The Story

As Iran continues to attack its Gulf neighbours could the strikes turn into a wider war? Who might be drawn in? And with Iran hitting friends as well as foes, how will this war reshape the Middle East and its relationship with the US?Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryGuests: Michael Stephens, consultant and senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. Hofit Golan, influencer and content creator.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Olivia Case and Harry Stott.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Iran latest: Trump says war could end soon as ‘nothing left to target’Further listening: Iran has a new leader - how long will he last?Clips: Al Jazeera. 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.

War in the Middle East has caused oil and gas prices to soar and sent the markets into turmoil. But why does oil still have such a powerful influence over the cost of household goods? And what has history taught us about how wars are waged when oil holds such sway?Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryGuest:Dr Ellen R. Wald, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center and author of Saudi, Inc..Harry Wallop, consumer journalist and Times Radio contributor.Host: Rosie WrightProducer: Julia Webster and Harry StottWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Does Trump really have a plan for what he is doing in Iran?Further listening: Could Trump lose MAGA over Iran?Clips: Blue Georgia on X, The White House, The Economic Times, CNN, GB News, APPhoto: 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.

Iran has appointed a new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. He’s the son of the late Ali Khamenei and a shadowy figure with a history of orchestrating brutal crackdowns on dissenters. President Donald Trump is also not a fan. So what does his appointment mean for the conflict raging in the Middle East? Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryGuests: Catherine Philp, world affairs editor, The Times.Negah Angha, former US State Department and National Security Council advisor.  Host: Darryl Morris.Producer: Micaela Arneson, Sophie McNulty.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comOur listener survey is live - find it here.Read more: Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader?Further listening: How AI helped Trump attack IranClips: Sky News, Al Jazeera, NBC, Fox News, The Times, ABC NewsPhoto: 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.

The use of Artificial Intelligence by militaries used to be talked about in the abstract, but during the US and Israel’s strikes on Iran we’ve seen it used in real time. So what happens when you have robots who can make battlefield decisions quicker than the speed of thought? And what made the Trump administration fall out with one of the world’s leading AI companies?Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryGuest: David Leslie, Professor of ethics, technology and society in the Digital Environment Research Institute at Queen Mary University of London.Host: Rosie Wright.Producers: Harry Stott, Sophie McNulty. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: How AI helps 20 US troops do the work of 2,000 in Iran warFurther listening: Anthropic vs Pentagon: How AI is changing warClips: Fox, CBS News, Reuters.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.

Thirty years after her death, Frida Kahlo went from relative obscurity to one of the most famous female artists on the planet. Now, her image has been used on everything from watches, scented candles, clothes, sanitary pads, and even Barbie dolls. But how did the communist icon become the face of a million dollar enterprise? At the centre of the story is a Kahlo family divided. Should her image reflect her artistic treasures or a global brand?Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryGuest: Blanca Schofield, assistant culture and books editor for both The Times and The Sunday Times.Host: Rosie Wright.Producer: Dave Creasey.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Artist — or brand? How Frida Kahlo’s family lost controlPhoto: FridaMoji/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.

The war in Iran has left its people divided. Some openly welcome the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, others mourn, steadfast in their loyalty to the Islamic Republic. The divisions run deep, cutting across generations. Majid Parsa grew up in one such household. He tells his story.Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryRead by: Majid Parsa, author of The Ayatollah's Gaze.Host: Rosie Wright.Producer: Dave Creasey.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comPhoto: 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.

As the war in the Middle East enters its seventh day, prominent supporters of President Trump have criticised his decision to attack Iran. The political stakes are high for a president who pledged no new wars on the campaign trail. So can he keep the MAGA crowd on his side?Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryGuest: Katy Balls, Washington editor for The Times and The Sunday TimesHost: Manveen RanaProducer: Julia WebsterWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Iran is Trump’s biggest bet yet. It could define his presidencyFurther listening: Iran after the AyatollahClips: Sky, CBS, CNN, ABC, WAAY 31, BBC, Fox, Tucker Carlson, Channel 4, C-SPAN, Associated Press, Boston GlobePhoto: Graphic by Denise Kelly. 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.

