Guardian Focus podcast
By guardian.co.uk
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Podcast Description
Each week, Guardian correspondents and commentators take a detailed look at an issue in the news
| Name | Description | Released | Price | ||
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1 |
Guardian Focus podcast: reviewing the Arab spring | We're looking back at the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. With much of the region still in a state of ferment, what are the possibilities and dangers that lie ahead? | 23 12 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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2 |
Guardian Focus podcast: are Britain's roads safe for cyclists? | With the toll of cycling casualties growing, Hugh Muir asks what needs to happen for roads to become a safer place for bikes | 16 12 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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3 |
Guardian Focus podcast: England's riots and the prospect of a lost generation | Only half of those who took part in the summer riots said they felt a part of British society. We hear from five young Londoners on how they see their futures and their place in society | 9 12 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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4 |
Guardian Focus podcast: public sector strike | Unite's Rachael Maskell, Matthew Sinclair of the Taxpayers Alliance and Tom Clark discuss this week's public sector strike over the reform of pensions. With Hugh Muir | 1 12 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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5 |
Guardian Focus podcast: the housing crisis | Hugh Muir examines the government's new housing strategy. Will it make any difference? | 25 11 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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6 |
Guardian Focus podcast: zero tolerance to gang culture | Analysis commissioned by the government suggests only 13% of those arrested in the UK's riots this summer could credibly be linked to gangs. So is a zero-tolerance approach to gangs missing the point? | 18 11 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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7 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Should veterans of the armed forces get more support? | Hugh Muir examines whether ex-servicemen and women are given the help they need to adapt to civilian life | 11 11 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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8 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Libya's future | Hugh Muir explores the political and business possibilities for post-Gaddafi Libya | 4 11 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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9 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Rev Giles Fraser and the Occupy London camp | Reverend Giles Fraser tells Alan Rusbridger how a protest on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral led to his resignation as canon | 27 10 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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10 |
Guardian Focus podcast: disability benefit cuts | Hugh Muir examines proposed cuts to disability benefits. Is this a sensible plan to get the finances under control, or an attack on the most vulnerable? | 20 10 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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11 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Disunited Kingdom? | This week the SNP announced it will hold a referendum on full Scottish independence. Hugh Muir explores what devolution offers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland | 13 10 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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12 |
Guardian Focus podcast: squatters' rights | Hugh Muir examines whether home owners need more protection from squatters - and what effect criminalisation will have on the homeless | 5 10 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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13 |
Guardian Focus podcast: David Cameron's war in Libya | Chief political correspondent Nicholas Watt, RUSI defence analyst Mark Phillips and the Independent's Bruce Anderson join Hugh Muir to discuss the PM's first war | 30 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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14 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Dale Farm and sites for Travellers | In 2008 £97m was made available for providing sites for Travellers. In this podcast, we look at what happened to the money, and examine the coalition's policy on Travellers | 26 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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15 |
Guardian Focus podcast: What will UN recognition of a Palestinian state mean? | We discuss the implications of Palestinians asking for UN recognition of statehood, with views from the Middle East, the US and Britain | 19 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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16 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Free schools | Will free schools drain funds and resources - or raise educational standards? Hugh Muir examines their likely impact | 12 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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17 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Tottenham after the riots | Last month disturbances in north London triggered riots around England. Hugh Muir looks at prospects for Tottenham as it attempts to move on | 5 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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18 |
Guardian Focus podcast: famine in Somalia | The Horn of Africa is experiencing a food crisis and the UN has declared famine in parts of Somalia. What does the relief effort look like? And what comes next? | 18 8 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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19 |
Guardian Focus podcast: UK riots | Riots and looting that began in north London have spread to other English cities. Jonathan Freedland, Dave Hill and Stafford Scott discuss the causes of the worst civil unrest in a generation – and how it might be stopped | 10 8 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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20 |
