This October 7 marks one year from devastating terror attacks on Israel that set in motion a series of events plunging the Middle East into crisis. Hamas gunmen launched surprise cross-border raids from the Gaza Strip during the Jewish new year holiday of Rosh Hashanah, leaving with more than 1,200 Israelis killed and at least 250 hostages taken. Hostilities mushroomed to claim over 40,000 Palestinian lives, with Hezbollah in Lebanon and then Iran pushing into the conflict. In Britain, the 7...

Why fly when you can take the train? In this episode Sustainable travel expert Juliet Kinsman and journalist Jon Weeks explore the best places to travel to by train and why, including Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden & Scotland. Find out when trains truly are the best option for your trip, and why the pros of travelling along the tracks often outweigh the cons of flying. Tine Murn the former director of the Slovenian tourism board explains his romantic view of train travel, and...

Rising tensions in the Middle East are adding new global economic uncertainties.  The pound, while recovering slightly on Friday, remained set for its worst week in more than a year - as oil heads for the biggest weekly price increase since 2023. It came as Israel intensified strikes on Lebanon following Iran’s missile barrage and ongoing Hezbollah rocket attacks.  The Standard podcast is joined by Dr James Meadway, economist at the Progressive Economy Forum, to examine the financial...

On this preview of Brave New World….Why AI is the future of medicine. Alternative medicine advocate and best-selling author Deepak Chopra joins host Evgeny Lebedev, to discuss why artificial intelligence is the key to unlocking both personal and spiritual growth, and why humanity is at a crucial crossroads with technology. The health and wellness expert has been at the intersection of science and spirituality for nearly 50 years and recently released his 95th book, titled Digital...

As the world awaits Israel’s response to rocket attacks by Iran, what role did British forces play defending the country? In this episode of The Standard podcast we’ll also look at the UK government’s handling of the crisis, with Britons told to leave Lebanon as Israel continues to pound Tehran-backed Hezbollah and ground operations begin. Around 180 Iranian rockets were fired on Tuesday night as Iran’s response to Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, and...

It’s the penultimate day of the Conservatives’ conference in Birmingham, where the final four leadership hopefuls are vying for attentions of the party faithful. Yesterday, we looked at the free ‘merch’ being offered on candidates’ stalls - those friendship bracelets and fake tan - but will these multiple charm offensives translate into votes? Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat have been fielding questions from voting party members at conference events ahead of...

The Conservative Party conference kicks off in Birmingham - throwing the race to become the next opposition leader wide open.  And as the hopefuls promote themselves to the Tory membership, there’s an unusual array of candidate promotional ‘merch’ being offered. The Standard’s chief political correspondent, Rachael Burford, has the details. But is it actually helping convince members that they should back James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat, Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick? The jury’s out, but...

For your next trip, why not explore closer to home? Sustainable travel expert Juliet Kinsman and journalist Jon Weeks discuss the benefits of visiting nature-positive escapes such as Sussex's Knepp Estate, which was transformed from a working farm into a 3,500 pioneering rewilding project. Isabella Tree, who led the transformation, explains how giving the site back to nature saw it grow into an incredible natural landscape, and help re-establish animal species. Ned Burrell, director of the...

Sir Keir Starmer has met with the US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for the first time. The meeting has sparked quite a bit of backlash though, considering what prominent Labour front benchers have said about the former president in the past.  Our Deputy Political Editor, Jitendra Joshi, discusses everything we know about the meeting so far, and shares his insight into whether this could be the beginning of an unlikely friendship.  In part two, our features & culture...

The Prime Minister has told the London Standard, he wants to make London the artificial intelligence capital of the world, and the opportunities to create wealth are endless. Our Political Editor, Nicholas Cecil, discusses whether the UK can compete with the US when it comes to leading the way with this rapidly developing technology, and what spurred Sir Keir Starmer on to focus on AI now. In part two, cyber security expert Richard Bingley, shares his insight after a Wi-Fi cyber attack hits...

Want something to brighten up the gloomy autumn days? We’ve got the definitive list of all the best entertainment to keep you busy. From exciting films, shows, TV, exhibitions and gigs, there’s so much coming up. We give you a sneak peek at the BFI London film festival, Gladiator II, Wicked, the ITV series Joan, Disney+’s Rivals, Janet Jackson at the O2, Dua Lipa at the Royal Albert Hall, through to The Devil Wears Prada musical. For a special treat The Standard’s Head of Culture, Nick Clark,...

The UK Prime Minister has delivered his first Labour party conference speech since coming to power. Sir Keir Starmer reassured the UK that despite difficult decisions ahead there is light at the end of the tunnel. He went on to promise to “build a new Britain” with a crackdown on benefit fraudsters, a promise to house all veterans, and by reducing the UK’s reliance on foreign workers. The Standard’s Political Editor, Nicholas Cecil, joins the podcast from Liverpool and unpacks everything...

