The Story

What began as an evening out at a nightclub in Kent has rapidly spiralled into a "super-spreader" event that has left doctors stunned and two young people dead. This surge in Meningitis B cases has triggered a public health alert, leaving the UK scrambling as private vaccine supplies run dry. So how can the authorities contain this unprecedented outbreak?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: Eleanor Hayward, Health Editor, The Times. Professor Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine, the University of East Anglia.Niamh Curran, reporter, The Times Enterprise Network.Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Julia Webster, Callum Martin, Olivia Case. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Meningitis B outbreak: six cases after Kent superspreader event.Meningitis started with a headache. Then the blinding pain began.What causes meningitis? Symptoms and how the infection spreads.Further listening: Inside the world of "Looksmaxxing"Clips: SkyPhoto: Denise Kelly, Getty Images.

On Monday, Israel announced it's preparing a ground offensive into Lebanon. Fighting between the Israeli military and Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy group, has ratcheted up since the death of Iran’s supreme leader more than two weeks ago. Over 900 people have been killed in Lebanon and nearly one million are displaced. Will Israel’s new campaign bring a quicker end to the fighting? Or prolong a war which is already spiralling out of control?This episode contains graphic descriptions that some listeners may find distressing.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: Lousie Callaghan, foreign correspondent, The Sunday Times. Tom Ball, reporter, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Micaela Arneson, Julia Webster.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: IDF prepares for Lebanon offensive: ‘We don’t know how this ends’Further listening: The Gulf's moment of truth - reshaping the Middle EastClips: IDF via @NationalDefence Youtube. Photo: Getty Images.

The war in the Middle East has now entered its third week and shows no sign of ending any time soon. Oil prices have soared and transatlantic relations between the US and its allies are strained. So what are President Trump's options now? And will the Europeans support him in policing the strategically important Strait of Hormuz?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: George Grylls, Washington Correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Olivia Case and Harry Stott.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Starmer resists Trump’s call to send warships to Strait of HormuzFurther listening: Is Cuba next?Clips: Fox, The White House, STV, The Times, Euronews, Keir Starmer / YouTube, WSJ, C-SPAN, DRM News International / YouTube. Photo: Getty Images, The Times' Senior Digtal Designer Shaun Parkinson.

Throughout Cuba, fuel shortages, blackouts, and food scarcity have become the norm. Since the US intervention in Venezuela in January, the oil lifeline into Cuba has all but dried up. Trump is now claiming that Cuba is on the brink of collapse. As the war in Iran rages on unabated – is this American neighbour his next target?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: Matthew Campbell, foreign features editor, The Sunday TimesCatherine Philp, world affairs editor, The TimesHost: Rosie Wright.Producers: Sophie McNulty & Micaela Arneson.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comFurther reading: Cubans await Trump’s next move: ‘Would the Americans bomb us?’Further listening: Drugs, oil and power: what Trump is doing with VenezuelaClips: AP, DRM News, News Nation, Onyx Media, Archivo DiFilm, APT.Photo: Getty Images.

From the shadowy corners of incel forums, a new obsession was quietly emerging. To succeed, financially, socially and sexually, you need to level up your face and frame. Enter “Looksmaxxing”, the idea that how you look can be engineered to perfection to maximise your full aesthetic potential. It's a TikTok-fuelled culture of mogging, "bone-smashing", and glow-ups - and a way for young men to measure beauty, status, and self-worth. How far will some go to “max” their looks? Is it vanity, or a survival strategy in a hyper-visual world? And what does it reveal about the state of men’s mental health today?Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryHost: Rosie WrightGuest: Jack Burke, times contributor.Producer: Dave CreaseyRead more: Looksmaxxing: the worrying new extreme teenage trendImage: Getty Images

In 1938, Catherine Duleep Singh, goddaughter of Queen Victoria and daughter of the last Maharajah of Punjab, personally secured the escape of Jewish families to Britain, saving them from the Holocaust. Her story didn’t end there, she became a prominent suffragette, fighting for women’s rights while navigating life in exile. We explore her remarkable courage, activism, and the lives she forever changed.Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryRead by: Jack Blackburn, history correspondent for The Times.Producer: Dave CreaseyRead more: Last princess of Punjab who saved families from the HolocaustImage: Getty Images

The Story host Manveen Rana and her Times colleague Anthony Loyd continue their search for what happened to the British photojournalist John Cantlie, after he was kidnapped by ISIS in Syria. In this thrilling denouement to the series, Manveen and Anthony travel to a maximum security prison in Iraq to meet a man who could hold the answer. But will this ISIS prisoner reveal all? Or will Cantlie’s death remain a mystery?Listen to the full Last Man Standing series 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/thestoryHosts: Manveen Rana and Anthony Loyd, special correspondent, The Times.Producer: Harry Stott.Executive producer: Will Roe.Further reading: Anthony Loyd: my hunt for the forgotten Isis hostage John CantlieWatch: Hostage on BBC iPlayer. Clips: BBC.

Peter Mandelson’s disastrous few months continue apace, after the government released a tranche of documents that tell us a lot about his hiring - and firing - as ambassador to the US. So what’s in the files? And what does it all say about the judgment of the Prime Minister?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryOur listener survey is live - find it here.Guest: Aubrey Allegretti, chief political correspondent, The Times. Host: Rosie Wright. Producers: Harry Stott, Micaela Arneson.  We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Peter Mandelson files: flawed vetting, ‘risk’ and other revelationsMandelson files expose Keir Starmer — and it’s just the beginningFurther listening: Mandelson, Epstein and the fight for survival at No 10Clips: Guardian News, AFP News Agency, Sky News, Diario AS. Photo: Getty Images.

As Iran continues to attack its Gulf neighbours could the strikes turn into a wider war? Who might be drawn in? And with Iran hitting friends as well as foes, how will this war reshape the Middle East and its relationship with the US?Our listener survey is live - find it 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/thestoryGuests: Michael Stephens, consultant and senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. Hofit Golan, influencer and content creator.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Olivia Case and Harry Stott.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Iran latest: Trump says war could end soon as ‘nothing left to target’Further listening: Iran has a new leader - how long will he last?Clips: Al Jazeera. Photo: Getty Images.