The Story

In June, the charismatic leader of the Nkuringo gorilla group was killed by a poacher. The incident shocked the conservation community and caused an international outcry. How has the death of Rafiki affected the human and gorilla communities in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest? And is the pandemic responsible for a rise in poaching?This episode is in support of Tusk, one of three charities backed by The Times and Sunday Times Christmas Appeal.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:Jane Flanagan, Africa correspondent for The Times.Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, wildlife vet and founder and CEO of Conservation for Public Health.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips used: Tusk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah will speak at a High Court inquest into the death of her daughter Ella who died following an asthma attack in 2013. She believes it was the high levels of pollution that caused her daughters death. If the coroner rules that air pollution directly caused Ella's death, she would become the first person in the UK and possibly the world to have that listed on her death certificate.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.You can read more about The Times clean air campaign here.Guests: Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, Ella’s mother.Ben Webster, Times Environment editor.Charlie Parker, Times trainee reporter.Host: Manveen Rana. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When news broke of the assassination of the head of Iran’s nuclear programme the details suggested an operation straight out of an action film. The Iranian government’s story however was very different and involved remote controlled weapons. Yet, the question remained: who was behind the operation and what does it mean for Middle Eastern politics?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: Anshel Pfeffer, Times Israel correspondent.Holly Dagres, non-resident fellow at the Washington based think tank, the Atlantic council. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips used: BBC, Channel 4, CNN, France 24, MSNBC, Sky. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the UK approved its first coronavirus vaccine for widespread use. With the end now clearly in sight, does the government's current plan for a relaxation of restrictions over Christmas still make sense?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: Stephen Reicher, Professor of Social Psychology at the University of St Andrews. Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Times Radio, BBC Radio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yesterday at the High Court, a judgement was passed that could have major implications for the treatment of children at gender identity clinics.We speak to two people with very different perspectives: Keira Bell, the 23-year-old who detransitioned and is at the centre of the case; and the mother of a young transgender man, who thinks the court made the wrong decision.Guests:Sian Griffiths, education and families editor, The Sunday Times.Keira Bell, one of the people at the centre of the High Court decision.Jo, the parent of a young transgender man who was also treated at the Tavistock clinic. Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Sky News.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Britain, about 2.4 million children live in families who cannot afford all the food they need. During the pandemic, up to 8.1 million Britons have struggled to pay for food. Manchester United’s star striker Marcus Rashford and former manager Sir Alex Ferguson credit their tough upbringings with inspiring them to fight childhood poverty. Rashford and Sir Alex have joined forces to support The Times Christmas Appeal which is raising money for the charity FareShare. We speak with two Times journalists who interviewed the football icons.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:Alice Thomson, columnist and interviewer for The Times.Rachel Sylvester, columnist and interviewer for The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips used: ITV, BBC Three, GMB, Manchester United, England.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transparency rules have been cast aside by ministers in their coronavirus panic. The result? Privileged access for friendly lobbyists and £1.5bn of contracts to Conservative-linked companies. We speak to the Sunday Times journalist who exposed much of it, and a lawyer bringing a case against the government.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:Gabriel Pogrund, Sunday Times Whitehall correspondent.Jo Maugham QC, Director of the Good Law Project.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips used: BBC News, Sky News, Channel 4 News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court heard arguments over whether Shamima Begum should be allowed to come back to Britain to fight for her citizenship. It's a legal battle that could have enormous consequences for her future and her family.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:Mohammed Akunjee, solicitor for family of Shamima Begum.Tom Tugendhat, MP for Tonbridge, Edenbridge and Malling; Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.Anthony Loyd, Foreign Correspondent, The Times.  Fiona Hamilton, Crime and Security Editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips used: The Supreme Court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UK is not alone in having to decide what to do with its citizens stuck in Syrian camps and Iraqi prisons. Thousands of European nationals travelled to the Middle East to take part in the conflict that has torn the region apart. How is the rest of Europe coping with the problem? Are they bringing foreign fighters back? And what do they do with them if they do return?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: Arthur Snell, former head of the Foreign Office counter radicalisation programme  Thomas Schmidinger, University of Vienna Political Scientist and Cultural AnthropologistPeter Conradi, The Sunday Times Europe editor. Dr Neda Richards, counterterrorism psychologist. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips used: BBC, CBC, PBS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Supreme Court judges are now deliberating on whether Begum should be allowed back to Britain to fight for her citizenship. But would happen if she did return? How does deradicalisation work and when can it go wrong?All this week, Stories of our Times brings you a special series on Shamima Begum, and her fight to come home to Britain.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:Tania Joya, former jihadist, former wife of senior Islamic State leader. Usama Hasan, research consultant, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Christopher Dean, psychologist; Senior Fellow, Global Centre for Cooperative Security.Host: Manveen Rana.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.