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Danny Fortson, West Coast Correspondent, The Sunday Times.Host: Jenny Kleeman. Clips: CNBC, Vator, NBC News, Queen City News, CBS News, France 24, Spotify, Comedy Central, Meta, Sky News, ITV News, CNN, Yahoo Finance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former US president Donald Trump is facing a host of legal issues. So which could prove the most problematic for him and what could be the consequences? Could any of them stop him becoming president a second time – or send him to jail? And if he is indicted or convicted, could America tear itself apart?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Hugh Tomlinson, Washington Reporter, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: MSNBC, BBC, GBH News, C-SPAN, Fox News, NBC News, CBS News, ABC, Newsy, WCNC, Salem Media, San Francisco Police Department. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A royal correspondent’s best sources are often the unseen aides, advisors and staff, working behind the scenes. Who are these advisors? What do they really do? And what can they tell us not just about how past stories unfolded – like Harry and Meghan's exit from the household – but the future of the royals? Book: Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown by Valentine Low.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Valentine Low, Royal Correspondent, The Times.Host: Jenny Kleeman.Clips: Apple, CBS, ITV, Sky News, Entertainment Tonight, TalkTV. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the end of his first week in power, Rishi Sunak already faces a backlash over his choice for home secretary. And more importantly, what can he possibly do to avert a recession? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests: - Tim Shipman, chief political commentator, The Sunday Times. - Arthi Nachiappan, economics correspondent, The Times. Presenter: Manveen Rana. Clips: BBC News, Times Radio, ITV News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the pandemic a woman makes an allegation against Martyn Percy that changes everything. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Host: Andrew Billen, journalist at The Times.Clips: ITV, BBC, Sky News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Labour riding high in the polls, Keir Starmer is calling for an early general election. But after 12 years in the shadows, few members of Labour's top team, including Starmer himself, have had experience of government. So what are they doing to get ready? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Host: Manveen Rana. Guest: Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall Editor, The Sunday Times. Clips: BBC, UK Parliament, GB News, ITV, Channel 4 News, Times Radio, Sky News, The Guardian. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mortgage rates have risen sharply, hitting their highest levels in 14 years. We trace the ripple effect across the economy, as higher rates threaten to lay the foundations for another crash in the housing market.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests:- Hannah Al-Othman, news reporter, The Sunday Times.- George Nixon, money reporter, The Times and The Sunday Times. Host: Jenny Kleeman. Clips: ITV, BBC News, Channel 4, Guardian, Sky News, Bloomberg.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In October 2012, cyclist Lance Armstrong was banned from the sport for life and stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles after anti-doping authorities branded him a drug cheat. 10 years on we look back at one of the biggest sporting falls from grace with the journalist who spent years questioning Armstrong’s integrity.Article - Lance Armstrong: a decade on from disgraceThis podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: David Walsh, Chief Sports Writer, The Sunday Times.Host: Will Roe.Clips: BBC, ABC News, WEDU Media, Channel 4, TalkSPORT, Oprah Winfrey Network, AP. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She’s the shortest serving prime minister in British history.As the Conservative party embarks on the process of finding another new leader, Tim Shipman guides us through the process, the contenders (including the possible return of Boris Johnson) and what it all means for the country.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Tim Shipman, Chief Political Commentator, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Sky News, Channel 4 News, BBC News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.