Today in Focus
Hosted by Helen Pidd, Nosheen Iqbal and Annie Kelly, Today in Focus brings you closer to Guardian journalism. Combining storytelling with insightful analysis and personal testimonies, the podcast takes you behind the headlines for a deeper understanding of the news, every weekday. Today in Focus is unmatched in both scope and depth, delivering analysis and storytelling from right across the planet. With a global network of over 900 journalists and five dedicated editions covering news in the US, UK, Australia, Europe, and beyond, the Guardian offers comprehensive reporting across every continent. Most recently we have introduced new correspondents in the Caribbean...
Cop ahoy! Sailing up the Amazon to the climate summit
Jonathan Watts sets off on a three-day boat trip down the Amazon – with indigenous leaders, scientists, artists and more – to report on Cop30, the climate summit taking place this year in Brazil. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
One man’s story inside the siege of El Fasher, Sudan
What does the fall of El Fasher mean for the future of Sudan? Kaamil Ahmed reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The ordinary Brits evacuating children from Gaza
Majd is one of a handful of injured children from Gaza brought to the UK for urgent medical treatment. But why have there been so few? Nosheen Iqbal reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
On the ground in the refugee and asylum capital of Britain
Helen Pidd heads to Crawley, West Sussex, the place in the UK with the highest number of asylum seekers and supported refugees relative to its population. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
How Zohran Mamdani charmed New York
Guardian US writer Adam Gabbatt and columnist Mehdi Hasan explore how Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani came from nowhere to the brink of becoming mayor of New York City. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
15 minutes of horror in train mass stabbing – Today in Focus Extra
Guardian senior reporter Ben Quinn on the shocking knife attack on a train from Doncaster to London. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The multi-million pound baby powder case
Esther Addley reports on a class action suit of more than 3,000 cancer survivors and their loved ones against Johnson & Johnson. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Cotton Capital: Searching for the spirit of Pan-Africanism – bonus episode
In this bonus episode of the Cotton Capital series, Guardian journalist Chris Osuh explores whether we are living through a Pan-African moment in 2025, 80 years on from Manchester’s 1945 Pan-African Congress. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Living through the horror of Hurricane Melissa
How will Jamaica recover from its most powerful hurricane on record? Natricia Duncan reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The chaos of the grooming gangs inquiry
Geraldine McKelvie reports on a tumultuous couple of weeks for the national grooming gangs inquiry, beset by resignations, provocative political interventions and accusations of a cover-up. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The comeback of the mountain gorilla
Patrick Greenfield hikes up the Virunga mountains in east Africa to trace the remarkable comeback of the mountain gorilla. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Is London ready for driverless taxis?
Autonomous cabs are a staple in some US cities – but how will they cope with London’s streets? Gwyn Topham and Johana Bhuiyan report. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The great Gen Z revolt
Today in Focus talks to protesters in Nepal, Madagascar and Morocco – as well as Chatham House fellow Dr Nayana Prakash – about the gen Z movements toppling governments across the world. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Why is Trump giving billions to Argentina?
Donald Trump is offering a $20bn currency swap to bail out Argentina’s president, Javier Milei. Harriet Barber reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The heist of the decade
Some of France’s crown jewels have disappeared after an audacious burglary at the Louvre. Angelique Chrisafis reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
AI slop: Is the internet about to get even worse?
