The Story

Where people fight and die in the coca plantations. In Colombia, Stephen Drill discovers how the international cocaine business starts, and the cost paid by everyone it touches.

Between now and January 6th we will be playing the 2024 award-winning series, Cocaine Inc., from The Times, The Sunday Times and News Corp Australia. A brutal attack on an innocent young woman sends the reporters on a global investigation. David Collins visits Merseyside in northern England, where 26-year-old Elle Edwards was shot while celebrating Christmas Eve.

The number of people with food allergies in the UK has more than doubled since 2008, with more than 5,000 people a year hospitalised in England with anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction. So what’s behind the increase and are we close to a cure? Find out more about The Times and The Sunday Times Christmas Appeal 2024Donate by calling 0151 286 1594 or by following this link.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:Tom Whipple, Science Editor, The Times. Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, Professor of Immunopharmacology at the University of Southampton. Host: Manveen Rana.Read more:What to do if someone has an anaphylactic reactionNatasha died from her allergies — we do not want others to sufferPhoto: Getty images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

On Christmas Day, The Times' Investigations Editor, Dominic Kennedy, will spend his last working day at the paper having started back in 1993. To mark this, Dominic sits down with Luke to talk about his career in journalism and revisits three very unique and very different stories that he’s investigated over the past 31 years. 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/thestoryIf you've been affected by issues in this podcast:Victim Support provides emotional and practical help to victims or witnesses of any crime, whether or not it has been reported to the police. Phone: 0808 16 89 111 (24/7) Visit the Victim Support websiteIf you or someone you know has been affected by suicide or needs to talk to someone, please get in contact with the Samaritans online https://www.samaritans.org/ or call them for free on their 24-hour helpline 116 123.Further reading: How the UK became ‘western capital’ for sharia courts‘I feel like I have to pay ransom to get out of my marriage’Guest: Dominic Kennedy, Investigations Editor, The Times.Host: Luke JonesClips: Parliament TV, Times Radio.

From Pennsylvania to New Jersey to Tennessee, The Times’ Megan Agnew spent three weeks on the Taylor Swift trail, discovering the origins of the supersonic star. How does someone go from teenage guitarist to pop phenomenon? Was her fame just luck and talent, or was there a master plan behind it all?This episode was first broadcast on June 10th 2024.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 Times and The Sunday Times.Host: Jane Mulkerrins.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com.

As a bonus episode, we’re bringing listeners of The Story the first episode of our series Last Man Standing - the story of British photojournalist John Cantlie who was kidnapped in Syria by Islamic State in 2012. While his fellow hostages were released or murdered, he remained captive. Then, a series of Isis propaganda videos emerged, fronted by Cantlie. He hasn’t been seen since. Times War Correspondent Anthony Loyd begins his investigation into John Cantlie's disappearance and explores the events of a prior kidnap asking what compelled John to return to Syria after his first escape.Want more? Listen to the full series of Last Man Standing here. This episode was first published on 24 June 2022.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Hosts: Manveen Rana and Anthony Loyd, War Correspondent, The Times.Clips: BBC, 5Live, CNN, NBC, Broadcasting House (BBC Radio 4).Listen to the whole series: Last Man Standing 

Maher al-Assad is the youngest sibling of the deposed Syrian dictator. He’s also known as the ‘enforcer’, renowned for his brutal crackdowns on protesters, and his role in Syria’s murky drugs empire. Reporter Oliver Marsden visits his abandoned house on the outskirts of Damascus and uncovers a strange lair, complete with an underground funicular, an escape tunnel, and a Jennifer Lopez DVD.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/thestoryHost: Manveen RanaGuest: Oliver Marsden, foreign correspondent, The Times and The Sunday TimesClips: Sky News, France 24, 72 Films.Photo: Getty ImagesGet in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Donald Trump’s pick for Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, has caused widespread alarm in defence and security circles, not only in the US but amongst America’s allies. But what are her views, and why are they proving so controversial?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 Newton Dunn, political journalist and presenter.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: ABC News; Forbes; Tulsi Gabbard YouTube; Fox News; CNN; NBC News; The View (ABC); Nikki Haley YouTube.Photo: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com.

The rap mogul’s, whose real name is Shawn Carter, billion dollar empire is at risk after he was named in a civil lawsuit accusing him of raping a 13-year-old in 2000. Jay-Z was named alongside Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Both men strongly deny the claims. So how did Jay-Z become a giant of American culture?If you've been affected by issues in this podcast:Victim Support provides emotional and practical help to victims or witnesses of any crime, whether or not it has been reported to the police. Phone: 0808 16 89 111 (24/7) Visit the Victim Support websiteRape Crisis England & Wales offers confidential support and information to women in England and Wales who have survived any form of sexual violence, no matter how long ago. Also provides immediate support to friends and family on how to support female survivors of sexual violence. Phone: 0808 802 9999 (12–2:30pm & 7–9:30pm daily) Visit the Rape Crisis websiteThis podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Craig McLean, freelance arts journalist and contributor to The Times. Host: Luke Jones.Further listening: The P Diddy lawsuits: The downfall of a rap legend Read more: Jay-Z, Beyoncé and a billion-dollar hip-hop empire in jeopardy Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.comClips: On The Red Carpet, Forbes, CBS, NBC News, CNN, UNICEF, MTV, BBC News, BBC Glastonbury. Music clips: Brooklyn’s Finest, JAY-Z, ℗ 1996 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC., Distributed by Equity Distribution, Roc-A-Fella.Izzo (H.O.V.A.), JAY-Z, ℗ 2001 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC., Universal Music Group.Dead Presidents II, JAY-Z, ℗ 1996 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC., Distributed by Equity Distribution, Roc-A-Fella.Empire State Of Mind, JAY-Z ft. Alicia Keys, © 2014 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC., Distributed by Roc Nation Records, LLC. Sorry, Beyoncé, ℗ 2016 Parkwood Entertainment LLC, under exclusive license to Columbia Records, a Division of Sony Music Entertainment, Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia. Photo: Getty Images