The Story

Two weeks ago, Alexander Lukashenko claimed to win a sixth term as president of the Republic of Belarus. But after his 26 year rule, many in Belarus have had enough. Since the August 9th election, the country has seen widespread protests which have been met with mass arrests and repression. We follow four young Belarusians caught up in history.Host: Manveen Rana.Guests: Aliaksandra Yushkevich, student.Kseniya Tarasevich, journalist.Evgeniy Ganchits, project manager.Tanya Alipchikova, PR manager.There's a full interview with Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the ex-teacher who ran against Lukashenko, in today's paper.Clips used: BBC Radio 4, euronews, Belsat TV, Nexta.Additional music: Peremen! By the band Kino.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 week Dido Harding, the former amateur jockey and TalkTalk boss who since May has been the head of the ramshackle NHS Test and Trace programme, was put in charge of England’s new pandemic response agency. Sunday Times business reporter Sabah Meddings traces Harding’s rise to the top of one of the most important organisations in the country.Host: Manveen Rana.Guest: Sabah Meddings, pharma, consumer and leisure correspondent for The Sunday Times.Clips: BBC News, Talkradio, Sky News, BBC Radio 4, UWE Bristol, The King’s Fund, OECD.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 confidential report has identified a string of murder-suicides that could in fact be the work of a serial killer who attacks vulnerable elderly couples with extreme violence. Could this killer still be at large? And could a pattern of behaviour truly have been missed for 15 years?Guests: David Collins, Northern correspondent, The Sunday Times. Jonathan Calver, Insight Editor, The Sunday Times.George Arbuthnott, deputy Insight editor, The Sunday Times. Additional music by Jordan Powell licenced under Creative CommonsThis 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.

Sales of camping gear have jumped as more Britons opt to holiday within the UK this summer due to coronavirus. Today we take you under canvas in the great British outdoors. Guest: Ben Machell is a feature writer for The Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.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 the past week the Education Secretary has defended the use of an algorithm to produce A-level grades, categorically ruled out a U-turn and then completed said U-turn. But what if this is just the most high-profile example of algorithms creeping into our everyday lives?Guests: Steven Swinford, deputy political editor, The Times.Timandra Harkness, author of Big Data, Does Size Matter?Host: David Aaronovitch. Clips: BBC News, Evening Standard, Sky News, Times Radio.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 Afghan war could finally be limping to an end, and a peace deal with the Taliban could now be on the horizon. But will some of the most dangerous Taliban fighters have to be released back into society?Guest: President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: BBC, Channel 4, CSPAN.Additional Music: Jordan Powell, Nihilore (licensed under Creative Commons).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 eyes of British news crews are trained on migrants crossing the Channel in boats, Lampedusa on Europe’s southern border is seeing far greater numbers of migrants coming from a new country of origin: Tunisia. What brings these families to Italy?Guest:Tom Kington, the Times Italy correspondent.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips used: Euronews, Tele Studio 98, TRIS, La Republica, BBC News, Home Office.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.

An MP has been accused of rape - and questions are again being asked about the role of whips in protecting parliamentary staff. Historically, the whips have a reputation as the shadowy brokers of backroom deals and the keepers of secrets. But is the notorious office where the real power in Westminster truly lies?GuestsEsther Webber, Red Box reporter.Anne Milton, former MP and deputy chief whip.Host: Manveen RanaClips used: BBC, the National TheatreThis 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 NRA is one of America's most powerful lobby groups. Now it has become the target of a lawsuit brought by New York's attorney-general. The organisation stands accused of "years of self-dealing and illegal conduct" by its top executives. The lawsuit could spell the end of the NRA, but could it change minds about the role of guns in American society?  Guests: Henry Zeffman, Washington correspondent for The Times. Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips used: History Channel, C-SPAN, ABC7NY, Bloomberg, CNN, NRA, Reagan Library, Global News, CNBC, ABC News, Jared Law.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 official: the UK economy is back in recession. This week we've heard of record-high job losses and a sharp economic downturn - but the worst could still be to come.Guest: Gurpreet Narwan, economics correspondent, The Times.  Host: Manveen Rana.  Clips: BBC, ITV, Sky 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.