Podcasts · News

Today in Focus

The Guardian

297 episodes

Today in Focus brings you closer to the Guardian's journalism. Our award-winning morning edition hosted by Nosheen Iqbal, Annie Kelly and Helen Pidd combines on-the-ground reporting, insightful analysis and personal testimony from the people at the heart of the stories that matter, to give you a deeper understanding of the world we live in. And to make sense of a rapidly-changing news cycle, our new evening edition 'The Latest' hosted by Lucy Hough, brings you up to speed on the big news story of the day in just 10 minutes. Available on YouTube and all podcast platforms.

Episodes page 1 of 6

  1. Bills, banks, ‘breathing space’: what was in Burnham’s first budget? - The Latest

    · 12 min

    In his first budget as chancellor, John Healey has pledged to offer ‘breathing space’ to help Britons navigate ‘global economic storms’. There were a record number of measures, including a one-off £100 energy payment…

  2. Do we really need to be prepping for disaster?

    · 20 min

    Food security expert Prof Tim Lang and prepper and YouTube influencer Ana talk about the government’s new campaign encouraging the public to store three days’ worth of basic supplies. Send your comments and questions…

  3. Why Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or - The Latest

    · 12 min

    Harry Kane is the men’s Ballon d’Or winner for 2026, the first Englishman to win the trophy in 25 years. At a lavish ceremony at the Palladium Theatre in London, Kane unexpectedly won ahead of co-favourites Lamine…

  4. Is this the end for Benjamin Netanyahu?

    · 38 min

    It’s being called the most consequential election in Israel’s history. Emma Graham-Harrison explains what’s at stake. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

  5. How Lula beat far-right Bolsonaro in Brazil – The Latest

    · 9:40

    Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won a historic fourth term as president, defeating the far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro in a dramatic comeback. Lula is the first candidate to win a runoff election after…

  6. How Abu Dhabi bought Andy Burnham’s Manchester

    · 31 min

    After the prime minister recently intervened to defend Manchester City’s beleaguered ownership, many began to ask: just how deep are the ties between Andy Burnham and the UAE? With North of England editor Josh…

  7. ‘Culture is stagnant, so politics is stuck’ – playwright James Graham | Radical Thinking

    · 47 min

    Are we doomscrolling our way into a democratic crisis? That’s what the playwright James Graham fears may be happening, as he suggests that our algorithms have led us into ‘a massive crisis of the new’ and are…

  8. Who should be the next James Bond? – The Latest

    · 12 min

    The search for the next James Bond may be in the final stages, with screen tests reportedly taking place this weekend. Callum Turner, Jack Lowden and Josh O’Connor are among the actors thought to be in the running for…

  9. Brazil’s election and the battle for the Amazon

    · 30 min

    Our Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, heads to Roraima to hear what’s at stake for the rainforest and the communities that live there in the Brazilian presidential runoff on Sunday. Send your comments and…

  10. PHP: Pretty Huge Problem with the internet – The Latest

    · 12 min

    Websites around the world have been taken offline as governments and businesses scramble to fix a flaw in the computer language PHP. There are fears that hackers could exploit the vulnerability to steal data, take…

  11. Are the Tories back?

    · 26 min

    Political correspondent Aletha Adu explores whether the Conservative party under Kemi Badenoch is about to become, once again, the UK’s leading party on the right. Send your comments and questions to…

  12. Drill, baby, drill? Jackdaw gasfield approved - The Latest

    · 11 min

    Climate campaigners have condemned the UK government’s decision to allow the drilling of the Jackdaw gasfield. Critics argue the move will put climate targets at risk, while failing to reduce energy bills and the cost…

  13. The people of Serbia v the Trump family

    · 32 min

    Serbia’s authoritarian president personally intervened to remove the protection of a historic landmark – then came protests and prosecutions. Tom Burgis on the murky tale of Trump Tower Belgrade. Help support our…

  14. Australian MP attacked with car: what we know so far – The Latest

    · 12 min

    A man has been charged after the Australian MP Helen Haines was allegedly attacked with a car outside her electorate office in the state of Victoria. Haines, who is an independent MP, has lost one leg as a result of…

  15. Why terrorism laws stopped Sally Rooney selling books in the UK

    · 26 min

    The bestselling author says her books will no longer be supplied to UK bookshops over fears of prosecution. Zoe Williams and Haroon Siddique report. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

