• 40 minutes 36 seconds
    Special Report: The Trump hotel that could topple a government

    How has a Trump family luxury development sparked a protest movement so large that it is threatening to bring down a European Prime Minister? Well that's exactly what has happened in Albania. A proposed 4 billion euro resort complex in on of the country's most cherished nature spots has led to the largest demonstrations seen there in over three decades.

    Dubbed the 'Flamingo Revolution' because of the threat to Albania's birds, the capital Tirana is seeing nightly marches - sometimes attracting hundreds of thousands of people. What started off as an environmental cause has become something much bigger, with the movement demanding mass resignations and an end to what critics see as a lack of transparency, democratic backsliding and even corruption. What happens now could shape the country's future for years to come. Lewis has a special report from Albania.

    The News Agents is a Global Production.

    The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

    21 August 2026, 3:00 pm
  • 58 minutes 52 seconds
    Who's got the Premier League's TOUGHEST job? | New Season Preview - The Sports Agents

    It’s almost upon us.

    A mere month after the World Cup Final, we are staring down the barrel of a brand new Premier League football season and Gabby, Mark & Nedum are as excited as a bunch of rowdy kids on Christmas eve.

    Join the guys as they break down the most unpredictable Premier League season ever. We are talking about the Big 6 - who will be Mikel Arteta’s rival this season, how can Maresca replace Pep and how are Spurs part of the Big 6 after narrowly avoiding relegation…twice?!

    It is the first time a Premier League season will kick off without a Klopp, Fergie, Wenger or Pep as an unprecedented NINE new Managers will take to the dugout for the first time and Nedum has concerns about almost all of these young pups.

    Elsewhere there’s a raft of new rules for Gabby & Mark to make sense of before they host Match of the Day this weekend, and the newly promoted sides come under the spotlight as Ipswich Town spend money like a sailor on shore leave.

    📩 Got a question for The Sports Agents? https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7

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    Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

    Senior Producer: David Finch

    Video Producer: Samuel Trudgill

    Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart

    Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

    Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

    You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

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    20 August 2026, 4:55 pm
  • 38 minutes 27 seconds
    Would Jason Arday still be alive if he were white?

    It's nearly a week on from the death of Jason Arday, the Cambridge professor who came under scrutiny after allegations of plagiarism were levelled against him. Even after his resignation, media coverage scrutinised his work, personal achievements and medical conditions. Former students and class mates were chased for interviews and the story continued to grow. At a vigil for Arday on Monday, Lord Simon Woolley told how just days before his death Arday had told him that he was being 'hounded to death.'

    In the immediate aftermath of his death there was a question over whether there might be a reckoning in the media about the role it played as the story unfolded. But, with some doubling down on the coverage, others issuing statements of apology, and others simply moving on, are we learning the wrong lessons from the death of Jason Arday? And where is the line between pursuing the truth and a witchhunt? We're joined by FT associate editor and columnist Stephen Bush.

    The News Agents is a Global Production.

    The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

    20 August 2026, 3:00 pm
  • 34 minutes 5 seconds
    Are data centres going to crash the world economy?

    Borrowing costs have hit new highs in some of the world's biggest economies. While Trump's war with Iran is behind some of rise, it's the AI effect that is spooking some market analysts. A huge surge in corporate borrowing for AI development and data centre building has led to fears that there are risks involved in betting on an artificial intelligence boom - and investors are demanding higher returns on their lending as a result.

    Data centres have become increasingly under the political spotlight too. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro - a recent cheerleader of AI - has changed tack and is now placing tight restrictions on data centre development in his State. Closer to home, Scotland is home to an almighty row about a proposed site near Fife - with campaigners claiming it could demand more energy than half of Scottish homes. If AI growth starts to stutter, and the public and politicians turn on the Big Tech developers, could our economies experience a collapse akin to the 2008 crash?

    Later, why Volodymyr Zelenskyy has experienced arguably his toughest day since Russia's invasion - and is facing fresh calls to hold an election.

    The News Agents is a Global Production.

    The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

    19 August 2026, 3:00 pm
  • 34 minutes
    Has Trump fallen in love with his 'human printer'?

    A leading Democrat was mid stump speech which he suddenly sent the crowd wild. It wasn’t his mention of Trump's failed Iran war. It wasn't an attack on his tariffs, or his failed cost of living policies. It was the moment he let slip that the only thing Trump is interested in is his ballroom and his "travel with Natalie". So who is Natalie Harp? Why have Democrats been pushing unsubstantiated innuendo about the President and his aide? And could this turn into a real political headache for Trump? Or have the Democrats just turned a bit... Trumpian?

    Later, was Reform's Tim Montgomerie too outspoken? He’s been unceremoniously suspended after his latest candid tweet that said about Zia Yusuf what many others were thinking - he’s wandered off the reservation a little too far. Is there any room in Nigel Farage's Reform for dissent? Or is it little more than a cult of personality?

    The News Agents is a Global Production.

    The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

    18 August 2026, 3:00 pm
  • 35 minutes 8 seconds
    The Hounding of Jason Arday

    The chancellor of Cambridge University today has condemned the "racist feeding frenzy" around Jason Arday. Arday was found dead on Friday after a relentless slew of articles querying the veracity of his academic work and life story. Was it really in the public interest to scrutinise every aspect of his life - even after he'd resigned from his post? Or did the controversy around Jason Arday's appointment become a bloodsport for the British media? Would he have faced anything like the same level of hostility if he had been white?

