The Story

In June 2023, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates were stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane, a paranoid schizophrenic who is currently serving an indefinite hospital order. The months-long public inquiry into their deaths has revealed a staggering number of failures by the authorities, and a widespread culture of denial and unaccountability. So what went wrong? And what lessons can be learned?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Fiona Hamilton, chief reporter, The Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Micaela Arneson, Jesse Fox.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Nottingham attacks: ‘We have no faith in the police. We want justice’
Clips: BBC, Sky News, The Nottingham Inquiry.
Photo: Richard Pohle, The Times.
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 Freddie Mercury, lead vocalist of Queen and one of the all-time greats of rock music, died from Aids in 1991, he left his beloved Kensington house to his lifelong companion Mary Austin. Once engaged to the superstar – before they both realised he preferred men – Austin was by his side from unglamorous beginnings to global stardom. She exclusively reads the story of their extraordinary relationship for the Story.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Read by: Mary Austin
Producers: Sophie McNulty and Taryn Siegel.
Read More: My life with Freddie Mercury — by the best friend he nearly married
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com
Clips: Live Aid, Queen Youtube.
Music Excerpt: Queen - Lily of the Valley (Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC)
Photo: Getty Images.
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 25 years since the 9/11 attacks; in the aftermath, the CIA hunted down those responsible – detaining suspects and subjecting them to ‘enhanced interrogation.’ One of the prisoners who was subjected to these tactics was Abu Zubaydah, who, at the time, was thought to be a top member of al-Qaeda. John Kiriakou, a former CIA operative who led the operation to capture Zubaydah, blew the whistle on the torture that prisoners like him experienced. As a result, Kiriakou went to prison, as well. Now, he’s asking President Trump for clemency.

This episode contains descriptions of violence and torture.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Josie Ensor, chief US reporter, The Times
Host: Manveen Rana
Producer: Sophie McNulty
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: I went to jail for exposing America’s darkest 9/11 secret. Trump should pardon me
Further listening: The 9/11 suspect - part 1
Clips: ABC News, C-SPAN, Cleared Hot Podcast.
Photo: Michael McCoy for The Times.
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 AfD’s thumping victory in the Saxony-Anhalt regional election has sent shockwaves across the German political landscape and left chancellor Friedrich Merz in a state of shock. With his popularity plummeting and further regional elections on the horizon, is Merz’s time almost up? And what does all of this tell us about the current state of German democracy?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Oliver Moody, Berlin correspondent, The Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Jesse Fox, Leo Danczak.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Firewall to keep AfD out is crumbling — how will Friedrich Merz react?
Further listening: Germany’s radical right is surging. Can they be stopped?
Clips: BBC, CNN, Channel 4 News, T Online, CBC News, Phoenix, APT.
Photo: Getty Images.

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.

Yesterday, foreign secretary Ed Miliband announced new sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank in response to an increase in settler expansion and violence there. So what is really happening on the ground? Can UK sanctions prevent settlement expansion? And what does this mean for Britain’s relationship with Israel and the US?
This podcast contains scenes some listeners may find upsetting.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests:

Christina Lamb, chief foreign correspondent, The Times.
Gabrielle Weiniger, Israel correspondent, The Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Olivia Case, Jesse Fox.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com
Read more: ‘My son was on my wife’s lap when the IDF shot him dead’
Further listening: The ticking time bomb Netanyahu faces at home
Clips: Parliamentlive.tv, BBC, UK Government / facebook, CNN, PBS, Channel 4, Al Jazeera.
Photo: Kobi Wolf for The Sunday Times.
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.