The i Podcast

A year after Russia began it’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, shattering the certainties of international politics, the ripples are still being felt worldwide.

From tough talking in the corridors of power, to shoppers facing spiralling prices for essential goods, to Ukrainians picking through the rubble of devastated towns and cities, this conflict is being felt globally and will define geopolitics for generations.

In this week’s episode of The i Podcast, Molly Blackall is joined by i Special Correspondent Patrick Cockburn to unpack the critical moments from the conflict – and shine a light into the future of the war.

Patrick brings a unique range of experiences to the table. He’s covered conflicts far and wide – from Northern Ireland to Yemen. His knowledge of the Kremlin comes from two stints in Moscow, first during the Perestroika reforms in the mid-80s that helped bring the Soviet Union tumbling down, then during Vladimir Putin’s rise to power in the late 90s. He’s also been a Washington DC correspondent.

Patrick and Molly discuss the conflict so far, before she puts readers’ questions to him. Listen to the episode – wherever you get your podcasts. Let us know if you’d like any of our writers to cover a topic by leaving a comment in the review section of your podcast app. 

The producer is Julia Webster, Executive Producer is Albert Evans.

The music featured is Out Of Time by Daddy_s_Music. You can check out their tracks here: https://pixabay.com/users/daddy_s_music-22836301/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the beginning of February, a mysterious flying balloon drifted into the public’s view in the skies above Montana. Locals eagerly filmed the unidentified object, posting videos on social media, kickstarting speculation that it was a visitation from extraterrestrials.

While bizarre, it seems there was something altogether more earthly was going on. The US pointed fingers squarely at China, claiming the balloon was a spying device, but Beijing insists it was merely a meteorological device, blown off course.

By the time the balloon was shot down by a US Air Force fighter jet over the Atlantic, Secretary of State Antony Blinken had canceled a trip to China and relations between the two countries are showing no signs of improving.

In this week’s episode of The i Podcast, Senior Reporter Serina Sandhu is joined by foreign news reporter Keiron Monks to discuss how the mysterious balloons have reignited political tensions between the two superpowers.

Only 14 percent of the UK’s rivers are classified as being in a ‘good’ ecological state and if things don’t change that could be as low as 6 percent by 2027.

What does this mean in practice? It’s killing off our fragile ecosystems, making us sick and destroying these natural treasures for future generations.

The i has a plan to reverse the fortunes of our national waterways, that’s we are launching the Save Britain’s Rivers campaign – alongside our sister publication the New Scientist.

In part 2 of this episode we are joined by our Environment Correspondent Daniel Capurro to explain how we plan to pressure politicians and businesses into cleaning up their act.

Produced by Julia Webster. The executive producer is Albert Evans and the assistant producer is Phoebe Fleming.

Music featured is by Michael Kobrin and Lexin Music - licensed via Pixabay. 

Check out their music here.

https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-the-introvert-michael-kobrin-10959/

https://pixabay.com/users/lexin_music-28841948/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liz Truss is back and she knows who is at fault for her disastrous 49-day tenure as prime minister: a “blob of vested interests” opposed to her vision of a low-tax economy.

In this week’s episode of The i Podcast, deputy political editor, Arj Singh, joins host Molly Blackall to lift the lid on her explosive intervention that has reignited the Tory party’s love affair with cutting taxes – and split the party once again.

While many thought these libertarian ideals went the same way as Truss’s doomed premiership, some in her party are unperturbed by the financial crisis they caused and want to try it all over again.

Later, we are joined by i‘s chief features writer, Kasia Delgado, who has been looking at cases of people faking their own deaths and the pitfalls of doing so in the modern age.

Faking your own death – or pseudocide – is attempted by hundreds of people every year. We take a look at this shadowy world and find out just how easy it is to disappear.

Produced by Julia Webster. The executive producer is Albert Evans and the assistant producer is Phoebe Fleming.

Music featured is by Michael Kobrin and Lexin Music - licensed via Pixabay. 

Check out their music here.

https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-the-introvert-michael-kobrin-10959/

https://pixabay.com/users/lexin_music-28841948/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ukraine’s Western allies have announced they will supply the embattled nation with high-tech tanks in a strategic move they hope will be decisive in its battle with Russia.

