Saturday Extra - Separate Stories Podcast

A new book "The Library: A Fragile History" explores the history of libraries from the Alexandrian age to the booming days of America after the civil war and beyond.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese used his Press Club speech to ask Australians to embrace the ‘privilege of proximity’ over the 'tyranny of distance'. But how have our attitudes changed in the years since Paul Keating pushed us to engage more deeply with the Asia Pacific region? Also, why has the world forgotten about Myanmar?

WA premier Mark McGowan’s decision to renege on opening the state’s borders on February 5 but offer no alternative date has seen fed-up senior executives announce they'll shift interstate. Just how much support does the premier have?

The Reserve Bank Governor, Philip Lowe, is facing a chorus of criticism this week for his predictions of long-term low interest rates which some say fuelled last year’s housing boom.  With inflation on the march around the world, what is outlook for Australian borrowers, inflation and fiscal policy?

The Conversation’s founder and Monash University launches an academic newswire service that provides academic analysis with a global reach of around 45 million.   

In a groundbreaking new production, Bangarra has collaborated with the Sydney Theatre Company, to present Wudjang: Not the Past  as part of the Sydney Festival. It’s the final production for Bangarra’s long-term artistic director Stephen Page who is due to handover the reigns early next year after more than thirty years in the role. 

Journalist and writer, Margaret Simmons, warns against the normal routines and rituals that mark political reporting during election-time in Australia.

Russia and Ukraine share history that goes back centuries. But why has Russia never really accepted Ukraine's independence? Arkady Ostrovsky, Russia and Eastern Europe editor of The Economist joins us to explain how history plays into today's tensions.

There is hope that the fast-spreading but less severe omicron variant marks a turning point towards a path out of the pandemic. Determined to escape the crisis and avoid more restrictions, some countries are moving to treat Covid as an endemic disease, like seasonal flu. What are the tools to get to this more manageable phase? Guest: Professor Devi Sridhar, Chair of Global Public Health, University of Edinburgh

As the world adjusts to Omicron, how are scientists on the virus front line preparing for what may come next? We talk to Professor Salim Karim, who has played a central role in combatting the virus in South Africa, about the latest research coming out of the country that identified Omicron.   

In our final Pick of the year, Chris Bowen, Zali Steggall and Hollie Hughes give us their recommendations of things we should read, watch and listen to over summer.

Could the war in Afghanistan have been won? A new book The Ledger: Accounting for Failure in Afghanistan outlines how the West could have avoided defeat and the betrayal and moral collapse that resulted. Authors David Kilcullen and Greg Mills join us.  

With the younger generation likely to be worse off than their parents and grandparents for the first time in living memory, what sort of policy changes should governments consider to make their lives easier? And is there the political will? Intergenerational fairness advocate and co-founder of Think Forward Sonia Arakkal joins us.

In 2018 John Denton AO became the first Australian to lead the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. He joins us to discuss what it’s been like to hold this position during a global pandemic, what needs to happen to revive and improve the global economy going forward, and the role of business in tackling some of the other major problems of our time.

Leading global strategy advisor Dr. Parag Khanna discusses the future of migration in a world where demography, economics, politics and particularly our climate are undergoing major shifts.

Have you ever considered booking one of the great train rides of the world? A new book "Ultimate Train Journeys: World' by travel writer Tim Richards, taps into the rebirth of this mode of travel due to environmental concerns.

Aboriginal mental health researcher Professor Juli Coffin has taken out top honors at Western Australian Mental Health Awards in recognition of her ground breaking work providing young indigenous people with trauma-informed support by harnessing the healing power of horses.

Facing competition from China and Russia, this week US President Joe Biden held a Summit for Democracy. Whether it will have a lasting impact remains to be seen, but it has prompted discussion about what’s really at the heart of democracy’s dysfunction. Guests: Edward Luce, US national editor and columnist at the Financial Times and Sheri Berman, professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. 

This December is the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union; how is its demise understood decades afterwards?

The sentencing of deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi this week is likely to galvanise a protest movement that has seen thousands take up arms against the army since the February coup. Human rights lawyer and member of the Special Advisory Council to Myanmar Chris Sidoti joins us to discuss the deepening crisis in Myanmar, and whether anything might act as a circuit breaker.