The Story

A strict conservatorship, control of her finances, breakdowns, nonstop media pressure and divorce. It's been one hell of a journey for the Princess of Pop, but the latest news that Britney Spears has entered rehab leaves fans asking the question, will she ever be truly free? 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: Helen Rumbelow, feature writer for the Times. Producer: Dave Creasey. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Controlled, hounded, scarred. Could Britney Spears ever truly be free? Clips: NBC, ABC, CNN, hugebritneyfan, britneyonline. Music: Baby One More Time - Britney Spears - Sony Music Entertainment. 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.

Yesterday afternoon in Manchester, a man was found guilty of a brutal rape for which an innocent person had been wrongly jailed for more than 17 years. We bring you a special update to our groundbreaking podcast series Seventeen Years - The Andrew Malkinson Story, which first highlighted this tragic miscarriage of justice. You can listen to the full series on The Times Investigates feed: https://pod.fo/e/3256f8 Hosts: Will Roe & Emily Dugan, Sunday Times' Special correspondent. Producer: Will Roe. Clips: Greater Manchester Police. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com If you, or someone you know, has been affected by the issues raised in this episode, the following organisations can help: Rape Crisis England & Wales NHS - Help after rape and sexual assault Criminal Cases Review Commission Appeal - Charity and law practice 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 prime minister says he's "furious" over the latest twist in the Epstein scandal, amid revelations the child sex offender’s former friend Peter Mandelson was appointed British ambassador to the US despite failing security vetting. For months, ​​Keir Starmer insisted his ambassador was properly appointed. Today, he admitted this was not the case. So, what went wrong? And what does it mean for the future of Starmer’s government? 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: Host: Carolyn Quinn Producers: Sandra Mitchell, Sofia Johanson We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Keir Starmer ‘furious’ over Peter Mandelson vetting failure 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.

The economic ripples caused by the Iran war are beginning to have an impact across the globe, from fuel rationing across South-East Asia, to fuel protests in Ireland. The IMF’s recent report on the global economy makes for grim reading – and the UK comes out as one of the worst affected of the G7. So could food and fuel shortages be coming to the UK? And how will the government try to mitigate the worst effects? 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: Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Harry Stott, Micaela Arneson. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Britain preparing for food shortages as Iran war bitesUK economy faces hardest hit from Iran war of G7, says IMFFurther listening: Trump's ceasefire with Iran - what’s in it and what next Clips: BBC, ABC NEWS (Australia), RTE, 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.

Behind the scenes of Iran’s war, China’s been forging alliances, stockpiling oil and building resilience in the form of renewable energy. So how could all of this help it attack Taiwan? When might it happen? And can anyone stop them? 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: Cindy Yu, columnist and contributing editor, The Times and The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producer: Olivia Case. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Iran war latest: Ceasefire with US ‘to be extended by two weeks’ Further listening: The Pope v Trump Clips: Fox, Bloomberg, Times of India, Hoover Institution. 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, Donald Trump posted an image of himself as a Jesus Christ like figure, which was subsequently deleted. It came after the President and the Pope exchanged a war of words over the conflict in Iran. What’s behind this latest spat, and how could it affect Trump’s standing among American’s Christians? 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: Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Edward Drummond. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Trump’s row with Pope Leo could cost him dearly among Catholic voters Clips: Times Radio, Fox News, Vatican News, 9News, BBC, Forbes, USA Today, CBS 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.

Viktor Orban, the far-right prime minister of Hungary who led the country for 16 years, was ousted in a landslide electoral defeat on Sunday. He lost to his former ally turned critic, Péter Magyar, despite a strong show of support from the Trump administration. So what does Orban’s defeat mean for Trump? And for the far-right in Europe? 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 Moody, Berlin correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Micaela Arneson, Julia Webster. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Why Peter Magyar’s victory is a warning to Trump Further listening: The election that could change Hungary Clips: Al Jazeera, APT News, CSPAN, Fox, Associated Press, United 24 Media, The White House via 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.

