In 2025 China continued to flourish. Despite the tariffs, it hit a record trade surplus of over $1 trillion, Chinese companies like DeepSeek took on the US tech giants and the country leveraged its soft power on social media sites like RedNote. With economic, technological and diplomatic might, will China try to take on America as the foremost global superpower in 2026? Or does its ruling party have another plan in mind?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Cindy Yu, columnist and contributing editor, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Olivia Case. 

Clips: AP, @TheHumnitarian-gph / YouTube, CNBC, CGTN, Bloomberg, @ChemOutsourcingOfficial, @ChinaUncensored / YouTube, NBC, BBC, @CBC News, @TinaSourcing / YouTube, RedNote / Anzu Baibai. 

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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.

Millions of us now use AI daily, asking the likes of ChatGPT and Gemini to help with tasks like writing emails or designing logos. But as AI increasingly becomes part of our lives, our Silicon Valley expert predicts this year will see a significant push back against its influence. 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Danny Fortson, US West Coast correspondent, The Sunday Times. 

Host: Luke Jones. 

Producer: Edward Drummond. 

Read more: Why Sam Altman declared ‘code red’ at OpenAI — and how to fix it 

Further listening: The Times Tech Podcast 

Clips: Global News, WXYZ-TV, WHAS11, 11 Alive, CBS News, More Perfect Union, Times Tech Summit. 

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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 week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2025, this episode was first published in September.

In the years since Omar al-Bayoumi was released by British police, new evidence has come to light which was not shared with the officers carrying out his interrogation. Today, he stands accused of being a Saudi agent who helped the terrorists who carried out 9/11, something he has always denied.

This is part three of a three-part special investigative series.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Amardeep Bassey, journalist, The Sunday Times.

Host: Taryn Siegel. 

Producer: Taryn Siegel.

Sound designer: Tiffany Dimmack.

Read more: Revealed after 24 years, how UK was forced to free 9/11 ‘plotter’

Clips: Metropolitan Police Services.

Photo: Tony Bell.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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 week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2025, this episode was first published in September.

On September 21, 2001, Omar al-Bayoumi was arrested in Birmingham on suspicion of the preparation, instigation or commission of acts of terrorism. Police would have seven days before they would need to charge, extradite, or release him. Over the next week of questioning, there would be extraordinary revelations -- but also leads not followed, and crucial information not shared. So what went wrong? 

This is part two of a three-part special investigative series.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Amardeep Bassey, journalist, The Sunday Times.

Host: Taryn Siegel. 

Producer: Taryn Siegel.

Read more: Revealed after 24 years, how UK was forced to free 9/11 ‘plotter’

Clips: Metropolitan Police Services.

Photo: Tony Bell.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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 week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2025, this episode was first published in September.

Was there another man involved in plotting the 9/11 terrorist attacks that killed thousands in 2001? And why did British police, acting on the instructions of American law enforcement, let him go?

This is part one of a three-part special investigative series.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Amardeep Bassey, journalist, The Sunday Times.

Host: Taryn Siegel. 

Producer: Taryn Siegel.

Read more: Revealed after 24 years, how UK was forced to free 9/11 ‘plotter’

Clips: Metropolitan Police Services, CBS News, NBC News.

Photo: Tony Bell.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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 week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2025, this episode was first published in April.

Romance fraud is at an all time high, low-hanging fruit in the growing world of online scams. But what are the methods? Who falls for it? And are there ways we can all avoid it?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests: 

• Mary Chater, romance fraud victim
• Alexis Conran, TV and radio presenter

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Edith Rousselot.

Further reading: The Times's Crime and Justice Commission - The justice system is in crisis. We spent a year finding solutions

Clips: The Real Hustle Youtube channel, Still Watching Netflix Youtube channel. 

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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 week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2025, this episode was first published in March.

Japanese ‘kidults’ revolutionised pop culture in the 90s and 00s, turning to their inner children to cope with economic crisis and post-industrial societal ills, despite being ridiculed. As the milestones of adulthood - property, marriage and careers - become increasingly difficult for millennials and Gen Z to achieve - are westerners now turning to ‘kidulting’ to find answers? 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Matt Alt, author of Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Sam Chantarasak.

Further listening: 

• Studio Ghibli: Is this the end for the Japanese studio that inspired Pixar?
• The South Korean culture machine that conquered the world

Clips: SEGA, Pokémon Theme/POKEMON, MSNBC, CNN, AJ+, Sony, PlayStation, CBS, SXSW, TikTok/@otakuintokyo, TikTok/@kaitlyneats, Your Name/dir. Makoto Shinkai/CoMix Wave Films/Toho.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected].

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 week between Christmas and New Year, we’re revisiting some of our favourite episodes of 2025. This episode was first published in February.

A year ago Times columnist James Marriott ditched his smartphone to escape the endless notifications from his apps. How has he managed without a device many of us feel is indispensable? And could it be a more desirable future?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: James Marriott, Columnist, The Times. 

Host: Luke Jones. 

Producer: Edward Drummond.

Further reading: I’m a digital native — can I survive without my smartphone?

Photo: Jude Edginton for The Times Magazine.

Get in touch: [email protected]  

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.

From oil spills to climate change, penguins are on the frontline of environmental change. Pablo García Borboroglu has spent more than three decades rescuing colonies, moving shipping lanes, and protecting over 32 million acres of penguin habitat. He joins Adam Vaughan to share what it takes to keep these charismatic seabirds alive in a rapidly changing world.

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times and The Sunday Times in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. Each episode is hosted by The Story released as a bonus weekly series on Saturdays.

Host: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times. 

Guest: Pablo García Borboroglu, Founder of the Global Penguin Society and Rolex Award Laureate. 

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia 

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded. 

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.

On this special Christmas Day episode we have an exclusive, brand-new story from acclaimed author, and former CIA analyst, David McCloskey. Commissioned for The Sunday Times Review, it's read for us by the author.

Before she met Painter, before the CIA came calling, Natalie Perkins had no secrets, only followers, likes, and a hope of online fame. But now, 'retired' from the spotlight and living quietly in Nebraska, Natalie holds a secret that could change everything. When Painter reappears, Natalie is thrust back into a world of espionage and deception.

Read by: David McCloskey.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

Photo: Tom Barnes for Sunday Times Magazine.

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.