  16. France protests escalate with riots, looting and 2,400 arrests – The Latest

    · 12 min

    Last weekend there were mass protests across France, with more than half a million people estimated to have been involved. The unrest included rioting, looting and violent clashes with outnumbered police in cities…

  17. A spy charge, a Russian jail and a swap for an assassin: the story of Evan Gershkovich

    · 25 min

    American journalist Evan Gershkovich talks about his arrest by the Russian intelligence services in 2023, his 16-month detention, and the swap deal that eventually took him home. Get in touch at…

  18. ‘Austerity is inevitably painful’: How Michael Gove justifies his politics | Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty

    · 58 min

    For more than three decades, Michael Gove has been a leading figure in British Conservatism. As a journalist, government minister and now editor of the Tory bible the Spectator, he has helped shape the right even as it…

  19. Girls is back: Lena Dunham revives cult series a decade on – The Latest

    · 13 min · Explicit

    Lena Dunham has announced a surprise reboot of the cult TV show Girls, which had its finale 10 years ago. The news was broken via a fake Zoom call with all four female leads, which went viral and raised questions about…

  20. NAZA: the film the Israeli government does not want you to see

    · 45 min

    Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor on their new film interviewing Israeli military insiders on the vast, AI-assisted systems their sources say are being used to kill civilians in Gaza. They also talk about the political…

  21. ‘I couldn’t breathe’: Russell Brand trial hears from first alleged victim - The Latest

    · 9:39

    Former comedian Russell Brand is on trial facing multiple charges of rape and sexual assault against six women, spanning a decade from 1999 to 2009. On Thursday the court heard evidence from a woman who alleged Russell…

  22. Imran Khan’s sons on their jailed father

    · 27 min

    After a dramatic week in Pakistan, Kasim and Sulaiman Khan talk to Today in Focus about the continued imprisonment of their father, the former prime minister and cricket legend Imran Khan. With reporting from Osman…

  23. India’s cockroach protesters defy Modi’s crackdown – The Latest

    · 13 min

    A fresh wave of protests by India’s youth-led Cockroach movement has been met with a brutal crackdown by Narendra Modi’s government and the closure of a historic protest site in Delhi. Two of the movement’s leaders…

  24. The fall of Germany’s ex-spymaster

    · 23 min

    A former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service has been accused of selling classified documents. Kate Connolly reports on the fallout. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

  25. Trump accused of ‘abuse of power’ after Ilhan Omar home raid – The Latest

    · 11 min

    Democrats have described a raid on the home of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar as ‘deeply disturbing’ and a ‘rogue abuse of power’ by the Trump administration. The Democratic representative for Minnesota has long been a…

  26. The billion-dollar shipwreck and the man who tried to find it

    · 35 min

    Journalist Julian Sancton on the story of the most valuable shipwreck in history and who could end up with its treasures. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

  27. Trump-Putin diesel deal met with fury from Zelenskyy – The Latest

    · 12 min

    Donald Trump’s deal to buy Russian diesel has been met with fury from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said it was ‘a weak decision’ and would generate ‘billions’ in extra revenue for Putin’s war effort. The Ukrainian…

  28. The fight to switch off your algorithm

    · 21 min

    Chanel Contos talks about her campaign against social media algorithms and how it has helped shape a groundbreaking bill in her native Australia to increase regulation of big tech. Help support our independent…

  29. ‘Gaza is a moral tear in the universe’: Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor | Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty

    · 50 min

    Are we really living through ‘end-times fascism’? Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor think so. In a new series from the Guardian, the pair speak to Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty in an extended interview. From…

  30. ‘Barbaric’ firing squad livestream ordered by Pete Hegseth – The Latest

    · 13 min

    The execution of a former US army psychiatrist by firing squad is to be livestreamed after Pete Hegseth said it would be a public event. Nidal Hasan was sentenced to death after killing 13 people at a military base in…

  31. Russell T Davies on 40 years of bringing gay stories to our screens

    · 28 min · Explicit

    The Dr Who showrunner made his name with taboo-busting series such as Queer As Folk. He tells Helen Pidd about how he changed the way queer lives were depicted on British television. Help support our independent…

  32. ‘Come back’: EU flirts with UK rejoining – The Latest

    · 11 min

    Andy Burnham is pressing ahead with his Brexit U-turn, using a visit to Germany to make a ‘commitment to deeper EU co-operation’. The prime minister has promised closer ties on issues such as security, youth mobility…

  33. France’s teens versus the riot police

    · 28 min

    Angelique Chrisafis on the pupils and students who are taking to the streets and closing down schools in France. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

