The Standard

US President Joe Biden will travel to Israel on Wednesday as concerns grow that the Israel-Hamas conflict could expand into a larger regional conflict. It’s whilst the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip becomes more dire, the UN says a million Gazans have already been displaced by Israeli airstrikes. Power is out, drinking water is running scarce, and fuel supplies for hospital genera...

There is a growing humanitarian crisis at the crossing point between the Gaza Strip and Egypt as more than a million people, including many Britons, desperately head south to flee air raids and threatened imminent Israeli invasion. Rafah border crossing is currently the Palestinians’ only route out of the enclave, with Hamas, Egypt and Israel all having a degree of control over who can pass throug...

This is a cut down bonus episode taken from our business podcast, How to be a CEO. Charlie Bigham is the founder of the food company that bears his own name. Created in 1996 in his own kitchen, it now employs 700 people and sells dishes from chicken and mushroom pies you put in the oven to pan-fried Pad Thais. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s two decades since the launch of the contemporary art fair that secured London’s place at the centre of the modern creative world. Frieze London celebrates 20 years since its first event for high-end art buyers who’ve got at least a few thousand - and much more - to splurge. As well as the contemporary fair in Regent’s Park with works by artists including Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Yinka Shoni...

London relatives of pensioners kidnapped by Hamas in Israel told how their elderly parents were forced from their beds and taken to Gaza as hostages. Noam Sagi, whose 75-year-old mother, Ada, along with Sharone Lifschitz’s mum and dad, aged 83 and 85, were kidnapped as squads of heavily-armed Hamas gunmen launched terror attacks across southern Israel. The British-Israelis spoke out to highlight t...

The glamour of international air travel is bouncing back - and Heathrow Airport bosses say they’ve got the passenger numbers to prove it. LHR revealed on Wednesday that the number of travellers was back above pre-pandemic levels for the first time. Airport bosses say more than seven million passengers took off or landed over September, soaring past 2019’s figures of nearly 6.8 million travellers....

This edition of the Leader podcast examines safety concerns for Jewish Londoners following the weekend’s attacks that saw squads of heavily-armed Hamas gunmen launch a massive terror attack in southern Israel. More than 10 Britons are feared dead or missing - among over 900 hundred now believed to have been killed - with Hamas threatening to kill hostages if Israeli forces continue bombarding the...

It’s day two of Labour’s conference in Liverpool as the party faithful congregate in the hope it will be their final gathering before Sir Keir Starmer’s installed in Downing Street. After the weekend’s devastating attacks in Israel, we ask about reaction on the conference floor and among the shadow cabinet. There’s also been domestic big picture speeches, including shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves...

This is a repeat taken from our Let Girls Learn series. This is episode is brought to you from Zimbabwe with journalist Farai Shawn Matiashe. Street Set Football Club in Bulawayo, equips girls not only with skills in dribbling and passing, but also helps them to navigate adolescence in an environment where early marriage, teen pregnancy and drug abuse are rife. Farai finds out from those invo...

In Mozambique’s brutal civil war, nearly all of the wildlife in Gorongosa National Park was destroyed by soldiers and poachers. We discover how an unusual rewilding project - with women’s empowerment at its heart – has helped nature to roar back to life. Ros Russell presents a special episode as part of the Let Girls Learn series, where the Evening Standard is hearing stories from around the globe...

Will the ‘Paris bed bug infestation’ hit London? The Deputy Mayor of Paris, has warned that the French Capital is in the midst of a 'bed bug infestation', calling it  “widespread”, and adding that “in reality no one is safe”.  There are now growing concerns in London that the creepy critters could soon be on their way here. Eurostar has announced preventative methods are in place to stop...

The Evening Standard’s Political Editor, Nicholas Cecil, gives his analysis of Rishi Sunak’s high-anticipated speech at the Conservative Party conference. From the cancelling of the Manchester leg of HS2 for a new ‘Northern Network’ and redevelopment around Euston Station, to a proposed change in the legal age of smoking, and the replacement of A-levels.  Nicholas Cecil, runs through the key...

