The Slow Newscast

In the early days of the invasion, Russia took over Europe's biggest nuclear power station. For two years, Zaporizhzhia's nuclear plant has been under Russian control, and while a nuclear crisis has so far been averted, the fighting has repeatedly threatened a catastrophic situation. The employees are overcoming the threat of torture to manage the plant's safety. This is the story of what happens when a nuclear power station becomes a pawn in a war.

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At his height Jimmy Lai was a newspaper owner and tycoon who loved to cause trouble. But he’s been behind bars for more than a thousand days with no end in sight. The Hong Kong authorities, assisted by Beijing, seem determined to silence him. Jimmy Lai is a British citizen. This is the story of one man’s efforts to take on the Chinese state.

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Introducing...To Die For

Imagine you were a fly on the wall at a dinner between the mafia, the CIA, and the KGB. That’s where this unprecedented story begins. A journey through the dark world of Russian intelligence where, for the first time, a professed “sex spy” tells her story. All of it.

Host Neil Strauss (Rolling Stone, The New York Times) brings listeners into the dangerous world of sexpionage, where enemies of the State are not the only victims. So too are the spies themselves, brainwashed to believe that their bodies belong to Russia and meticulously trained to become “the perfect weapons.” From the creators of the #1 hit podcast series To Live and Die in LA, this is To Die For.

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Shortly before Vladimir Putin was reelected for a fifth term as Russia’s president he eliminated his last possible rival for power, Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned in an Arctic labour camp. The deaths, often in mysterious circumstances, of dozens of Putin's opponents have been a hallmark of his time in office. Tortoise’s Giles Whittell sets out to find out why so many of Putin’s enemies have met an early end.

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Shortly before Vladimir Putin was reelected for a fifth term as Russia’s president he eliminated his last possible rival for power, Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned in an Arctic labour camp. The deaths, often in mysterious circumstances, of dozens of Putin's opponents have been a hallmark of his time in office. Tortoise’s Giles Whittell sets out to find out why so many of Putin’s enemies have met an early end.

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Shortly before Vladimir Putin was re-elected for a fifth term as Russia’s president he eliminated his last possible rival for power, Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned in an Arctic labour camp. The deaths, often in mysterious circumstances, of dozens of Putin's opponents have been a hallmark of his time in office. Tortoise’s Giles Whittell sets out to find out why so many of Putin’s enemies have met an early end.

To find out more about Tortoise:

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The energy drink company has built a billion-dollar brand promoting extreme sports like BASE jumping. Who’s responsible when it goes wrong?

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Benjamin Netanyahu has arguably shaped his country's image more than anyone else in the world. But his actions have put at risk Israel's relationship with its closest allies and potential partners for peace.

In this, the final episode of the series, Donald Macintyre looks into Benjanmin Netanyahu's leadership from 2023 until the present day. 

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To get the full series now, download the Tortoise app.

Benjamin Netanyahu has arguably shaped his country's image more than anyone else in the world. But his actions have put at risk Israel's relationship with its closest allies and potential partners for peace. This is the second episode in our three-part series, as Donald Macintyre looks into a pivotal period in Netanyahu's leadership, the eleven year period from 2009 right up until the pandemic, 2020

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To get the full series now, download the Tortoise app.

Benjamin Netanyahu has arguably shaped his country's image more than anyone else in the world. But his actions have put at risk Israel's relationship with its closest allies and potential partners for peace.

To find out more about Tortoise:

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If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com

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Modern brokerage firms in the City are an echo of another age. Not just because they still rely on people - rather than technology - to facilitate trade, but also because they have never shaken off the reputation of a culture of excess and bad behaviour. 

The City regulator, the FCA, has been aware for years that there’s an issue with some broking firms. 

This is the story of what happens behind closed doors in one company.

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Anna Wintour is one of the most important people in fashion. She is arguably one of the world's most influential and powerful people. A brand in her own right. But aged 74 and tasked with saving a global legacy media company in a digital age, is this a step too far for the last great editor?

