The Story

In Tenancingo, the country’s sex trafficking capital, children as young as eleven are being forced into prostitution. When they can no longer make money, they ‘disappear’. The state governor has said, it simply does not exist. The women the Sunday Times has spoken to say the problem is worse than anyone knows. Senior correspondent Louise Callaghan travelled to there to investigate. This podcast wa...

After an operation in 2022 to detain the leader of a terrorist cell goes wrong, the SAS is plunged into crisis raising questions about the future of Britain’s special forces. Insight, The Sunday Times investigations team, has gathered witness testimony, leaked documents and open source intelligence, meaning the full story can be told for the first time. This podcast was brought to you thanks to th...

The multitude of interconnected wars engulfing the globe are leading many to draw parallels with 1939, the eve of the Second World War. Historian Sir Anthony Beevor – one of the world’s great chroniclers of the 20th century – is one of those raising the alarm, particularly about the threats posed by Russia. Following the release of his new book Rasputin and the Downfall of the Romanovs , we caught...

On November 3, Americans will head to the polls for midterm elections that will determine who controls Congress for the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidency. While Trump himself isn't technically on the ballot, plummeting approval ratings means the elections are shaping up to be a referendum on his leadership. Republicans face a tough fight, even in traditionally conservative states su...

Over 300,000 people live in ‘temporary’ or ‘supported’ housing, where government-funded rents have no upper-limit. For The Times’ Welfare Inquiry, investigative lead Katie O’Toole goes undercover at an ‘academy’ training landlords in how to profit off housing society’s most vulnerable. She also hears from tenants stranded in supported housing, where severe financial cliff edges penalise those who...

With our reporters following every word in court, the trial of Russell Brand began in earnest today. The prosecution laid out their case, calling Brand “ruthless, calculating, and manipulative…a sexual predator.” Brand has denied all charges against him. Watch or listen to The Trial of Russell Brand every weekday on Apple Podcasts , YouTube or listen on Spotify . Follow the show to never miss an e...

Andy Burnham announced this week that UK and EU leaders will meet in November to discuss a reset in relations. Brexit has been bad for the country, Burnham said, and a closer relationship with Europe will foster economic growth and strengthen national security. Is he right? What is he hoping to accomplish in November? And is now the time to reopen the fraught debate over Britain’s decision to leav...

Over the weekend, the Houthis attacked one of Saudi Arabia’s main airports twice, as well as other locations in the country. Fourteen people are dead so far, with hundreds injured, in what is the deadliest attack on the Kingdom in over a decade. Saudi Arabia is calling for international help, but will anyone come to their aid? And what’s the fallout in a rapidly destabilising region? This podcast...

Israel’s general election on October 27th could be the country’s most consequential in its history. In the run up, the prime minister and his right-wing coalition have promoted a vision of the country’s future that is as uncompromising to its friends as its enemies. As the situation at home and abroad grows evermore dire, what impact will the victor have on the likelihood of peace in the middle ea...

The month marks the 20th anniversary of Amy Winehouse’s multi-platinum album Back to Black . Just after the album was released and Amy’s fame was beginning to skyrocket, journalist Ariel Leve met the young 23-year-old in LA for two hours, where Amy gushed about her new husband, laughed off the cruel media scrutiny, and mused about her legacy. That interview would never be seen or heard -- until no...

They’re actors, rock stars, models — and the offspring of very famous parents. Some see this as joining in on the family business. Others see it as an unfair advantage. But is the backlash against them justified? Times Columnist Ben Machell weighs in on the nepo baby debate. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://...

In Siberia last week, a Russian researcher working at an institute specialising in dangerous infectious diseases is believed to have died of unexplained pneumonia. Local media suggested it was pneumonic plague; the Kremlin continues to obfuscate. So what’s really happening? With its history of cover ups, can we trust what Russia is telling the world? And how worried should we be? This podcast was...

The student protests that have rocked France for weeks reached a crescendo this week, when more than 250,000 teenagers, parents, teachers and union leaders took to the streets to voice their anger over dilapidated school buildings, staff shortages and complicated timetables. Some protests have resulted in shocking violence, and so far, the government has had limited success in quelling the unrest....

Kemi Badenoch's attack on Reform UK was all about character and her attack on Labour was all about economics. In her speech at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, she said she would to scrap inheritance tax on family homes and that under a Conservative government, couples would be able to leave an extra £1m inheritance tax free to their children. Badenoch was withering about Nigel...

Tomorrow sees the Greens and Labour battle it out for control of Holborn and St. Pancras, following Keir Starmer’s resignation as the constituency’s MP last month. The stakes are particularly high for the Green candidate and leader Zack Polanski, who wants to prove his party can be a viable alternative to Labour on the left. But what are voters on the ground thinking? We head up to North London to...

Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez has called a snap election, after losing a key vote on his housing reforms. Protests have been rocking the country since an 87-year-old woman was evicted on a stretcher. Sánchez is gambling that he can leverage the national fury to strengthen his party’s position, but could it backfire? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Tim...

A Sunday Times investigation has found England is in an overprescribing epidemic. Adverse reactions to cocktails of medicines are sending a thousand older people to A&E every day, potentially causing deaths, and costing the NHS billions. So how was this overlooked for so long? And can an already overstretched and underfunded NHS fix the problem? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the su...

When Times reporter Sasha Nugara fell for a charismatic musician she met online, she didn’t imagine she would end up in a coercive relationship. But love bombing quickly soured into manipulation and violence, and Sasha decided to break free – and seek justice. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/th...

Sir Ranulph Fiennes is one of the world’s greatest living explorers. After he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2020, he continued to speak publicly about his career and illness. That is, until 2024. Since then, he hasn’t been seen publicly, and many of those closest to him haven’t been able to reach him. So what is happening with Fiennes? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the supp...

In one of the biggest scandals in English football history, Manchester City football club was found guilty this week on all charges of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules. So how did we get here? What will happen to Man City, and what does the scandal mean for the future of English football? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The...

The energy price cap goes up again today by 4% – but more pain is around the corner, with forecasts yesterday suggesting a further 16% rise in the new year. Why are UK energy prices, particularly electricity, much more expensive than the US and even most European countries? And while Andy Burnham is promising radical plans to bring them down, will this be enough? This podcast was brought to you th...

Christa Pike is set to be executed today, making her the first woman to be put to death in Tennessee in 200 years. Ahead of the execution, Pike has spoken with The Times about her regrets, her fears, and what it’s been like awaiting her final hours. Thirty years on from her trial, she wonders, would she have gotten the same sentence in 2026? Warning: This episode contains descriptions of violence,...

The Labour party is jubilant. Andy Burnham has fired the starting gun for the next general election with one of the most consequential conference speeches in recent memory. Burnham used the speech to set out a series of major proposals, including an end to the triple lock, the abolition of first-past-the-post and closer ties with Europe. At the heart of his national project is a care service free...

When police arrested five men on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act and explosive offences at RAF Fairford early Sunday morning, questions swirled: who was behind the foiled plot? Should Britain be concerned about its security vulnerabilities? But then the men were released on bail, and suddenly a different question arose: could this entire saga have been a terrible misunderstanding? This podc...

Deep in Russia’s Ural Mountains lies a secret nuclear bunker, guarded by a gate that has never been seen before. Until now. A Sunday Times joint investigation has revealed that the Cold War-era bunker, long thought to be dormant, is being revamped as President Putin seeks to arm the country against potential nuclear attack. So what does this mean for the West? This podcast was brought to you thank...