In the Shakahola forest near the Kenyan coast, a taxi driver turned evangelist pastor told his followers that the “rapture” was coming. Four years and more than 200 deaths later, Kenyan police are investigating what they suspect was a death cult. What could possibly have compelled hundreds of people to abandon their homes and families to join it? 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: Matthew Campbell, Foreign Features Editor, The Times and The Sunday Times.  Host: Manveen Rana.  Clips: BBC News, WION, DW News, KTN News, Reuters, Global News, NTV Kenya.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the 2023 Isle of Man TT race - often dubbed the ‘most dangerous’ race in the world - begins.Six riders died last year at the motorcycle racing event. So why do the competitors keep coming back for more?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. Articles - Dispatch: Inside the Isle of Man TT, the course that has killed 266 people https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/inside-the-isle-of-man-tt-the-course-that-has-killed-266-people-9nb8hdn5kGuests:- Phoebe Luckhurst, Senior Commissioning Editor at the Sunday Times Magazine.- Richard “Milky” Quayle, ex-motorbike racer and former Isle of Man TT champion. Host: Will Roe. Clips: TT Closer to the edge/Isle of Man Film & CinemaNX, Isleofmanttofficial, Obsession Engineering/Dave Hewson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia’s Wagner group – already dominant in the conflict in Ukraine – has become the de facto boss in the diamond-rich Central African Republic, where the mercenary force influences not just politics but the economy and culture. So how did this happen? And which country might be next in Wagner's sights?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: Anthony Loyd, senior foreign correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: France 24, Al Jazerra, CNN, TRT World, BBC, WION, Tourist © 2021 3xMedia and Vesta, Director: Andrey Batov. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re away for the bank holiday, so in the meantime we're bringing you a highlight from another Times podcast, Red Box, in which Matt Chorley presents the best interviews, analysis and panel discussions from his Times Radio show.For more than a decade Andrew Parsons was the official Downing Street photographer - chronicling life at No 10 with every prime minister from David Cameron to Rishi Sunak. He talks to Matt about capturing everything from David Cameron pre-emptively writing his resignation letter in 2015, to THAT lock down breaking birthday party in the Cabinet room. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Planet Hope, a new podcast from The Times in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative, hosted by Stories of Our Times as a bonus weekly series each Saturday.The Earth’s climate has been known to change in the past, but it’s only since the industrial revolution that there have been changes to our climate which have been driven by humans. Environmental Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan joins climate scientist and National Geographic Explorer Tom Matthews to investigate how his work, mapping the planet’s most extreme climates, can help us to better understand how our climate is changing and most importantly, evaluate whether we can change the course that we’re on.Through its Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex supports Tom Matthews as part of the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Mount Everest Expedition and the Amazon Expedition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.