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To listen to episode two follow the Tortoise Investigates feed. To get the full series now, download the Tortoise app.

What comes to mind when you think of Amber Heard? Liar? Survivor? Narcissist? Millions of us watched the celebrity trial of the century, Depp v Heard, in 2022. 

Amber Heard lost and Johnny Depp was vindicated. But what if Amber was actually the victim of an organised trolling campaign? What if the online hate against her was manufactured?

Alexi Mostrous, the reporter who brought you Sweet Bobby and Hoaxed, investigates what happened to Amber and who might have been responsible. It’s a story about how our own thoughts and opinions can be moulded without us even realising. 

This is episode one. 

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In a town in Kent, there is a place where vulnerable and volatile boys are locked away for "days on end", where weapons are widespread and living conditions are dire. All on the government's watch. This is the story of the chaos behind locked doors.

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This episode was first published in March 2022.  

In early 2021 Alexei Navalny and his wife, Yulia Navalnaya returned to Russia where a year earlier he had been poisoned with Novichok nerve agent. It was a decision that likely led directly to his death. On arrival in Moscow Alexei and Yulia were separated. He was detained, put on trial and ended up in one of Russia’s toughest penal colonies where he died. This is their story.

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Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge fund manager, campaigned successfully to topple Harvard’s first black leader, Claudine Gay, in a row over anti-semitism. But his mission is much grander, he’s spearheading a broader backlash against ‘woke’ politics that is energising the American right, fracturing the left and upending society.

Since the recording of this podcast, Yashcha Mounk has been accused, on X, of sexual assault and suspended from the editorial board of Die Zeit and by The Atlantic magazine. He has “categorically “ denied the allegation.

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When a man in Birmingham died unexpectedly last year, a question was asked: was he assassinated? At first, it sounds unbelievable, but as the story unfolds the answer becomes less clear and the world more complicated. This is the story of India's assassins.

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The two most charismatic leaders in a generation took Scotland to the brink of independence. But when Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon's powerful partnership collapsed, with it went their hold on a nation. This is the story of the fallout.

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The two most charismatic leaders in a generation took Scotland to the brink of independence. But when Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon's powerful partnership collapsed, with it went their hold on a nation.

To get early access to the second episode or to find out more about Tortoise:

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Paul Caruana Galizia investigates a new dimension to the phone hacking story; allegations that Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper group hacked phones not for tabloid headlines but for corporate reasons. 

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From Harry and Meghan to David Beckham and Lizzo, our TV screens are awash with celebrity documentaries like never before. But what story are they telling – and who’s behind them?

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It may be a re-fight of the 2020 elections, but in this year's US presidential elections, the stakes feel much higher. And that's got a lot of Democrats worrying. This is the story of the backroom discussions going on trying to work out the answer to one question: is Joe Biden the right man to lead the Dems and take on Donald Trump?

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Jeremy Corbyn’s time as Labour leader is up. The party faces an uphill battle to mount a credible challenge to the Conservative majority at the next election. So who will the party turn to in its hour of need? And what will that person do with all the supporters of Jeremy Corbyn left in the party? 

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Parliament can’t find a way through the Brexit labyrinth. Jeremy Corbyn’s position is as muddy as ever. Keir Starmer, now Shadow Brexit Secretary, openly defies his leader’s position. But the rise of Boris Johnson and a snap election forces Corbyn on to the back foot. 

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An old Facebook comment from Jeremy Corbyn resurfaces. The Labour leader is forced to to explain why he publicly supported a graffiti artist accused of painting an antisemitic mural in East London. Allegations of antisemitism against Corbyn’s Labour Party grow. Some Jewish Labour MPs are exposed to abuse and death threats. Jeremy Corbyn’s response to the Skripal poisonings in Salisbury lead some to question his suitability to be PM.

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Jeremy Corbyn faces an unexpected general election, called by Theresa May. Against the odds Labour does better than expected, although it’s still not the biggest party in Westminster. But Jeremy Corbyn’s star is undimmed. He is greeted with a rapturous reception on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.

