Four schoolgirls in Bicester are asking the government to ban school uniforms in porn, arguing it sexualises minors and puts them at risk. The outfits are a common costume for female performers in pornography, despite the fact that one UK study revealed 35% of girls surveyed had received unwanted sexual attention whilst wearing one. So why is this legal? And could a new piece of legislation make a difference?

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:

• Helen Rumbelow, feature writer and columnist, The Times.
• Rose, Mae, Aylin and Willow, students at the Cooper School in Bicester.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Olivia Case.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: The teen girls campaigning to get school uniform banned from porn

Further listening: What happens when we stop reading?

Clips: House / Heel and Toe Films / Shore Z Productions / Bad Hat Harry Productions / Universal Television[d] / FOX, The Big Bang Theory / Chuck Lorre Productions / Warner Bros.Television / CBS, Britney Spears / Baby One More Time / Jive, St Trinian's / Ealing Studios / Fragile Films / UK Film Council, BBC.

Photo: Philippa James 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.

Three years ago, the journalist Ann Treneman was told that her husband, Ian, had inoperable cancer. Just six weeks later, Ian had died. As time has moved on, Ann continues to grapple with her loss. The experience has forced her to confront how little she once understood grief, and to consider why something so universal remains so difficult for us to talk about.

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: Ann Treneman, notebook columnist, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Robyn Simon.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: What no one tells you about grief: the loss doesn’t heal with time

Photo: Grey Hutton 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.

This Sunday, Brazilians go to the polls to choose their new president. It’s a hugely consequential contest between the incumbent president, left-wing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and right-wing Flávio Bolsonaro, son of ‘Trump of the Tropics’ Jair Bolsonaro, the jailed former president. But what will it mean if this powerhouse of South America follows so many other countries in the region and swings to the right – and towards the White House?

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: Stephen Gibbs, contributor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Olivia Case.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Lula v Bolsonaro Jr: the grudge match to decide who Brazil dislikes least

Further listening: The fight to expose Mexico's sex-trafficking capital

Clips: CBS, The Guardian, @glglobo, Journal da Gazeta, FlavioBolsonaro / Instagram, AP, CBC, Forbes, CBN, lulaoficial / Instagram.

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.

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Yesterday, Labour greenlit Jackdaw, the biggest new British gasfield in almost a decade. But, will it help with energy security or reducing energy bills? And what does it mean for the government's commitment to net zero?

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: Adam Vaughan, environment editor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Sophie McNulty, Olivia Case.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Who owns Jackdaw field and how will drilling affect the economy?

Further listening: Why does the UK have the most expensive energy in Europe?

Clips: Sky News, The Guardian, BBC, ITV, Nigel Farage - YouTube, Times Radio, Real Media, Reuters, Scottish Daily Record, Forbes, News24.

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.

What began as student protests in France against a struggling education system has erupted into a wider wave of unrest over the rising cost of living and failing public services. Similar grievances have sparked demonstrations across Europe, with violent clashes in Belgium and Italy over the weekend. French authorities have now imposed localised curfews, while declaring a state of emergency remains on the cards. So is Europe facing a wider crisis of public discontent? And is this a tipping point?

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: Charles Bremner, contributor, The Times. Tom Kington, contributor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Robyn Simon and Olivia Case.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: How our local school protest set France alight

Further listening: The student protests putting Macron’s legacy at risk

Clips: Channel 4, France 24, Al Jazeera, Tousi TV, DW News,

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.

For residents of Kyiv, 2026 has been the deadliest year since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Air defences are virtually nonexistent so strikes and civilian deaths have skyrocketed, making Kyiv’s firefighters evermore crucial. Amid the terror and destruction, they have emerged as heroes – public servants who run towards danger to rescue civilians while being targeted by Russian strikes.

For the first time, Ukrainian emergency services have allowed a journalist to embed with them. The Sunday Times’ Tom Watling has the exclusive.

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: Tom Watling, writer, The Sunday Times.

Host: Rosie Wright.

