Late Night Live - Separate Stories Podcast

Six months on from the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan is facing an economic implosion and, according to the United Nations, more than half the population now face starvation. Foreign correspondent Christina Lamb has just returned from Afghanistan and says that in her 35 years as a reporter, she has never seen anything of this magnitude.

PM Scott Morrison fails to secure Religious Discrimination Act, sexual harassment of women firmly back on the agenda and NSW by-elections point to a party on the nose.

Between the 1920s and the 1990s over 500,000 prisoners underwent plastic surgery in US prisons. This was offered as part of their rehabilitation in the belief that improving a prisoner's appearance would improve their chances of getting a job once out of jail. But did it work? And what does it tell us about the harsh realities of appearance bias.

Dr Colin Manock’s job was to determine how people died, and all the consequences that follow – criminal prosecution, or grief over an unfortunate accident..   And yet various court cases and other reviews have found that the former Chief Forensic Pathologist of South Australia made some serious errors. 

Simon Parkin tells the story of Hutchinson Camp, where the British government interned thousands of refugees from Nazi oppression during the Second World War, including a dazzling array of artists, academics, musicians, writers and actors.

The long history of terrorism in Australia reminds us that geographic borders cannot prevent the transmission of extreme ideologies that can lead to violent attacks. Terrorism in Australia has taken many forms and says a lot about the many different communities that have sought refuge here, as well as our capacity to grow our own extreme ideologies.

This week Prime Minister Boris Johnson has had several staff leave over the parties that were held during lockdown, and now also over his comments regarding opposition leader Keir Starmer's role in the failure to prosecute acknowledged paedophile Jimmy Savile. Could this be the final straw for the gaffe prone PM?

Journalist Gary Nunn is a sceptic but his sister Taren is a believer. After watching her go to psychics for years he wanted to look into the human impact of the psychic industry, so he put a number of our institutions to the test.

There has been a lot of hype about green hydrogen, but now there is talk about blue, grey and even pink hydrogen. What are the benefits and risks that come with hydrogen as an alternative form of energy?

Debates about free speech and censorship rage in the States as a wave of book bans sweep schools and Spotify declines to distance itself from controversial podcaster Joe Rogan. Meanwhile, the Republican Party makes clear what it considers 'legitimate political discourse' - the January 6 attacks on the Capitol.

Philosopher A.C. Grayling considers three major threats to humanity and how a universal ethics or set of values might help alleviate the problems.

Political scientist Dr Brian Klaas has interviewed over 500 people, from former presidents to war criminals, to uncover the nature of power: who it attracts, who gets it, how it changes us and how we can prevent its abuse.

Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce embroiled in text message scandal, the military called in to help the aged care crisis and debate over the Religious Discrimination Bill.

In 1922 the BBC was founded by three men with almost no broadcasting experience and a bold vision: to remake culture for the good of humanity. To mark its centenary, we look back at the triumphs and trials of the BBC's first 100 years and consider whether it's still an institution worth fighting for.

If we stopped using monoculture farming practices, most of would starve within a year. But it doesn't mean the practice isn't without significant problems.

A ‘generational change’ is underway in Chile.   A youthful new government has been elected, led by 35-year-old President-elect Gabriel Boric.   Boric recently announced a female-dominated Cabinet, which includes the grand-daughter of former Socialist leader Salvador Allende. She will be the Minister of Defence.  And there are moves to limit lithium mining, which the world will be watching anxiously. 

It is now more than 2 weeks since a huge volcanic eruption generated a 15m tsunami which hit the islands of Tonga leaving hundreds homeless and the islands covered in ash. Now COVID has sadly made its way to the Pacific Island nation along with the aid arriving from around the world. And what is the current situation in the Solomon Islands where 100 Australian police and army arrived in November last year?

Ann Newmarch and Hossein Valamanesh are two world renowned Adelaide based artists who sadly died last month. Ann Newmarch was at the vanguard of progressive feminist art in the 1970s and continued to make provocative art throughout her highly successful career. Hossein Valamanesh brought his Iranian heritage and his love of poetry into his artworks creating pieces that inspired contemplation and a connection to nature. Both will be sadly missed by the art community.

History professor John Keane argues we need to harness the radical potential of democracy or the despots and demagogues will win.

Justice Stephen Breyer's decision to step down, at 83, gives President Biden the chance to nominate the first black woman to the Supreme Court.