  34. ‘Jaw-dropping’: Christa Pike wakes up after botched execution – The Latest

    · 12 min

    Christa Pike, a death row inmate who survived the state of Tennessee’s attempt to execute her last week, is conscious and speaking. The 50-year-old is recovering in hospital after surviving two lethal injections in a…

  35. A week inside the chaos of the Green party

    · 34 min

    After a surge in support Zack Polanski is hoping he can win over Kier Starmer’s constituency to become an MP. But has a controversial motion over Zionism thrown his campaign into disarray?. Help support our independent…

  36. Plague outbreak? Russian lab worker dies in Siberia - The Latest

    · 13 min

    Quarantine measures have been in place in several hospitals in eastern Russia since a 28-year-old laboratory worker, Darya Shipilova, died after falling ill at work following a reported accident at a plague research…

  37. “It breaks your heart everyday”: navigating England’s social care system

    · 31 min

    Andy Burnham has pledged to fix England’s broken social care system. Heather Stewart explains why it matters so much to families like hers. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

  38. Why did the US rush to withdraw bombers from RAF Fairford? - The Latest

    · 9:47

    The US withdrew its bombers from RAF Fairford after an investigation into an alleged planned terrorist attack on the base. At least 10 B-1 bombers used by the US military in the Iran conflict flew out of Fairford on…

  39. Colonialism for clicks? The influencers targeting uncontacted tribes

    · 26 min

    Features writer Elle Hunt and indigenous activist María José Andrade Cerda on the growing phenomenon of influencers around the world trying to reach uncontacted tribes. Help support our independent journalism at…

  40. ‘There’s no such thing as democracy’: Yanis Varoufakis | Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty

    · 53 min

    Who is really in charge – the people or the markets? In the first episode of Radical Thinking, a new series from the Guardian, senior economics commentator Aditya Chakrabortty speaks to the former Greek finance…

  41. Celebrity Traitors: what was Richard E Grant thinking? – The Latest

    · 15 min

    Warning: this episode contains spoilers! The BBC blockbuster Celebrity Traitors has returned for a second series, attracting nearly 9m viewers for its first episode. The show features a star-studded cast including…

  42. The Bolsonaros … they’re back! Brazil heads to the polls

    · 26 min

    Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips reports on this Sunday’s historic presidential elections in Brazil, as the son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro hopes to take power. Help support our independent…

  43. Tennessee woman survives two lethal injections - The Latest

    · 12 min

    A woman convicted of murdering a schoolmate 30 years ago has been taken to hospital after surviving two rounds of lethal injections in Tennessee. Christa Pike would have been the first woman to be executed in the state…

  44. Billionaire Sheiks and ‘sham’ contracts: the Manchester City scandal

    · 31 min

    Jonathan Liew explains the accusations against Manchester City – and Simon Hattenstone explains how it feels to be a fan. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

  45. Mid-air panic as pilot attacked on Israel-bound flight - The Latest

    · 8:27

    A commercial flight travelling from Dubai to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing after an apparent brawl between its pilots. The flight was in Jordanian airspace when it diverted to Saudi Arabia, after the…

  46. Andy Burnham’s big bold leap

    · 32 min

    Helen Pidd reports from the Labour conference in Liverpool as Andy Burnham lays out his grand plans as prime minister. With deputy political editor Jessica Elgot. Help support our independent journalism at…

  47. Diesel export ban: will Trump push global energy prices even higher? – The Latest

    · 10 min

    As the fallout from the Iran conflict continues, the price of diesel has soared to record highs in the UK, Europe and US. With his country facing an increase of 70% in costs compared with this time last year, Donald…

  48. The Pussy Riot activist turned Kremlin informer

    · 31 min

    Their opposition to Putin led to two of the group being sent to brutal prison camps. Then another was found to be spying for the Kremlin. Shaun Walker reports. Help support our independent journalism at…

  49. RAF Fairford suspected bomb plot: five men arrested are all UK nationals – The Latest

    · 9:05

    Counter-terrorism police have confirmed the five men arrested over the suspected bomb plot near RAF Fairford are all British nationals in their 20s. The men were arrested on Sunday near the base in Gloucestershire,…

  50. Banished: the secret Trump deals sending migrants across the world

    · 31 min

    Investigations correspondent Louisa Loveluck reports on the Trump administration’s secret deportation deals, sending thousands of migrants to ‘third countries’ across the world. Help support our independent journalism…

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