Saturday Extra - Separate stories podcast

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  How a musical became 'the most enduring piece of 9/11 art' 12.09.2026 22мин

  Come from Away is a musical which tells the story of nearly 7,000 airline passengers who were stranded in the small Canadian town of Gander, Newfoundland, after the September 11 attacks. This week The New York Times dubbed it "the most enduring piece of 9/11 art." As part of our coverage of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, we spoke with the Canadian husband and wife who co-wrote the musical.
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  Waleed Aly on the crisis of liberalism 12.09.2026 18мин

  In the latest Quarterly Essay, one of Australia's leading public intellectuals tries to make sense of what's happening through a philosophical prism. In particular, he looks at the crisis of liberalism, a collection of ideas which has shaped politics and society since the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century.
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  Will AI kill us all within a decade? 12.09.2026 9мин

  This week, an Anthropic researcher resigned over concerns that the technology could kill us all by the end of the decade. As AI developers weighed in supporting his prediction, many are asking if AI power is rapidly slipping out of human hands. Meanwhile in Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese introduced a draft digital duty of care bill that would allow social media users to opt out of the algorithm. As courts and governments across the globe try to wrestle back control of the algorithm, is Meta finally facing a global reckoning? 
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  The Looming Tower: What the lead-up to 9/11 can teach us today 12.09.2026 19мин

  Twenty-five years after the 9/11 attacks, their impact continues to be felt in New York, across America and around the world. To mark the anniversary, we spoke with Lawrence Wright, whose acclaimed book The Looming Tower traces the rise of al-Qaeda and the events that culminated in the attacks.
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  Why thousands of Australians are watching 'nest-flix' 05.09.2026 6мин

  Get ready, another season of 'nest-flix' is beginning. Melbourne's peregrine falcon camera is back, meaning people can watch a live feed of a peregrine falcon nest, high up in the city's CBD. 
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  Australia looks to return to the United Nations Security Council 05.09.2026 17мин

  There are seats up for grabs at one of the world's most important tables, and Australia is putting up its hand to join. At the United Nations later this month, Anthony Albanese will be spearheading an attempt to join the Security Council for a two-year term that would begin in 2029. The last time Australia was on the council was between 2013 and 2014.
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  George Megalogenis has some advice for our politicians 05.09.2026 25мин

  When politicians make announcements wearing hi-vis and hard hats they are making a terrible miscalculation about who Australian voters really are, says one of Australia's great journalists George Megalogenis. Three major shocks have redefined the Australian electorate, and yet for decades politics has failed to keep up, with both major parties operating on outdated assumptions.
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  Can Australia help stop the Pacific drug trade? 05.09.2026 8мин

  At the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Palau this week Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced $600 million to combat drug trafficking. The deal promises increased aerial surveillance across the Pacific, improved maritime capability, and additional training and support for police. As crime and HIV spirals out of control in countries like Fiji, will the investment be enough to squash the rapidly escalating illicit trade?
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  Alarm in Europe as the Kremlin escalates its campaign 05.09.2026 15мин

  Germany has blamed the Kremlin for attempting a drone attack at Leipzig airport last month targeting a Ukrainian plane. The heads of NATO and the European Commission have warned Russia is growing increasingly reckless and vowed to respond to a dangerous "new normal."
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  The Last Thing: Jennifer Wong 29.08.2026 7мин

  What's the first sweet thing you remember eating?  Comedian Jennifer Wong is a keen observer of Australia's changing tastes, and she's found that starting a conversation with food quickly leads it to surprising and profound places.  She joins Nick to share her best last things. 
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  Why are One Nation supporters so unhappy? 29.08.2026 16мин

  The rise of One Nation has been one of the biggest political stories in Australia this year. But who exactly are the people behind the surging polling numbers? This week, a survey of 1,014 One Nation supporters shed some light on the kind of people getting on board with the party. One finding was 91 per cent believed the country is heading in the wrong direction. For all voters, this is 62 per cent. The survey was run by pollster John Utting and Labor strategist Bruce Hawker.
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  Dolly Parton - the best of us 29.08.2026 5мин

  There was sad news this week from Nashville, Tennessee, the home of the undisputed Queen of Country, Dolly Parton.  Regular listeners will know that we were big Dolly fans, in fact we tried to get her to come on the show on July 4th, to mark America’s 250th birthday. We did that partly because in the disunited states of America, she was a unifying figure.  We’ve been looking back on an extraordinary American life, in her words, and in her songs.
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  How the mako shark inspired a carbon-cutting innovation 29.08.2026 8мин

  An Australian start-up company has been developing a drag-reducing adhesive film for use on aircraft which helps reduce fuel and lower emissions.  And it was all inspired by a shark.
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  Donald Trump's next move on Iran: 'Economic D-Day' 29.08.2026 12мин

  The US has launched a campaign to cripple Iran's economy by cutting off its remaining economic lifelines. The Treasury sanctioned more than 60 entities, including Chinese firms, but fell short of placing more forceful sanctions directly on China.
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  What happens if the US-Canada trade war keeps escalating? 29.08.2026 10мин

  Washington and Ottawa are locked in a tariff tit-for-tat after trade talks collapsed earlier this week. Hundreds of thousands of jobs are potentially at stake on both sides of the border.
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  Warnings of new dangers in Nepal and Tibet after flooding 29.08.2026 12мин

  Nepal and Tibet are still reeling from the catastrophic flash floods that hit the Himalaya region earlier this week. The images coming from the disaster have been shocking: Bridges swept away, highways destroyed, entire villages engulfed by torrents of mud and water. As more details of the disaster continue to emerge, we speak with a journalist on the ground there.
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  Who blew up the Nord Stream gas pipeline? 22.08.2026 18мин

  In 2022, parts of the Nord Stream gas pipeline system, the multibillion-dollar network carrying Russian gas into Europe, were blown up. So who exactly was behind what has been described as "the greatest act of sabotage in modern history?"
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  The googly-eyed 'stuffed fox' revealed to be a thylacine 22.08.2026 9мин

  When a badly stuffed "fox head" was advertised by a UK auction house, James Cranfield quickly worked out that it was a "priceless" head of a thylacine. The taxidermist and collector won the two-way bidding war for "the find of a lifetime." How important is this specimen of the now-extinct Tasmanian tiger?
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  Why does the gambling lobby in Australia have so much power? 22.08.2026 11мин

  This week, the federal government's gambling reforms passed parliament, after a bipartisan deal was struck with the Coalition. The package includes restrictions on gambling ads, but in the eyes of some politicians and many campaigners, it doesn't go nearly far enough. So why is it so hard to pass major gambling reform in this country?
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  After nearly 40 years, a new trial in the Lockerbie bombing 22.08.2026 13мин

  It was Britain's deadliest terror attack: In December 1988, Pan Am flight 103 exploded in the air above Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 passengers on board and 11 on the ground. Almost four decades on, there is fresh evidence and a new trial. Next week, a Libyan man suspected of making and detonating the bomb will face court in Washington DC.