    Later, why are Albanians taking to the street every night in such great numbers to demand the toppling of their government? And why are the Trump family so intimately involved?

    The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

    17 August 2026, 3:00 pm
  • 39 minutes 7 seconds
    Farage beats the bin - so why are Reform MPs livid?

    The people of Clacton will be relieved it’s over, but one candidate was conspicuously absent from the proceedings last night: Nigel Farage. He and his team will say he was advised not to attend because of a security threat, Essex police deny any such advice.

    Nonetheless, in a surprise to absolutely no one, Farage won the Clacton by-election, seeing off a record 33 other candidates. But just how impressive was the victory? Is Farage’s win really as big as he’d have us believe? Or is it even more hollow than the bin he defeated?

    And, with the by-election behind him, attention now turns to the investigation into his £5 million in donations, which was swiftly reopened once the results were in. What happens next for Farage? And what does the Clacton result really tell us about his political future?

    The News Agents is a Global Production.

    The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

    14 August 2026, 3:00 pm
  • 39 minutes 18 seconds
    Is English Cricket failing the REAL test? - The Sports Agents

    The England Men’s test cricket team are in a hole. After a spectacular collapse at home to New Zealand which saw the end of Stokes, McCullum and the ‘Bazball’ era earlier this summer England now face a must win series against Pakistan.

    But guess what?

    Their new test coach, who has never coached a test team, is in New Zealand and it’s all got Mark Chapman feeling a bit down about his favourite sport. Nedum, Gabby & Mark are joined by Wisden editor Lawrence Booth to discuss an ECB omni shambles and the immediate future, however bleak, of England Men’s test cricket team.

    In happier news the EFL kicks off this weekend and the guys bring you all the big stories which should be on your radar as The Championship, League One & League Two curtain raisers.

    Elsewhere Stuart Broad’s viral solar eclipse commentary at The Hundred and Gabby’s incredible impression of a Birmingham accent will delight and offend in equal measure.

    📩 Got a question for The Sports Agents? https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7

    🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod

    📱Follow us on socials:

    TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents

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    Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

    Senior Producer: David Finch

    Video Producer: Samuel Trudgill

    Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart

    Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

    Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

    You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

    👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

    13 August 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 32 minutes 17 seconds
    Why is Reform threatening to jail the boss of Vodafone?

    Not content with calling a former Defence Secretary a "traitor" and getting a ticking off from Nigel Farage, Zia Yusuf has outdone himself today. He's accused Vodafone of aiding and abetting the "invasion of Britain" by handing out SIM cards to British charities - one such charity works with migrants in Calais. In an open letter today he's told the Vodafone board a Reform government would jail them if this happened under their watch. Is it actually Zia Yusuf who needs his SIM card taken off him?

    Later, Karoline Leavitt has decided that with two toddlers in her life she doesn't have the capacity to work for a third in the White House. How much or a loss will she be to MAGA?

    The News Agents is a Global Production.

    The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

    13 August 2026, 3:00 pm
  • 38 minutes 16 seconds
    Are Israeli settlers out of control in the West Bank?

    "The West Bank is at breaking point" - the words of a top UN official at a Security Council meeting in New York last night. Settler violence has been ramping up. Two Palestinian homes have been under siege with the weekend, with families warning that their supplies are running out. The IDF has denounced the “illegal, reprehensible and unacceptable” establishment of settler outposts inside West Bank villages but doesn't seem to be doing much to dismantle them. Why is the violence on the rise? Are the Israeli elections fuelling extremist action? And can anything be done to stop it? We speak to the Jerusalem-based reporter Noga Tarnopolsky.

    Later, fifty police chiefs from across the UK have warned that the early release of PC Andrew Harper's killers would undermine police morale and faith in the justice system. Andy Burnham is scrambling to find a solution to his first major test as Prime Minister. But should we be wary of our police forces wading into politics on this scale?

    The News Agents is a Global Production.

    The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

    12 August 2026, 3:00 pm
  • 41 minutes 1 second
    The 'traitor' row tearing Reform apart

    It turns out running a poll to ask Twitter whether Ben Wallace should be prosecuted for treason is perhaps not savvy politics.

    Zia Yusuf. the Reform home affairs spokesman has today been slapped down by his leader Nigel Farage for labelling the former Tory defence secretary a "traitor" for allowing thousands of Afghans into the country. Farage has said the language is "over the top" and that Yusuf will be getting a "ticking off". A poll today has Reform at their lowest since the 2024 general election. Are Reform crashing out hard? Why is it that after getting so much right - it now seems like they are getting everything wrong?

    Later, comedian and host of the Screen Rot podcast Jacob Hawley has been campaigning to save the high street for years. Today, Andy Burnham announced plans to stop rogue vape shops, barbers and confectionary stores from popping up all over the place. Did he nick the idea from Jacob's podcast? Jacob is on tour this autumn with a new show, 'Fighting Age Man'.

    The News Agents is a Global Production.

    The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

    11 August 2026, 3:00 pm
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