The Story

On Christmas Day three years ago British businessman Marc Bennett was found dead in his four star hotel room in Qatar. He'd been successfully working on the country’s tourism industry but died in unexplained circumstances after being arrested and allegedly tortured by the country’s police. A British coroner ruled there was no evidence of suicidal intent. So what happened?

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:

• Sean O’Neill, Senior Writer, The Times.
• Nancy Bennett, Marc's widow.
• Tony Bennett & Micki Bennett Marc’s parents.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Olivia Case.

Clips: Breaking Travel News, Visit Qatar, BeIN SPORTS USA, Doha News Official, BBC, CNBC.

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.

Leicester has always been held up as a beacon of multicultural Britain. But for more than two weeks, the city has witnessed religious clashes between young men from the Hindu and Muslim communities. The violence flared up after a cricket match, but is there more to this story than meets the eye? Has fake news stoked tensions? And could the Hindu nationalist ideology of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have had an influence?

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:

• Fiona Hamilton, Crime and Security Editor, The Times.
• Barnie Choudhury, Editor-at-large, Eastern Eye newspaper. 

Host: Manveen Rana.

Clips: Leicestershire Police, Channel 4, Al Jazeera, One India News, Reuters, DW News, NDTV.

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 Squid Game to K-pop to kimchi, South Korea has taken the planet by storm. How did a once-impoverished country turn its fortunes around? And what has it done for South Korea's standing abroad?

'Hallyu! The Korean Wave' is on at the V&A in South Kensington until June 2023: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/hallyu-the-korean-wave 

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: Josh Glancy, Special Correspondent, The Sunday Times.

Host: Jenny Kleeman. 

Clips: BBC News, Deutsche Welle, Oscars, ABC News, Blackpink, The White House.

Film and music excerpts:

Crash Landing on You, dir. Lee Jeong-hyo, Netflix

I Know, Seo Taiji and Boys, Genie Music

Into the New World, Girls Generation, SM Entertainment

Gangnam Style, Psy, YG Entertainment

Butter, BTS, Hybe Corporation/Big Hit Music

Boombayah, BLACKPINK, YG Entertainment

Parasite, dir. Bong Joon Ho, CJ Entertainment

Squid Game, dir. Hwang Dong-hyuk, Netflix

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.

As the Labour Party meets in Liverpool for its annual conference, the dividing lines between the two biggest parties have rarely been more stark. Ahead of Sir Keir Starmer’s speech tomorrow, what might we learn about his plans for the party and the country?

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: Caroline Wheeler, Political Editor, The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Clips: Sky News, Parliament, The Labour Party, BBC News, Channel 4 News, ITV News.

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 hard right is on the rise in Italy. Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party is tipped to win Sunday’s general election. If it does, she’ll become Italy’s first female prime minister - and the first hard right leader since the Second World War. So who is she? And what does her popularity tell us about the legacy of Italy’s fascist past?

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 Kington, Italy Correspondent, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Olivia Case

Clips: Al Jazeera, CNBC, France 24, Fox news, Pepper Pig, PBS Newshour, Channel 4, CNN, Goffredo Mameli and Michele Novaro, Euronews, CriticalPast, AP.

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.

Newly-appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss has inherited an economy in turmoil. With the nation on the verge of recession and significant challenges ahead, what might we expect to hear from tomorrow's “Fiscal Event”?

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: Mehreen Khan, Economics Editor, The Times. 

Host: Manveen Rana.

Clips: Channel 4, ITV, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Sky News, BBC News, The Independent, Thames TV, GB News, BBC Radio 4.

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 Women’s Super League kicked off this weekend, following the euphoria of the Lionesses' win at Euro 2022 this summer. How was that success won? We trace the little-known history of women’s football from struggle to the success - including a time when the Football Association banned the women's game completely. 

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:

• Professor Jean Williams, author and sport historian.
• Molly Hudson, The Times Sport Reporter. 

Host: Manveen Rana. 

Clips: talkSPORT, BBC Sport, ITV News, Sky News, Sky Sport News, Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, BBC Archive.

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.

Liz Truss will make her first foreign trip as prime minister this week to the UN general assembly in New York. She already has plenty of experience in global diplomacy, but has sometimes ruffled feathers with her approach. How is she viewed by the world’s media and governments and will she be able to win over her critics abroad?

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:

• Sarah Baxter, director of the Marie Colvin Center for International Reporting, Stony Brook University, New York
• Marc Bennetts, foreign correspondent, The Times and The Sunday Times
• Didi Tang, Beijing correspondent, The Times
• Peter Conradi, Europe editor, The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Clips: 10 News First, 7News, The Mirror, Newshub, The Hill, Centre for Policy Studies, The Guardian, Russia-1, CCTV, Times Radio, Talk TV, Bloomberg, Reuters.

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 a lifetime of preparation the former Prince of Wales became King Charles III. What kind of monarch will he be? What challenges will he face? And should the new King apologise for Britain's role in slavery and colonialism?

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:

• Roya Nikkhah, Royal Editor, The Sunday Times.
• Lester Holloway, Editor, The Voice.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Clips: BBC, Novara Media, KernowDamo; CNN, Newsnation, The Telegraph, MyWorldNewsNetwork, COP 26, ITV, The Guardian, ET Canada.

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.

Ukrainian forces have retaken over 3000 sq miles of Russian-occupied territories in the northeast of the country. Could these developments signal a change in fortunes for Ukraine? And how might Russia respond?

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: 

• Richard Spencer, The Times' correspondent in Ukraine. 
• General Sir Richard Barrons, former head of Joint Forces Command in the UK. 

Host: Manveen Rana. 

Clips: CNBC, DW News, Reuters. 

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.