The Iranian leader said the water problem in the capital “cannot be solved” and has suggested evacuating the city's nearly ten million residents. Iran and Egypt, two countries that criminalise homosexuality, were picked to play the World Cup's Pride Match in Seattle. And some councils are now regularly paying more than £250,000 a year to support children with special educational needs. Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer reporters Jon Ungoed-Thomas and Jessy Parker Humphreys, and Fronts Editor Evan Moffitt, as they battle it out to pitch the top stories of the day.  **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk  Follow us on Social Media:  @ObserverUK on X  @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky  Host: Rebecca Moore Producer: Amalie Sortland Executive Producer: Gary Marshall To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Head to our website observer.co.uk  Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

After weeks of chasing him, Lydia finally speaks to Vitomir Maričić, the Croatian freediver at the heart of the scandal – and he tells his side of the story.

An anti-doping officer tells Lydia that drugs are only considered a problem in freediving on social media, and in podcasts. She learns the problem is bigger, and more complex, and more corrupt, than she realised.   

The CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency – and the man who caught Lance Armstrong – has advice for Lydia. It's not what she's expecting.   

Vertical Blue, 2023, the moment the doping scandal erupts. The competition organiser, William Trubridge, recounts his plan to catch the dopers – and Lydia investigates the fallout of a very controversial drugs bust.

Lydia travels to Kalamata, Greece, a renowned freediving spot to investigate the doping allegations. What substances are athletes meant to be taking? And what are the risks – to them, and to the sport she loves?   

Three years ago, travel writer Lydia Gard discovered freediving. An extreme and beautiful sport defined by one objective: to dive as deep as you can on one single breath. It soon became a calling. Then, she stumbled on a darker side of the sport. Rumours that a group of top divers were doping to go deeper.  

Three years ago travel writer Lydia Gard discovered freediving. An extreme and beautiful sport defined by one objective: to dive as deep as you can on one single breath. It soon became a calling. And then she stumbled on a darker side of the sport. Rumours were swirling that a group of top divers were doping to go deeper. So she decided to investigate. Deep Water is the latest Tortoise Investigates series from The Observer.

Three years ago travel writer Lydia Gard discovered freediving almost by accident. It's an extreme and beautiful sport defined by one simple objective: to dive as deep as you can on one single breath. Record holders are now routinely diving to more than 120 metres, pushing the sport and their bodies to find out what's humanly possible. Through her coach, Lydia was drawn into a small but fanatical community of competition athletes all united in their drive for depth, and that's where she stumbled on a darker side of the sport. Rumours swirled that a group of top divers were doping to get deeper, faster. As the community began to turn on each other over the allegations, one prominent diver decided to take the law into his own hands. A secret sting operation was meant to put an end to the problem by bringing the alleged dopers out of the dark, and into the light. But the issue hasn't gone away. And now, a lot of people who've been too scared to speak up, are ready to talk.

Journalist Rachel Sylvester investigates the case of 'Australia's worst serial killer'. And discovers, in a story about mothers who have been accused of murdering their own children, there is one man who connects them all: a doctor called Roy Meadow. Our thanks to The Francis Crick Institute for sharing recordings and insights.

Rachel Sylvester travels to Greece to investigate whether genetic science could change the story in the case of Roula Pispirigou – a mother who was convicted of killing her three young children just last year. Our thanks to The Francis Crick Institute for sharing recordings and insights.

Scientist Carola Vinuesa and her team test their extraordinary genetic discovery in a court of law. Our thanks to The Francis Crick Institute for sharing recordings and insights.

Kathleen Folbigg is just trying to survive. She's a grieving mother, sentenced to life in jail for killing her four infant children. That is, until a small group of people start to question whether she might be the victim of a terrible miscarriage of justice. Our thanks to The Francis Crick Institute for sharing recordings and insights.

Kathleen Folbigg experienced unimaginable loss. All four of her infant children died suddenly, over a 10-year period. Their deaths were unexplained. Until a police detective turned up at her door, and arrested Kathleen on suspicion of murder. She was labelled ‘Australia's worst female serial killer', convicted, and was destined to spend most of the rest of her life in jail. Until a different type of detective entered her life. A scientist working in a lab who uncovered the truth behind the deaths. This is the story of a shocking miscarriage of justice, but as journalist Rachel Sylvester starts to investigate how this happened, she learns that Kathleen is not alone – other mothers have endured the same fate, and may also be in prison. The Lab Detective is a story about the power of science, and the determination of those searching for the truth.