Guardian Focus podcast: The English language and immigration | Should the government be forcing people to speak English? Hugh Muir investigates | 4 8 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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21 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Examining the British far right | With the far right making political gains in France, Denmark and the Netherlands, and now the terrorist atrocity in Norway, what's the state of the far right in the UK? | 28 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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22 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Population growth | Soon the world's population will reach 7 billion. But do more people necessarily mean more problems? | 27 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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23 |
Guardian Focus podcast: The Metropolitan police crisis | After another resignation at the top of the Metropolitan police, we ask what's going wrong and how to ensure the mistakes of the phone hacking scandal are not repeated | 22 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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24 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Northern Ireland's sectarian violence | This week's podcast explores what recent clashes in Belfast means for the province | 15 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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25 |
Media Talk podcast: News of the World closes as News International implodes | Alan Rusbridger, Nick Davies, Roy Greenslade and Janine Gibson discuss the impact of the phone-hacking scandal on NI and the newspaper industry | 8 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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26 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Do we do right by our elderly? | The Dilnot commission report attempted to determine who should pay for elderly care. We talk to some elderly people and their carers and ask why older citizens get such a raw deal | 8 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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27 |
Guardian Focus podcast: What does the future hold for southern Sudan? | On 9 July, southern Sudan will become an independent state. What are the development challenges and opportunities facing the new country? | 30 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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28 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Unions strike back | As the spending cuts start to bite, trade unions are planning strike action. We ask if there are more effective negotiation techniques | 23 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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29 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Wimbledon and the state of British tennis | We give millions to the Lawn Tennis Association every year to get more people playing and to improve elite performance. Hugh Muir asks if it's working | 9 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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30 |
Guardian Focus Podcast: How will the changes to budget affect the NHS? | Hugh Muir talks to health experts to find out how the changes to the way the NHS is financed will affect its service and where the necessary savings can be made | 8 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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31 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Are we on the brink of a new global food crisis? | The World Bank says soaring food prices have already pushed millions more people into extreme poverty this year. We examine what is being done to combat the problem | 26 5 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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32 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Scottish sectarianism | Hugh Muir explores the reasons for the apparent upsurge in religious hatred in Scotland. How much deeper than the football matches between Celtic and Rangers does this go? | 19 5 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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33 |
Guardian Focus podcast: SlutWalk marches | Thousands of women in Canada and the US have already marched in a movement provocatively called SlutWalk. But are they advancing feminism or harming it? An expert panel assembled by the Observer debates the issue before a series of marches in the UK | 15 5 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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34 |
Guardian Focus podcast: The coalition's impact on grassroots politics | On the first anniversary of the coalition government, Hugh Muir and Martin Wainwright visit David Cameron and Nick Clegg's constituencies of Witney and Sheffield | 13 5 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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35 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Are the Olympics creating enough jobs for east Londoners? | Hugh Muir asks whether the target of getting 70,000 unemployed Londoners into work through London 2012 is being achieved | 6 5 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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36 |
Guardian Focus podcast: What role can tourism play in development? | The World Tourism Organisation argues that responsible tourism can play a significant role in eradicating poverty and meeting the millennium development goals. But is it right? | 28 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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37 |
Guardian Focus podcast: The nuclear debate after Fukushima and Chernobyl | George Monbiot, Helen Caldicott and Laurence Williams join host James Randerson to debate the future of the UK's nuclear programme following Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant disaster | 21 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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38 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Afghanistan | Jon Snow chairs a Guardian debate at the British Museum in London under the title Afghanistan: What makes a Nation? | 13 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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39 |
Guardian Focus podcast: The AV referendum | Michael White talks to MPs, voters, campaigners and experts prior to the referendum on the alternative vote system on 5 May | 11 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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40 |
