The Story

China is on the cusp of constructing the biggest embassy in Europe– right in central London– despite a growing chorus of concern it could be used for a number of spying operations. So why is Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expected to approve the project? And how worried should we really 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

Guests:
Cindy Yu, columnist and contributing editor, The Times and The Sunday Times.
Geraldine Scott, assistant political editor, The Times.
Host: Luke Jones.
Producer: Micaela Arneson.
Read more:
It’s a mega mistake to allow the new Chinese embassy
Why China’s embassy plan should be approved
Further listening: Will 2026 be the year of China?
Clips: The Mirror, Daily Express, Sky News, Channel 4.
Photo: Getty Images.
Get in touch: [email protected]

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.

Over forty years ago in a lab in Boston, biochemist Svetlana Mojsov made an astonishing discovery. She'd conjured up a mixture, GLP-1, that successfully increased insulin levels when blood sugars are high - a mammoth breakthrough for diabetes treatment. It's now the secret sauce in weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, which are taken by 1.6 million people. So why wasn't Mojsov recognised for her work? Why was she, like so many women before her, erased from the story?

Guest: Aimee Donnellan, journalist and author 'Off the Scales: The Inside Story of Ozempic and the Race to Cure Obesity'.
Host: Tom Whipple, science writer and special correspondent, The Times.
Producer: Dave Creasey.
Buy Aimee Donnellan's book from The Times Bookshop

Clips: Sky News
Photo: Stephanie Diani for the Sunday Times Magazine.
Get in touch: [email protected]
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.

A new study has revealed a surprising truth: men’s sex drive peaks in their early forties. As a man hitting this milestone, Ben Machell explores what makes midlife libido so potent, from confidence and emotional stability, to life experience. We dive into why testosterone isn’t everything, how stress affects younger men, and what makes fortysomething men the “libido elite.”

Read by: Ben Machell, features writer, The Times, and Zak Asgard, contributor. The Times.
Producer: Dave Creasey.
Read more: I’m 43. Are men my age really having more sex than anyone else?
Clips: Working Title/Universal.
Photo: Getty.
Get in touch: [email protected]
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.

After a whirlwind day in Westminster, Robert Jenrick announced that he was defecting to Reform UK after being sacked by the Conservatives. But how much trouble does his defection spell for the Tories? Can he work with Nigel Farage? And what does this mean for the future of the British right?

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: Aubrey Allegretti, chief political correspondent, The Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Sophie McNulty, Harry Stott.
Read more: Ambush of Robert Jenrick opens new front in war with Reform
Further listening: Will mounting scandals sink reform?
Clips: Kemi Badenoch / X, BBC, Reform UK / Youtube.
Photo: Getty Images.
Get in touch: [email protected]

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 home secretary has said she has lost confidence in West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford, after a "damning" report into the decision to ban Israeli football fans from a match with Aston Villa last year. Shabana Mahmood said the report from Sir Andy Cooke, the chief inspector of constabulary, identified widespread failings at the force. But how did we get here? What did this case teach us about the way policing and politics interact? And after yet another scandal, what next for the police?
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: Gabirel Pogrund, Whitehall Editor, The Sunday Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Olivia Case and Taryn Siegel.
Read more: Plot to attack Maccabi fans ‘should have been treated as hate crime’
Clips: GB News, Sky, Parliamentlive.tv, Urban pictures.
Photo: Getty Images.
Get in touch: [email protected]
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.