Sensemaker

The comedian has been accused of serious sexual assault by multiple women. He denies the allegations and says, without evidence, that they could be part of an attempt by mainstream media to silence him. Where has that claim come from? 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+...

BP’s boss has resigned after he failed to be transparent with the board about his past conduct. What does it tell us about accountability at the top of some of our biggest businesses? 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 suppor...

Thousands have been killed after dams burst during a storm in Libya. Is this the result of government failure or climate change? Listen to the News Meeting here: https://pod.fo/e/1ef64a 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 supp...

Why the North Korean leader went to meet Vladamir Putin in Siberia. 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....

Covid cases are on the rise around the world and public health experts are concerned about a new variant, BA.2.86 or Pirola. What is the UK doing about it? Listen to The News Meeting 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 further...

There have been renewed calls to ban the American bully XL dog breed after one attacked an 11-year-old girl in Birmingham. But would banning them make the streets safer? 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 journal...

It’s been revealed that two people – including a parliamentary researcher – have been arrested on suspicion of spying for China. Why is the news causing so much trouble for the government? 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 furt...

Weight-loss injections like Ozempic and WeGovy are taking over Hollywood and transforming the Danish economy. What happens if things go wrong? For more Tortoise reporting on Novo Nordisk, sign up to the Daily Sensemaker newsletter: tortoisemedia.com For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscri...

When the prime minister resigned, he nominated several of his closest allies to join the House of Lords. But one person stood out precisely because barely anyone had heard of her: Charlotte Owen. 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 fu...

Nearly one year ago, the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked protests across Iran. The unrest triggered national protests which were met with brutal repression, leading to a number of deaths. So what's happening in Iran one year on? For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, s...

The parents of Martha Mills say her death was caused by a toxic workplace culture in the NHS. They are campaigning to introduce procedures for families to ask for a second medical opinion when they have concerns about the current care they’re receiving.   Listen to Merope Mills on The News Meeting podcast: https://podfollow.com/the-news-meeting Listen to Merope Mills on BBC Radio 4: http...

More than 100 schools in England are completely or partially closed because of concerns that the concrete used to build them – and other public buildings, like hospitals – is unsafe. Is this a crisis that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could have prevented? For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, sub...

Andriy Pilschikov was a fighter pilot who caught the attention and imagination of those in the West. He was part of Ukraine's clamour for F-16 fighter planes, but why is the country so keen for them? 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 t...

Last week James Cleverly was the first British foreign secretary to visit China for five years. What does the trip say about the UK’s relationship with Beijing? 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 h...

The president of the Spanish Football Federation is under pressure to resign for kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips after the country won the women’s World Cup. Is this Spain’s MeToo moment? 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...

When Yemen’s civil war broke out in 2014 a tanker that held the crude oil from its oil fields was abandoned in the Red Sea. Now the UN has had to step in to stop one of the largest spills in history. 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 t...

A previously unknown and unsigned musician has topped the US charts with a song that blames urban elites for the troubles of working-class Americans. How did the right turn “Rich Men North of Richmond” into a hit? 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. I...

The descendants of former British prime minister William Gladstone have travelled to Guyana to apologise for their family’s role in the slave trade. 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...

The leader of the Wagner mercenary group is believed to have died in a plane crash in Russia, two months after staging a mutiny against Vladimir Putin. What now for Wagner and Russia’s president? 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 fu...

Japan is going to dispose of radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant by pumping it into the Pacific Ocean. But there have been strong objections from environmental campaigners and neighbouring countries. 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...

The former neonatal nurse has been sentenced to a whole-life order for murdering seven babies in her care and attempting to murder six others. Now the focus is on the hospital where she worked and how she got away with it for so long. 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+...

Spain lifted their first Women’s World Cup trophy after beating England in the final. But off the field matters have dampened their victory. 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 diffe...

Rudy Giuliani used to be known as “America’s Mayor”. Now he’s facing criminal charges for helping Donald Trump in his conspiracy to overthrow the 2020 election result in the US state of Georgia. 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 fur...

It has been more than two months since Nadine Dorries announced that she was resigning with “immediate effect” as the MP for Mid Bedfordshire. Since then she’s behaved like she’s no longer an MP, but she hasn’t actually quit. 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...

Earlier this month, a fire gutted an 18th century pub that police are now treating as arson. It's part of a wider trend across the country. What's happening to Britain's pubs? 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 j...