The Story

Life after “Mutti”: How Angela Merkel shaped Germany and the world

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After 16 years as Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel is exiting the international stage. What did the world's most powerful woman stand for, and what...

The lie The Times nearly killed (Pt 2): Publication and reaction

07 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A hundred years ago last month, The Times published a series of articles proving the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a conspiracy theory that Jews we...

The lie The Times nearly killed (Pt 1): The Protocols of the Elders of Zion

06 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A hundred years ago last month, The Times published a series of articles proving the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a conspiracy theory that Jews we...

Thinking Straight (Pt 5): Faith and queerness

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Attempts at conversion therapy are taking place across the country: in village churches, Harley Street clinics and counsellors' treatment rooms.&...

Thinking Straight (Pt 4): Undercover again

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Attempts at conversion therapy are taking place across the country: in village churches, Harley Street clinics and counsellors' treatment rooms.&...

Who are the 'new' Taliban?

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The window for rescuing Afghans is rapidly closing, and for many, that will mean adjusting to life under the 'new' Taliban. Diplomatic correspondent C...

The People's Mujahidin: Inside a secretive Iranian resistance camp

25 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It is not marked on maps. Men with automatic weapons guard its border. Few outsiders have ever visited the heavily guarded enclave in rural Albania th...

An American fable: The rise and fall of Andrew Cuomo

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, has left office, resigning after a barrage of sexual harassment allegations. How did he go from potential...

The deal that set the stage for a Taliban victory

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Every Monday this August, we're looking back at some of the stories from the past year that have stuck with us.With the Taliban now in contr...

Thinking Straight (Pt 3): Surviving

20 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Attempts at conversion therapy are taking place across the country: in village churches, Harley Street clinics and counsellors’ treatment rooms.&nbs...

Drunk nation: Why do British people drink so much?

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We drank our way through lockdown and now we’re back on the razz – doing what we’ve done to let our hair down since ancient times. But why is bo...

China, the WHO and the power grab that fuelled a pandemic

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Did the World Health Organisation miss its chance to stop Covid-19? More than a year and a half into the pandemic, we're no closer to a definitiv...

'The Taliban will kill me': The interpreter trying to flee Kabul

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As the Taliban takes power in Afghanistan, we follow one former interpreter for American and British troops who is trying to escape the country – an...

The struggle for the soul of Hong Kong

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Each Monday this August, we're looking back at some of the stories from the past year that stuck with us.In June 2020, with the world's attention on t...

Thinking Straight (Pt 2): Undercover

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Attempts at conversion therapy are taking place across the country: in village churches, Harley Street clinics and counsellors' treatment rooms. ...

A brief history of the climate crisis

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How did we arrive at such a sophisticated understanding of climate change, and yet still end up on the edge of disaster?Today: how 165 years of scienc...

The law change that will treat journalists as spies

11 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You might think the UK would be a safe place for journalists, but investigative reporters in this country can face threats, lawsuits and intimidation....

Life after a terror attack: How sport can help

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Wednesday 22 March 2017, police officer Kris Aves sustained life changing injuries in the Westminster Bridge terror attack.Today, he tells us how, ...

Fighting for democracy against Europe's last dictator

09 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Each Monday this August, we're revisiting some of the stories from the past year that have stuck with us.One year ago today, Alexander Lukashenko...

Thinking Straight (Pt 1): Conversion

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Attempts at conversion therapy are taking place across the country: in village churches, Harley Street clinics and counsellors' treatment rooms. ...

Seafarers abandoned in the Gulf

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What does it feel like to be abandoned out at sea? We go on board an oil tanker to tell the extraordinary story of those stranded on the MT Iba.This p...

The pingdemic: The great British unlocking experiment

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The so-called 'pingdemic' paralysed businesses, public services, and even the cabinet. But it was an inevitable side effect of lifting restrictions an...

GB News, free speech and a very polarised nation

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last month, amid much fanfare, GB News was born. It billed itself as a place where people could say the unsayable. But just weeks after its launch, GB...

The aftermath of the German floods

28 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When parts of Belgium, the Netherlands and western Germany were hit by flooding earlier this month, it left a trail of devastation and over a hundred ...

Leaving Afghanistan (Pt 2): Handing victory to the Taliban

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Veteran Times war correspondent Anthony Loyd hits the road with Afghan security forces… and meets the Taliban. The second of two episodes this ...

