The Story

Last week, Germany confirmed it would send tanks to Ukraine to help in the fight against Russia. The announcement came after weeks of foot-dragging on the issue. So why was the decision apparently so difficult - and what made Germany change its mind?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Oliver Moody, Berlin correspondent, The Times and Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.Clips: Sky News, Bundeswehr, BBC News, Al Jazeera, France 24, DW News, CNN, VOA, Parliament.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 a nightmarish scene unfolded on the beaches of northeast England in the last few months of 2021, fishermen raised the alarm. The mass die-off of thousands of crabs has led to two government reports, with the latest out earlier this month. But have they raised more questions than answers?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guests: James Cole, chair of the Whitby Fishing Association.Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: BBC, UK Parliament. 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 9 January a story broke that classified documents had been found at a Washington DC office used by President Biden. In the weeks since, four more discoveries have followed. This has been a boon to the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives, who were already chomping at the bit to investigate Biden. So how bad could this get for the President? And how does this compare to former president Trump's classified trove in Mar-a-Lago?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Alistair Dawber, Washington Correspondent, The Times and The Sunday Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips: CNN, CBS News, ABC News, Late Show with Seth Meyers, The Guardian News, Fox News, MSNBC, 60 Minutes, Forbes, CNBC, WCNC, 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.

One of the country’s worst sex offenders plead guilty to 48 rapes of 12 women committed over almost 20 years while he was a police officer for the Metropolitan Police. Meanwhile, the force's commissioner revealed that two or three Metropolitan Police officers are facing criminal court appearances every week, warning that lifting the lid on abusive predators would be “necessary and painful”. So how did David Carrick go unpunished for so long and can the Met restore its reputation?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Fiona Hamilton, Crime and Security Editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Channel 4 News, Sky News, ITV News, CBS News, PA.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.

Until recently the term Slapp – strategic lawsuit against public participation – meant very little. But yesterday in parliament, an MP introduced a bill to ban what he called "legal gangsterism" – attempts by the rich and powerful to use the legal system to stifle journalistic investigations. The Times and Sunday Times' editorial legal director Pia Sarma argues it's time to restore the balance between rich claimants and journalists pursuing the truth.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Pia Sarma, Editorial Legal Director, Times Media.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Times Radio, France 24, Parliament TV.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.

Protests - sparked by the death of a young woman in the custody of Iranian morality police - have continued for over four months, evolving to incorporate women’s rights, economic concerns and regime change. The authorities have fought back with a severe, violent crackdown, but how long can protesters continue? And could it lead to a revolution?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Ramita Navai, foreign affairs investigative journalist, and former Tehran correspondent for The Times. Host: Manveen RanaClips: BBC Persian, 1500 Tasvir, CBS News, Deutsche Welle, BBC News, Sky News, PBS, WION, UK Parliament, Babak Taghvaee, via Twitter, Holly Dagres, via Twitter, Jonathan Swain, via Twitter. 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 UK government has blocked Scottish gender recognition reforms, which would allow anyone over the age of 16 to self-declare their gender and be recognised as such by the Scottish government. The Scottish government argues its legislation would merely update and improve the legal situation in Scotland for transgender people. But the UK government says this is not true, and that the Scottish legislation would have a profound impact on UK-wide equalities law. We examine the debate and the constitutional row that has ensued. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Mark McLaughlin, Political Correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: BBC News, The Scottish Sun, Guardian, Channel 4 News, 5 News, ITV. 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 2021, Sunday Times writer Megan Agnew experienced a strange sort of heartbreak after a relationship that began on a dating app. It got her thinking: are they healthy for us? And does the data now suggest we may be turning against them? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.'Total swipe out: Why dating is better in real life' by Megan Agnew - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/total-swipe-out-why-dating-is-better-in-real-life-t7pkbjtjdGuest: Megan Agnew, Features Writer at The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.Clips: ABC, CBS.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.

This year, Taylor Swift is set to embark on her biggest and most expensive world tour. Fans flew into a frenzy when tickets went on sale after several thousand couldn’t get hold of them following technical difficulties. What is it about the pop princess that has the power to influence an entire generation and their politics?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Charlotte Ivers, Sunday Times columnist and Times Radio political correspondent. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: NBC, PBS, BBC, ABC, Billboard, Fox, ET, SVT, CNBC, TikTok. Music excerpts: Love Story/Better Than Revenge - Taylor Swift, Big Machine Records, LLC. Blank Space/New Romantics - Max Martin, Taylor Swift, Shellback, Big Machine Records, LLC. Outta the Woods - Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift, Big Machine Records, LLC. Betty/Delicate/Man/You Need to Calm Down/Only the Young - Taylor Swift, Universal Music Group. 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.

Ukraine continues to deny Russia’s claims of victory in Soledar, where the Wagner Group – a private army – has been fighting. Why is Russia fighting for such a small town? And who are the mercenaries leading the assault?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Marc Bennetts, Foreign Correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: CBS News, CBC, NBC News, Times Radio, Reuters, Sky News, Channel 4 News, CNN, ABC 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.