Producers: Micaela Arneson and Olivia Case.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: A week with the Kyiv firefighters battling Russian drone strikes

Further listening: Sir Anthony Beevor: Russia is ‘a prisoner of their own past’

Clips: Fox, BBC, Newsmax, 9News, TalkTV, Asia One News.

Photo: Paula Bronstein 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.

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In Tenancingo, the country’s sex trafficking capital, children as young as eleven are being forced into prostitution. When they can no longer make money, they ‘disappear’. The state governor has said, it simply does not exist. The women the Sunday Times has spoken to say the problem is worse than anyone knows. Senior correspondent Louise Callaghan travelled to there to investigate.

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: Louise Callaghan, senior US correspondent, The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Dave Creasey, Micaela Arneson.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: We exposed sex-trafficking town: now officials admit it's a problem

Clips: El Debate News.

Photo: Getty.

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 an operation in 2022 to detain the leader of a terrorist cell goes wrong, the SAS is plunged into crisis raising questions about the future of Britain’s special forces.

Insight, The Sunday Times investigations team, has gathered witness testimony, leaked documents and open source intelligence, meaning the full story can be told for the first time.

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 and reported by:

• Gabriel Pogrund, editor of Insight, The Sunday Times
• Venetia Menzies, Insight investigations correspondent, The Sunday Times
• Emanuele Midolo, Insight investigations correspondent, The Sunday Times

Producer: Sophie McNulty

Sound designer: Ivan Eastley

Read more: SAS in crisis: sent to hunt Isis in Syria. Then arrested for murder

Further listening: Posh George: The criminal behind Farage

Watch: How the Insight team investigated the special forces scandal

Artwork: Nina Krause

Get in touch:

Call or WhatsApp The Sunday Times’s Insight team: 020 7782 5959

For any tips: [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 multitude of interconnected wars engulfing the globe are leading many to draw parallels with 1939, the eve of the Second World War. Historian Sir Anthony Beevor – one of the world’s great chroniclers of the 20th century – is one of those raising the alarm, particularly about the threats posed by Russia. Following the release of his new book Rasputin and the Downfall of the Romanovs, we caught up with him at The Times and The Sunday Times-sponsored Cheltenham Literary Festival, to ask what the ‘mad monk’ of late-Imperial Russia can tell us about the country today, and just how dangerous this present moment is.

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: Sir Anthony Beevor, historian and author of ‘Rasputin: and the downfall of the Romanovs.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Harry Stott.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Antony Beevor: Trump shows signs of dementia. He can’t be controlled

Further listening: Russia revives its nuclear armageddon project, Dead Hand

Clips: BBC, France 24 English, MSNOW, USA Today, War Archives / Youtube, Old Broadcast / Youtube, Admiral Oliver Franklin Doom / Youtube.

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.

On November 3, Americans will head to the polls for midterm elections that will determine who controls Congress for the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidency. While Trump himself isn't technically on the ballot, plummeting approval ratings means the elections are shaping up to be a referendum on his leadership. Republicans face a tough fight, even in traditionally conservative states such as Texas, where a fiercely contested Senate race could deliver a major upset. Will Texas really turn blue? And what would a Democratic victory in Texas mean for Trump’s political future?

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: Katy Balls, Washington editor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Robyn Simon, Olivia Case.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Trump’s convention hurt my midterm chances, Ken Paxton says in leaked audio

Further listening: Could Trump lose MAGA over Iran?

Clips: CBS, C-Span, Fox, MS NOW, CNN, CNBC, KTXS News, James Talarico Youtube

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.

Over 300,000 people live in ‘temporary’ or ‘supported’ housing, where government-funded rents have no upper-limit. For The Times’ Welfare Inquiry, investigative lead Katie O’Toole goes undercover at an ‘academy’ training landlords in how to profit off housing society’s most vulnerable. She also hears from tenants stranded in supported housing, where severe financial cliff edges penalise those who work. So, who is getting rich from this uncapped system? What is the human cost for those stuck inside it? And where does the system go from here?

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:

• Fraser Nelson, columnist, The Times.
• Katie O'Toole, Welfare Inquiry investigative lead, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Sophie McNulty.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: The benefits system is failing. We hope to help fix it

Clips: Channel 4 News.

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.