Guardian Focus Podcast: Why is the Olympic sporting legacy off track? | London won the 2012 Olympics with a promise to turn the UK into a sporting nation the world would envy. So why aren't more people taking up sport? | 7 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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41 |
Guardian Focus podcast: What Poland did right | Concluding the Guardian's New Europe series, Chris Bobinski, Andrzej Swidlicki and Matteo Napolitano join Jon Henley to discuss how Poland sailed through the economic crash | 6 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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42 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Does microfinance help people escape poverty? | Many people like the sound of microfinance because it isn't charity. But are all poor people budding entrepreneurs? And what happens when people cannot repay their loans? | 1 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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43 |
Guardian Focus podcast: The future of Polish football | Jonathan Wilson visits Poland to examine efforts to drag football into the 21st century in time for next year's European Championships | 31 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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44 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Spain’s long road to recovery | Continuing the Guardian's New Europe series, Jill Treanor, Eduardo Suarez and Giles Tremlett join Jon Henley to consider Spain's economic prospects | 27 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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45 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Policing protests | How are the Metropolitan police preparing for this weekend's mass demonstrations against public spending cuts? Hugh Muir investigates | 22 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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46 |
Guardian Focus podcast: What’s holding France back? | Jon Henley is joined by Angelique Chrisafis, Eric Albert and Phillip Inman to discuss France's faltering economic recovery | 21 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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47 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Germany's economic strength | In the first in a series of podcasts focusing on Europe, Martin Kettle, Sebastian Borger and Fiona Harvey join Jon Henley to discuss the success of the German economy | 15 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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48 |
Guardian Focus podcast: International Women's Day | On the centenary of International Women's Day, we explore why feminism still matters in 2011 and debate the Guardian's list of 100 inspirational women | 8 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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49 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Labour councils enacting coalition spending cuts | As councils across Britain meet to pass their much reduced budgets, are Labour councils taking their constituents with them? | 3 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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50 |
Guardian Focus podcast: The indefinite detention of foreign prisoners | Hundreds of foreign prisoners are held indefinitely after they have served their criminal sentences. Harriet Grant investigates | 25 2 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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51 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Ireland's general election | Henry McDonald hears from candidates, businesspeople, voters and journalists prior to Ireland's most fascinating election for years | 18 2 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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52 |
Guardian Focus podcast: The securitisation of aid | Are military priorities distorting aid budgets? A panel of experts discuss the relationship between the UK's development budget and the country's foreign policy objectives | 10 2 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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53 |
Guardian Focus Podcast: England's forest sell-off | Steven Morris visits the Forest of Dean to assess the government's prospective forest sale. What would private ownership mean for the area and could an alternative model to the Forestry Commission ever work? | 4 2 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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54 |
Guardian Focus Podcast: Land grabs in Africa | With climate change and rising demand for biofuels pushing up food prices, rich countries are increasingly looking for land in poorer nations to feed themselves. But is this at the expense of the host country? | 27 1 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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55 |
Guardian Focus podcast: The Palestine papers | After the release of confidential documents in the Middle East conflict, Guardian commentators examine what happens next for the region | 27 1 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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56 |
Guardian Focus Podcast: Are prenuptial agreements fair? | The Law Commission recently recommended that prenups become legally binding. Are they the fairest way to distribute assets? We'll also be asking if divorce should be simpler | 24 1 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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57 |
Guardian Focus Podcast: Tunisia's Jasmine revolution | A week after President Ben Ali fled the country he ruled with an iron fist, we ask whether the 'unity government' is just a new name for the old regime | 21 1 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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58 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Multiple sclerosis and the cost of being ill | Why will the weakest in Britain bear the brunt of the government's austerity measures? Elizabeth Kinder investigates the impact of the cuts on sufferers of MS, a degenerative disease with no known cure | 13 1 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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59 |