Leaving Afghanistan (Pt 1): Our correspondent's diaries from the 20-year war

26 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After 20 years of war, is the difficult truth that Nato has lost to the Taliban?The first of two episodes this week with Times war correspondent Antho...

Footballers' wives: Wagatha Christie in the High Court

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019, Coleen Rooney, wife of former England football captain Wayne Rooney, accused Rebekah Vardy— also the wife of a prominent footballer or "Wag...

Mass shootings: This is America

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

2021 is on track to be America's deadliest year for gun violence in two decades. With record numbers of mass shootings across the country, is the US f...

Police and tasers: The death of Dalian Atkinson

21 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Five years ago, the death of an ex-footballer in the Midlands town of Telford made headlines. Last month, the officer who unlawfully killed Dalia...

An interview with Michael Wolff: Inside the mind of Donald Trump

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The forty fifth president of the US, Donald Trump, will be talked about forever. Now, Michael Wolff in his new book: Landslide: The Final Days of...

European Super League: A busted flush?

19 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this year football fans, politicians and royalty united against the breakaway European Super League. Today we reveal how the multibillion-poun...

Football and the state of the nation

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The online racial abuse of some England players following Sunday's Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy has caused outrage across the c...

Covid and freedom day: Lessons from around the world

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Despite a surge in coronavirus cases, Boris Johnson is set on lifting all restrictions on what's been dubbed as 'Freedom day' next Monday in England.&...

The anatomy of a global hack

14 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Over the weekend of the 4th July, as Americans celebrated their national holiday, a group of cyber criminals were working hard. Their attack left hund...

Haiti: The assassination of a President

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last Wednesday a group of gunmen broke into the home of President Moïse in Haiti. Posing as American drug enforcement officials, once inside the...

Inside the world of internet pickup artists

12 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An investigation by The Sunday Times has uncovered a dangerous network of pickup artists who profess to know how to coach other men to impro...

Gareth Southgate: It's more than just football

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

At times over the past few years this country has felt quite divided. But now, there's something we can all agree on: it's coming home. Who is the man...

The politics of hair: Why are students calling uniform policies racist?

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Students at Pimlico Academy in Westminster, have used boycotts and walk-outs to express their dissatisfaction over policies about their dress code, po...

Dark channel: The people smugglers and their clients

07 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Increasing numbers of people from Iran are being sold an escape package out of Turkey and then onto the UK. Who are the men, women and children riskin...

South Africa: Jacob Zuma on trial

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One week ago, South Africa's Constitutional Court found former President Jacob Zuma guilty of contempt for defying its order to appear at an inquiry i...

The new Cold War: What really happened in the Black Sea?

05 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Two weeks ago tensions bubbled up in the Black Sea as a British warship, HMS Defender, sailed through Ukrainian waters and encountered Russian forces....

Critical race theory and the war for America

02 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It started 40 years ago as an academic movement to critique how historical racism may still be preventing people of colour in the United States from a...

Next slide, please: The enigmatic Chris Whitty

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As the pandemic was changing all of our lives, the most private of men was forced into the pressure cooker of public life, facing increasing public ha...

By-election: Welcome to Batley and Spen

30 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tomorrow voters in Yorkshire’s Batley and Spen constituency head to the polls for the fourth time in five years. The previously safe Labour seat is ...

The fall of Matt Hancock

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's not often that CCTV footage changes the political landscape. What does the scandal surrounding Matt Hancock tell us about the way government...

The mob boss waging a YouTube war on the Turkish government

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A Turkish mob boss who's on the run, has been making unverified claims on YouTube about corruption and organised crime linked right to the t...

The best books to read for summer 2021

25 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From Nobel-winning greats and pacey thrillers to memoirs and historical novels, Times Radio's Stig Abell returns to the podcast for our guide to the b...

Tough times for the Veep: Can Kamala come through?

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Joe Biden put his VP Kamala Harris in charge of stemming the tide of migrants into the United States in March - a seemingly intractable prob...

Confronting the scammers

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fraudsters make millions by exploiting a weak banking system, but who are the crooks behind it all? One of our journalists has turned the table on sca...

Should footballers take the knee?

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

They've been booed and criticised but the England team insist they'll begin tonight's match by taking the knee. A former professional footballer tells...