Is the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2 about to be scrapped? The Prime Minister has refused to confirm a decision either way but speculation is rife around potential changes to High Speed Rail 2.  In part one, our Deputy Political Editor, Jitendra Joshi, discusses why Rishi Sunak is considering the amendments, and what the political ramifications could be of this move.  In part two,...

The Conservative Party conference is officially underway. The Chancellor has announced an increase to the National Living Wage and tougher sanctions for people on benefits who do not take steps to find work.  But, despite usually being high on the Tory priority list, Jeremy Hunt has said tax cuts won't be coming this year. The Evening Standard’s Political Editor, Nicholas Cecil, shares his in...

This is a cut down of the full interview with BT Business CEO Bas Burger, on our How to be a CEO podcast. To hear the full thing click here. When BT Business was officially launched in April this year, Bas Burger was the man entrusted to take the reigns. He’s in charge of 24,000 people, and a multi-billion pound strategy to make the UK’s broadband infrastructure fit for the future. Hosted on Acast...

Sir Michael Gambon described as a ‘titan of the stage and film’ . How his mischievous side came out during interviews. Dumbledore versus his earlier film and theatre roles. How London’s theatres will pay tribute. Nick Curtis, our Chief Theatre Critic, discusses Sir Michael Gambon’s career, character, and how he will be remembered. Follow us on Twitter or on Threads . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

Double-whammy strikes warning for Wednesday 4th October. Commuters expected to write off most of next week. RMT Union’s Mick Lynch warns staff cuts will lead to more disruption. Our City Hall Editor & Transport Editor Ross Lydall explains the October tube strikes, and how intermittent action is changing work culture in London. In this episode: Most lines affected but good news for Elizabeth Li...

A huge UK oil and gas field, Rosebank, has just been given the green light for development and production. The controversial decision has been made despite widespread criticism. The field contains up to 350 million barrels of oil and is currently one of the largest untapped discoveries in UK waters. We’re joined by Jess Ralston, head of energy at the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit think ta...

The outcry over armed police officers continues as Sir Mark Rowley appears at the first meeting of the new policing board. The Scotland Yard chief admitted that there is "significantly less" armed police cover than normal in London, and the force was facing "difficult choices''. It’s after hundreds of officers stood down from firearms duties following a murder charge against one of their colleague...

New data reveals that hybrid working has become a permanent way of life, and millions less rail journeys are being made in and out of the capital on weekdays. The stats come as Sadiq Khan calls on Londoners to return to the office and make the most our of our great city.  Ross Lydall, our City Hall Editor & Transport Editor, takes us behind the data and looks at the potential repercussion...

In this special ‘Let Girls Learn’ episode, we’re finding out about life for pregnant teenagers in Freetown, Sierra Leone.  Being a girl here can be tough, they can often be exploited for sex by men and boys offering them ways to jump the extremely long queue for the water pump line, something known locally as ‘water for water’.  Teenage pregnancy can be common here but the girls are ofte...

It’s the end of the line for one of London’s iconic public transport fares - the day Travelcard. The special tickets offering unlimited journeys on Tubes and buses are being withdrawn after 40 years by Mayor Sadiq Khan from January in a bid to raise Transport for London an extra £40 million annually.  Some 65,000 daily Travelcards are bought on most days, and these will be cut in a push for p...

It’s day two of King Charles’ French trip - and he’s made history as the first British monarch to address the Senate in Paris. The symbolic tour is his first visit across La Manche since Brexit, and he’s set out his hopes for improving Franco-British relations. His speech, in French, focused on combating climate change - potentially leaving him on a crash course with Rishi Sunak after the PM put t...

Rishi Sunak is to weaken some of the government’s key green commitments in a major policy shift. The Prime Minister reckons it’s possible to meet 2050 net zero carbon emissions goals but in a “more proportionate way”. With an eye on a general election expected next year, Sunak risks triggering a feud with Conservative party members who are progressive on green issues. His speech on Tuesday was pus...

Exclusive Ipsos poll for the Standard finds six in ten adults want the next election to take place before the end of next June . Rishi Sunak V Keir Starmer: who’s in the driving seat? Does an earlier or later election benefit the Conservatives? Ipsos Director of Politics Keiran Pedley discusses the survey results, and when the PM might call the next general election. In this episode: Why there’s s...