From the German-engineered excellence of the Leopard 2 to the British Challenger 2, complete with a kettle for making tea, these new weapons will augment the Soviet-era vehicles Ukraine has been using to hold off the Russian advance.

In this week’s episode of The i Podcast, Chief Reporter Cahal Milmo and Senior Reporter Serina Sandhu join Molly Blackall to explore how the new tanks could have an impact on the conflict, which is nearing its one-year mark.

Then we are heading to a waterway many call one of Britain’s “most spectacular rivers” But the Wye is dying, choked by devastating pollution.

The fate of the river, which runs along part of the England-Wales border, is by no means unique – but it has become a flashpoint in the battle to save the nation’s waterways.

Science and Environment Correspondent Tom Bawden joins us to take a look at why the river is under such grave threat, and what can be done to restore it to its former glory.

Stay up to date with our Ukraine coverage here: https://inews.co.uk/topic/ukraine

Tom's story on the River Wye can be found here: https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/river-wye-death-uk-longest-best-loved-rivers-2108758

Produced by Julia Webster. The executive producer is Albert Evans and the assistant producer is Phoebe Fleming.

Music featured is by Michael Kobrin and Lexin Music - licensed via Pixabay. 

Check out their music here.

https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-the-introvert-michael-kobrin-10959/

https://pixabay.com/users/lexin_music-28841948/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brexit was supposed to revive the fishing industry. Free of the shackles of Brussels rules, the UK’s fishing fleets would once more be able to make the most of British coastal waters and revitalise their coastal communities.

This is what Boris Johnson told Ian Perkes in Devon back in 2019. Four years later, the Brixham fish merchant’s business has seen sales plummet 30 per cent and export costs rise by as much as £3,000 a week.

In this week’s episode of The i Podcast with our chief news correspondent, David Parsley, we are going to take a look at what went wrong.

Then we are joined by i‘s chief features writer, Kasia Delgado, who has been looking at the four-decades-long deal between the media and the Royal Family, that has come under intense scrutiny.

As Prince Harry’s bombshell claims continue to make waves – the media’s relationship to the Royal Family is fraying, and Kasia takes us behind the scenes on how this deal is being upended. 

Produced by Julia Webster. The executive producer is Albert Evans and the assistant producer is Phoebe Fleming.

Music featured is by Michael Kobrin and Lexin Music - licensed via Pixabay. 

Check out their music here.

https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-the-introvert-michael-kobrin-10959/

https://pixabay.com/users/lexin_music-28841948/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Labour has enjoyed a hefty polling lead over the Conservatives for more than a year. Polling averages are giving Labour up to a 20-point lead and many in Westminster expect them to win the next election – due within the next two years.

In this week’s episode of The i Podcast, policy editor Jane Merrick and political reporter Chloe Chaplain give us the inside view on how the Opposition party will navigate the coming months – and how it intends to turn the polling lead into a landslide victory.

Later, senior reporter Serina Sandhu joins our host, Molly Blackall, to take us on a deep dive into the world of fine dining – where the cost of living crisis seems a million miles away.

So why are people prepared to wait months and fork out hundreds of pounds for millimetre-thin sliced Quince? Serina will make that clear and explain why “revenge dining” may have something to do with it. 

Keep up to date with Chloe and Jane's coverage in the links below:

https://inews.co.uk/author/jane-merrick

https://inews.co.uk/author/chloe-chaplain

Serina's piece is here: https://inews.co.uk/author/serina-sandhu

Produced by Julia Webster. The executive producer is Albert Evans and the assistant producer is Phoebe Fleming.

Music featured is by Michael Kobrin and Lexin Music - licensed via Pixabay. 

Check out their music here.

https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-the-introvert-michael-kobrin-10959/

https://pixabay.com/users/lexin_music-28841948/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An exclusive i investigation has uncovered the measures Chinese intelligence is believed to have taken to track British Government figures’ every move. In this week’s episode of The i Podcast – Senior Reporter Richard Holmes lifts the lid on his remarkable front-page story – that has sent shockwaves through Britain’s political establishment.

Richard joins host Molly Blackall to explain the “disturbing things” his contacts in the British intelligence services have found after sweeping Government cars and why they are pointing fingers at Beijing’s formidable security apparatus.

