The radical climate protest group Just Stop Oil delighted supporters and infuriated opponents in equal measure. But then the government began to crack down on them. So where are they now?

Reporter: David Taylor

Producer: Matt Russell

Artwork: Lola Williams

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Editor: Jasper Corbett

To find out more about The Observer:

• Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
• Head to our website observer.co.uk 
• Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

Ad: Go to www.incogni.com/slownewscast for your exclusive discount.

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 [email protected]

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

The brutal circumstances of Sara Sharif’s death were described by the judge that sent her killers to prison as torture. But when it emerged that the two adults who murdered her were granted parental responsibility by a family court judge four years earlier, the finger of blame began to wander. Who could have saved Sara Sharif? 

Reporter: Louise Tickle

Producer: Ada Barumé

Artwork: Lola Williams

Sound Design: Dominic Delargy

Editor: Jasper Corbett

To find out more about The Observer:

• Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
• Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Ad: Go to www.incogni.com/slownewscast for your exclusive discount.

• Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists
• 
  

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 [email protected]

Ad: Go to www.incogni.com/slownewscast for your exclusive discount.

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

We are partnering with Greenpeace and Crowd Network, so that we can continue to bring our listeners brilliant investigations on The Slow Newscast. You can join Tortoise as a member to get early and ad-free access to new series and support our investigations at www.tortoisemedia.com/invite

What does it sound like at the bottom of the ocean?

In this new podcast from Greenpeace and Crowd Network, you can find out. Join Wildlife Filmmaker Hannah Stitfall as she embarks on a journey across the planet and under the waves.

You’ll be swimming with dolphins, visiting the seabed, and meeting the people aiming to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030.

Part of the series was even recorded aboard the ship Arctic Sunrise in the Arctic Circle.

Season 2 is out now, listen on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

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

Police officers aren’t allowed to strike or join a trade union. They rely instead on an organisation called the Police Federation to represent their interests. It’s a surprisingly powerful body that ultimately affects the way all of us are policed. This is the story of how it lost its way. 

Reporter: John Simpson

Producer: Katie Gunning

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Blythe Walker Sibthorp

Editor: Jasper Corbett

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

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 [email protected]

Ad: Go to www.incogni.com/slownewscast for your exclusive discount.

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

North Korean troops are in combat, likely for the first time since the Korean war in the 1950s. Not in Korea, but in Europe. Because last summer Ukraine launched a surprise offensive in Kursk, Russia. Since then, Russia have retaken most of the land taken. To do so, Russia looked towards North Korea.

This is the story of Kursk...and how North Korea came to play a potentially key role in the war.

Reporter: Claudia Williams

Producer: Matt Russell

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Lola Williams

Editor: Jasper Corbett and Ceri Thomas

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 ad-free content

Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more

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 [email protected]

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

Manchester United is a club used to success. But it is languishing in the league and saddled with debt. This is the story of how one of the world's most successful football clubs fell apart.

Reporter: Xavier Greenwood

Producer: Xavier Greenwood

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Lola Williams

Editor: Jasper Corbett

To find out more about Tortoise:

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

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

Earlier this year the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, wrote about a group of people he called zealots. And he identified one man in particular who the Prime Minister claimed was costing the country its future. But maybe he's saving it? This is the story of that man, the so-called zealots, and a prime minister who wants to take them on.

Reporter: Katie Gunning

Producer: Matt Russell

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Lola Williams

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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 ad-free content

Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more

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 [email protected]

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

Donald Trump has ordered the federal government to scrap its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and corporate America has supposedly followed suit. But this has someone else's fingerprints all over it. This is the story of how one man tried to kill an idea.

Reporter: Stephen Armstrong

Producer: Ada Barumé

Sound design: Karla Patella

Artwork: Lola Williams

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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 ad-free content

Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more

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 [email protected]

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

Memecoins started as a fad. A niche but fun way to bet on the longevity of internet trends. But then, days before his second inauguration, Donald Trump launched his own, $TRUMP… and changed the game. The value soared as supporters piled in, before crashing when his wife, Melania Trump, also released one. Amid the mayhem, one early buyer of the coin walked away with $109 million.

The path to finding out who profited from $TRUMP goes through Argentina, where a young and naive entrepreneur called Hayden Davis attempted to pull off a similar stunt with the backing of the nation’s libertarian president, Javier Milei. But while Trump seemed to get away with it, Davis is now facing calls to be arrested.

This episode offers a rare glimpse into a murky world full of get-rich-quick schemes, flashy personalities and cut-throat deals. It also carries a warning: what happens when unregulated crypto assets become a core part of the US economy?

Reporter: Patricia Clarke and Barney Macintyre

Producer: Patricia Clarke

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Lola Williams

Editors: Jasper Corbett and Ceri Thomas

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 ad-free content

Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more

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 [email protected]

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

Surfing’s ultimate barrier is the 100 foot wave. In Dec 23-year-old Alo Slebir is rumoured to have surfed a 108 foot wave. The problem is no one can agree how big the wave actually was.  

Reporter: Claudia Williams 

Producer: Ada Barumé  

Sound design: Karla Patella 

Artwork: Lola Williams 

Executive Producer: Matt Russell 

Editor: Jasper Corbett 

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 ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more 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 [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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