A Russian war crime
A 21-year-old soldier has been jailed for life for killing an unarmed civilian in the early days of the Russian invasion. What does it mean and how might the Kremlin retaliate?
tonight’s Thinkin
Making sense of Web3
Web3 may be the latest obsession of venture capital firms and startups, but what is it exactly? Some say it’s the future of the internet – so why isn’t it doing so well? Join us in our newsroom this evening at 6.30pm to find out.
Comment
Ask not what Sue Gray can do for you…
It’s up to us to confront the threat the PM poses to British democracy.
Slow newscast
Odesa
Russia’s war means nothing is getting out of the Ukrainian port of Odesa. If it doesn’t reopen, millions will starve.
The Backstory
Episode 5 – Ash Sarkar
Andrew Neil talks to the journalist about her political beliefs how she deals with the abuse she gets on Twitter.
Tech states Sensemaker
Have we passed peak Amazon?
The tech giant’s stock price is dropping. How much trouble is Amazon in?
sensemaker our daily roundup of the news that matters
Uvalde
25 may 2022
- Russia said more than 900 Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered in Mariupol have been sent to prison camps in Russian-held Donbas.
- Recep Tayep Erdogan said Turkey was serious about preventing Finland and Sweden’s accession to Nato membership.
- Tom Cruise got a standing ovation at Cannes for saying he did his own stunts for the same reason Gene Kelly did his own dancing.
If a cryptocurrency collapses somewhere in the ether, does anyone in the real world care? We know the answer now, because it happened last week. It’s yes, up to a point.
War in Ukraine
All our coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in one place, including daily voicemail updates from people inside the country.
Listen
The family that crashed a country
Running Sri Lanka is the Rajapaksa family business. Gotabaya is the president and at one point last year there were five of them in the cabinet. Now the country is on the verge of economic collapse.
Episode 5 – Ash Sarkar
Andrew Neil talks to the left-wing writer and contributing editor at Novara Media about why she’s “literally a communist”, her support for Jeremy Corbyn and how she deals with the abuse she gets on Twitter
Unstoppable inflation?
The governor of the Bank of England warned last week that inflation could get worse – and that most things driving price rises are beyond his control. But others say the Bank was slow to act when prices first started going up. Could it have done more?
Brand new podcast series
Inside the energy transition
Is a fair transition away from fossil fuels the stuff of dreams, or a genuine possibility?
Over six episodes, Centre for Net Zero CEO Lucy Yu and Tortoise editor Giles Whittell explore the biggest questions and debunk the most commonplace myths about the transition to a green, clean energy future.
Read
Matthew d’Ancona
Every Monday, Tortoise editor and award-winning commentator Matthew d’Ancona picks apart the political stories that matter with wit, flair and insider knowledge in his weekly column.
Ask not what Sue Gray can do for you…
The only certainty about the final report on partygate is that Johnson’s response will be inadequate. It is for others to stop the rot
The Buffalo massacre should shame the world
Almost two years since George Floyd’s murder, this racist atrocity should not be treated in isolation from the poisonous climate in which it took place
How Starmer can lose – and win
As the “Mr Rules” of Westminster, the Labour leader will be in an impossible position if fined over “beergate”. He should say in advance that he will go
We’re not cutting emissions fast enough.
Which is why we launched the Accelerating Net Zero Coalition last year: a group of partners determined to make progress towards net zero. With the help of these businesses we’re hosting solution-focused discussions on how to get there together.
Everyone can join
By offering sponsored membership to those who otherwise could not join Tortoise, we are truly an open and inclusive newsroom.
The Slow Newscast
Our biggest stories given voice
Odesa
23 May 2022
35 minutes
The Ukrainian port normally feeds the world, but the Russian invasion means nothing is getting out. Can we reopen the port – or will millions starve?
Revealed: Stormy Daniels and her battle for truth
Who is the real Stormy Daniels? Hattie Garlick meets arguably one of America’s most misunderstood and misrepresented women
Downfall: twenty days that did for Rishi Sunak
How did Rishi Sunak go from one of the most popular members of the government to one of the least in a matter of days? Matthew d’Ancona pieces together what happened
Mariupol
Two atrocities in the port city of Mariupol epitomise Russia’s violence in Ukraine. This is the story of those atrocities and of Mariupol’s truth
The Lost Ark
What happens when a museum possesses a group of objects so sacred that they can never be seen in public or studied in private – and the original owners want them back?
A multi-part podcast series
Sweet Bobby
How well do you know the person you love?
Watch
Does British democracy work for you?
Who has the power to change Britain for the better, and where?
Making sense of the right to protest with Dave Taylor
Is the right to live without disruption more important than the right to protest?
Slow News Cafe at the British Library
Bring your morning paper routine to the British Library, with a Tortoise Editor and special guests.
Sack the leaders: are young people the answer to a net-zero future?
How can young people turn their activism into impactful action, when it’s often a struggle just to get their voices heard?
Campaign
We need to get the world vaccinated as fast as possible. We’re in an arms race: vaccines vs variants. That’s why we’ve launched our Vaccine Tracker along with a campaign to vaccinate the world by the end of this year.
Book
Beyond tobacco: is the end of cigarettes nigh?
Is a world without tobacco a real possibility? Almost a fifth of the world’s population smoke, and there are many others who feel strongly that smoking should be banned outright. But how can you turn off an industry worth $818billion?
Does British Democracy Work For You?
Who has the power to change Britain for the better, and where?
In conversation with Caroline Criado-Perez
How can we close the gender data gap and design a world that works for everyone?
Does British Democracy Work For You?
Who has the power to change Britain for the better, and where?
Policing INquiry
Are the police institutionally sexist?
Last year we held the Tortoise Policing Inquiry to discover why policing goes wrong, and whether it can be fixed.
Our members like
Edith
We’re building a different type of newsroom, for a slower, wiser news.
Members are at the heart of what we do
Our members bring a diverse range of voices into our newsroom to inform our journalism.
Taking the time to get it right
News has become noise. We sort through it all and crunch the data to call out what really matters.
A fresh approach to journalism
We use infographics, absorbing audio and stunning photography to make complex stories clear and enjoyable.