The city of Ranya– a small town in Northern Iraq– is more than 2,500 miles from Calais and Dunkirk. But it has a near monopoly on the people smuggling gangs that traffic migrants across the English Channel. The Times visited Ranya to meet the kingpins and ask: how did one village become responsible for Britain’s small boats crisis? 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: Shayma Bakht, reporter, The Times. Host: Luke Jones. Producer: Micaela Arneson. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: I met the smuggling kingpins behind the deadly Channel crossings Further listening: ‘Repugnant’ or necessary? The new asylum rules Clips: Getty Images, DRM News. Photo: Times Media Ltd. 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 special two part podcast, Whitehall editor at The Sunday Times, Gabriel Pogrund, is joined by the preeminent investigative journalist and author Patrick Radden Keefe. On a cold November night in 2019, 19 year old Zac Brettler jumped to his death from the balcony of a luxury London apartment. Police concluded it was suicide, however, under Radden Keefe's forensic microscope together with Gabriel's own Sunday Times investigation, serious questions are raised about what really happened that night, and whether it was suicide after all. It's a tale rooted in London's criminal underground, and now the subject of Radden Keefe's latest book, London Falling. In episode 2: What really happened on the night Zac died? Gabriel gets hold of some crucial new evidence which calls into question the Met Police's investigation. 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 Host: Gabriel Pogrund - Whitehall editor at The Sunday Times. Guest: Patrick Radden Keefe. Producer: Dave Creasey. Executive Producer: Kate Ford We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: The dead teenager, the lying suspect and the black box that proves it Photo: The Times, design by Cecilia Tombesi. Click here to buy London Falling 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.

In this special two part podcast, Whitehall editor at The Sunday Times, Gabriel Pogrund, is joined by the preeminent investigative journalist and author Patrick Radden Keefe. On a cold November night in 2019, 19 year old Zac Brettler jumped to his death from the balcony of a luxury London apartment. Police concluded it was suicide, however, under Radden Keefe's forensic microscope together with Gabriel's own Sunday Times investigation, serious questions are raised about what really happened that night, and whether it was suicide after all. It's a tale rooted in London's criminal underground, and now the subject of Radden Keefe's latest book, London Falling. In this episode we hear about how a young man, born into a wealthy family, become embroiled with a notorious London gangster. 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 Host: Gabriel Pogrund - Whitehall editor at The Sunday Times Guest: Patrick Radden Keefe Producer: Dave Creasey. Executive Producer: Kate Ford We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: The dead teenager, the lying suspect and the black box that proves it Photo: The Times, design by Cecilia Tombesi. Click here to buy London Falling 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.

For decades UK sofas have contained chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects and infertility because of uniquely strict fire rules. Up to a fifth of their foam consists of a chemical not used in any other country’s sofas, but is now classed “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organisation. So how deadly is your sofa, why is the UK an outlier and are things set to improve? 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: Martina Lees, senior property reporter, The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producer: Edward Drummond We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Sitting comfortably? Your sofa is among the most toxic on Earth 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 mounting hostilities and Trump’s threats that ‘a whole civilization will die’ unless Iran backs down, Tehran and Washington have agreed to a two week ceasefire. Now, they’re discussing a ten-point plan to permanently end the war. But is this the end of the fighting or just a pause? What’s in the peace plan? And has this conflict taught Iran that it can hold the world to ransom? 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: Olivia Case and Sophie McNulty. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: What’s in Iran’s ten-point ceasefire plan? Trump’s stumbling blocks examined Further listening: The West Bank land grab no one’s watching Clips: BBC, CNN, AP, CSPAN, NDTV, The Mary Trump Podcast. 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 the world’s attention fixed on the war in Iran, Israeli settler gangs are rapidly and violently expanding outposts in the West Bank – seemingly with impunity. So, what’s it like on the ground? Is the Israeli government softening to the ‘extremist’ settler movement? And will settlers ever be held accountable? 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 Spencer, world affairs correspondent, The Times Host: Manveen Rana Producers: Sophie McNulty, Taryn Siegel We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Israel’s settlers seize their chance to snatch land in West Bank Further listening: The Board of Peace: the new UN or Trump’s vanity project? Clips: CNN, France 24, BBC, CBS, ABC 7, Middle East Eye. 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.

