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The Story

The biggest stories, told in depth, daily. Join the world's best journalists to understand what really matters. The Story is hosted by Manveen Rana and Luke Jones, published seven days a week and ready for you every morning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

In this episode of The Story, Luke Jones interviews Alexis Conran about the rising issue of romance scams. Conran, drawing from his experience reporting on scams and his personal history, explains how these scams operate, often originating from scam compounds in Southeast Asia where individuals are trafficked and force...

Best of 2025: Why everyone's going to Japan

28 Dec 2025

34m

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In this episode of The Story, host Manveen Rana interviews Matt Alt, a Tokyo-based translator and writer, about the phenomenon of "kidulting" and how Japan has influenced this trend in the West. Alt explains how Japan's economic downturn in the 1990s led its youth to embrace fantasy and childish pursuits, a trend that ...

Best of 2025: Can you live without a smartphone?

27 Dec 2025

25m

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Luke Jones interviews James Marriott from The Times about his experience of giving up his smartphone for a year. James recounts his initial reliance on smartphones, particularly for social media and news, and his subsequent attempts to limit his screen time. Frustrated with these failed attempts and motivated by his ow...