In this bonus episode we're showcasing how The Story host Manveen Rana and her Times colleague Anthony Loyd are back exploring the the kidnap and disappearance of British photojournalist John Cantlie by ISIS in Syria, after a mysterious listener got in contact.Originally released four years ago, Last Man Standing is now the inspiration for the new BBC three-part documentary series Hostage, based on reporting from our original series.Find the full Last Man Standing series here.Hosts: Manveen Rana and Anthony Loyd, special correspondent, The Times.Producer: Harry Stott.Executive Producer: Will Roe.Further reading: Anthony Loyd: my hunt for the forgotten Isis hostage John CantlieWatch: Hostage on BBC iPlayer. Clips: BBC.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.

When the Mexican government took down a drug lord last week, the Sunday Times was there to document the aftermath. Does this mark a turning point in the war on drugs? Or are things about to get much worse? A warning that this episode contains descriptions of graphic violence. Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryGuest: Louise Callaghan, Americas correspondent, The Sunday Times. Host: Rosie Wright. Producer: Micaela Arneson. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: A cartel boss is dead, but normal Mexicans always pay the priceFurther listening: The town ripped apart by Mexico’s new narcos Clips: BBC, WMTW, Configo FN, Fox News, Al Jazeera, Noticias Telemundo, 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.

Last month, Sir Keir Starmer made it clear that the US would not be permitted to use UK bases to launch strikes against Iran. On Sunday, that position shifted. Not only has the UK now allowed the use of joint bases, it is also intercepting Iranian drones, and sources have told The Times that a British warship may be deployed to Cyprus. As tensions in the Middle East escalate, is Britain being drawn ever deeper into the conflict? And how might this end?Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryGuests: Michael Evans, defence contributor, The TimesGeneral Sir Patrick Sanders, former Chief of the General Staff and co-host of The General & the Journalist, one of our sister podcasts Host: Rosie WrightProducers: Sophie McNulty & Olivia CaseWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Special relationship ‘not what it once was’, as Trump rebukes PM on IranFurther listening: Iran after the AyatollahClips: The Times, AP, BBC, CNN, The White House, Sky 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.

After weeks of protests against Ayatollah Khamenei’s regime earlier this year, the Iranian people cried out for American help as they were massacred in their thousands. Over the weekend, the Americans and Israelis did finally intervene in Iran, killing the Ayatollah, but leaving a flood of questions in their wake. Who will now fill the political vacuum? Will there be regime change? And what next for the Iranian people?Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryGuests:Rana Rahimpour, Iranian journalist.Ali Ansari, professor of Iranian history, the University of St. Andrews. Host: Rosie Wright.Producers: Harry Stott, Julia Webster. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Who will replace Ayatollah Khamenei — a moderate or an ‘Iranian Putin’?Further listening: Iran's supreme leader killed - is the Middle East in all out war?Clips: BBC, AP, EuroNews, State Department / Instagram, 60 Minutes.Photo: Getty Images, The Times, Dana Chan.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 decades, a chilling rumour has haunted Sarajevo: that foreign tourists paid to visit the besieged city in the early 1990s to shoot at its residents. Today, Italian authorities are investigating several cases of alleged ‘tourist snipers,’ thrusting these accusations back into the headlines. Now, an eyewitness to these so-called ‘human safaris’ has spoken to The Times about what he saw more than 30 years ago.Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryGuest: Tom Kington, the Italy correspondent, The TimesHost: Manveen RanaProducer: Sophie McNultyTranslator: Aleksa AnticWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Sarajevo sniper tourists ‘killed children by day, then partied at night’Clips: BBC, ITN, FRENCH 24 English. Photo: Getty Images, Tom Kington.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.

Early on Saturday morning, the US and Israel launched a wave of attacks on Iran, killing the supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Iran has retaliated, with strikes reported in the UAE, Qatar and across the region. But will Trump get his regime change or could Iran become just another failed state? And is the middle east on the brink of all-out war?Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryGuests:Gabrielle Weiniger, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza correspondent, The Times.Sir Peter Westmacott, formerly Britain’s Ambassador to the United States of America, and Britain's political secretary, Tehran.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Olivia Case and Sophie McNulty.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Iran latest: UK plans mass Middle East evacuation as Tehran strikes backFurther listening: Four years of war: can Ukraine continue to deny Putin?Clips: The White House / YouTube, CBS, Truth Social, ABC, BBC, The Times. 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.

