The Story

The government has announced a five-year trial of the weight-loss drug Mounjaro to consider whether its use could reduce unemployment and relieve pressure on the NHS. So this weekend, we revisit an episode from last year looking at another weight loss drug that’s already been approved for use by clinically obese individuals in the UK. But is an injection our best option for tackling obesity?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.com/subscribeGuests: ·        Charlotte Ivers, Staff Writer, The Sunday Times. ·        Dr Amir Khan, NHS GP and Broadcaster.Host: Manveen Rana. Article: How celebrities’ favourite drug Ozempic made Denmark enormously rich.Clips: Global News Canada, CBS, E News.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.comThis episode was first published in September 2023.

On Wednesday night it was announced that Liam Payne had died in Buenos Aires aged 31, where he was on holiday. What does his death say about the music industry? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Will Hodgkinson, chief rock and pop critic, The Times.Host: Luke Jones. Further reading: Liam Payne and the curse of too much fame too youngGet in touch: thestory@thetimes.comClips: Sky News, Times Radio, X Factor, Columbia / SycoPhoto: Getty Images 

Tensions are escalating between Israel and Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy militia in Lebanon. Attacks on both sides have led to thousands dead and over a million people internally displaced. The latest confrontations come after decades of conflict, so where did it all begin? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Lina Khatib, associate fellow at Chatham House, director of the SOAS Middle East Institute, and contributor to The Times. Read more from Lina: Why killing of Hassan Nasrallah marks ‘beginning of the end’ for Iran Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: Sky News, ITV News, NBC News, Binyamin Netanyahu, AP, CBS News, BBC News.Photo: Getty Images Further listening: Who are Hezbollah and are they heading for all-out war?

A new era of violence is erupting in the French city of Marseille between rival drug gangs. Deaths are soaring - with 49 murders in the first half of this year already. We go inside the city to find out how social media is helping to recruit children as young as 14 to carry out the killings.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGet in touch: thestory@thetimes.co.uk Further listening: Cocaine Inc.Guest: Peter Conradi, Europe Editor, The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana.Image credit: Getty Images

In 2020, the US Justice Department sued Google, alleging it illegally monopolised the online search market. The US government won, and is now threatening to break up the tech giant, with wide-reaching implications for us all. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.com/subscribe  Guest: Dominic O’Connell, Business Presenter, Times Radio.  Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: The Justice Department, AP Archive, CNBC, CBS.  Photo: Getty ImagesGet in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Kamala Harris may become the first female president of the United States – but who is she? Megan Agnew rode through the hills of San Francisco, talking to everyone who knew her fresh out of law school, to tell the story of how she conquered California.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Megan Agnew, senior features writer, The Sunday Times.Host: Luke Jones. Photo: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Today we bring you a conversation from our fellow podcasters and Times Radio broadcasters Jane & Fi.This week marked a year since the October 7 attacks by Hamas and Israel's military operation in Gaza, beginning of a tragic new chapter in the violent history of the Middle East. Since then, thousands have died and the ongoing war threatens to engulf the wider region. It's left policy makers questioning how, if ever, the conflict can be resolved. Two former leaders with a potential road map for peace joined Jane and Fi to discuss. Guests:- Ehud Olmert, former Israeli prime minister.- Nassr al-Qudwa, former Palestinian foreign minister.Producer: Guy EmanuelSubscribe to Jane and Fi 'Off Air'This week the Story covered the October 7th anniversary in two podcasts:How I survived October 7A diary from Gaza - what happened nextThis podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/thestory

Keir Starmer has been prime minister for 100 days. It's the point in any premiership that's considered a measure of how a new leader is performing, ever since the days of Franklin D Roosevelt. So how is Starmer doing compared to his predecessors? Two authors of multiple biographies of former PMs - William Hague and historian and author Sir Anthony Seldon - discuss.This episode was recorded live at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.co.uk/thestoryGet in touch: thestory@thetimes.co.uk Find out more about our bonus series for Times subscribers: 'Inside the newsroom'Host: William Hague, Times columnist and former leader of the Conservative Party.Guest: Sir Anthony Seldon.Image credit: Getty.