The Story

In an attempt to court the favour of the post-Assad regime in Syria, western countries have recently de-proscribed former terrorist groups. What does that mean for those who were deprived of their citizenship for allegedly associating with those groups, back when the West banned them?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: Anthony Loyd, special correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Taryn Siegel.Read more: Rabies, Russians and a return to scene of my kidnap, 11 years ago.Further listening: Palmyra: Syria's past, present and future.Clips: The Guardian, CNN, The Times, France 24.Photo: Anthony Loyd for The Times.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood announced sweeping changes to the asylum rules yesterday; the largest overhaul since the Second World War. The changes have apparently been inspired by Denmark but will they work or are they - as one Labour MP said - ‘repugnant’?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: Ben Clathworthy, Whitehall editor, The Times.Fraser Nelson, columnist, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Olivia Case, Micaela Arneson, Harry Stott. Read more: Shabana Mahmood speech: Asylum policy to cope with ‘volatile’ worldFurther listening: Doomed to fail? Labour’s asylum u-turnClips: Sky, Times Radio, parliamentlive.tv.Photo: Andrew Fox for The Sunday Times.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com 

From this year, 18 year-old Danish women will have to take part in a conscription lottery and face potentially being called up for an 11 month military service. The country is just one of many in Europe aiming to improve military resilience in response to the growing threat from Russia. But what does it mean to the teenagers caught up on the front line of this debate?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: Katie Gatens, commissioning editor of news review, The Sunday Times.Host: Luke Jones.Producer: Edith Rousselot.Further Reading: Denmark's drive to conscript teenage girls: "We're pretty scared"Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

For the first time, scientists have successfully sequenced Adolf Hitler’s DNA, taken from a bloodstain in the bunker where he spent his final days. It's one of the most remarkable scientific studies in modern history, and the results are astonishing. They reveal a previously unknown medical condition, which finally uncovers the truth behind that famous wartime song, and resolve long-standing questions: Is Hitler of Jewish ancestry? Was he a schizophrenic? And what does his DNA tell us about evil?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: Jack Blackburn, history correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Dave Creasey.Clips: Times Radio, NBC, Channel 4/Blink Films UK.Read more:- Hitler had hidden genetic sexual disorder, DNA analysis reveals- Sunken port may provide clue to Cleopatra and Mark Antony’s lost tombPhoto: Shaun Parkinson/Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times and The Sunday Times in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. Each episode is hosted by The Story released as a bonus weekly series on Saturdays. Andreia Pawel is co-founder of the Orange River-Karoo Conservation Area, one of the world’s most ambitious rewilding projects. Spanning more than a million hectares in Namibia, and with the support of the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, it aims to restore lost ecosystems, reintroduce species and work with local Nama communities to build a new model for conservation. She tells Adam Vaughan how, with bold ambitions, we can breathe new life into the natural world.Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. Guest: Andreia Pawel, conservationist and co-founder, Orange River-Karoo Conservation AreaHost: Adam Vaughan, environment editor, The TimesSeries producer: Priyanka DeladiaSound designer: David CracklesThis podcast is advertiser funded.

Negotiations at the annual global climate change conference, or COP, are in full swing. But with consensus on the issue collapsing at home and abroad, including the US withdrawing from the landmark Paris agreement, is there even any point in the summit? We ask the UK’s special representative for climate.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: Professor Rachel Kyte, UK special representative for climate.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Harry Stott, Olivia Case.Read more: Ed Miliband: Cop30 will prove net zero doubters wrongFurther listening: Have we stopped caring about climate change?Clips: United Nations / YouTube, TRT World, DW News / YouTube, Yahoo / YouTube, ITV, SABC News, News X World.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Thousands of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein have been released by the US House Oversight Committee. One email alleges Donald Trump 'knew about the girls'. While the White House argues a selective leaking of this correspondence has created a fake narrative, what does this release tell us about the relationship between the US President and the convicted paedophile? 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, chief US reporter, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Taryn Siegel.Clips: NBC News, Fox News.Further Reading: What Epstein said about Trump in newly released emailsFurther Listening: Can Trump shake his Epstein problem?Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

This week, The Times broke the news that the International Olympic Committee is a step closer to banning transgender women from competing in all female events. So why is the IOC acting now? And could President Trump have anything to do with it? 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: Martyn Ziegler, chief sports reporter, The Times and The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producer: Micaela Arneson.Read more: Transgender women to be banned from all female Olympic eventsFurther listening: New rules for trans athletes: fairness or exclusion?Clips: Sky News, Bloomberg, Sports Insider by DRM / YouTube, CBS Evening News, Sky News Australia, Associated Press, Sky News Sports. Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

After the resignations of two of its most senior members of staff, the BBC is being questioned over allegations of institutional bias. Donald Trump has threatened to sue the organisation, and with negotiations about the continuation of the BBC’s funding model underway, where does it leave our national broadcaster?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: Rosamund Urwin, media editor, The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Edward Drummond, Shabnam Grewal, Harry Stott.Clips: News.com.Au, Reuters, TalkTV, NBC News, Bloomberg News, GBNews, BBC News, Sky News, ITV News.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com