Guardian Focus podcast: No country for young people | Being a young person in Britain seems harder than ever. Is it the fault of older generations? We hear from a panel of under-25s from a range of backgrounds | 8 1 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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60 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Referendum in Sudan | In our weekly current affairs programme, our panel of experts discuss this weekend's vote on whether southern Sudan should form a breakaway state | 7 1 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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61 |
Guardian Focus: The Cancún climate change conference | Examining the climate change compromises, emission deals and fallout from WikiLeaks at COP16 in Cancún | 9 12 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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62 |
Guardian Focus podcast: WikiLeaks and the US embassy cables | After the biggest leak of secret US embassy documents in history, our expert panel discusses the future of American diplomacy and the impact on implicated regimes around the globe | 3 12 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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63 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Polio returns to Africa | Alex Duval Smith joins vaccinators in the Democratic Republic of Congo to discover what steps need to be taken to combat the return of polio to the region | 29 11 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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64 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Climate change adaptation | Next week, climate talks resume in Cancun, with the credibility of the entire negotiation system at stake. What effect is climate change already having on the developing world? | 25 11 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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65 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Is religion a force for good? | AC Grayling, Evan Harris, Jon Cruddas, Cristina Odone and Samia Rahman debate the virtues of religion | 20 11 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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66 |
Focus podcast: Britain's flood defences | As Cornwall counts the cost of this week's flash floods, Martin Wainwright visits Cockermouth, in Cumbria, which one year ago suffered its own devastating floods. How can Britain best defend itself against the effects of severe weather? | 19 11 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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67 |
ExplicitGuardian Focus: Contains material some listeners may find offensive | We explore swearing by looking at the history and significance of bad language, plus how taboo words have changed over time | 12 11 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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68 |
Focus podcast: US shifts to the right in midterm elections | A bad night for the Democrats, as they lose the House of Representatives and just about cling on to the Senate. Jonathan Freedland and guests explore the impact of the midterm elections and ask if this is the end of liberalism in the States | 3 11 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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69 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Food security | With nearly 1 billion people around the world already going hungry each day and dozens of countries facing food shortages in the near future, food security has become an urgent issue | 29 10 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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70 |
Focus podcast: How the spending review will affect Leeds | In this week's Focus podcast Martin Wainwright looks at the likely effects of George Osborne's comprehensive spending review on the lives of people in his hometown | 21 10 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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71 |
Podcast special: comprehensive spending review 2010 | Our team of experts discusses the winners and losers in the government's comprehensive spending review | 20 10 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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72 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Why do record numbers of young people have sexually transmitted infections? | Rosie Swash investigates the reasons for the UK's high level of sexually transmitted diseases among 15 to 24-year-olds | 15 10 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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73 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Arts funding | This week's Guardian Focus podcast looks at state investment in the arts, as Britain's creative industries prepare for large-scale government funding cuts | 7 10 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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74 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Millennium development goals | In the wake of the UN millennium development goals summit, we look at the challenge of meeting the needs of the world's poorest and ask what should happen to global development after 2015 | 24 9 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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75 |
Guardian Focus podcast: Pakistan | Pakistan has been hit by its worst floods since 1929 in the week President Zardari chose to visit Britain. We discuss the realtionship between the two countries and the ability of the Pakistani state to deal with the numerous crises it faces | 5 8 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 75 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Fantastic daily news summary!
The Guardian podcast is fantastic! I love the whole relaxed and "unrehearsed" feel... It's so much better than most radio news programmes. And it seemed to cover all the day's main news stories very well - including some of the more lighthearted stories. The podcast includes top stories from the UK's other newspapers... So it's definitely not a Guardian-only podcast. Very highly recommended - no matter what newspaper you read!!
Very informative
An interesting daily news programme. Brings you up to date with the news without sounding as dull as a traditional radio programme, and slicker than many shows from newspapers.
A friendly, laidback extension to the newspaper
I've been listening to the Newsdesk podcast almost every day since it launched. While the humour and laidback attitude may not be what some people would want from a premier newspaper, it suits me fine. There's a friendly feel to the whole thing and despite the occasionally shambolic feel, there's some good informative journalism going on.
