The UK was one of the first countries to adopt 5G but now it has one of the worst networks in the world. Why is it so difficult to get a decent phone signal in the UK?  Writer: Sophie Fenton Producer: Tomini Babs Host: Claudia Williams Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore 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...

While national debate raged in Spain over who should be held accountable for the deadliest floods in decades, heavy rainfall flooded parts of Southern Italy. Extreme floods are likely to increase as a consequence of climate change: is Europe ready to deal with them? Writer: Serena Cesareo Producer: Casey Magloire Host: Tomini Babs Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr has a long record of criticising vaccines and spreading medical misinformation. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen him to be the secretary of Health and Human Service in his upcoming administration.  To listen to Basia’s interview with RFK Jr click here: https://www.tortoisemedia.com/audio/what-the-rfk-jr/  Writer: Rebecca Moore with additional reporting from Alexi Mostrous.  Producer: Claudia Williams  Host: Claudia Williams Photography: Joe Mee Executive Producer:...

An emperor penguin has turned up on a surfers beach in southwestern Australia, more than 2000 miles away from its natural habitat in the Antarctic. How did it end up so far off course?  Writer and producer: Claudia Williams Episode photography: Jon Jones Executive producer: Rebecca Moore With thanks to Jazz Bailey for her videos. 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...

Justin Welby is the first Archbishop of Canterbury to resign. He stood down following a report into a decades long abuse scandal. Why did it take the CofE more than forty years to get to the bottom of it?  Writer: Phoebe Davis Producer: Eleanor Biggs Photography: Jon Jones Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the COP29 summit in Azerbaijan, countries are exploring the best ways to fund climate action. What lessons can they take from a new aid strategy that helped people in Bangladesh navigate this year’s floods? Writer: Jeevan Vasagar Producer: Casey Magloire Photography: Jon Jones Host: Tomini Babs Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thanks to his alliance with Donald Trump, Elon Musk has achieved an unprecedented combination of political power and immense wealth. What form will this new, supercharged Musk take?  Writer and producer: Patricia Clarke Host: Tomini Babs Photography: Jon Jones Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore  With thanks to Alexi Mostrous, Gary Marshall, Basia Cummings and Matt Russell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The high-speed rail project is now tens of millions of pounds in the red and an expensive bat tunnel is the latest major cost. With its future in doubt, how did it all go so wrong? Featuring Christian Wolmar, host of the podcast Calling All Stations - https://shorturl.at/KTypI Writer and producer: Eleanor Biggs Photography: Jon Jones Host: Tomini Babs Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The conflict in Sudan is intensifying and the fighting has caused the biggest displacement crisis in the world. What is being done to help those fleeing to neighbouring countries? 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...

Donald Trump returns as President of the United States on 20th January 2025. What happens next? We consider the implications for America and the world – from Ukraine and climate change to the US southern border. Writer: David Taylor Producer: Katie Gunning Host: Claudia Williams Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump has been elected US president for a second time, in what some have seen as the greatest comeback in political history. How did he do it? Writer: Xavier Greenwood Producer: Patricia Clarke Host: Claudia Williams Photography: Jon Jones Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The results of the US elections have been coming in all night. What do they tell us about who could be the next president? 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...

The language of the internet has taken on a life of its own with the rise of apps like Tik Tok. How far has the app affected the way we speak in real life? Correction: In this episode we state that "Brat" was the Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year. This is incorrect. "Brat" has actually been named the Collins Dictionary Word of the Year. The Oxford Dictionary has yet to announce its Word of the Year. Writer: Tomini Babs Producer: Tomini Babs Host: Tomini Babs Executive Producer: Jasper...

The 2024 presidential election is set to become the most expensive in history. Who are the billionaires donating to Donald Trump and what do they want in return? Writer: Xavier Greenwood Producer: Xavier Greenwood Host: Casey Magloire Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The dust on Rachel Reeves’s plans for the British economy is beginning to settle. Does her Budget leave young people better or worse off?   Writer: Barney Macintyre Producer: Patricia Clarke Host: Tomini Babs Episode photography: Jon Jones Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More than any other time in history, American men and women have found themselves supporting opposing presidential candidates. But what is driving the battle between the sexes that may decide the next US president?  Writer: Casey Magloire Producer: Eleanor Biggs Host: Tomini Babs Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UK’s new justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has pledged to radically reduce the number of women going to prison in England and Wales. Writer: Phoebe Davis  Producer: Gary Marshall Host: Tomini Babs Episode photography: Jon Jones Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain’s chancellor has announced a big change to the way the country will measure debt. She hopes this will enable more spending for things like hospitals, roads and schools but has she made the right move for the country? Writer: Cat Neilan  Producer: Eleanor Biggs Host: Tomini Babs Episode photography: Jon Jones Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 Kim Jong Un has sent thousands of military personnel to Russia as part of a deal with Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called it a “clear escalation” of the war. Writer: Nina Kuryata Producer: Rebecca Moore Host: Tomini Babs Episode photography: Jon Jones Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world was shocked last week by the news of pop star Liam Payne's death. What does the lurid media coverage that followed tell us about the press’s relationship with celebrities?  Writers: Eleanor Biggs and Tomini Babs Producer: Eleanor Biggs Host: Tomini Babs Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Big tech is hunting away for new sources of power to supply the boom in generative artificial intelligence. Recently, both Google and Microsoft revealed plans to purchase electricity from nuclear power plants. But what impact could this have on the planet?  Writer: Barney Macintyre Producer: Casey Magloire Host: Tomini Babs Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two Just Stop Oil protestors were arrested after throwing a can of Heinz tomato soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. What do their lengthy prison sentences tell us about the changing laws around protest in the UK?  Writer: Jess Swinburne Producer: Casey Magloire Host: Tomini Babs Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Israel and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon remain in a standoff, with the safety of UN peacekeepers on the line. What could happen next?  Writer: Xavier Greenwood Producer: Xavier Greenwood Host: Tomini Babs Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Assisted dying could become law in England and Wales for terminally ill adults. But opponents fear it could lead to a “slippery slope”. What is being proposed, and what has happened in other countries that have adopted similar laws? Writer: Elaine McCallig Producer: Katie Gunning Host: Claudia Williams Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.