Next week, the BBC launches a new three part documentary, Hostage, based on our award winning Times podcast series Last Man Standing. It's the story of British photojournalist John Cantlie who was kidnapped in Syria by Islamic State in 2012. While his fellow hostages were released or murdered, he remained captive. Then, a series of Isis propaganda videos emerged, fronted by Cantlie. He hasn’t been seen since. So what happened to him? In this episode, The Times War Correspondent, Anthony Lloyd, begins his investigation.This episode was first published on 24 June 2022.Listen to the whole series: Last Man Standing Hosts: Manveen Rana and Anthony Lloyd, War Correspondent, The Times.Clips: BBC, 5Live, CNN, NBC, BBC.Further reading: The murky truth about Britain’s forgotten hostage John CantlieWe've launched The Story's first ever listener survey! If you can, please take a few minutes to fill it in. You can find it here: The Story surveyThis 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 men wanting to buy her breast milk, to going undercover in the IVF wild west, investigative journalist and author Alev Scott has immersed herself in the murky, and often unregulated world of fertility. What she found was a trillion dollar industry, where the maternal body is a hot commodity. It also raised some serious ethical questions: How much, if anything, should breastmilk cost? Who should be allowed to buy it? And is it right that you can pay more for ‘VIP’ egg donors?We've launched The Story's first ever listener survey! If you can, please take a few minutes to fill it in. You can find it here: The Story surveyThis podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests: Alev Scott, investigative journalist and author of Cash Cow.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Dave Creasey. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Undercover in Europe’s infertility and surrogacy industryPhoto: Getty Images & Mark Harrison for the Times magazine.You can buy Cash Cow: How the maternal body became a global commodity – and the hidden costs for women at the Times Bookshop.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 end of Britain’s political duopoly now looks complete, as Labour suffers a catastrophic by-election defeat to the Greens in Gorton and Denton. Reform comes second, while the Tories lose their deposit with just 2% of the vote. Keir Starmer is now a prisoner of the left, and Britain is undergoing a tectonic realignment of its electoral politics.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryHosts: Steven Swinford, political editor, The TimesPatrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The TimesGabriel Pogrund, Whitehall editor, The Sunday TimesProducer: Euan Dawtrey.Executive Producer: Molly Guinness.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comPhoto: 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.

Today we're launching The Story's first ever listener survey!Find it here: The Story surveyAnd thank you!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 six-month-long investigation into maternity care in England, the government has published its initial findings. The report reveals a catalog of failures at 12 NHS trusts – from inadequate staffing and poor facilities to racial discrimination. So what do bereaved families make of the findings? And can this broken system be fixed?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests: Eleanor Hayward, health editor, The Times. Poppy Koronka, health reporter, The Times. Host: Luke Jones.Producer: Micaela Arneson. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: NHS ‘incentivised’ to record baby deaths as stillbornFurther listening: Inside England's maternity scandal, part onePhoto: 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.

First Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested, then Peter Mandelson. The fallout has been swift, dramatic, and is still unfolding. Hosts Manveen Rana and Luke Jones answer your biggest questions about the two men and what comes next. Neither men have been changed and they both deny any wrongdoing. We don’t know what evidence was used in their arrests. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryHosts: Manveen Rana & Luke Jones.Producers: Sophie McNulty & Harry Stott.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Commons Speaker reported Peter Mandelson as flight risk to Met PoliceFurther listening: Andrew is arrestedClips: The Times, Parliament TV, Newsweek.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 Monday, the government released its plan to reform SEND, the system that supports children with special educational needs and disabilities, in England. It’s used by around one in five children and Keir Starmer is promising £4 billion over 3 years to overhaul it. But what’s changed, who’s affected and how will the government pay for 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/thestoryGuests:Georgia Lambert, education and news reporter, The Times.Hayley Harding, SEND campaigner. Host: Luke Jones. Producers: Olivia Case and Micaela Arneson.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Keir Starmer: I’ll ensure no child with special needs is left behindFurther listening: Broken trust: Inside England's maternity scandalPhoto: 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.