The Story

What began as student protests in France against a struggling education system has erupted into a wider wave of unrest over the rising cost of living and failing public services. Similar grievances have sparked demonstrations across Europe, with violent clashes in Belgium and Italy over the weekend. French authorities have now imposed localised curfews, while declaring a state of emergency remains on the cards. So is Europe facing a wider crisis of public discontent? And is this a tipping point?

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: Charles Bremner, contributor, The Times. Tom Kington, contributor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Robyn Simon and Olivia Case.

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Read more: How our local school protest set France alight

Further listening: The student protests putting Macron’s legacy at risk

Clips: Channel 4, France 24, Al Jazeera, Tousi TV, DW News,

Photo: Getty Images.

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.

For residents of Kyiv, 2026 has been the deadliest since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Air defences are virtually nonexistent so strikes and civilian deaths have skyrocketed, making Kyiv’s firefighters evermore crucial. Amid the terror and destruction, they have emerged as heroes – public servants who run towards danger to rescue civilians while being targeted by Russian strikes.

For the first time, Ukrainian emergency services have allowed a journalist to embed with them. The Sunday Times’ Tom Watling has the exclusive.

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: Tom Watling, writer, The Sunday Times.

Host: Rosie Wright.

Producers: Micaela Arneson and Olivia Case.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: A week with the Kyiv firefighters battling Russian drone strikes

Further listening: Sir Anthony Beevor: Russia is ‘a prisoner of their own past’

Clips: Fox, BBC, Newsmax, 9News, TalkTV, Asia One News.

Photo: Paula Bronstein for The Sunday Times.

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.

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

Guest: Louise Callaghan, senior US correspondent, The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Dave Creasey, Micaela Arneson.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: We exposed sex-trafficking town: now officials admit it's a problem

Clips: El Debate News.

Photo: Getty.

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.

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 the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Read and reported by:

• Gabriel Pogrund, editor of Insight, The Sunday Times
• Venetia Menzies, Insight investigations correspondent, The Sunday Times
• Emanuele Midolo, Insight investigations correspondent, The Sunday Times

Producer: Sophie McNulty

Sound designer: Ivan Eastley

Read more: SAS in crisis: sent to hunt Isis in Syria. Then arrested for murder

Further listening: Posh George: The criminal behind Farage

Watch: How the Insight team investigated the special forces scandal

Artwork: Nina Krause

Get in touch:

Call or WhatsApp The Sunday Times’s Insight team: 020 7782 5959

For any tips: [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.

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 up with him at The Times and The Sunday Times-sponsored Cheltenham Literary Festival, to ask what the ‘mad monk’ of late-Imperial Russia can tell us about the country today, and just how dangerous this present moment is.

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: Sir Anthony Beevor, historian and author of ‘Rasputin: and the downfall of the Romanovs.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Harry Stott.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Antony Beevor: Trump shows signs of dementia. He can’t be controlled

Further listening: Russia revives its nuclear armageddon project, Dead Hand

Clips: BBC, France 24 English, MSNOW, USA Today, War Archives / Youtube, Old Broadcast / Youtube, Admiral Oliver Franklin Doom / Youtube.

Photo: Getty Images.

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 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 such as Texas, where a fiercely contested Senate race could deliver a major upset. Will Texas really turn blue? And what would a Democratic victory in Texas mean for Trump’s political 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: Katy Balls, Washington editor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Robyn Simon, Olivia Case.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Trump’s convention hurt my midterm chances, Ken Paxton says in leaked audio

Further listening: Could Trump lose MAGA over Iran?

Clips: CBS, C-Span, Fox, MS NOW, CNN, CNBC, KTXS News, James Talarico Youtube

Photo: Getty Images.

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.

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 work. So, who is getting rich from this uncapped system? What is the human cost for those stuck inside it? And where does the system go from here?

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:

• Fraser Nelson, columnist, The Times.
• Katie O'Toole, Welfare Inquiry investigative lead, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Sophie McNulty.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: The benefits system is failing. We hope to help fix it

Clips: Channel 4 News.

Photo: Getty Images.

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.

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 episode.

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

We want to hear from you - email: [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.

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 leave the EU?

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: Oliver Wright, policy editor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Micaela Arneson, Robyn Simon.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Andy Burnham: We’re ready for closer ties with the EU

Further listening: ‘It’s a disaster’: Leave voters on 10 years of Brexit

Clips: House of Commons, Labour Party, The Telegraph, Bloomberg, Euronews, France 24.

Photo: Getty Images.

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.

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

Guest: Michael Stephens, consultant and senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and think tank RAND.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Olivia Case and Micaela Arneson.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Why does Saudi Arabia seem powerless to face down the Houthis?

Further listening: What the lightning Houthi advance means for the world

Clips: WION, BBC, Sky News, ABC News, Al Jazeera, News24, NBC, CBS, FirstPost.

Photo: Getty Images.

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.