Stories of our times

Polling ahead of next year’s election shows a majority of Americans think Biden is too old to be president. Rambling speeches, stumbles, and his advancing years are a cause for alarm in the Democratic Party. As he turns 81 today, is it...

This Sunday we're bringing you a bonus episode from a new podcast: Normal Women, from celebrated novelist and historian Philippa Gregory.Normal Women is a radical retelling of our nation’s story – not of the rise and fall of kings and...

Seven years ago, Fifa introduced the VAR system: the video assistant referee. It was meant to help make quicker, more accurate decisions about on-field incidents like off-side and handballs. But after a series of recent errors, is it...

The final season of the hit Netflix series The Crown comes out today. The show has reanimated events lost to history, and put our fascination with the royals into overdrive, but it has also made liberal use of its creative licence. So...

As Israel focuses on fighting Hamas in Gaza, tensions are rising in the other Palestinian territory, the occupied West Bank. Since October 7, violence between Palestinians and Israeli settlers has led to the death of over 180 people,...

Former prime minister David Cameron is back in the government after Rishi Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle. Pressure had been mounting on Sunak to sack Suella Braverman after a controversial opinion piece in The Times last week. So why is...

The head of Ukraine’s military says the war is at a stalemate. Meanwhile, Western attention is shifting to the Israel-Gaza conflict. So is a military victory off the table and should President Zelensky start negotiating with President...

“This really is the single weirdest book I have ever read, and anyone who does not reach the same conclusion after reading it should be sectioned.”That was our colleague Patrick Maguire’s verdict on ‘The Plot: The Political Assassination...

Tomorrow is the Annual General Meeting of the National Trust - and battle lines are being drawn. Over the past two years, a protest faction called 'Restore Trust' has emerged to challenge the UK's biggest charity. They accuse the...

Suella Braverman has accused the Metropolitan Police of “playing favourites” with protesters as she clashed with Britain’s most senior officer over his decision to give the go-ahead to Saturday’s pro-Palestinian march. Her comments come...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a whistle stop tour of the Middle East earlier this week, as part of a frantic diplomatic effort to de-escalate the Israel-Gaza crisis. His visit comes as China calls for a ceasefire in a...

Scion of the Kennedy dynasty, Robert Kennedy Jr has ditched the Democrats and declared his candidacy in the 2024 US Presidential race, running as an Independent. But in a Biden-Trump run-off, who does Kennedy hurt most? This podcast was...

Captain Sir Tom Moore’s daughter has come under scrutiny after the Charity Commission opened an investigation into links between her family and the charity set up in his name, the Captain Tom Foundation. They are also facing questions...

As the parties prepare to do battle at the polls, The Times launches a new podcast, 'How to Win an Election', in which we bring together three of the most experienced political strategists of the past four decades: legendary architect of...

Last night Israel's military said its forces had "advanced another significant stage in the war" and encircled Gaza City, the most built-up area of the Gaza Strip and the heart of the Hamas tunnel network.Israel's government says the...

German shoemakers Birkenstock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange at a valuation of more than $8 billion last month, and the sandals are top of John Lewis’ must-have Christmas list this year. So how did this nearly 250-year-old...

During a 34-hour communications blackout that began on Friday evening, Israel launched its ground invasion into Gaza. With thousands of Palestinians killed and conditions in the territory deteriorating, the UN secretary general has...

Dominic Cummings gives evidence to the UK’s Covid inquiry today – the latest in a string of senior advisors to Boris Johnson to do so. The published evidence, including private WhatsApp conversations, is bringing to light internecine...

This week world leaders and AI companies will gather for a summit at Bletchley Park, the Second World War code-breaking centre. It’s the most important attempt yet to formulate a shared view on what artificial intelligence might be...