Britain’s new prime minister Andy Burnham revealed his key cabinet picks yesterday; so who’s in, who’s out and what does it tell us about the direction in which he’ll take the country? And as the Iran and Ukraine wars rumble on and the cost of living continues to bite, how will the PM handle the key problems in his in-tray?

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: Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Olivia Case and Elle Scott.

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Read more: Burnham on football, his father’s dementia and preparing for power

Further listening: The remarkable rise of Andy Burnham

Clips: Sky, Goalhanger, BBC, DWS News, Eureka UK, Global News.

Photo: Getty Images.

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Around Scotland, something bizarre has been happening. Men dressed in black have gathered in military-style formations. The silent parades are filmed in grainy black and white. Experts describe the imagery as unmistakably fascist. So what is this? And why is it happening now? 

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: David Leask, Scotland reporter, The Times & The Sunday Times

Host: Manveen Rana

Producers: Sophie McNulty

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Read more: Tensions rise over ‘fascist’ parades held across Scotland

Further listening: Belfast on fire

Clips: LBC, Scottish Family Party - YouTube, Craig Houston - X, STV News.

Photo: X - Craig Houston.

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Lab-grown stones are booming, threatening to crush the diamond trade. So, how is the industry coping? And what does this mean for Botswana, a country whose schools, hospitals, roads, and economy have been built by the profits from diamond mining? 

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: Richard Assheton, foreign features, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

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Photo: Getty Images.

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Ben Kawaller suddenly has the urge to have children, but he would prefer not to raise them. Luckily, there is a growing online market that can help with that.

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 by: Ben Kawaller, reporter and essayist.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

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

Read more: I’ve decided to become a father. Does anyone want my sperm?

Photo: Adam Grey for The Times.

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Today, Andy Burnham will be crowned Labour leader. On Monday, he'll become Prime Minister -- Britain's fifth in as many years. But questions are still lingering over the direction he’ll take the government. And more than that, people are still trying to decipher who the man really is. We turn to our man in Westminster, who has spent plenty of time with Burnham, to try to get some 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: Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producers: Harry Stott.

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

Read more: Andy Burnham wants to break ‘unaccountable state’

Further listening: Will Burnham scrap the most expensive promise in politics?

Clips: Andy Burnham / X, BBC, Coljax Parliament / Youtube, LBC, Nimrod Kamer / Youtube, Manchester Evening News, The Mirror.

Photo: Getty Images.

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For the first time since the war began, a Times journalist has reported from inside Iran. World Affairs editor Catherine Philp travelled there for the week-long funeral of the former ayatollah, leaving just as US strikes resumed. Amid the latest escalation, how united is the country over the war? And what do the continuing hostilities mean for the daily lives of millions of people across Iran?

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: Catherine Philp, world affairs editor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Sophie McNulty, Jesse Fox.

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

Read more: US blockade begins in Strait while strikes on Iran enter fifth day

Further listening: What Iranians really think of Trump’s peace deal

Clips: C-Span, BBC, Fox News, The Times, DRM News. 

Photo: Times Photographer Jack Hill.

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The England football team’s manager Thomas Tuchel has led  his squad to a World Cup semi-final against old rivals Argentina. A cerebral football obsessive, he has a tendency to self-immolate when things are going well. So is this the fate that awaits the Tuchel-England experiment? Or could the tensions between the manager and his star player Jude Bellingham actually prove the key to victory?

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: Mehreen Khan, economics editor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Jesse Fox, Harry Stott.

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

Read more: Thomas Tuchel’s tough love for England not without risk

Further listening: The men who made the World Cup - The Sunday Story

Clips: Football Smash / Youtube, Sky News, Talk Sport, Sports Unfiltered / Youtube, BBC.

Photo: Getty Images.

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It’s no secret that NHS mental health care is under strain - long waiting lists, disjointed communication between providers, and patients left in limbo. So how did it end up this way? And could a treatment model from Finland be the solution? The Sunday Times went to find out.

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: Roisin Kelly, journalist and commissioning editor, The Sunday Times. 

Host: Luke Jones. 

Producer: Micaela Arneson. 

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

Read more: What Lapland can teach the NHS about treating psychosis

Further listening: Britain’s mental health reckoning - part one

Clips: Channel 4, Nottingham Inquiry.

Photo: Getty Images.

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Counterterrorism police are now leading the investigation into the alleged murder of former MP Ann Widdecombe. A 28-year-old man has now been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

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:

• Oliver Wright, policy editor, The Times.
• Stephen Roberts, former Deputy Assistant Commissioner at the Metropolitan Police 
• Jonathan Hall, Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation

Host: John Pienaar.

Producers: Sandra Mitchell, Sofia Johanson, and Taryn Siegel.

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

Read more: Ann Widdecombe death: counterterrorism police leading investigation

Photo: Getty Images.

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As the Iran war reignites, there's a hidden figure influencing the American side. In an exclusive interview for The Times, Pete Hegseth’s pastor Doug Wilson says the conflict in Iran is a righteous battle against Muslims, homosexuality is evil, and women who dress immodestly are sluts. How is this ultraconservative influencing US foreign policy? And could we see his brand of Christianity in the UK?

This podcast contains mention of some topics listeners may find offensive.

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: George Grylls, Washington correspondent, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana. 

Producer: Olivia Case.

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

Read more: Pete Hegseth’s pastor: ‘Women who dress immodestly are sluts’

Further listening: Trump v the Supreme Court and Fi and Jane interivew Pastor Wilson

Clips: PBS, CNN, New Founding Podcast / YouTube, Pulp Fiction / Quentin Tarantino / Mirimax, The Independent, Blog&Mablog / YouTube, Daniel Foucachon / YouTube. 

Photo: Dominic Gwinn / Zuma Press.

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