The Story

For years, the British government used a court superinjunction to conceal a data leak that could have handed the Taliban a “kill list” of innocent civilians. Times defence editor Larisa Brown describes her fight to uncover the truth.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: Larisa Brown, Defence Editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Edward Drummond.Further reading: I investigated the Afghan data leak. Ministers were gambling with deathRevealed: Leak that risked lives of 100,000 Afghans — and £7bn cover-upInside Operation Rubific: ‘kill list’, secrecy and a rescue missionFurther listening: 'The Taliban will kill me': The interpreter trying to flee Kabul Clips: Times Radio, LBC, Parliament.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com  

The self-styled "cheeky greengrocer" and MasterChef host has been sacked by the BBC after an inquiry substantiated dozens of complaints. So how did we get here and why is the BBC in this position again?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: Alex Farber, Media Correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.Further reading: Gregg Wallace: I never set out to harm or humiliate.Clips: PBS Newshour, ITV, Sky, Channel 4, BBC, The Sun, Times Radio, Channel 5, YouTube / Visit York, Instagram / @greggwallace, Masterchef / Endemol Shine Group / Banijay.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

New figures show the beauty industry is growing four times faster than the wider economy. The fastest growth is in beauty services and non-invasive treatments. These ‘injectables’ that freeze or fill your face are becoming more and more mainstream in the UK, even among women in their early 20s. Meanwhile, more celebrities than ever are admitting to going under the knife (or needle) and breaking the long-held taboo. How did we get here, and what does it say about the changing face of beauty?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: Anna Murphy, Fashion Director, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Hannah Varrall.Further reading: This is how I’d look with tweakments — but I’d never freeze my face Further listening: The Rise and Rise of Botox Clips: Snow White (2025) (Disney), TikTok @RachLeary, Access Hollywood, The Kelly Clarkson show, Better Together with Maria Menounos, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Miss Me (BBC Sounds), TikTok @4ll3gr4a, TikTok @nyeatsbrown, TikTok @katiedaisyd, TikTok @JonathanJoly, TikTok @garzacrew, ABC7 News Bay Area, Gloss Angeles podcast, Vogue’s Beauty Secrets.  Photo: Getty ImagesGet in touch: thestory@thetimes.com    

When Kristie De Garis moved two male companions into her house in rural Scotland, her neighbours assumed they were a throuple. The truth was even more unusual: she was setting up home with her exes.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.Photo: Courtesy of Kristie De Garis.Drystone: A Life Rebuilt by Kristie De Garis (Polygon, £14.99) is published on August 7. To order, go to timesbookshop.co.uk or call 020 3176 2935. Free UK P&P on online orders over £25. Discount for Times+ members.

This week the political masterminds consider what's happening on the populist left and right, with more Tories defecting to Reform UK and talk of a new party led by Jeremy Corbyn. How small has the Conservative coalition become, do the voters expect Keir Starmer to wield a 'magic wand', and what would a new party be called?Send your comments and questions to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk

This week, the FBI investigation that Trump promised would reveal all about Jeffrey Epstein concluded there was no evidence to implicate anyone else in his abuse. But diaries from Epstein’s most prominent victim, Virginia Giuffre, released exclusively to The Times, tell a different story.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: Josie Ensor, US Correspondent, The Times.Host: Luke Jones.Producer: Anna Dowell.Further reading: Jeffrey Epstein victim’s diary ‘contradicts’ FBI blackmail claims.Clips: MSNBC, Sky News Australia, The Dan Bongino Show, The Washington Examiner, ABC News, Tucker Carlson, Breaking Points.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com.

With people around the world calling for a lasting peace in Gaza, Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu has been schmoozing US President Donald Trump. What chance is there that the two will bring an end to the bloody conflict? And what hope that any peace will hold?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: Gabrielle Weiniger, Israel Correspondent, The Times.Host: Luke Jones.Producer: Shabnam Grewal.Further reading: IDF defies Netanyahu’s plan for ‘humanitarian city’ in GazaClips: AP, Reuters, Fox News.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com.

Over 100 people, including dozens of children, are dead after flash flooding in Texas. Could this have been avoided given a nearly identical tragedy took place in 1987? Did Trump’s cuts contribute? And what went wrong with the flood warning system?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: Lara Spirit, Washington Correspondent, The Times.Host: Luke Jones.Producer: Olivia Case.Further reading: Where is it flooding in Texas? The devastation in maps and video.Clips: NewsNation, France 24, KPRC 2, CBS, YouTube / History Corner, KVUE, FOX, YouTube / Camp Mystic, YouTube / Allie Coates, Democracy Now!, YouTube / Meidas Touch, Bloomberg, WOAI, Sky, WUSA9. Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Erin Patterson has been found guilty of murdering three relatives by lacing their beef wellington with death cap mushrooms. She was also found guilty of attempting to murder a fourth person. The prosecution said she did it on purpose; she says it was an accident. It took a jury in Australia six days to reach a verdict after listening to 40 days of extraordinary evidence. 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: Bernard Lagan, Australia Correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Edith Rousselot.Further reading: How Erin Patterson became the mushroom murdererErin Patterson found guilty of murder in death cap mushroom trialClips: 9 News Australia, The Australian. Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com