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Murmurings of discontent grow among some Labour MPs. The blame the Brexit referendum result on Jeremy Corbyn’s half hearted campaigning efforts. They launch a dramatic attempt to get rid of him. Sir Keir Starmer has to decide who he’s going to back.

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In 2015 Labour is back in opposition after another election defeat. The party needs a new leader. It chooses Jeremy Corbyn, a long serving left-wing MP who’s never run anything. He is the party’s most radical and unlikely leader in its history. The newly elected former Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Keir Starmer, takes a job under Corbyn as a shadow minister. 

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The story of motherhood is strangely absent from a lot of literature. After her own experience of childbirth, Catherine Nixey takes on millennia of canonical literature and asks: why the start of the story is never fully told?

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Arifa Akbar lost her sister far too young. She died from a 19th century illness in a 21st century hospital. Arifa’s journey through grief takes her to Rome, Keats…and gentle words of reflection.

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Former OpenAI board member Helen Toner calls herself an “effective altruist”. That philosophical movement fuelled the firing and rehiring of Sam Altman last month – and has tried to steer the future of AI to the tune of half a billion dollars.

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President Assad has won the war in Syria and to consolidate his power he’s demolishing opposition neighbourhoods in order to create a shiny new Syria - one in which dissent never existed.

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From the middle of Sep 2020 to the end of October, Boris Johnson’s government dithered and delayed the decision over a second national lockdown. This is the story of those 43 days, laid bare at the Covid Inquiry: a story of chaos.

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This is the inside story of two revolutions in the Labour party in eight short years. From the takeover by the far left under Jeremy Corbyn to the election of Keir Starmer who set about erasing all traces of his predecessor. 

To listen to the full series subscribe to the feed.

For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. 

For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts. If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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To listen to the full series subscribe to the Tortoise Investigates feed.

It’s London, 2012. Oliver is a dashing diplomat. Charlie is a young graduate trying to find her feet in the world. They meet online and she falls in love. A few months into the relationship, and with his encouragement, Charlie applies for a job in British intelligence. She's feeling optimistic, the interview goes well. Then, she receives a text message that turns her life - and her relationship - upside down. 

10 years later, a mystery is still hanging over her.

Walter's War is an investigation into what happened next – a journey through big tech and national security, hype and hucksterism, where anyone who can tell a good story can go far. But how much is true?

This is episode one of four. To continue listening to Walter's War just search for Tortoise Investigates. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. 

For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts. If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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The deal between Kanye West and Adidas was no ordinary celebrity endorsement. Now under renewed scrutiny after West’s outrageous behaviour, how can one rapper’s departure cause such chaos at a multinational sportswear brand?

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Paul Caruana Galizia investigates how a lucrative contract to run the UK’s National Lottery was awarded to a company whose Czech billionaire owner retains links with Russia. 

Note:Clive Efford MP referred to “a Gazprom owned oil storage unit in the Czech Republic”. It was in fact a “Gazprom owned gas storage unit”.

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Mohammed Deif – thought to be the mastermind behind Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7th - hasn’t been seen for 20 years and no one’s even sure if he’s still alive. When the enemy is more of an idea than a person, who do you end up fighting? 

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A British doctor sparks a global health panic about the safety of vaccines. But even though his work is discredited, he lights a fire that becomes the modern anti-vax movement.

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The Telegraph is for sale for the first time in a generation. The new owner will become one of the most influential people on the right in Britain. Who will win the race?

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It’s been a dangerous year in the world of extreme mountaineering. Has the focus on record-breaking gone too far?

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Twenty years ago, Rudy Giuliani was “America’s mayor”. Now he’s been indicted, along with Donald Trump, for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Will Rudy die in jail for The Don?

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Twenty years ago, Rudy Giuliani was “America’s mayor”. Now he’s been indicted, along with Donald Trump, for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Will Rudy die in jail for The Don?

For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts. 

