The Story

Andy Burnham announced this week that UK and EU leaders will meet in November to discuss a reset in relations. Brexit has been bad for the country, Burnham said, and a closer relationship with Europe will foster economic growth and strengthen national security. Is he right? What is he hoping to accomplish in November? And is now the time to reopen the fraught debate over Britain’s decision to leave the EU?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: Oliver Wright, policy editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Micaela Arneson, Robyn Simon.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Andy Burnham: We’re ready for closer ties with the EUFurther listening: ‘It’s a disaster’: Leave voters on 10 years of BrexitClips: House of Commons, Labour Party, The Telegraph, Bloomberg, Euronews, France 24.Photo: Getty Images.

Over the weekend, the Houthis attacked one of Saudi Arabia’s main airports twice, as well as other locations in the country. Fourteen people are dead so far, with hundreds injured, in what is the deadliest attack on the Kingdom in over a decade. Saudi Arabia is calling for international help, but will anyone come to their aid? And what’s the fallout in a rapidly destabilising region?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: Michael Stephens, consultant and senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and think tank RAND.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Olivia Case and Micaela Arneson.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Why does Saudi Arabia seem powerless to face down the Houthis?Further listening: What the lightning Houthi advance means for the worldClips: WION, BBC, Sky News, ABC News, Al Jazeera, News24, NBC, CBS, FirstPost.Photo: Getty Images.

Israel’s general election on October 27th could be the country’s most consequential in its history. In the run up, the prime minister and his right-wing coalition have promoted a vision of the country’s future that is as uncompromising to its friends as its enemies. As the situation at home and abroad grows evermore dire, what impact will the victor have on the likelihood of peace in the middle east and the country's relationship with the rest of the world?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: Gabrielle Weiniger, Israel correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Robyn Simon.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Israel closes British consulate in Jerusalem blaming ‘hostile rhetoric’Further listening: The ticking time bomb Netanyahu faces at homeClips: CBS, CBC, Global News, Al Jazeera, France 24, CJN, Zeteo.Photo: Getty Images.

The month marks the 20th anniversary of Amy Winehouse’s multi-platinum album Back to Black. Just after the album was released and Amy’s fame was beginning to skyrocket, journalist Ariel Leve met the young 23-year-old in LA for two hours, where Amy gushed about her new husband, laughed off the cruel media scrutiny, and mused about her legacy. That interview would never be seen or heard -- until now.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: Ariel Leve, author and journalist.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Taryn Siegel.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Amy Winehouse: the lost interview - 'If I die tomorrow then cool'Further listening: My life with Freddie MercuryPhoto: Getty Images.

They’re actors, rock stars, models — and the offspring of very famous parents. Some see this as joining in on the family business. Others see it as an unfair advantage. But is the backlash against them justified? Times Columnist Ben Machell weighs in on the nepo baby 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/thestoryRead by: Ben Machell, feature writer and columnist, The Times.Producers: Harry Bligh, Robyn Simon.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Should we feel sorry for (all) the nepo babies - Beckhams included?Photo: Getty Images.

In Siberia last week, a Russian researcher working at an institute specialising in dangerous infectious diseases is believed to have died of unexplained pneumonia. Local media suggested it was pneumonic plague; the Kremlin continues to obfuscate. So what’s really happening? With its history of cover ups, can we trust what Russia is telling the world? And how worried should we be?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:Rhys Blakely, science editor, The Times.Marc Bennetts, foreign correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Russia denies a plague outbreak. Its history of coverups is less reassuringFurther listening: Is Spain’s PM next for eviction?Clips: The 2nd militarised fire department of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the 6th paramilitary fire and rescue unit at Chernobyl, Dark Docs / YouTube, BBC, ABC, Настоящее Время, KGWNews8, CNN.Photo: Getty Images.

The student protests that have rocked France for weeks reached a crescendo this week, when more than 250,000 teenagers, parents, teachers and union leaders took to the streets to voice their anger over dilapidated school buildings, staff shortages and complicated timetables. Some protests have resulted in shocking violence, and so far, the government has had limited success in quelling the unrest. So is there a fix for the French education system, or do the protests point to a deeper malaise? And what could it all mean for President Macron’s political legacy?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 Sage, Paris correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Micaela Arneson, Harry Bligh.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Why are there student protests in France? The reasons behind the riotsFurther listening: Why is France in chaos again?Clips: La Press Libre, France24, BBC, Sky News, NBC News.Photo: Getty Images.

Kemi Badenoch's attack on Reform UK was all about character and her attack on Labour was all about economics. In her speech at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, she said she would to scrap inheritance tax on family homes and that under a Conservative government, couples would be able to leave an extra £1m inheritance tax free to their children. Badenoch was withering about Nigel Farage and Reform UK, saying: "The circus goes on and on and it will never stop because this is who Reform are — so to those who say ‘unite the right’, we are not uniting with that.” This week's episode of The State of It looks at the Conservatives' electoral strategy, their prospects — especially compared with a year ago — and the vibes among their MPs.Guests:Steven Swinford, political editor, The TimesBen Riley-Smith, political editor, The Sunday TimesLara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday TimesPatrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The TimesProducers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry KitsonExecutive producer: Molly GuinnessPicture: Getty images.

Tomorrow sees the Greens and Labour battle it out for control of Holborn and St. Pancras, following Keir Starmer’s resignation as the constituency’s MP last month. The stakes are particularly high for the Green candidate and leader Zack Polanski, who wants to prove his party can be a viable alternative to Labour on the left. But what are voters on the ground thinking? We head up to North London to find out.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: Will Pavia, news and features writer, The Times.Giles Coren, restaurant critic and columnist, The Times.Sarah Elie, executive director, Somers Town Community Association.Henry Conlon, landlord, the Dublin Castle.Host: Luke Jones.Producer: Harry Stott.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: What do voters in Holborn & St Pancras think of Zack Polanski?Further listening: Has Farage’s Clacton by-election backfired?Clips: ITV, LAFAGARI Media / Facebook.Photo: Getty Images.