More or Less - Halloween special: How many people did the real Dracula impale?

Vlad III Dracula, the Wallachian Prince who became Bram Stokers inspiration behind his famous vampire 'Count Dracula,' was a brutal ruler. So brutal that history dubbed him 'Vlad the Impaler' due to his penchant for that particularly gruesome form of execution. Which, without going into too much detail, involved driving a large stake or pole through someone's body - often vertically.

Chroniclers and historians claim that he impaled over 20,000 people during his reigns which, if true is a very, very big number. But is it true? We speak to Historian Dénes Harai whose paper: 'Counting the Stakes: A Reassessment of Vlad III Dracula’s Practice of Collective Impalements in Fifteenth-Century South-eastern Europe' attempts to set the record straight.

Let's travel back to 1431 to separate the math's from the myth.

Presenter/Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Sound Mix: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

Big Technology Podcast - OpenAI and Microsoft’s Grand Bargain, Sam Altman’s Next Three Years, A New Humanoid Robot

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover: 1) OpenAI converts to a public benefit corporation 2) Why this is big news 3) Satya Nadela's wise OpenAI maneuver 4) Microsoft wants every AI model on Azure 5) Is AGI dead? 6) Inside Microsoft and OpenAI's negotiations 7) Sam Altman charts out OpenAI's next three years 8) Is building automated AI researchers a worthwhile and ambitious goal? 9) OpenAI also wants to be its own Ai cloud 10) OpenAI has become Facebook, kinda 11) OpenAI employees say they don't want to be engagement farmers 12) Meta's threat from OpenAI 13) Instead of the AI bubble, how about the AI wobble? 14) Do we want the 1X Technologies Neo humanoid robot?


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WSJ Minute Briefing - JPMorgan Chase Unit Invests in Texas Stock Exchange

Plus: An Arab-led militia targets Darfur’s Black population as the Sudan civil war escalates. And Exxon Mobil and Chevron report third quarter earnings. Zoe Kuhlkin hosts.


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An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor.

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Marketplace All-in-One - Business leaders to Congress: End the shutdown

The government shutdown has now lasted a full month. Now, some business leaders — including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the American Bankers Association, and more — have issued a statement urging Congress to reopen the government. They cite estimates that the shutdown will cause $10 billion to $15 billion per week in lost output and economic activity. Plus, how much would you spend to find a job?

Focus on Africa - Women in Kenya are facing increasing online abuse, says new report

New research reveals how digital platforms are being weaponised to abuse and exploit women in Kenya. We hear from a victim of online sexual abuse who gives a harrowing account of her experience, and also speak to a Digital Rights adviser on what needs to be done to protect women.

Plastic waste is not only bad for the environment but can also be harmful to human beings. We hear about the risks, and also how one project in Lagos is turning discarded plastic into fashion.

And we hear more about the Seychelles' Kreol Festival, which celebrates the nation's creole heritage and is now in its 40th year.

Presenter: Nyasha Michelle Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Stefania Okereke, Sunita Nahar, Yvette Twagiramariya, and Tanya Hines Technical Producer: Jack Graysmark Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne Editors: Alice Muthengi, Maryam Abdalla and Sam Murunga

Newshour - A normal girl has taken down the prince: Giuffre’s family speak

Andrew is no longer a British prince. We hear from the brother of the woman whose harrowing experience of sex trafficking, detailed in her memoir, ultimately led to his downfall. We also speak to a close friend of King Charles about what this scandal means for the future of the monarchy.

Also in today’s programme: how the world keeps failing Sudan, researchers in Denmark have created a broad-spectrum anti-venom that could revolutionise life-saving treatment for snake bites, and the Indian women’s cricket team pulls off a record-breaking run chase.

(Photo: Sky Roberts (C), a brother of late financier Jeffrey Epstein's late victim Virginia Giuffre, speaks on the day of a rally in support of Epstein's victims in Washington DC, 3 September, 2025. Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

CoinDesk Podcast Network - Sam Bankman Fried Says ‘FTX Was Never Insolvent’ | CoinDesk Daily

Sam Bankman-Fried claims FTX was never insolvent.

Sam Bankman-Fried claims FTX was never insolvent and blames bankruptcy lawyers for the company's collapse. The X post is an effort from Bankman-Fried’s broader campaign to reframe his conviction and win political sympathy. Will he be pardoned by the President? CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts "CoinDesk Daily."

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This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and edited by Taylor Fleming.

The Daily Signal - Defining Conservative Leadership: Dr. Kevin Roberts on Policy, Politics, and the 2025 Elections

From the campus of Virginia Tech where he earned his Masters’ Degree in History, to the Presidency of the Texas Public Policy Foundation where he shepherded their work in energy and criminal justice helping the first Trump administration change the perceptions of those sectors of the country, to the Presidency of the Heritage Foundation, Dr Kevin Roberts has come to define conservative leadership in America.


We spend some time with Dr Roberts talking about that Conservatism, redistricting in Virginia and beyond and the upcoming elections.


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