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Hi ,
Halloween is nearly upon us. The Ferret isn't a traditionally spooky organisation, but we can give you 'pumpkin' (something) scary to ponder.
Imagine a world without independent media. Where politicians and public figures can lie without scrutiny. And where only the richest and most powerful get their stories told...
A truly terrifying Halloween vision, that's very close to reality. The Ferret has been working hard for ten years to mitigate this.
And we're relaunching our mission next month with a (non-spooky) party. Get your tickets here.
We're still looking for a few extra prizes for our party raffle. If you'd like to donate a prize, please get in touch via email.
As part of our refresh, we're also asking you, our readers and members, what you like about The Ferret and what we can improve. If you want to give your two cents, fill in this survey.
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Yours,
Ali
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Story of the week
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An in-depth look at a Ferret investigation
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He is the Ukrainian owner of a space rocket company pivotal to Scotland’s burgeoning space industry, who aims to use private enterprise to drive a technological revolution.
Max Polyakov owns Skyrora Limited, the first British rocket firm to receive a space launch licence, and he plans to fire satellites into space from the Shetland Isles in the very near future.
Polyakov’s company has received £2.5m of taxpayers’ money from the UK Space Agency, and £3.8m from the European Space Agency, and includes leading astronaut Tim Peake on its advisory board.
But a Ferret investigation has found Skyrora is linked to online dating services – including one called I Am Naughty – run via an offshore tax and secrecy haven. We’ve also seen court documents citing Polyakov’s alleged links to unlawful online gambling operations in Ukraine and Russia.
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| Read the full story
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What did we dig up this week?
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A round up of our investigations in the last seven days
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Sheku Bayoh Inquiry may not recover from ‘wrecking ball’ of legal challenge, claims family lawyer
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Solicitor Aamer Anwar was responding to news of a spate of resignations from the legal team leading the inquiry into Sheku Bayoh’s death in 2015.
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Footage of trout being clubbed and slaughtered prompts complaint to regulator
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Footage of farmed trout apparently suffocating, haemorrhaging, and being beaten with batons in a slaughterhouse has prompted an official complaint to a government regulator.
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Question of the week
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Is Scotland’s space industry lacking in regulation?
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| Yes
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| No
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We now have a platform exclusive for Ferret Underground subscribers where you can share ideas about future investigations, answer polls and more!
Create an account here to get access.
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Best of the rest
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Investigations we've enjoyed from around the world
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Major banks pump $1.6tn into fossil fuel industry as world nears climate tipping point
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Top financial institutions are involved – from several Chinese banks to Barclays, Deutsche Bank and Crédit Agricole in Europe. (Follow The Money)
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Apple’s family sharing helps keep children safe. Until it doesn’t
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When families break down, the systems put in place to protect children online can fall apart too. (Wired)
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Character.AI to ban under-18s from talking to its chatbots after investigation
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Major safety measures announced by platform after The Bureau of Investigative Journalism discovered bots based on school shooters and paedophiles. (TBIJ)
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