The Slow Newscast

The fall of Assad in Syria is a disaster for Iran, so much so that people are beginning to ask if this might finally be the moment when Iran’s pro-democracy movement breaks through. This is the story…

In June 2024, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore went into space. It was expected to last just over a week. Instead, by the time they'll return, it'll have been more than eight months.

This is the stor…

Eugenia Kuyda thinks she can solve an “epidemic” of loneliness. Her app, Replika, is “the AI companion who cares”, a chatbot that can text you, flirt with you, and promises to love you unconditionall…

Out on the high seas, Paul Watson became a hero and pariah of the environmental movement. Now he sits in a remote prison. How should we treat the radicals willing to go to extremes to protect the pla…

When Donald Trump declared victory in the US presidential election, he told an adoring crowd that "a star is born". He was referring to Elon Musk.

After months of reporting on the billionaire's use of…

This is a story of stigma, uncomfortable truths and allegations of an attempted cover up at Britain's biggest army base.

As the UK army rapidly modernises its approach towards mental health, an old cu…

The Fury family bridge the gladiatorial old world of boxing and the very new world of influencer culture. This is the story of how one family built a multi-million pound empire with their fists.

Repor…

For thirty years, Sean "Diddy" Combs was hailed as the kingmaker of hip-hop. But now he's in jail, facing three federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and interstate transportat…

Whether Trump wins or loses the US election, he has a political heir: his 40-year-old running mate JD Vance. Beyond the made-up stories about Haitian immigrants eating pets, Vance is deadly serious a…

This is episode one of three. You can binge the entire series today by subscribing to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or by downloading the Tortoise app.

Elon Musk is one of the most powerful m…

Iran is at an inflection point both on the international stage and at home. Uncertainty, unrest and war have shaken it, and there are questions over how long their 85 year old leader will be able to …

The Voyager space probe is sailing through space, far beyond earth's solar system. It is humanity's most distant messenger. And then last year it fell silent. NASA's scientists somehow navigated a 15…

How one of Britain’s most successful book festivals came unstuck over its sponsorship deal.  

Editor's note: Jaguar Land Rover has asked us to point out that they do not sell vehicles directly to the …

The story of Lucy Letby’s trial is, in part, the story of how important expert witnesses have become critical in criminal cases where hard evidence is in short supply. They can be spectacularly insig…

Ten years ago, nude images of dozens of A-list celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and Kirsten Dunst were leaked online following an iCloud hack. 

They’re still all over the internet. Lawrence’s h…

A fifth woman has come forward with allegations against the author Neil Gaiman.

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Following a disastrous live debate against Donald Trump, the Democrats were at panic stations. It looked like Joe Biden was going to lose the election, and he was refusing to step aside. This is how …

Taylor Swift is performing more concerts in London than anywhere else in the world. The city’s had a tangible impact on her music, her career and her personal life. So what does London tell us about …

Marwan Barghouti has long been touted as the next leader for Palestinians. The only problem is he's locked away in an Israeli jail for the rest of his life. Now it is being whispered he could be rele…

Almost a month since the investigation where two women came forward with allegations that the author Neil Gaiman sexually assaulted them - allegations he strenuously denied - more women have come for…