Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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Opinion polls
After the events of the past few weeks, opinion polls suggest that Labour has opened up a substantial lead over the Conservatives. But can the polls be trusted? And even when they are accurate, do they help or hinder the national debate? Polls suggesting that Rishi Sunak stood no chance against Liz Truss set the tone for the Tory leadership race, and yet the result ended up being much closer than expected. Do we need a new approach to gauging – and reporting – public opinion?
Language tests
The language app Duolingo is reportedly in talks with the British government to provide English-language testing for people applying to become UK citizens. The advantage for potential applicants is clear: the new online test would cost £50, compared to £300 for the existing language test. Is there any reason not to move official testing online?
Danish royals
The Queen of Denmark apologised to her grandchildren this week after stripping some of them of their royal titles – but she didn’t reverse the decision. While Denmark’s monarchy remains popular, Queen Margrethe II said that cutting the number of princes and princesses was essential for the survival of the institution. Is she right? And could a similar streamlining come to the UK too?
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4 ways to cover unexpected home repairsThe Explainer Home is where the heart is — but it might cost you
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Why is Trump attacking Intel's CEO?Today's Big Question Concerns about Lip-Bu Tan's Chinese connections
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One great cookbook: 'Salt to Taste'The Week Recommends Your roadmap to satisfying Italian home cooking
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Koran burning in Scandinavia: freedom of expression’s ultimate test?Talking Point Anti-Islam demonstrations have sparked condemnation and raised constitutional challenges for Sweden and Denmark
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The Week Unwrapped: Korean succession, terror by algorithm and German disquietpodcast Could a 10-year-old girl rule North Korea? Will an Isis victim upend web law? And why is Germany upset with its Oscars contender?
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The Week Unwrapped: Chinese chips, the Pope in Africa and podcastingpodcast Is China losing the microchip war? What is the Vatican doing in South Sudan? And has the podcast tide turned?
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The Week Unwrapped: Sex and health, the Earth’s core and another new yearpodcast Is the NHS failing British women? What’s going on at the centre of our planet? And what’s in a date?
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The Week Unwrapped: Antisocial Saudis, hormone therapy and retro techpodcast Why is Saudi Arabia investing in – and banning – social networks? Will new research make life easier for trans women? And is the future of technology dumb?
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The Week Unwrapped: AI in court, Germans in Taiwan and ghostwriterspodcast Could artificial intelligence replace lawyers? What does Taiwan want from Germany? And are ghostwriters becoming less ghostly?
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The Year Unwrapped: White refugees, Aegean islands and celebrity gossippodcast Was 2022 the year of the white refugees? What’s really going on in the Aegean sea? And why are we so obsessed with showbiz scandals?
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The Week Unwrapped: Tracking apps, BTS and stay-at-home girlfriendspodcast Does China’s U-turn mark the end of Covid-tracking apps? Has South Korean pop passed its peak? And are we really seeing the rise of the stay-at-home girlfriend?
