The Story

Europe is being battered by a fourth wave of Covid. Today we speak to our correspondent in Berlin, to find out how the German-speaking parts of Europe became the epicentre for both the fourth wave of the virus and a wave of antivax riots sweeping the continent.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: Oliver Moody, Berlin correspondent, The Times and The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Euronews, France 24, DW News, ABC News Australia, CNN, Bloomberg, Channel 4 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.

The NHS is under intense pressure, but since the peak of the pandemic public attention has largely moved elsewhere. Today we catch up with The Times' health editor – and with the doctors we spoke to in January, during the peak of the pandemic – to find out how the NHS is coping.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: - Kat Lay, health editor, The Times.- Dr Pushpo Babul Hossain, junior doctor.- Dr Adrian Boyle, emergency physician and Vice President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.- Anonymous respiratory doctor in south London.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips: ITV News, 5 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.

Last week tensions at the border between neighbouring Poland and Belarus escalated as thousands of people, looking to start a new life in the West, were stranded in desperate conditions. Belarus has been accused of 'weaponising' the plight of migrants in a geopolitical standoff between the EU and its neighbour. So what's behind the situation - and what happens next?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.Host: David Aaronovitch.Guest: Peter Conradi, Europe Editor for The Sunday TimesClips: Al Jazeera, BBC, , DW News, France 24, Sky News, 7News.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.

Xi Jinping is consolidating his position as the all-powerful president of China. But who is the man at the top of the sharpest pyramid in the world of 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.Host: David Aaronovitch.Guest: Michael Sheridan, former foreign correspondent for The Sunday Times and author of The Gate to China: A New History of the People's Republic & Hong Kong.Clips: ABC, South China Morning Post, No Comment TV, BBC, CCTV Video News Agency, Periscope Film, Al Jazeera, CBS, VICE 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.

Last month, the government brought in a new law to stop under-eighteens using Botox and fillers for cosmetic reasons in England. But with reports of botched procedures and easy access to products online - is this law enough to tame the industry? And who's paying the price for beauty?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.Host: Sevda Moyassari.Guests:-Arti Nachiappan, news reporter, The Times.-Ashton Collins, director, Save Face.-Helen, who had lip filler at a high street beautician.Clips: Channel 4, BBC, AFP 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.

The ink has dried on the agreement and the dignitaries have returned home - so what really happened at COP - and what does it mean for the planet?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.Host: Manveen Rana.Guests: - Ben Spencer, science editor, The Sunday Times. Clips: COP26, Reuters, TDC, DW News, Sky News, Downing Street, Euronews, France 24, The NationalThis 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.

They used to be the stuff of sci-fi and futuristic Hollywood films. But now, artificially intelligent weapons are transforming armies around the world. A technological arms race has begun - should we be worried?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.Host: Manveen Rana.Guests: - Matthew Campbell, foreign features editor, The Sunday Times. - General Sir Richard Barrons, former Commander of the UK Joint Forces Command.- General Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the Defence Staff.Clips: DW News, BBC, CBS, WION, MSNBC, Sky News, Slaughter Bots/Prof Stuart Russell, Double Down News, Al Jazeera, Warner Bros Pictures/Stanley Kubrick, France 24, Science Time.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 scandal at Yorkshire County Cricket Club has triggered a wave of resignations at the county and condemnation from all corners. It's led to an existential crisis for the game in this country. Today, the man at the heart of the story, Azeem Rafiq will speak to a parliamentary committee to discuss the alleged racist abuse and bullying he experienced while playing for Yorkshire CCC. So how did we get here?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:-Elizabeth Ammon, cricket news reporter, The Times and The Sunday Times.-Taj Butt, chair of Quaid E Azam cricket league in Bradford.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Sky News, ITV News, 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.

Spectrum 10k was supposed to be Britain's biggest ever study of autism. But just weeks after launch, it was put on pause. As the genetics revolution picks up pace, could this be among the first of many such confrontations between researchers and those who feel threatened by their work?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: - Holly Smale, bestselling author of the Geek Girl series. - Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge.- Sue Fletcher-Watson, professor of developmental psychology at the University of Edinburgh.Host: David Aaronovitch.Producer: James Shield.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 a sport in which men and women compete equally. But is horse racing all that it seems? New accusations paint a picture of a culture that condones threatening behaviour - and frowns upon those who report it.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: - David Walsh, chief sports writer, The Sunday Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips: BBC, Racing Post, Racing TV, Sports Tonight.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.