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Twenty years ago, Rudy Giuliani was “America’s mayor”. Now he’s been indicted, along with Donald Trump, for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Will Rudy die in jail for The Don?

For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts. 

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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For years, Claire McEnery was the most senior woman in the Lancashire police force. With that seniority came exposure to the best – and worst – of life, but also to the best and worst of the police. 

For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. 

For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts. 

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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Welcome to Trendy, the new weekly show from Tortoise.

Britain’s top pollster, Sir John Curtice, and former Downing Street advisor, Rachel Wolf, explore the key political, social and economic trends that help shape what voters think and what politicians do.

Follow the feed here so you don't miss an episode.

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Earlier this year, when the media went into a frenzy about the rift between the royal brothers and the publication of Harry's book Spare Paul Caruana Galizia started looking into a different aspect of the story. One that wasn't getting much attention: Prince Harry’s legal battles with the press. Then in April a new story emerged from that fight. It attracted a brief flurry of interest before seeming to drop out of sight. It was just a line in Prince Harry's court filings, but an extraordinary one: in a sworn statement Prince Harry said that his brother, Prince William, had privately settled his own phone hacking claim with Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers for "a large sum of money". The Palace didn't deny it; nor did News Group. And it suddenly felt like the real story was only just emerging. A story not about Prince Harry but about Prince William, about the wider Royal family, and above all, about secrecy. But once again it’s a story that no-one seems to be going after. 

For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. 

For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts. 

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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From intern to baroness in seven years, Charlotte Owen’s entry to the House of Lords has left even friends scratching their heads in wonder. Her elevation might be hard to explain, but it tells us volumes about the way British democracy works. 

For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. 

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Humans think of themselves as the world’s apex predator. But what happens when another powerful carnivore threatens us in a place where they are the masters? Killer whales have been attacking - and sometimes sinking - sailboats off the coast of Spain and Portugal. This is the story of the changing relationship between humanity and the world’s biggest predator.

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise attortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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In late June, Yevgeny Prigozhin marched on Moscow with a small army of mercenaries. Exactly two months later, he was dead. This is the story of what really happened on the road to Moscow.

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise attortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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In June a scandal erupted that threatened the future of snooker after ten elite players were banned for match fixing. It all starts in a small snooker hall in Sheffield, but ends on a journey through a several hundred billion dollar a year black market in south-east Asia. This is how snooker uncovered the biggest British match fixing scandal in over a decade.

For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app.

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise attortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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Cities are where the battle to save planet earth will be won and lost. But it is not the urban environment that matters, but our relationship with nature within it. What can the story of one dying river, plagued by sewage and indifference, and the campaign to save it, teach us about how to reconnect with and value nature?

For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app.

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise attortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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In 2017 the MeToo movement swept through Hollywood. Some men, such as Harvey Weinstein, went to prison. Others who were accused of sexual misconduct and assault were ostracised and struggled to find parts in big movies. But six years on some of these same people are back on the red carpets. Is Hollywood trying to rewrite history? 

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise attortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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 A family's six-year fight for a pioneering legal decision. Will an inquest jury conclude, for the first time, that a woman who took her own life was actually killed? 

For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app.

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise attortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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For almost three decades, one of the world's most wanted men had stayed at large. Earlier this year, he was finally caught. This is the story of how a small band of genocide hunters caught him in a world riddled with secrets, espionage and a $5 million bounty.

For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app.

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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In May this year David Boyd was found guilty of the brutal murder of seven year-old Nikki Allan in 1992. Why did it take the police thirty years to find Boyd and get a conviction? This is the story of Nikki’s mother, Sharon Henderson, who has spent thirty years searching for her daughter’s murderer to have him put on trial.

Today we're publishing this new series so that listeners of the Slow Newscast can listen early but if you like what you hear and you want to listen to episode two straight away just search for 'Three doors down' and head straight to the feed.

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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Slow Newscast host Basia Cummings is in the editor's chair for this episode of The News Meeting. The podcast where three journalists each pitch the one story they think matters most and the editor decides which one should lead the news. In it, we open up the conversations we have all the time in our newsroom about what’s important and why, and what should lead the news. The very kinds of conversations that ultimately decide what stories we tell on the Slow Newscast.

In this episode Basia is joined by Cat Neilan, Claudia Williams and Stephen Armstrong who pitch rising mortgage rates, migrant boats missing in the Atlantic and catastrophic weather in the US.

Follow The News Meeting here so you don't miss future episodes.

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Spanish celebrity Ana Obregón shocked the world when she announced that she had a child via surrogate, using a donor egg and the sperm of her deceased son. Her story takes us to the new frontiers of fertility, where technology challenges our ideas of family, motherhood and the law.

For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app.

For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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Crispin Odey was one of the most powerful hedge funders in London.  He’s been dismissed from his own company which is being wound up after he was accused of assaulting more than a dozen women over many decades. Why did so many institutions apparently turn a blind eye and do nothing for so long - even though these allegations had trailed him for years? 

For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app.

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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Rob Moore had a successful career in television until one day he ran out of ideas. After a stint as a gardener, a more enticing door was opened for him. He was offered a job in the shadowy world of corporate intelligence - he became a spy.

Tasked with working undercover to extract information from an environmental campaign group, Rob Moore says he eventually became sympathetic to the campaigners’ aims. He decided to turn on his employers and support the group he was meant to be infiltrating. Only it wasn’t that straightforward. He never told the campaigners who he really was and he never told his spymasters what he was really doing. Neither side knew the whole truth. 

That was until 2016, when after years of being in control of these two disparate worlds he was unexpectedly outed. Now, the campaigners see him as a traitor who betrayed their trust. He sees himself as a misunderstood whistleblower.

From the team that brought you Sweet Bobby, and over three years in the making, Into The Dirt is a story about truth, spies and the stories we tell ourselves. Today we're publishing this new series so that listeners of the Slow Newscast can listen early but if you like what you hear and you want to listen to episode two straight away just search for Into The Dirt and head to the feed.

For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app.

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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Bill Gates was the golden philanthropist at the top of the billionaire's league - he was also Epstein's way back into society

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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Last year journalist Polly Curtis spent months trying to understand what went wrong at the Tavistock’s Gender Identity Development Service for young people. You can hear her Tortoise podcast series: Inside the Tavistock here. In the reporting of that series one thing kept coming up: some young people who couldn’t - for whatever reason - access the Tavistock - the only NHS service in England for young people with gender dysphoria, were going down the private healthcare route. So what happens if a young person follows that path? This is the story of Gender GP and its founder, Helen Webberley, an entrepreneurial doctor from south Wales. 

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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Leon Black was the aggressive private equity billionaire at the top of New York society - he also bankrolled Epstein

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After Epstein was dropped by JP Morgan, another bank stepped in to help his sex trafficking empire keep rolling

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Introducing our new four part series: Epstein's moneymen. A new wave of lawsuits is building against the banks and bankers who are alleged to have enabled Jeffrey Epstein to fund and conceal his sex trafficking empire. Tortoise journalist David Taylor investigates what was happening inside the banks as they profited from their relationships with Epstein.

In episode one, we investigate Jes Staley, one of the most powerful men in banking and Jeffrey Epstein’s protector.

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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Boris Johnson is not a man who has much care for institutions or conventions. So what does his forthcoming resignations honours list mean for the future of the House of Lords?

For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app.

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If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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Why is the Kremlin forcibly deporting tens of thousands of children to Russia?

Tortoise is a newsroom devoted to slow journalism. For early access and ad-free listening subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise for £60 a year.

As a member you’ll also get our newsletters and tickets to live events. Just go to tortoisemedia.com/slowdown.

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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In February this year, the Telegraph newspaper revealed that Roald Dahl's publisher had “updated” some of his stories for young readers and modern audiences. The news went viral – to some it was the moment the world went mad; to others an exaggerated fuss over nothing. 

But it put the publishing industry in the spotlight, and soon questions were being raised about another, more contemporary author – and known provocateur. David Walliams. In this episode we're asking the question facing publishers around the world: how do you keep a lucrative cultural asset from getting cancelled? 

Tortoise is a newsroom devoted to slow journalism. For early access and ad-free listening subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise for £60 a year.

As a member you’ll also get our newsletters and tickets to live events. Just go to tortoisemedia.com/slowdown.

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.  

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A new Tortoise investigation into how the country’s most distressed and vulnerable children are being abandoned by the state.

Tortoise is a newsroom devoted to slow journalism.

For early access and ad-free listening subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise for £60 a year.

As a member you’ll also get our newsletters and tickets to live events. Just go to tortoisemedia.com/slowdown.

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.  

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South Africa was once a symbol of hope. Now the country experiences regular blackouts. This is the story of how the lights went out in Mandela’s country – and how criminal gangs and flawed political leadership are holding back the world’s efforts to deal with climate change.

Tortoise is a newsroom devoted to slow journalism.

For early access and ad-free listening subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise for £60 a year.

As a member you’ll also get our newsletters and tickets to live events. Just go to tortoisemedia.com/slowdown.

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.  

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Towards the end of last year the Director General of MI5, Ken McCallum, warned that the security services knew of at least ten attempts to kidnap or kill UK-based enemies of the regime in Iran. That number is now even higher. Paul Caruana Galizia investigates why Iran wants to silence its critics on the streets of London. 

To listen to episode 2 of the series clickthis link.

Or for early access and ad-free listening subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise for £60 a year.

As a member you’ll also get our newsletters and tickets to live events. Just go to tortoisemedia.com/slowdown.

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.  

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In 2014, a Jordanian man was imprisoned in a prison in Ras Al Khaimah, the northernmost Emirate in the UAE. He alleges he has been illegally detained and threatened. And the man he blames for this is a British lawyer. This is the story of the UK lawyer facing some of the most serious allegations ever levelled against a member of his profession.

Tortoise is a newsroom devoted to slow journalism.

For early access and ad-free listening subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise for £60 a year.

As a member you’ll also get our newsletters and tickets to live events. Just go to tortoisemedia.com/slowdown.

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.  

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The European Research Group was once the most consequential faction in the Conservative party, playing a central role in bringing down former prime minister Theresa May and installing Boris Johnson in Number 10. And yet, in a recent test of strength, the Brexit hardliners stumbled. This is the story of what happened to the ERG.

Tortoise is a newsroom devoted to slow journalism.

For early access and ad-free listening subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise for £60 a year.

As a member you’ll also get our newsletters and tickets to live events. Just go to tortoisemedia.com/slowdown.

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.  

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In the early hours of the morning of the 5 December 2022, a shot – a pulse – was fired that could save the world. It was a shot that achieved what fusion scientists had been seeking for more than half a century. They call it ignition, and it could solve the an energy crisis that’s becoming existential for humanity. This is the story of those precious seconds and the decades leading up to it.

Tortoise is a newsroom devoted to slow journalism.

For early access and ad-free listening subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise for £60 a year.

As a member you’ll also get our newsletters and tickets to live events. Just go to tortoisemedia.com/slowdown.

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.  

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John Williams Ntwali, one of the last critical journalists in Rwanda, died in suspicious circumstances just before Suella Braverman, the British home secretary, flew in to Kigali to sell the country as a “safe” place to send asylum seekers and migrants.

Tortoise is a newsroom devoted to slow journalism.

For early access and ad-free listening subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise for £60 a year.

As a member you’ll also get our newsletters and tickets to live events. Just go to tortoisemedia.com/slowdown.

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.  

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Boris Johnson seems incapable of living within his means – but talented beyond measure at finding people to help him live beyond them. So just who is funding the ex PM? This is the brand of Boris Johnson.

Tortoise is a newsroom devoted to slow journalism.

For early access and ad-free listening subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise for £60 a year.

As a member you’ll also get our newsletters and tickets to live events. Just go to tortoisemedia.com/slowdown.

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.  

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Eight months after his daughter’s wedding to Brooklyn Beckham, billionaire Nelson Peltz filed a lawsuit against two wedding planners demanding a refund. So what happens when you treat a wedding like a billion-dollar business deal? 

Become a Tortoise member for just £60 a year to receive early and ad-free access to all our award-winning audio journalism, as well as our Sensemaker newsletters and tickets to live events. Just go to tortoisemedia.com/slowdown today.

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.”

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Boris Johnson seems incapable of living within his means – but talented beyond measure at finding people to help him live beyond them. So just who is funding the ex PM? And how does he get to all his exotic holidays?

This is the third episode of a four-part series investigating Boris' finances.

To listen to episodes early, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts where you will also get ad-free listening and exclusive access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly shows. 

Tortoise is a newsroom devoted to slow journalism. You can join Tortoise as a member for £60 a year.

As a member you’ll also get our newsletters and tickets to live events. Just go to tortoisemedia.com/slowdown.

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

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For five years a British citizen has been locked up in an Indian prison, and the British state hasn’t been willing – or not strong enough – to stand up for him

Tortoise is a news start-up devoted to slow journalism. To access more of our journalism and get invites to exclusive events you can join Tortoise as a member.Visit www.tortoisemedia.com/friend and use the code Slow60 for a special offer today.

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This is the story of a politician incapable of living within his means but talented beyond measure at finding people to help him live beyond them. It’s the story of how that dependence on others sullied him and them. All of which leads to one simple question: just who is funding Boris Johnson? Episode 2 is the story of the enablers.

This is the second episode of a three part series investigating Boris' finances. To listen to episodes three early, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts where you will also get ad-free listening and exclusive access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly shows. Tortoise is a news start-up devoted to slow journalism. Join our newsroom as a member, for access to all of our audio and written journalism and invitations to exclusive events. Clickhereto join for just £5 a month.

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What happened inside Fox News in those critical weeks following Donald Trump’s election defeat in 2020?

Tortoise is a news start-up devoted to slow journalism. To access more of our journalism and get invites to exclusive events you can join Tortoise as a member.Visit www.tortoisemedia.com/friend and use the code Slow60 for a special offer today.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the story of a politician incapable of living within his means but talented beyond measure at finding people to help him live beyond them. It’s the story of how that dependence on others sullied him and them. All of which leads to one simple question: just who is funding Boris Johnson?

This is the first episode of a four part series investigating Boris' finances. To listen to episodes two and three early, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts where you will also get ad-free listening and exclusive access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly shows. Tortoise is a news start-up devoted to slow journalism. Join our newsroom as a member, for access to all of our audio and written journalism and invitations to exclusive events. Clickhereto join for just £5 a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Warning: This episode describes domestic abuse and a death by falling.

When a woman falls out of a window, on an estate that’s been abandoned by the council, how do you find out what really happened? And who do you believe? 

Tortoise is a news start-up devoted to slow journalism. To access more of our journalism and get invites to exclusive events you can join Tortoise as a member.Visit www.tortoisemedia.com/friend and use the code Slow60 for a special offer today.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First they were known as the “little green men”, an anonymous private Russian force appearing first in Crimea, then Syria, then in central Africa. Now, they are on the frontline of Putin’s war in Ukraine. Just how powerful is the Wagner Group and their increasingly vocal founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin?

Tortoise is a news start-up devoted to slow journalism. To access more of our journalism and get invites to exclusive events you can join Tortoise as a member.

Visit www.tortoisemedia.com/friend and use the code Slow60 for a special offer today. 

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The Harry show – the bestselling memoir, the Netflix documentary, the rounds of television interviews – isn’t over. In fact, it’s only just begun: the prince’s legal claims against Britain’s biggest media groups are headed to court this summer

Tortoise is a news start-up devoted to slow journalism. To access more of our journalism and get invites to exclusive events you can join Tortoise as a member.

