America's war against Iran has revealed plenty of gunslinging, provocative rhetoric from the US defence secretary Pete Hegseth. But is there much to learn about America's aims in Iran from Trump's self-described 'secretary of war'?

Reporter/Producer: Alexi Mostrous and Ada Barumé

Artwork: Blythe Walker Sibthorp

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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Genetic testing start ups are a booming industry in America. Behind the headlines of 'designer babies' are companies tapping into disputed science, facing accusations that this is a pathway to eugenics. So what does the story of one company in particular tell us about this new field of fertility and science?

Reporters: Madeleine Parr and Matt Russell

Producers: Madeleine Parr and Matt Russell

Additional production: Gary Marshall

Artwork: Blythe Walker Sibthorp

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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Alexi sits down with the reporter of this week’s Slow Newscast, Francisco Garcia, to talk about one stop in particular on the road to Putin’s frontline, the Orthodox Church. How did a young man from Dunblane end up converting to this ancient form of Christianity? And why are so many young men converting to the Orthodox Church?

Producer: Ada Barumé

Executive Producer: Matt Russell

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Jay Fraser was born and raised in Dunblane. Then, after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he signed up to fight...for Russia, not Ukraine. Now he and others who have followed similar paths tell their story of how they ended up on the frontline for Putin.

Reporter: Francisco Garcia

Producers: Gary Marshall and Matt Russell

Artwork: Lucy Stevenson

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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Stephen Miller is the United States Homeland Security Advisor. But the vague sounding title belies his immense influence with Donald Trump behind the scenes. He’s better understood as the architect of some of the US’s most audacious recent policies - the capturing of Venezuelan President Maduro, the rollout of ICE enforcement through communities, and a threat to capture Greenland. So what can he tell us about what America will do next?

Credits:

Reporter: Stephen Armstrong

Reporter/Producers: Madeleine Parr, Poppy Bullard, Jonathan Lewis

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Lucy Stevenson

Editors: Matt Russell & Jasper Corbett

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The Epstein Files are wreaking havoc across British institutions; first the Royal family and now, the government. Peter Mandelson was sacked as US Ambassador in September over his links to the billionaire paedophile, but the latest tranche of documents show the pair were closer than anyone previously knew. What did their relationship look like? And did it give Jeffrey Epstein access to the heart of the British government?

Reporters: Ada Barume and Poppy Bullard

Producer: Poppy Bullard

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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The dating app Bumble built its identity on a promise: women make the first move. In this episode, The Observer uncovers a legal campaign by men’s rights activists that helped dismantle that premise.

Correction: A previous version of this episode stated that the Los Angeles Angels baseball case settled for $500,000. That case did not settle and was dismissed in court. It was a separate case involving the Oakland Athletics baseball team that settled for $500,000. This episode has been updated.

Reporter: Patricia Clarke

Producer: Jonathan Lewis

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Blythe Walker Sibthorp

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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There are over a thousand oil tankers at sea that are helping finance Russia's war in Ukraine in plain sight. And they're not just trading in sanctioned oil, they're sabotaging the very infrastructure we all rely on. The UK and EU know about them, they pass right by our coasts, but so far have been unable to stop them at any sort of scale. This is the story of a shadow ship, sailing its way through sanctions, sabotage and subterfuge.

Credits: 

Reporter/Producer: Matt Russell

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Lola Williams

Executive Producer: Gary Marshall

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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Rachel hears the shocking story of “Patient A”, who explains that patients are at risk too. Her testimony raises more questions about the way sexual misconduct cases are handled in healthcare, as victims — both doctors and patients — call for change.

Reporter: Rachel Sylvester

Producer: Gary Marshall

Artwork: Lola Williams

Sound Design: Dominic Delargy

Editor: Jasper Corbett 

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This week Brooklyn Beckham publicly cut ties with his parents David and Victoria Beckham. Its exposed a rift in the family that seemingly dates back at least to Brooklyn's wedding.

More than two years ago, Brooklyn Beckham married the actress Nicola Peltz in a wedding that did not go smoothly. Nicola Peltz's billionaire father, Nelson Peltz, filed a lawsuit against two wedding planners demanding a refund. The Observer's Claudia Williams in this episode of the Slow Newscast asked the question: what happens when you treat a wedding like a billion-dollar business deal? 

This episode was first published on 28th March 2023

Reporter: Claudia Williams

Producer: Imy Harper

Sound design: Sam Mbatha

Editor: Basia Cummings

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