Cindy Yu is a Times columnist, and formerly both an assistant editor of The Spectator and presenter of our Chinese Whispers podcast.
36 min listen
What is the role of intelligence in defence? Knowing your enemy has always been vital in traditional warfare, but with the dawn of digital technology and social media, defence seems to have taken on a different character – one where information is not just vital to war and peace, but its defining characteristic. Our relations
What is the role of intelligence in defence? Knowing your enemy has always been vital in traditional warfare, but with the dawn of digital technology and social media, defence seems to have taken on a different character – one where information is not just vital to war and peace, but its defining characteristic. Our relations
16 min listen
38 min listen
As the coronavirus sweeps across the globe, it’s causing businesses, consumers, and governments to rethink their globalised lives. Is this a tipping point for hyper-globalisation (1:00)? Plus, is the government slimming down its Budget plans (13:40)? And last, is it harder to be eco-friendly if you are a woman (26:35)?
10 min listen
11 min listen
9 min listen
When a new virus is discovered, conspiracy theories often spread faster than the disease. I’ve been following the debate in China and the latest theory doing the rounds on social media is: what if the coronavirus didn’t come from China, but originated in the US instead? It would be classic CIA, wouldn’t it? The outbreak
15 min listen
41 min listen
Next week, the trade negotiations between the EU and the UK begin in earnest. But in the days ahead, the positions set out by both sides are so far apart that the negotiations can only be heading towards an almighty row. James Forsyth writes in this week’s issue that it’s better if they get this
15 min listen
14 min listen
39 min listen
This week, has Mike Bloomberg blown his presidential hopes with a disastrous TV debate (00:50)? Plus, has the BBC really gone downhill (12:05)? And last, Toby Young reveals all about his first stand up comedy gig (26:30).
12 min listen
33 min listen
In the aftermath of the Streatham attack, we take a look at how our prisons became finishing schools for extremists (00:40). Plus, what on earth happened in the Iowa caucus (11:25)? And last, is there anything true in the stories about Calamity Jane (22:50)?
When I worked at Lidl, there were a few products that we took extra care with. Some of these were high-value goods at risk of being stolen (like the £100 laptop we once sold, causing biblical scenes of chaos in the middle aisle). Others were to comply with laws on selling dangerous goods. Knives were
30 min listen
The UK’s aviation industry has today pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. It’s a promise that has been met with scepticism by some campaigners, so how does the industry think it can achieve this goal, while also matching Britain’s post-Brexit ambitions on connectivity and trade? One major reform could be the modernisation
My hometown of Nanjing is more than 300 miles away from Wuhan but my family there, like Chinese families everywhere, have been gripped by the coronavirus story. We use WeChat (a Chinese version of WhatsApp) to share medical tips, the latest intel and even a spattering of dry jokes. A snippet of information from an