The Labour party conference is fully underway and today’s big speech was from the Chancellor Rachel Reeves. The Standard’s Political Editor, Nicholas Cecil, joins us from Liverpool to discuss the key points from the speech, and reveals the findings of our Ipsos poll which indicate the honeymoon might already be over for Sir Keir Starmer after less than three months in power.    In part two, we speak to Maurizio Roccato, criminal historian at the University of Turin in Italy and the curator of...

Come with us as we travel to Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An and Cat Ba Island. Sustainable travel expert Juliet Kinsman and journalist Jon Weeks explore the best Vietnam has to offer; travelling via overnight train, exploring eco-resorts doing things differently, kayaking among breathtaking scenery, and tasting the best food you’ll ever eat. Find out how trips like this actually benefit the country you're visiting, in this case, a country that’s experienced centuries of cultural change, occupation and...

Fears are growing over the potential of a full-scale war after Israel hit southern Lebanon with its most intense air strikes in nearly a year, raising tensions with Hezbollah. Our Defence Editor, Robert Fox, discusses what the latest developments mean for this conflict, where this leaves the Western allies, and reveals the wider impact of the Middle East crisis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Political Editor, Nicholas Cecil, discusses what happened when he spoke to Louise Haigh about her plans for the future of British transport, including how they are going to ‘modernise outdated work practices’ on strike-plagued railways and get trains running on time. Plus, more on the Sir Keir Starmer gifts row and Sue Gray's salary reveal. In part two, our Chief Political Correspondent, Rachael Burford, explains why Global Radio are taking Westminster council to court over Leicester...

A major Evening Standard and ITV News investigation has found grieving families, pensioners with dementia, and even dead people have been wrongly prosecuted in Britain’s secretive fast-track courts,. The Standard’s courts correspondent Tristan Kirk discusses the latest evidence his ongoing investigation has uncovered, why this secretive process is still happening and the calls for reform. In part two, more on the proposed plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street as it’s emerged cyclists will be...

Is London’s Oxford Street, the UK’s most famous shopping district, about to become pedestrianised? Ross Lydall, The Standard’s City Hall Editor and Transport Editor, walks us through the proposed plans and explains why Sadiq Khan is facing a battle against Westminster Council. Plus, we close London Fashion Week with Junior Fashion Editor, Joe Bromley, who reveals all the highlights and the trends to follow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sir Keir Starmer flew to Italy to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to discuss the country’s asylum processing scheme. We speak with our Political Editor Nicholas Cecil to find out what it could mean for the UK. And in part two it’s Emmys 2024. We’re joined by arts and culture writer and commissioning editor Vicky Jessop to discuss the highlights, such as a three award win for Baby Reindeer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this special episode we're joined by weight-loss specialist Shahroo Izadi to talk about her upcoming masterclass for The Standard called 'how to lose weight for good'. In this episode host Nicola Barron and Shahroo discuss: Why so many of us find it hard to stick to dietsMaintaining a heathy weight and enjoying foodThe kindness methodPlus much more! For all listeners we’re running a special 15% discount across all our classes this month with the code BACKTOSCHOOL Tap the links to hear...

Transport for London has admitted a cyber attack hitting its IT systems is much worse than initially thought. Ross Lydall has the latest on the investigation, the risk to passenger data - plus, what's happening with Central Line delays linked to ongoing rolling stock refurbishment. In part two, a new wave of fixed mortgage rate cuts is on the way for lucky borrowers on Friday 13 as home loan costs continue to fall. Evening Standard business editor Jonathan Prynn examines data showing major...

The father of Stephen Lawrence has spoken of his son’s legacy and the family’s enduring heartbreak ahead of what would have been the teenager’s 50th birthday. Stephen, a black 18-year-old aspiring architect, was stabbed to death in a racist attack by a group of young white men in April 1993, in Eltham, south London. Evening Standard crime correspondent Anthony France has interviewed Dr Neville Lawrence, who told our journalist the world was robbed of a “special” young man “who loved people...

Kamala Harris pummelled Donald Trump at their first - and potentially only - White House election debate, forcing the former president onto the defensive and subsequently winning the prized endorsement of Taylor Swift. Evening Standard deputy political editor Jitendra Joshi reports Democratic vice president Harris exploited her experience as a courtroom prosecutor to convey the Republican as unfit for office - while Trump pushed back against claims that he endangers the Constitution. In part...

Around 1,700 prisoners were being freed on Tuesday in the first wave of early release to ease the overcrowding crisis in jails despite new warnings that some are certain to reoffend. Evening Standard home affairs editor Martin Bentham reports each of the inmates being released will have served only 40 per cent of the prison term they were handed by the courts in an emergency measure ordered by the Government to stop jails running out of space for new suspects and convicts. In part two, the...

London MPs have joined a Commons movement challenging the axing winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners. Evening Standard political editor Nicholas Cecil has Monday morning's details on an early day motion calling for the Starmer government’s hugely controversial cuts to be postponed. In part two, a look at how construction of the huge new HS2 station at Old Oak Common will see years of Christmas closures and diversions for passengers using at Paddington. Transport editor Ross Lydall...