Thousands of pensioners invested their life savings into London Capital and Finance before it was revealed to be the UK’s biggest ever Ponzi scheme. Now, new Times reporting shows how the millions in investments were lavishly spent by LCF’s founders. So how was a scheme on this scale allowed to take root in the first place? 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: Host: Manveen Rana. Producer: Harry Stott, Callum Martin. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Inside Britain’s biggest Ponzi scheme: where did £237m go? Clips: Rehman Chisti MP / Facebook. 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.

Hungary goes to the polls on Sunday and for the first time in sixteen years, Donald Trump’s right-wing ally Viktor Orbán might lose his iron grip on power. But who is this man who’s ruled the country for so long? What do we know about the man who could unseat him? And what would a loss for Orbán mean for the populist right and for Europe as a whole? 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: Host: Luke Jones Producer: Sophie McNulty, Olivia Case We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Who is Peter Magyar, the man hoping to oust Viktor Orban? Clips: Bloomberg, DRM News, Péter Magyar - YouTube Photo: Getty Images, The 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the trial rocking France's intelligence service. Two guards who had always dreamt of going under cover were allegedly tricked into a plot to kill a ‘Mossad agent’, who was nothing of the sort. It's an unbelievable tale of freemasons, fake missions - and real violence, where personal grudges are dressed up as matters of national security. 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: Adam Sage, Paris correspondent, The Times. Host: Rosie Wright. Producer: Dave Creasey. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Freemasons, bored spies and a murder-for-hire scandal at France’s MI6 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 millions of people, Disney was a huge part of their childhood. But, for a great number of people that love never went away, and today, it's those people who have become central to Disney’s bottom line. They are the so called “Disney adults”. But their world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, it's a passionate subculture marked by competition, criticism - and high costs. 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: Julia Webster and Sophie McNulty. Producer: Dave Creasey. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: ‘Next-level scary’: inside the ultra-competitive world of Disney adults Clips: Disney. 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.

When The Times foreign correspondent Marc Bennetts moved to Russia in 1997, there was hope for a new future for the country. But over the next 25 years, he witnessed the rise of Vladimir Putin and the erosion of civil liberties. In his new book, The Descent: Witnessing Russia’s Spiral into Madness Under Putin, Marc charts how one man remade Russia in his own paranoid image. 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: Marc Bennetts, foreign correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producer: Micaela Arneson. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Lies and fear: my life under the Kremlin’s propaganda machine Further listening: ‘I took a grenade blast to escape’: Russian deserters speak to The Times Clips: Channel One Russia, Educational Video Group, NBC News, ITN, Times Now World, Dot’s Eye. 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.

A Sunday Times investigation has found that, in Scotland, there are claims that the SNP has, in effect, shut down criticism from the charity and voluntary sectors because of a system that leaves them umbilically tied to its political objectives and fearing grave consequences if they step out of line. 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: Dan Sanderson, Scottish political editor, The Times and The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producer: Taryn Siegel. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: How the SNP spends billions ‘to buy loyalty from charities’ Clips: 5 News, Parliament TV. Illustration: Tony Bell. 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 countdown has begun for the launch of NASA's Artemis II mission around the Moon, the first manned mission there in more than 50 years. Their voyage around our nearest neighbour will pave the way for a lunar landing and, eventually, a Moon base. But why is there suddenly rekindled interest in moon exploration, and could this bring humans toward the ultimate goal of reaching Mars? 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: Host: Manveen Rana Producer: Julia Webster We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Artemis II: mission to the Moon Further listening: The Epstein Files, AI journalism and the future of truth - The Sunday Story Clips: NASA, John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, PBS, Space Age Archive, Associated Press, CriticalPast, Cosmosphere. Photo: Kathia Mestanza, 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.