What’s new to listen to

Ximena Smith rounds up the best of recent podcasts.

Fair Game

This new six-episode RNZ investigation looks at the structural barriers preventing Pacific rugby teams from flourishing. Hosted by comedian James Nokise and former professional and journalist John Daniell, the show examines reasons behind the disparity between the high number of Pacific players in elite world teams and the underperformance of nations like Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. Subtitled Pacific Rugby Against the World, the series also has an episode dedicated to the state of women’s rugby in the Pacific, hosted by sports journalist Talei Anderson. It’s thorough, thought-provoking and well-researched, and you don’t need to know that much about the politics of rugby. Nokise’s background as a comedian adds a nice light-heartedness to the show. The first two episodes available now, with new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Havana Syndrome

This eight-part podcast released last month by Vice World News examines the bizarre illness that began affecting American diplomats and spies in Cuba in 2016, causing them to feel dizziness, headaches and memory loss. While the cause of ‘‘Havana syndrome’’ isn’t yet known, many of those affected say they heard a strange buzzing sound before their symptoms started. The show is hosted by the journalists Jon Lee Anderson and Adam Entous, who, in 2018, jointly authored a detailed New Yorker piece about the phenomenon and their deep knowledge and connections add significant heft to the series. They travel to Havana, Vienna and London and speak to former spies, diplomats, neurologists and more. Coincidentally, another podcast examining the Havana syndrome has just been released – hosted by the British journalist Nicky Woolf, The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome is similarly entertaining and engrossing.

Real Money

Tortoise Media latest investigative series looks into the cryptocurrency Tether, a socalled stablecoin, which is tied to the US dollar, so theoretically, for every Tether that exists, a US dollar is in a bank somewhere (in total, there are more than 70 billion Tethers in circulation). However, Tether has never actually disclosed where it keeps its billions, which leaves reporter and Real Money host Aleks Krotoski incredibly suspicious. Told in the same breezy style as Tortoise Media’s other investigative series, this six-part tale follows Krotoski’s quest to track down Tether’s elusive billions.

New episodes every Tuesday.