The England men’s cricket team faces calls to boycott an upcoming match against Afghanistan in protest of the Taliban’s oppressive policies, particularly their human rights abuses against women and girls. But should athletes be forced to take a stand?

Writers: Phoebe Davis and Andrew Butler

Producer: Casey Magloire

Photography: Joe Mee

Host: Tomini Babs

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

Donald Trump is sworn in for his second term as President of the United States. What did his Inauguration Address tell us about the direction he is setting for America and the world – from immigration and climate change to the future of Ukraine?

Writer: David Taylor

Producer: Rebecca Moore

Host: Tomini Babs

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

This month, the UK government vowed to crack down on explicit AI deepfakes by going after the people who create them. But the story of a popular “nudify” app highlights why tackling the issue is so challenging.

Writer: Patricia Clarke

Producer: Patricia Clarke

Photography: Joe Mee

Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore

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After 15 months of conflict, could this week’s ceasefire deal mark the beginning of the end of one of the deadliest wars in modern history?

Writers: Lilly Cheslaw and Rebecca Moore.

Producer: Katie Gunning. 

Photographer: Joe Mee. 

Executive producer: Jasper Corbett. 

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Offshore windfarms are powerful generators of clean energy and are a key part of Labour’s green energy pledge. But these colossal turbines can blind the UK’s defence systems. What does this mean, and what can be done about it?

This episode was written by Elaine McCallig

Mixed by Casey Magloire.

Photography by Jon Jones. 

Executive producer is Rebecca Moore

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The ongoing legal battle over TikTok’s future could see the app banned from Sunday. As political and legal pressures mount, TikTok's 170 million American users are left wondering if their beloved platform will survive.

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Silicon Valley is changing. Big tech executives are looking at  another term under Donald Trump and deciding its time for a shake-up. It’s out with the old and in with the new. 

Writer: Barney Macintyre

Producer: Patricia Clarke

Photography: Jon Jones

Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore

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Niantic, the company behind the game that took the world by storm in 2016, is building a massive geospatial AI model that could end up powering robots – all using player data. 

The company behind the wildly popular augmented reality game has been quietly helping to train a massive AI model by collecting user data to build a detailed 3D map of the world. While this geospatial model could power innovations like Augmented Reality glasses, there are concerns about privacy and potential uses for military applications.

Writer and Producer: Patricia Clarke

Photography: Jon Jones

Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore

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

What are bond yields and why does their rise risk derailing the Labour government’s plans for the UK?

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

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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]

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South Korea faced a major crisis when President Yoon imposed martial law late last year. Why do his supporters rally behind him with American ‘Stop the Steal’ flags?

Writer: Eleanor Biggs

Mix: Casey Magloire

Photography: Jon Jones

Host: Casey Magloire

Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore

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Following the closure of the marine zoo they live in, France's last two captive orcas, Wikie and Keijo, face an uncertain future. Could relocating them to a proposed whale retirement home in Canada be their best option?

Writer and producer: Claudia Williams

Executive producer: Rebecca Moore

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