Later we are joined by new i Science writer Stuart Richie who has written a guide on how to avoid being caught out by hyped-up science in 2023 – and how to never lose your cautious optimism about science making the world a better place.

He breaks down the reasons why science reporting is fraught with difficulties and the key things to look out for as a reader.

Keep up to date with Richard's string of exclusives here: https://inews.co.uk/author/richard-holmes

Stuart's first piece is here: https://inews.co.uk/news/stop-tricked-bad-science-reporting-2063504

Produced by Julia Webster. Executive producer is Albert Evans. Assistance by Phoebe Fleming.

Music featured is by Michael Kobrin and Lexin Music - licensed via Pixabay. 

Check out their music here.

https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-the-introvert-michael-kobrin-10959/

https://pixabay.com/users/lexin_music-28841948/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode of The i Podcast, we are lifting the lid on the UK’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak in China and what it tells us about Rishi Sunak’s Government and Britain’s place in the world.

i‘s policy editor, Jane Merrick, joins Molly Blackall to give us the inside track on splits in the Cabinet and the geopolitical implications of the decision to bring in the first travel restrictions in a year for people arriving from China.

Later, we are joined by i‘s science and environment correspondent, Tom Bawden, who has been looking at a remarkable scientific breakthrough that opens the door to the possibility of people living to until 120 – and healthily.

He takes us through the science that may be finally cracking one of science’s “holy grails” with major implications for humanity as we know it. 

Read Jane's coverage here: https://inews.co.uk/author/jane-merrick

Tom's story is here: https://inews.co.uk/news/cure-old-age-trial-new-drug-increase-life-expectancy-2024142

Produced by Albert Evans.

Music featured is by Michael Kobrin and Lexin Music - licensed via Pixabay. 

Check out their music here.

https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-the-introvert-michael-kobrin-10959/

https://pixabay.com/users/lexin_music-28841948/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While many of us may have been expecting a joyful re-opening of society after the pandemic, 2022 has brought many surprises, dashing our hopes of life finally returning to normal.

In the final episode of the year Editor-in-chief Oly Duff and host Molly Blackall take a look back at the defining moments of 2022. From the political musical chairs in Downing Street to the first war on the European continent in a generation and the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Oly shares some of the pieces that resonated with him most this year, from Dean Kirby’s investigation into Russian filtration camps which revealed for the first time Ukrainians were being forcibly deported inside Russia’s borders, to Patrick Strudwick’s piece on the Queen being a quiet LGBT ally.

You can read those articles here:

https://inews.co.uk/opinion/empire-does-not-sit-well-equality-queen-lgbt-ally-1853604

https://inews.co.uk/news/ukraine-russia-war-putin-mauripol-deportations-filtration-camps-1539050-1539050

Produced by Phoebe Fleming.

Music featured is by Michael Kobrin and Lexin Music - licensed via Pixabay. 

Check out their music here.

https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-the-introvert-michael-kobrin-10959/

https://pixabay.com/users/lexin_music-28841948/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The NHS comes under considerable pressure every winter, but is this year the worst yet? In this week’s episode of The i Podcast, we are looking at the mounting challenges the health service faces – as the latest wave of industrial action takes hold.

i Special Projects Editor Rob Hastings has been speaking to paramedics about how they feel working on the frontline of the frontline and the mounting concerns they have about the UK’s ability to deal with surging demand for medical care in the winter months.

He also runs us through the five reasons why this year is so much harder than previous challenges, as the sector emerges battered and bruised after the Covid-19 pandemic.

When then take a look at why women are increasingly leaving their significant others and attending female-only sex parties.

Our People Writer Eleanor Peake has been chatting to the women organising – and attending – these events to find out why escaping the “male gaze” is so important to them.

Read Rob's long read here: https://inews.co.uk/news/health/nhs-paramedic-diary-shifts-hospital-queues-ambulance-delays-2029190

Read Eleanor's trip into the world of sex parties here: https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/why-women-are-leaving-their-boyfriends-at-home-to-attend-female-only-sex-parties-2025743

Produced by Julia Webster. The Executive Producer is Albert Evans with additional production by Phoebe Fleming.

Music featured is by Michael Kobrin and Lexin Music - licensed via Pixabay. 

Check out their music here.

https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-the-introvert-michael-kobrin-10959/

https://pixabay.com/users/lexin_music-28841948/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.