Back to Brexitland: Inside Britain’s most pro-Leave town

21 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week marks five years since Britain voted to leave the European union. Today we go back to the heart of Brexitland in Boston, Lincolnshire.This p...

Diana, Bashir, and the future of the BBC

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Princess Diana's 1995 interview with BBC journalist Martin Bashir is among the most famous in broadcasting history. But last month an independent inve...

Foreign Aid: An end to British benevolence?

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Rebel MPs have been lining up to criticise plans to reduce the foreign aid budget from 0.7% of our national income to 0.5%, a loss of £4 billion.&nbs...

What really happened at the G7

16 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As it was the first time world leaders have met since the pandemic began, there was a huge amount to discuss, including: vaccines, climate change and ...

The legacy of China’s one-child policy

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

China has recently changed its two-child policy and is now allowing families to have up to three children legally. It's a move aimed to combat the cou...

The Tokyo Olympics: Are the games in jeopardy?

14 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As athletes and competitors all over the world prepare to descend on Tokyo, locals don't seem to want them to come. With just weeks to go, will the Ol...

Is medicine sexist?

11 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is medicine sexist, and is female health suffering as a result?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The S...

Is this Netanyahu's last stand?

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The fifteen year rule of Benjamin Netanyahu could come to an end this Sunday if a newly formed coalition government survives a vote of confidence. Wha...

Ethiopia: Terror in Tigray

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After an outbreak of conflict back in November last year between the Ethiopian military and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, thousands have ...

The ‘super-immune’ residents living in an Italian town

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The small, rural Italian town of Vo' Euganeo was sealed off after recording Europe's first Covid death. But now some locals in the village have been d...

The third wave: Should the June unlocking go ahead?

07 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One week from today, Boris Johnson has a big decision to make. Is it time to declare 'freedom day' on the 21st of June? Or could the governm...

How student drug-taking reached new highs (and lows) in lockdown

04 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For much of the pandemic, university students have been confined to their halls for months on end. For some, drugs became a way to pass the time. But ...

Why the Wuhan lab leak theory is being taken seriously

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden has launched a 90-day investigation into the origins of the virus, following reports which give fresh life to the Wuhan lab-leak hypot...

Trash Island: The mountain of plastic blighting the Balkans

02 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the middle of one of the world's most beautiful rivers, the Drina, there now floats an island of rubbish – with no one taking responsibility. How...

Millennials: Why can't they get on the housing ladder?

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Living the British dream – as dozens of TV shows testify – has always meant owning your own home. But today, if you’re a millennial in a city, a...

Failures of State: The Dominic Cummings evidence

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It was a day that brought Westminster to a standstill. Today the Sunday Times Insight team analyses the nearly 7 hours of evidence the former Dow...

How Belarus hijacked a plane

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Sunday afternoon, a Ryanair flight to Vilnius made a sudden and dramatic landing in Minsk. In what some have described as state sponsored kidnappin...

The secret life of Bill Gates

26 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Since the announcement of the divorce between Bill and Melinda Gates, a fuller picture of the Microsoft billionaire’s life is emerging. What could i...

The Sunday Times Rich List: How the pandemic spawned more billionaires than ever

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The annual Sunday Times Rich List has identified a record-breaking 24 new billionaires this year. For many of us, it's been a bleak year with recurrin...

The Manchester Arena bombing: Four years on

24 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It happened on the 22nd of May 2017, when a suicide bomber detonated a bomb as attendees of an Ariana Grande concert were exiting the Manchester Arena...

Labour's identity crisis: Lessons from the past

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The devastating results for Labour at the Hartlepool by-election have made it clearer than ever that the party is facing an existential crisis. But it...

A view from Gaza

19 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Two-hundred Palestinians, including fifty-nine children have been killed in Israel's bombardment of the Gaza strip over the last week. Despite mountin...

Covid: Will the Indian variant change our roadmap back to normality?

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Could the Indian Covid-19 variant pose "serious disruption" to lockdown easing and what does our response tell us about the future of our pandemic str...

Italy's Five Star Movement: A well executed punchline or a comedy of errors?

14 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Italy's Five Star Movement, a political party co-founded by comedian Beppe Grillo in 2009, promised radical change by putting citizens back in control...

What next for Scottish independence?

13 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last week the Scottish National Party won a historic fourth term in government. With a commitment to hold another independence referendum – and a ma...

