The Leader | Evening Standard daily

Cleo Smith, the missing four-year-old in Australia, has been found safe and well after disappearing 18 days ago from her family’s tent at a campsite. Police officials and the Australian Prime Minister have spoken about their joy and relief to have reunited the little girl with her family. John Dunne, Crime Reporter for the Evening Standard, walks us through this incredible story with a happy ending.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The UK has had to apologise to an Israeli minister who couldn’t attend the COP26 summit because the venue was not wheelchair accessible. Israel’s Minister of National Infrastructures, Energy and Water Resources tweeted that it was "sad" the UN "does not provide accessibility to its events". So, just how does the UK compare when it comes to disability rights and accessibility?  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In line with COP26, we find out about the celebrity comic book which is trying to combat climate change. We speak to Rewriting Extinction's Paul Goodenough and Hollywood star Andy Serkis who, with a host of other names, have teamed up to create 'The Most Important Comic Book on Earth' - a book full of original comics aimed at highlighting the climate and biodiversity crisis. They want more creatives to come up with innovative ways to spread important messages and they tell us about their hopes for the world’s most talked about climate change summit.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Insulate Britain spokesperson and eco-home builder Craig Scudder discusses the group’s continuing protests, the need for public support and his hopes for the upcoming COP26.On Friday, some activists from the group decided to try and walk along the M25 into oncoming traffic to get their message heard. Craig tells the Evening Standard; the group is not officially changing tactics to walking along motorways and will continue their sit-ins on key routes instead. He also talks about protests on roads as a ‘last resort', apologises to those affected, and discusses the UK’s position as host of the upcoming COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As reports of people being spiked by injections continue to rise, students and young women across the country have held boycotts against nightclubs to raise awareness of the issue. Data from a student survey as well as figures from The National Police Chiefs Council show there is a real problem growing for people on nights out. The Evening Standard’s feature writer Katie Strick discusses the growing epidemic of injection spiking, how widespread the issue appears to be, and what campaigners are asking clubs to do in response.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced his budget for the UK’s recovery from the pandemic. It was full of terms about the country becoming a ‘World Leader’ in things like innovation and science, as Mr Sunak laid out his plans to boost the economy post-covid. HSBC’s Senior Economic Advisor and Evening Standard columnist Stephen King discusses some of the highlights, which measures are questionable and how the Chancellor’s decisions will impact the wider economy.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

New leaked documents show the cost of rolling out the government’s proposed ‘Plan B’ for tackling coronavirus could reach up to £18billion.The files, leaked to Politico London Playbook show the cost to the economy could be between £11billion and £18billion, if the measures were in place for five months. The back-up plan by the government includes a return to working from home, covid passports for indoor venues, and a return to mandatory facemasks. The Evening Standard’s Political Editor Nick Cecil discusses the leaked documents, what the government is thinking about the spread of coronavirus, and looks ahead to the Chancellor’s budget announcement on Wednesday.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ross Phillips from the not-for-profit group the Cross River Partnership discusses the new ULEZ expansion in the city, how it works, why it’s needed, and how Londoners can live with it. The city’s pollution charge zone officially became 18 times bigger on Monday, in a bid to improve air quality across the capital. The Ultra-Low-Emission-Zone, also called ‘ULEZ’, now extends out to the North and South circular roads. It means a charge of £12.50 a day for travelling through the zone, which affects drivers whose cars or vans don’t meet the minimum emissions standards. The mayor of London Sadiq Khan says it will cut the amount of carbon being emitted by more than 100 tonnes - equivalent to about 60,000 vehicles being taken off the roads.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Thirty-five years after the world’s worst nuclear disaster at Chernobyl - or Chornobyl in Ukrainian - Professor Tom Scott, a nuclear expert at the University of Bristol and Royal Academy research fellow, is using robo dogs to help local scientists decommission the exploded reactor entombed in a decaying “sarcophagus”. A sarcophagus is the size of a small cathedral and was built over Reactor 4 following the 1986 explosion to contain radioactive lava, contaminated soil and debris from the blast - but the construction materials meant it would only last a couple of decades, and the roof sprung a leak. So in 2019, construction of a giant hanger-like arch was completed over both the reactor and sarcophagus to encase everything for a century so dismantling and clean-up of waste from the reactor’s remains could continue. Hear the story of how Professor Scott’s team is using camera-equipped robotic dogs to 3D-map parts of Chornobyl too dangerous for humans due to intense radiation.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A possible 100,000 Covid cases a day - that was the warning from Health Secretary Sajid Javid. It’s looking like another difficult winter for Londoners going about our working lives, and we know how those everyday tasks become logistical challenges - no wonder the London Chamber of Commerce is urging “decisive” government action about the road ahead. So how will this uncertainty hit the pound in our pocket, how should we prepare ourselves for winter, and how is the infection rate looking right now? We get insight from the Evening Standard’s Health Editor Ross Lydall and Consumer Business Editor Jonathan Prynn.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Winter is coming...and as the nights draw in there’s a warning from our recent past - could we see Covid cases overwhelm hospital beds, and should we ride it out or batten down the hatches once more?   As Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng rules out another lockdown, we talk data and risk for the months ahead with Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Government’s vaccination advisory body the JCVI.   His warnings come as the UK registered 43,738 confirmed Covid cases, with the Government still hoping to avoid implementing its Plan B, which includes Covid-status certification in certain settings, legally mandating face coverings and asking more people to work from home if they can. The Government has so far dismissed appeals to introduce its Plan B Covid restrictions with ministers saying the vaccine booster programme and plan to immunise children aged between 12 and 15 will avoid the need for tighter restrictions even as the NHS battles winter flu and a backlog of non-Covid treatment.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Heat pumps and electric cars...it’s all part of a £1 billion vision meant to help us reach carbon “net zero”. With all eyes on Britain ahead of Cop26 kicking off in a few weeks, the Government’s been laying out its eco hopes for the future. So is today’s announcement just window dressing ahead of Cop26, and more fantasy maths à la Boris Johnson’s infamous NHS Brexit ‘promise’? Alice Bell, co-director of London climate change campaign charity Possible, helps us cut through the jargon and bluster.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As anti-terror police question the suspect in the killing of Sir David Amess, MPs hold a minute’s silence in the Commons for their fallen colleague. So just how safe are Parliamentarians to go about their constituency business, and when does online hate become real-world risk? We speak to former Met Detective Inspector Philip Grindell, who advised Parliament following the murder of Jo Cox and is now CEO of Defuse Global.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After six long years Adele is back with new music Easy On Me. We speak to the Evening Standard’s Celebrity Correspondent Lizzie Edmonds about the megastar’s return to the spotlight. Adele’s hotly anticipated album 30 is out next month, we discuss everything we know so far about the project and whether or not a 2022 tour is on the cards.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Duke of Cambridge wants the likes of Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Elon Musk to focus on saving this planet rather than trying to reach the next. Is he right? We talk it over with physical geographer Dr Eloise Marais from University College London. She tells us about the impact all these rocket launches are having on the planet right now as well as potential problems in the future. We also ask if there are better ways to send spaceships out of the atmosphere than those currently being used by rival billionaires?   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.