The Standard

As America reels from yet another devastating school shooting, what can be done to convince politicians and the public to give up their deadly weapons?Nineteen children aged seven to 11 years old and two adults are dead following the massacre in Uvalde, Texas.It is the 20th US school shooting this year - one of the worst in the country’s history, and the deadliest attack since Sandy Hook in 2012. As a community mourns, investigators are trying to piece together events at Robb Elementary School after the gun rampage by 18-year-old Salvador Ramos.  Here in the UK it was two gun massacres, in Hungerford in 1987 and Dunblane in 1996, that sparked serious reform to our gun laws.Subsequently, the UK’s Gun Control Network - a collective of campaigners and victims’ relatives - successfully lobbied to ban handguns in 1997. But still, such tragedies keep happening here, including last year in Plymouth and in Cumbria in 2010. Gill Marshall-Andrews, from Richmond, chairs the network and joins the Leader to discuss what more can be done to convince US authorities to get a grip on gun violence.She discusses the network’s successful campaign, and shares her views on what strategies could help convince and cajole America to lay down its guns - a monumentally hard task given the right to bare arms enshrined in the US constitution.We also talk about the continuing challenges of gun reform here in the UK and, following last year’s shotgun murders in Plymouth, whether the government is doing enough to improves safety around firearms ownership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sue Gray’s report into Downing Street partying during Covid lockdowns has finally been published, and it’s left the Prime Minister battling for political survival.We’d already seen that fuzzy shot of Boris Johnson with a glass held aloft, and now there’s more images featuring convivial drinks and food, one of which features Chancellor Rishi Sunak.The top civil servant’s report criticises what’s described as an “excessive” drinking culture in Whitehall, which often broke lockdown rules when the rest of Britain was under house arrest, as well as other revealing shocking treatment of cleaning and security staff.The report will make galling reading for many Britons, particularly those prevented from seeing sick relatives because of the rules.At PMQs Mr Johnson repeated his apologies, and said he took responsibility, while Scottish National Party leader Ian Blackford led calls for him to resign. The Evening Standard’s political reporter Rachael Burford has been covering developments as they happened.She examines what the Gray report means for the PM’s political future and how Downing Street is trying to deflect attention away from the scandal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was a huge day for improving the ease of travelling through London as the first passenger section of the Elizabeth Line, AKA Crossrail, opened for business.While it wasn’t all plain railing - a fire alert sparked the evacuation of Paddington station - there were plenty of enthusiasts from London and beyond eager to try out the £20 billion purple line.By 10am, 130,000 journeys had been clocked and the Standard was there from the very early start.And what about those future fares?Hear expert analysis, the thoughts of passengers travelling on the purple line for the first time on the open stretch from Paddington to Abbey Wood, and make sure you stay tuned until the end to hear Mayor Sadiq Khan discuss the project’s handover from previous City Hall incumbent Boris Johnson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Figures set to be published later on Monday will show an increase in the number of confirmed viral cases in England.The UK Health Security Agency is advising people at high risk of catching the disease to self-isolate for three weeks, and call NHS 111 before seeing a doctor.This is the advice for anyone having sexual or household contact with a monkeypox-infected person.Symptoms include unusual rashes, lesions and swollen lymph nodes.Over the weekend, Belgium introduced 21-day quarantine, following this new outbreak of a viral disease first identified in the 1950s.So what is monkeypox, what about vaccines and how worried should we be?The Leader is joined by Keith Neal, emeritus professor at the University of Nottingham and a 30-year veteran of studying epidemiology and infectious diseases. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a bonus episode taken from our business show 'How to be a CEO'.As a passionate video gamer, Damian Burns has his dream job: EMEA SVP of streaming platform Twitch. It's a job that didn't even exist when he was a kid, and as a pioneer in streaming he's often venturing into areas where the rules haven’t been set.Hear the full interview HEREFind us on Twitter #HowToBeACEO Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After an 11-year hiatus N-Dubz have reformed, announcing a national arena tour and releasing a new single to boot. But times have changed since the Camden-born band first burst onto the scene, music has evolved and each member has had their fair share of controversy in the media through the years. So, is there still a place for N-Dubz in 2022?The Evening Standard’s Vicky Jessop explains the band’s popularity, cultural significance and shares her views on whether there will be just as much success for the trio the second time around.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The legal teams have made their final statements; the judge has left the building to consider her verdict. Vardy vs Rooney, better known as the Wagatha Christie libel trial is over. In this episode of the Leader the Evening Standard's Courts Correspondent talks about how the trial will be long remembered for its drama, and explains the evidence heard at the High Court. Also, our Features Editor, Phoebe Luckhurst, and Insider Editor Suzannah Ramsdale dissect the juicy bits of what's become a major cultural event.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s all happening on the tube. As passenger numbers appear to return to normal following the pandemic lockdown, we’ve now got clarity on how much the new Crossrail will cost us to use… and it looks like it’ll be popular with those heading to and from Heathrow. The Evening Standard’s revealed fast train travel will cost almost 60 percent less on the new line than on the Heathrow Express. Meanwhile, as a few of you may have noticed, the underground’s getting busier again. Research is suggesting it’s just about back to what it was before Covid-19.The Evening Standard’s City Hall Editor, Ross Lydall, explains everything you need to know.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jake Daniels has made history by becoming the first openly gay male professional footballer in 32 years. The Blackpool forward released a statement yesterday and has been praised by the likes of Harry Kane, Gary Lineker and even the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.Daniels is the first active male footballer to come out in the UK since Justin Fashanu in 1990 and at just 17 years old, he’s set to be a role model for many years to come.We speak to Joe White, the co-chair of Pride in Football, a network of UK LGBT+ football fans. They tell us what this means for the community, whether they think any Premier League players will follow in Jake’s footsteps and we look ahead to the issues around the Qatar World Cup later this year.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Evening Standard reports Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s troops have captured so much territory they’ve now reached the border with Russia. Vladimir Putin’s soldiers have been pushed back north east of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. Ukrainian forces have also been retaking territory in north-eastern areas in recent days, as Russian forces focus on the Donbas region further south.In part one, we put the most recent developments into context with our Defence Editor, Robert Fox, who explains where we go from here. In part two, we look at Ukraine’s Eurovision win with Jochan Embley from the ES Culture Desk. Finding out what this means not only for them as a country but for the competition next year.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.