Tech journalist Chris Stokel-Walker analyses the rise and rise of AI-generated video, and what it will mean for the internet and beyond. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein and the scandal that won’t go away
Zoe Williams describes the scandals that have engulfed Andrew, leading to him giving up his titles. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Boriswave, fighting-age men, cultural Marxism: how the far right is changing how we speak
Why are the online far right so successful in shaping our political language? With Dr Robert Topinka. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
‘The sacrifice’: was Kai Shannon wrongfully convicted of murder? Part 2
Reporter Emily Dugan investigates the case against Kai Shannon, 33, a London man found guilty of the 2009 murder of Wahab Zaaki. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
‘Sacrifice’: Was Kai Shannon wrongfully convicted of murder? – part one
Reporter Emily Dugan investigates the case against Kai Shannon, now 33 years old, found guilty of the 2009 murder of Wahab Zaaki. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Inside the mystery of the collapsed Chinese spy trial
Questions mount over collapse of trial of teacher and parliamentary researcher accused of spying for China. Dan Sabbagh reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees: how the day unfolded
As Israel and Palestinian families waited for loved ones to be released, Trump met world leaders to continue ceasefire talks. Will Christou, Dan Boffey and Jason Burke report on an extraordinary day in the Middle East. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The Palestinian and Israeli kids trying to be friends
Today in Focus producer Natalie Ktena heads to a peace camp in Cyprus that aims to bring together children from Israel and the West Bank. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
From boom to backlash: has Taylor Swift lost her touch?
She’s a global pop star who appears relatable even as her tours alter a country’s economy. But her new album has sparked surprisingly fierce criticism. Alexis Petridis and Laura Snapes explain.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
‘Thank God we witnessed this’: Palestinians on the ceasefire deal - Today in Focus Extra
From inside Gaza, Ansam Tantesh and Mai Elawawda react to the news of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel and the prospect of finally ending the two-year war. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
What are ultra-processed foods doing to our bodies?
Numbers of younger people getting bowel and colon cancers are rising. Devi Sridhar explains why their diets could be to blame. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
‘This is what we’ve been afraid of’: British Jews after the Manchester attack
Guardian journalist Abigail Radnor and Dave Rich of the Community Security Trust talk through the grief, fear and anger of the British Jewish community after the Heaton Park Synagogue terror attack. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Can the Trump plan bring peace to Gaza?
Negotiators have gathered in Egypt to discuss the US president’s 20-point plan. Is an end to the war finally in sight?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
My dad, his ‘incurable’ disease, and hope at last
The Guardian journalist Josh Halliday talks about Huntington’s disease, the impact the rare inherited condition has had on his family and the hope there may now be a treatment. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Is TikTok about to go full Maga?
Investigative journalist Emily Baker-White on the deal to transfer TikTok’s US operations to Trump allies. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
The Manchester synagogue terror attack – Today in Focus Extra
North of England editor Josh Halliday reports from the scene of the attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, in which two people were killed and three others seriously injured, in what appears to be the worst antisemitic incident in the UK in living memory. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Here comes the sun! The solar energy revolution
Why might authoritarians fear the rise of green energy? With Bill McKibben. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Starmer takes aim at Farage
The Labour leader entered conference with the polls against him and Reform UK snapping at his heels. He came out fighting – but was it enough to change his critics’ minds? Helen Pidd. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
OnlyFans, AI girlfriends and ‘stepdads’: the porn industry in 2025
What does Europe’s biggest porn conference reveal about the future of the porn industry? Amelia Gentleman reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
How to defeat Britain’s far right
Hope Not Hate founder Nick Lowles has spent decades researching, infiltrating and helping communities to combat far-right groups. But now, he says, ‘they have their sights on our multicultural society’. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
‘Like Amazon Prime but with human beings’: inside Trump’s deportation machine
Data leak gives Guardian US investigations team an unprecedented look into Trump’s deportation regime – and how people are seemingly being ‘disappeared’. Oliver Laughland and Maanvi Singh report. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Escaping Gaza City, while reporting on its destruction
Malak A Tantesh on fleeing the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza and becoming a reporter in the most dangerous place on Earth for journalists. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Russia’s high-risk game in Nato skies
Over the past two weeks, Russian drones and jets have entered the airspace of several European countries. Dan Sabbagh discusses the escalation along the Nato-Russia border. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
Does Labour’s new home secretary signal a harder line on immigration?
Shabana Mahmood is already making headlines in her new role. But who is she and what motivates her?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
What happens when you stop weight loss jabs?
Science editor Ian Sample talks through the dilemma facing more than a million people in the UK as the cost of the jabs jumps. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus