Sensemaker

Countries vulnerable to climate change want billions of dollars in compensation. It’s going to be one of the big fights at COP28. Sign up to Tortoise's free, daily Sensemaker newsletter here . To find out more about Tortoise: - Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists - Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and exclusive content - Become...

Conservative party deputy chairman Lee Anderson claims he was offered money to defect to Reform UK. Its leader has denied it, but what do we know about its influence on British politics? 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 sup...

Qatar has announced that the pause in fighting has been extended by two days. Why does the Gulf State have so much influence? 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 ne...

What we’ve learned about his record as chancellor during the pandemic. 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 tortoisemed...

Why the former governor of South Carolina could pose a threat to Donald Trump in the race to become the Republican presidential nominee. 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...

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt claims he’s announced “the biggest package of tax cuts since the 1980s” after lower than expected government borrowing and a significant fall in inflation. 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 slo...

UK regulators have approved the world’s first gene editing therapy for human use. Could it be the start of a healthcare revolution? 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...

Gaza’s largest hospital is currently at the centre of Israel’s war against Hamas. But what’s actually happening there? You can listen to Tortoise's new investigative series Walter's War here . 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 furth...

The UK’s Supreme Court has ruled that the government’s policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful. But some politicians, including the prime minister, are once again blaming a court in Strasbourg for its troubles. What is the ECHR and the convention it upholds? For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad...

From pandemic heroes to tabloid fodder... what’s going on with Captain Tom’s family and his charitable foundation? 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...

What a rift between the Ukrainian president and the country’s top military commander tells us about the state of war with Russia. 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 o...

In a dramatic cabinet reshuffle, Rishi Sunak sacked his Home Secretary and appointed former prime minister, David Cameron, as Foreign Secretary. What does the reshuffle tell us about where the Conservative party is heading? For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Torto...

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after its attack on October 7th. But what will happen to Gaza once the war is over? 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,...

Conservative peer Michelle Mone has acknowledged being involved in a company awarded government contracts to supply PPE during the Covid pandemic. 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...

Palestinians in the West Bank face violence from Jewish settlers as war rages in Gaza. 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 Tortois...

Suella Braverman’s plan to crackdown on rough sleepers living in tents – and her comments about it being a “lifestyle choice” – mask the reality of Britain’s homelessness problem. 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 sl...

The oil-rich Gulf kingdom will host the 2034 men’s football World Cup. How did it win the bid, why is it controversial and what does it tell us about the shift happening in the world’s most popular sport? 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 l...

It has been one month since Hamas launched a devastating attack on Israel and took hundreds of people hostage. How are their friends and family coping? 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 bu...

At the end of the UK’s first AI Safety Summit Rishi Sunak sat down to interview Elon Musk. What did we learn and why were they having the conversation in the first place? 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 journa...

Boris Johnson and his supporters like to say he “got the big calls right” as prime minister, but evidence given to the Covid inquiry has cast doubt on that claim. What have we learnt about his leadership? 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 l...

Keir Starmer is facing widespread and open rebellion from Labour MPs and members of his shadow cabinet over his handling of the conflict in Gaza. Did a speech he gave this week succeed in uniting the party? 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...

Two police officers were sacked after being found guilty of gross misconduct over the stop and search of two Black athletes. What does the reaction from some serving and former officers tell us about the culture in the Met? 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 P...

Israel’s prime minister has said its military will “eliminate the enemy above the ground and beneath the ground”. What do we know about the network of tunnels beneath Gaza? 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 jour...

Italy’s prime minister, a champion of traditional values, has split from her partner after he propositioned other women. What does it reveal about the way in which conservative politicians are dealing with a changing society? 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...

Humza Yousaf fears for the safety of his wife’s parents, her brother and his children, as they shelter in Gaza with no food, water, or electricity. What does their story tell us about the situation there and the efforts to get people out? For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Torto...