A strict conservatorship, control of her finances, breakdowns, nonstop media pressure and divorce. It's been one hell of a journey for the Princess of Pop, but the latest news that Britney Spears has entered rehab leaves fans asking the question, will she ever be truly free?

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

Read by: Helen Rumbelow, feature writer for the Times.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Controlled, hounded, scarred. Could Britney Spears ever truly be free?

Clips: NBC, ABC, CNN, hugebritneyfan, britneyonline.

Music: Baby One More Time - Britney Spears - Sony Music Entertainment.

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yesterday afternoon in Manchester, a man was found guilty of a brutal rape for which an innocent person had been wrongly jailed for more than 17 years. We bring you a special update to our groundbreaking podcast series Seventeen Years - The Andrew Malkinson Story, which first highlighted this tragic miscarriage of justice.

You can listen to the full series on The Times Investigates feed: https://pod.fo/e/3256f8

Hosts: Will Roe & Emily Dugan, Sunday Times' Special correspondent.

Producer: Will Roe.

Clips: Greater Manchester Police.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

If you, or someone you know, has been affected by the issues raised in this episode, the following organisations can help:

Rape Crisis England & Wales

NHS - Help after rape and sexual assault

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Appeal - Charity and law practice

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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The prime minister says he's "furious" over the latest twist in the Epstein scandal, amid revelations the child sex offender’s former friend Peter Mandelson was appointed British ambassador to the US despite failing security vetting. For months, ​​Keir Starmer insisted his ambassador was properly appointed. Today, he admitted this was not the case. So, what went wrong? And what does it mean for the future of Starmer’s government?

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

Guests:

• Ollie Cole, Times Radio newsroom reporter
• Leigh Turner, former Ambassador to Austria and Ukraine

Host: Carolyn Quinn

Producers: Sandra Mitchell, Sofia Johanson

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Keir Starmer ‘furious’ over Peter Mandelson vetting failure

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The economic ripples caused by the Iran war are beginning to have an impact across the globe, from fuel rationing across South-East Asia, to fuel protests in Ireland. The IMF’s recent report on the global economy makes for grim reading – and the UK comes out as one of the worst affected of the G7. So could food and fuel shortages be coming to the UK? And how will the government try to mitigate the worst effects?

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

Guests:

• Rob Doran, director of Black Dog Crisis Management.
• Jack Barnett, economics correspondent, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Harry Stott, Micaela Arneson.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more:

• Britain preparing for food shortages as Iran war bites
• UK economy faces hardest hit from Iran war of G7, says IMF

Further listening: Trump's ceasefire with Iran - what’s in it and what next

Clips: BBC, ABC NEWS (Australia), RTE, Sky News.

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Behind the scenes of Iran’s war, China’s been forging alliances, stockpiling oil and building resilience in the form of renewable energy. So how could all of this help it attack Taiwan? When might it happen? And can anyone stop 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/thestory

Guest: Cindy Yu, columnist and contributing editor, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Olivia Case.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Iran war latest: Ceasefire with US ‘to be extended by two weeks’

Further listening: The Pope v Trump

Clips: Fox, Bloomberg, Times of India, Hoover Institution.

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the weekend, Donald Trump posted an image of himself as a Jesus Christ like figure, which was subsequently deleted. It came after the President and the Pope exchanged a war of words over the conflict in Iran. What’s behind this latest spat, and how could it affect Trump’s standing among American’s Christians?

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

Guests:

• Kaya Burgess, science and religious affairs correspondent, The Times, and
• Christopher Hale, Democratic operative and author of Letters from Leo substack.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Edward Drummond.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Trump’s row with Pope Leo could cost him dearly among Catholic voters

Clips: Times Radio, Fox News, Vatican News, 9News, BBC, Forbes, USA Today, CBS News.

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Viktor Orban, the far-right prime minister of Hungary who led the country for 16 years, was ousted in a landslide electoral defeat on Sunday. He lost to his former ally turned critic, Péter Magyar, despite a strong show of support from the Trump administration. So what does Orban’s defeat mean for Trump? And for the far-right in Europe?

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: Oliver Moody, Berlin correspondent, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Micaela Arneson, Julia Webster.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Why Peter Magyar’s victory is a warning to Trump

Further listening: The election that could change Hungary

Clips: Al Jazeera, APT News, CSPAN, Fox, Associated Press, United 24 Media, The White House via YouTube.

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The city of Ranya– a small town in Northern Iraq– is more than 2,500 miles from Calais and Dunkirk. But it has a near monopoly on the people smuggling gangs that traffic migrants across the English Channel. The Times visited Ranya to meet the kingpins and ask: how did one village become responsible for Britain’s small boats crisis?

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: Shayma Bakht, reporter, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Micaela Arneson.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: I met the smuggling kingpins behind the deadly Channel crossings

Further listening: ‘Repugnant’ or necessary? The new asylum rules

Clips: Getty Images, DRM News.

Photo: Times Media Ltd.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.