Visit www.tortoisemedia.com/friend and use the code Slow60 for a special offer today. 

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Following a brutal killing in north London in 2016, two innocent men, Patryk and Grzegorz, who had just arrived from Poland, were handed a life sentence for a murder they didn’t commit. This is the story of a remarkable miscarriage of justice, and a feeble effort by the law to correct itself.

Tortoise is a news start-up devoted to slow journalism. To access more of our journalism and get invites to exclusive events you can join Tortoise as a member.

Visit www.tortoisemedia.com/friend and use the code Slow60 for a special offer today. 

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What do you do when your children are taken away by your ex-partner? Who do you call for help? And how do you get them back?

Tortoise is a news start-up devoted to slow journalism. To access more of our journalism and get invites to exclusive events you can join Tortoise as a member.

Visit www.tortoisemedia.com/friend and use the code Slow60 for a special offer today. 

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The Christian Legal Centre is behind some of the most tragic cases in the British courts helping parents fight against hospitals in life support cases. Who are they – and what do they want?

Tortoise is a news start-up devoted to slow journalism. To access more of our journalism and get invites to exclusive events you can join Tortoise as a member.

Visit www.tortoisemedia.com/friend and use the code Slow60 for a special offer today. 

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Introducing: 'Real Money: The hunt for Tether's billions'. To listen to episode two of the series, click this link.

The dream of cryptocurrencies is in danger of imploding along with their value. If the crypto coin that supports the whole market goes under it could drag the entire system down with it. That coin is called Tether. 

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Introducing...The News Meeting from Podimo and Tortoise.

In every newsroom around the world there’s a daily meeting to decide what leads the news, what follows and in what order. As editor of The Times newspaper, director of BBC News and now editor-in-chief of Tortoise, James Harding has been in countless news meetings behind closed doors. But in this podcast, we’re flinging the doors open so you can hear the argument for yourself. Three journalists pitch the story they think mattered most this week and James decides the running order.

New episodes are released every Friday.

Follow The News Meetingwherever you get your podcasts

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Over £183 million of outside funds has flowed into this parliament alone, with no way of fully understanding who’s getting what, from whom, and why. Until now. This is the story of the money flowing into our politics, hidden in plain sight.

To explore The Westminster Accounts tool click on this link.

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Nasa wants to put people back on the moon, half a century after Apollo 11. Its Artemis moon mission is over-budget, overhyped and underpowered – it might even be the end of Nasa as we know it.

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One sleuth, two notebooks – and a 20-year puzzle

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Door after door in Britain has been opened for Evgeny Lebedev, all the way to the House of Lords. Who has opened them, and why?

To listen to the 'Londongrad' series follow this link.

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The inside story of a troubled company that was bought by the world’s richest man.

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One of Britain’s richest and most powerful men was cleared of sexual assault last year. Four more women have now come forward with similar allegations that Crispin Odey, a major donor to the Conservative party, sexually assaulted them. Other women allege that he sexually harassed them at the offices of his Mayfair hedge fund company.

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Introducing – The Tavistock: inside the gender clinic.

In a few months, the Tavistock – the only NHS clinic in England and Wales which treats children suffering from gender dysphoria – will close. This is the story of what happened.

This is episode 1 of our new investigative series. To listen to episode 2 today, search The Tavistock: inside the gender clinic or click here: https://podfollow.com/the-tavistock-inside-the-gender-clinic and follow the feed for future episodes 

You can listen to the first three episodes now ad-free and get access to exclusive bonus content coming soon by subscribing to Tortoise+ on Apple podcasts or joining Tortoise as a member. Just visit the Tortoise website and use the code BASIA50 for half price membership.

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One of Britain’s biggest trade unions has built a hotel in Birmingham at vast cost. Following the threads which explain why it became so wildly expensive leads inevitably to a surprising place: to Liverpool. And to questions which could hurt the Labour party.

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Big money and bad science: what happens when science and medical research meet Wall Street?

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