Shuffle off
Spotify will do anything for the mighty Adele. Giles Smith will not
Slow Newscast
Retreat from Kabul: Part 2
The damage was done; the Taliban’s takeover assured. In London, Dominic Raab became the fall guy for government failure and the UK’s power was evidently diminished – and a group of MPs and NGOs worked desperately to get Afghans, left behind by official evacuations, out.
Editor’s Voicemail
The continental Conservative
The PM’s left turn after Brexit has alienated him from many in his own party, making him increasingly vulnerable.
Slow views
Shuffle off
Rather than insisting that people listen to their work in a rigid order, artists like Adele should instead respect listeners’ choices.
edith
The WFH Diet
Working from home has enabled Edith to indulge in the joys of endless grazing – and to push the boundaries of what’s considered edible.
slow views
The Gulag’s ghost
Putin has been trying to bury Russia’s brutal history for decades – and is now using the courts to crush those who preserve its past.
sensemaker our daily roundup of the news that matters
Channel quarrel
26 november 2021
- Visitors to the UK from six African countries were told they would have to quarantine in government-approved hotels because of a heavily-mutated new Covid variant (more below).
- Australia rushed peacekeepers to the Solomon Islands to tackle riots prompted partly by the islands’ 2019 decision to switch diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to mainland China.
- Prime Minister Mario Draghi confirmed that Sharbat Gula, best known as the “Afghan girl” on a 1985 National Geographic cover, has been granted asylum in Italy.
The UK government is finding it hard to be diplomatic when diplomacy is sorely needed. Ministerial talks planned for Sunday have been scrapped by France because of an “unacceptable” open letter from Boris Johnson to Emmanuel Macron.
Slow Views
The bear with no memory
Putin is trying to destroy a precious pillar of Russia’s collective recollection
A culture change is needed in the police – it’s up to the government to lead the way
As a Black police officer, Leroy Logan experienced how embedded racism was in the force. History – and his experience – tell us that for change to happen, political will is required
The light that was journalism in Afghanistan has been snuffed out
Reporters in this troubled land have always faced a tough task. But the return of the Taliban has crushed free speech and the work of the media
A brand new podcast series
Sweet Bobby
How well do you know the person you love?
Listen
Boris Johnson: the continental Conservative
The prime minister has surprised everyone by taking the Tories left, rather than right after Brexit. His government’s big-state agenda has left Labour unmoored, Downing Street exposed, business wary and the PM himself increasingly vulnerable
Ballon d’Or – the unhealthy obsession
On Monday night, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski will go head-to-head to be crowned the world’s best player. But should we really be lauding any player with individual awards?
A hospital’s prisoner
Tony Hickmott has autism and learning difficulties. For more than 20 years he’s been held in a specialist hospital, hours away from his family. His local council blame a lack of other options – how can this be justified?
The Rainbow Team
France’s victorious 1998 World Cup side were nicknamed the “Rainbow Team” for their ethnic diversity. How is Lilian Thuram using his platform to talk about racism today?
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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 next year.
Watch
Is £81k a year enough to be an MP?
With the UK average salary at £31k, surely MPs are living very comfortably on £81k a year? If that’s the case, why do so many have a second job?
Vanity insanity: How far would you go to change the way you look?
Are we losing our grip on reality when it comes to the way we look?
Is the Online Safety Bill a danger to freedom of expression?
A Committee has been gathering evidence on the latest draft of the Bill and will publish its response to that evidence on 10 December. So what is and isn’t in it, and what happens next?
Assisted dying: is the Bill safe?
The Assisted Dying Bill just had its second reading in the House of Lords. What is the reasoning of those in favour, and those who are against?
Book
KITE launch party
Friend of Tortoise members join us to celebrate the launch of KITE – a brand new festival of ideas and music – with Afro-Jazz outfit Nubiyan Twist.
Small business, big problem: are SMEs in the UK falling behind?
Join us for a ThinkIn where we consider what policymakers might do to turn the UK’s SME population into a growth empire.
Open News Meeting
The Tortoise editors’ weekly news conference.
Global AI Summit 2021: Accelerations
covid Inquiry
Why wait until spring 2022?
That’s when the prime minister has said an independent inquiry into the government’s response to Covid will begin. Here at Tortoise, we felt the need was far more urgent – and so, last Autumn, we held our own.
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