The Story

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/thestoryGuests: 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: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: The teen girls campaigning to get school uniform banned from pornFurther 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.

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/thestoryRead by: Ann Treneman, notebook columnist, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Robyn Simon.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: What no one tells you about grief: the loss doesn’t heal with timePhoto: Grey Hutton for The Times

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/thestoryGuest: Stephen Gibbs, contributor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Lula v Bolsonaro Jr: the grudge match to decide who Brazil dislikes leastFurther listening: The fight to expose Mexico's sex-trafficking capitalClips: CBS, The Guardian, @glglobo, Journal da Gazeta, FlavioBolsonaro / Instagram, AP, CBC, Forbes, CBN, lulaoficial / Instagram.Photo: Getty Images.

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/thestoryGuest: Adam Vaughan, environment editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Sophie McNulty, Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead 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.

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/thestoryGuest: 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: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: How our local school protest set France alightFurther listening: The student protests putting Macron’s legacy at riskClips: Channel 4, France 24, Al Jazeera, Tousi TV, DW News, Photo: Getty Images.

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/thestoryGuest: Tom Watling, writer, The Sunday Times.Host: Rosie Wright.Producers: Micaela Arneson and Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: A week with the Kyiv firefighters battling Russian drone strikesFurther 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.

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/thestoryGuest: Louise Callaghan, senior US correspondent, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Dave Creasey, Micaela Arneson.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: We exposed sex-trafficking town: now officials admit it's a problemClips: El Debate News.Photo: Getty.

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/thestoryRead and reported by:Gabriel Pogrund, editor of Insight, The Sunday TimesVenetia Menzies, Insight investigations correspondent, The Sunday TimesEmanuele Midolo, Insight investigations correspondent, The Sunday TimesProducer: Sophie McNultySound designer: Ivan EastleyRead more: SAS in crisis: sent to hunt Isis in Syria. Then arrested for murderFurther listening: Posh George: The criminal behind FarageWatch: How the Insight team investigated the special forces scandalArtwork: Nina KrauseGet in touch:Call or WhatsApp The Sunday Times’s Insight team: 020 7782 5959For any tips: insight@sunday-times.co.uk

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/thestoryGuest: 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: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Antony Beevor: Trump shows signs of dementia. He can’t be controlledFurther listening: Russia revives its nuclear armageddon project, Dead HandClips: BBC, France 24 English, MSNOW, USA Today, War Archives / Youtube, Old Broadcast / Youtube, Admiral Oliver Franklin Doom / Youtube.Photo: Getty Images.