Empire of pain: The Sacklers and the opioid crisis

12 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Once hailed as a pain obliterating wonder drug, OxyContin helped give birth to one of the most devastating public health crises in the developed world...

India's second wave

11 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

All across India there are scenes of devastation and desperation as the country grapples with a brutal second wave of Covid-19. What went wrong? And w...

Investigation: The prince, the palace & Putin

10 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A Sunday Times Insight investigation reveals a royal allegedly using their position to enrich themselves. Going undercover and working with Channel 4'...

Northern Ireland: Who will replace first minister Arlene Foster?

07 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Northern Ireland's first minister, DUP leader Arlene Foster, has stepped down. Who will take over the top job? And what could it mean for the future o...

Apps changing how we date: Meet the founder of Bumble

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

She cofounded Tinder in her twenties, then became the target of misogynistic trolling. Now her female-friendly dating app Bumble has made her one of t...

What does the Hartlepool by-election mean for Johnson and Starmer?

05 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Thursday the 6th May, voters in Hartlepool will elect the first new MP since Boris Johnson and the Conservatives’ landslide victory in 2019. With...

President Biden's grand plan: The new Roosevelt?

04 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Joe Biden has proposed some of the most expansive and expensive economic reforms in America in recent political memory. He’s been keen to ...

Corrupt cops and the journalists risking all in the line of duty

03 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After a groundbreaking investigation carried out by The Times back in the 1960s, an anti-corruption police unit was set up to investigate corrupt...

Anatomy of a No 10 scandal

30 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

They're calling it the 'cash for cushions' scandal. How did the refurbishment of the prime minister's flat snowball out of control? And what lies ahea...

The curious case of Sweden (revisited)

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

During the coronavirus pandemic, Sweden’s approach has been different to most western European nations. But a year on, how have the Swedes fared, an...

Mystery: The children who won't wake up

28 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hundreds of children have succumbed to a mystery illness that can keep them in a sleeplike state for years and scientists are stumped. What does it fe...

The rise of crypto art: Power to the Beeple

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In March, one digital art creation titled: "Everydays: The First 5000 Days" by artist Beeple, sold for a groundbreaking $69.3 million. What is digital...

Dispatch from El Paso: Crisis at the border

26 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Donald Trump came to power promising to "build a wall." Throughout his term there was turmoil at the border. When Joe Biden took office, he ...

George Floyd: The Derek Chauvin trial - journey to an historic verdict

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday, the former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis last May. What does the verdict mean...

Jordan: A very British history and a royal family feud

21 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Almost exactly a century ago, the state of Jordan was created with the help of the British. Now, the Hashemite Royal Family in Jordan have found thems...

Covid-19: The unlikeliest of opportunities

20 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused global disruption and changed so many of our lives forever. Today we look at cases in which lockdown has presented in...

The Oxfam scandal in the Democratic Republic of Congo

19 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An investigation by The Times has brought to light allegations of bullying, sexual harassment, exploitation and assault at Oxfam International's missi...

Inside EncroChat: The criminal chat app

16 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last summer, a hack of EncroChat phones by police forces led to the arrest of criminals involved in gangs, drugs and weapons across Europe. Who were t...

Fire on the streets of Northern Ireland

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tensions have erupted in Northern Ireland once again, as leaders attempt to preserve a long-standing peace deal in the region. Twenty-three years afte...

Vaccine passports and data privacy

14 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last week it was announced by the government that so-called vaccine passports could be rolled out across the country to help ease lockdown measures. B...

Britain's race report: What went wrong?

13 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

At the end of last month, we saw the release of the Race and Ethnic disparities report, it was controversial and many called into question its integri...

Philip: The tale of the lost Prince

09 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The longest serving royal consort has passed away after seven decades of steadfast support of our monarch. Today we take you to the moment his wife, Q...

Free speech on campus

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The government is proposing new laws that will allow academics, students or visiting speakers the power to sue universities for compensation, if they ...

Investigation: The leaseholders hung out to dry

07 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Not many feelings come close to the thrill of getting your foot on the property ladder after months of mortgages, solicitors and surveys. But what hap...

Britain's overflowing cemeteries: How to solve a grave problem

06 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There's a looming crisis in the cemeteries of Britain: many of them are running out of space. How have we got here and what can we do about it?This po...