The Story

The Iranian-backed Houthis have seized large swathes of territory in Yemen and taken control of the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a key shipping corridor between Asia and Europe. About 12 percent of global trade passes through the strait, including huge amounts of oil, so the move has sent energy prices skyrocketing. But, who are the Houthis? What’s their aim? And with regional powers wary of getting dragged into yet another war, who can stop them?

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Guest: Dr. Elisabeth Kendall, president of Girton College, Cambridge, specialising in Arabic and Islamic studies.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Olivia Case, Robyn Simon.

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Read more: Houthis seized strait ‘without a fight’. Now they’re bracing for one
Further listening: Inside the West Bank crisis driving Britain to act
Clips: PBS, CBS, BBC, France 24, Fox News, ABC, CNN.
Photo: Mohammed Huwais for Getty Images.

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Warnings about the dangers of AI are reaching fever pitch, with cases of AI agents going rogue and attempts by malicious actors to use the technology to create biological weapons. Industry whistleblowers are sounding the alarm about a technology they claim could destroy humanity, while AI CEOs are themselves making proposals for a slow down. So how do they plan to stop this march towards oblivion? And how scared should we all be?

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: Chris Dorrell, technology correspondent, The Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Harry Stott, Leo Danczak.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Anthropic blocks ‘malicious’ AI use over biological weapons fear
Further listening: 'We don't understand the consequences' - Why I quit OpenAI - The Sunday Story
Clips: CBS, BBC, CNN, Bloomberg, NBC, Sky.
Photo: Tony Bell, Times illustration.
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 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.
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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.