The Story

The east coast of Australia has been pummelled with disastrous flooding for the fourth time in less than 18 months. It's the first test for prime minister Anthony Albanese, who swept to power on a climate change platform. But can the tide turn with better climate policy, or is coastal Australia becoming uninhabitable? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times an...

Just six candidates are left in the race to be the next Conservative Party leader and prime minister. They're now battling to make it to the final two. But the eventual winner will be chosen not by MPs or by the public, but by the party’s members. So what are the dividing lines? And just who are the people with the future of the country in their hands? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the...

In a country where violent crime is almost non-existent, it came as an unspeakable shock when Japan's longest-serving former Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, was gunned down last Friday at a small political rally. How did this happen? And who was Shinzo Abe? 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: the...

For a small number of families, the difficulties caused to children by early trauma can lead to extreme challenges and the adoption breaks down. So what happens next? And how can new parents get the help they need? 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...

The Marcos name became infamous around the world when the Filipino dictator and his flamboyant family were forced out of office in the 1980s. So when the Philippines inaugurated Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr as its new president last month, it raised more than a few eyebrows… This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today a...

After a bruising day in parliament for the prime minister – which saw more resignations than ever before in British political history, including the chancellor and health secretary – Boris Johnson insists to cabinet rebels he won’t quit. So, what happened behind the scenes during a tumultuous 24 hours in Westminster? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Time...

In recent weeks the governing bodies for a number of sports have have published new rules for transgender athletes participating at elite level. So what are the new rules? What prompted them? And how do they affect athletes? 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...

For more than decade, justice secretary and deputy prime minister Dominic Raab has wanted to ditch the Human Rights Act and replace it with a British Bill of Rights. Now he’s finally got his chance. We examine what’s in the proposed Bill, and The Times’ legal editor dishes out the controversy ratings. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Time...

It's been just over a week since the US Supreme Court overruled Roe v Wade, overturning Americans' constitutional right to an abortion. And America has already begun to change. What sort of future is the country heading into? 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/storiesofourtime...

This week marks 25 years since the UK handover of Hong Kong to China, with the promise of ‘one country, two systems’. Then, the former British colony was told its freedom would endure, but has a security crackdown turned it into just another Chinese city? 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: t...

Dame Deborah James, campaigner and podcast host, whose chronicling of her incurable bowel cancer inspired the nation and raised millions for charity, has died. In the final months of her life, she spoke to Alice Thomson about her extraordinary charity work, her family and how she chose to live while knowing that she was dying. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The...

Google engineer Blake Lemoine brought an unusual concern to his company earlier this month: he feared the AI language program he was working with had gained sentience. Even if he's wrong (and Google certainly thinks he is) -- is the fact that an AI bot can imitate sentience so convincingly reason enough to be worried? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times an...

From starving athletes hiding cereal bars in socks to fat-shaming and gaslighting – the findings of the watershed Whyte Review make for grim reading. Why is this scandal so unique to sport – and what next for British gymnastics? 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/storiesofourt...

When journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Perreira were murdered while on a fact finding trip in the Amazon, it highlighted the threats to those working to protect the forest from exploitation. That fight, against those who want to use its resources, is one that has been going on for years - with little end in sight. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of read...

For almost two decades the Kinahans have operated one of the most powerful criminal organisations in the world. Now, they’ve been named as some of America’s “most wanted” and people who've been associated with them, such as Tyson Fury, are being refused entry to the US. What action have the authorities taken and can they be stopped? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers...

The ailing pontiff has prompted speculation that he will resign with a planned visit to the tomb of a 13th-century pope who quit after five months. Meanwhile, his remarks about foes plotting his replacement have some observers wondering who is wielding the knife — or the lead piping… This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today...

The government’s flagship immigration policy has been put on pause, following an intervention from the European Court of Human Rights. How was the first asylum flight to Rwanda halted? And what will happen next? 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: Mat...

Next week, much of the country's rail system will grind to a halt, as more than 40,000 rail workers join a national walkout. It's the biggest rail strike since 1989. So why are they striking? And how did the strikes of the 1970s and 80s bring us 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: theti...

Monkeypox cases in the UK are now in the hundreds, and 1,600 cases have been reported around the world in recent weeks. What do we know about it and how it spreads? And can it be contained?  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 Whipple, Scienc...

Parents, teachers, students and experts alike say that the UK’s education system desperately needs reform. The Times Education Commission has spent the past year trying to figure out how to fix it. Today, we take a look at the recommendations in its report from a more robust focus on children’s wellbeing and mental health to a broadening of the curriculum. This podcast was brought to you thanks to...

When a fire broke out at Grenfell Tower in west London in 2017, it led to the deaths of 72 people – and a search for answers. Five years on, what have we learned from the inquiry about the companies who made the cladding that helped spread the fire? 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: thetime...

When a fire broke out at Grenfell Tower in west London in 2017, it led to the deaths of 72 people – and a search for answers. Five years on, we revisit that night through the stories of three families who called the tower home.   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/st...

The fight for Ukraine has become a Battle for the Donbas, as Putin's army concentrates its forces in the southeast. The fiercest fighting is being waged for the city of Severodonetsk. So why is this city so important to both sides? And how will the outcome change the course of the war? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe tod...

Two weeks on from the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers died, America is still reeling. We look at how the day unfolded, and go inside the National Rifle Association's annual convention to answer the question: why is America still so in love with guns? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe to...

The prime minister's narrow win in a confidence vote on Monday night has left his political authority dented and his party even more deeply divided. Can Boris Johnson rebuild public trust and regain authority over his party, or is this the beginning of the end of his time in Downing Street? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscrib...