Sensemaker

The Observer

The Sensemaker from The Observer - one story every day to make sense of the world.

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1,388 episodes
Updated June 19

Episodes1388

Newest first

Mar 23, 2022 · 6 min
Ep 308: The hostage left behind
When a 40-year-old debt was settled between Britain and Iran last week, two British hostages were allowed to return home. So why was Morad Tahbaz, also a British hostage, left behind?
Mar 22, 2022 · 7 min
Ep 307: The propagandist and the protestor
The Kremlin has near total control over the media in Russia, so when one woman demonstrated against the Ukraine war live on air, she disrupted the narrative. What do we know about the protestor and the presenter she interrupted?
Mar 21, 2022 · 7 min
Ep 306: Putin: what do we know about him?
Western leaders are trying to predict the Russian president's next move. Some believe he has become isolated. What do we know about Vladimir Putin's life?
Mar 18, 2022 · 8 min
Ep 305: Invaded: A family reunited
Halyna’s parents attempt to escape their hometown in eastern Ukraine.
Mar 17, 2022 · 8 min
Ep 304: Nazanin freed
British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has returned home to the UK after being held hostage by Iran for nearly six years. What do we know about why she was finally released?
Mar 16, 2022 · 6 min
Ep 303: Russia-Ukraine: Whose side is China on?
President Xi Jinping has said his friendship with Vladimir Putin has "no limits". So what does he make of Russia's invasion of Ukraine?
Mar 15, 2022 · 6 min
Ep 302: The Russian convoy
A 40-mile column of Russian trucks, tanks and armoured vehicles was a symbol of its military might. But then it got stuck. What does it tell us about the invasion of Ukraine?
Mar 14, 2022 · 6 min
Ep 301: Endurance endures
The frozen seascape just off Antarctica, home to a sunken ship for 106 years, is one of the most scientifically important ecosystems on the planet. What can it teach us about climate change?
Mar 11, 2022 · 8 min
Ep 300: Invaded: Realities of war
In Lviv, Halyna feels quite far from the invasion. But for her parents, who live near the border with Russia, it is very real.
Mar 10, 2022 · 7 min
Ep 299: The UK and Ukrainian refugees
Two weeks on from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the UK has only granted 760 visas to Ukrainian refugees. Why?
Mar 9, 2022 · 7 min
Ep 298: Prosecuting Russia’s crimes
Accused of committing war crimes, Russia is being investigated by the international criminal court. But prosecuting those responsible will not be easy.
Mar 8, 2022 · 6 min
Ep 297: The return of Viktor Yanukovych?
Ousted in 2014, the corrupt former president could be Vladimir Putin’s pick to replace Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine.
Mar 7, 2022 · 7 min
Ep 296: NATO says no to Ukraine no-fly zone
Activist Daria Kaleniuk made an impassioned plea to Boris Johnson for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, but NATO doesn’t want to risk a direct confrontation with Russia. She tells Tortoise why she thinks it is the wrong decision.
Mar 4, 2022 · 8 min
Ep 295: Invaded: Escape from Kyiv
Just a few days ago, Halyna was a young woman living a peaceful life in Ukraine's capital. Now she has been forced to flee because of the war.
Mar 3, 2022 · 7 min
Ep 294: Adapt to survive
Flash flooding in Sydney comes in the same week a major report offered the ‘bleakest warning yet’ on the impacts of climate breakdown, but it's not entirely out of our control yet.
Mar 2, 2022 · 6 min
Ep 293: Germany’s historic shift
Germany has overturned decades-old security and foreign policy doctrines in the face of Russia’s aggression in eastern Europe. How did it happen?
Mar 1, 2022 · 6 min
Ep 292: Judging Russian dissent
There have been protests and high profile Russians have criticised the invasion of Ukraine. But how do you work out the true extent of opposition to Putin’s war?
Feb 28, 2022 · 6 min
Ep 291: From comedian to wartime president
Before Russia’s invasion, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky faced criticism at home. Now he is a wartime leader rising to the moment.
Feb 25, 2022 · 9 min
Ep 290: Invaded: A view from Kyiv
A Ukrainian woman describes the day her country was invaded by Russia.
Feb 24, 2022 · 7 min
Ep 289: Needle spiking: what really happened?
Last autumn, reports of women being spiked with needles in clubs or at parties began to circulate. But months on, no confirmed cases have been found. So what happened?