Late Night Live - Separate Stories Podcast

Hanging was a significant part of life in the colony of NSW; reported on, speculated on, and gossiped about.   The hangmen themselves were the bogey men of popular culture, cast as evil or undesirables.  One though – the colony’s longest serving hangman – was a bit different to his predecessors, seen as more stable and thoughtful.

Over the last week temperatures breached 45 degrees Celsius in at least nine Indian cities, a potentially deadly heatwave for a country where less than 12 percent of people have access to air-conditioners.

Boris Johnson's leadership will again be tested as the local council elections take place this week across the UK. And in Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein looks set to have a historic first-time win to become the largest party in the Stormont.

The selection of novels reviewed by major newspapers can come down to topicality of theme, click bait potential, and whether or not a particular freelance reviewer is available at the time. In a meta exercise, a recent article reviews a book about book reviewers, and analyses the changing culture of literary criticism.

Louisa Lim delves into the rebellious history of Hong Kong, and tells the extraordinary story of the eccentric self-titled "King of Kowloon", whose determination to cover the city in his message of territorial ownership came to reflect the spirit of a nation repressed by global super-powers.

A leaked draft reveals that the Supreme Court has voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, how student debt is perpetuating the racial wealth gap and a new report reveals Harvard's ties to slavery.

How Martha Jane Canary became Calamity Jane- an icon of the American wild west.

With current Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte ineligible for re-election, son and namesake of the former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Jr is currently poised to win a landslide victory when the country heads to the polls on May 9. With its implications for democracy, the looming election has been described as the ‘most consequential in modern Philippine history’. 

After launching Labor's election campaign in WA, Anthony Albanese has been campaigning in Queensland, where Labor is hoping to pick up the seat of Brisbane, and hold on to other inner urban seats. But they face significant challenges from the Greens and from One Nation, whose leader Pauline Hanson is likely to gain a seat in the Senate.

Ukrainians and their supporters around the world are racing to save Ukraine’s cultural heritage.  Thousands of people are  archiving, digitising, and rescuing digital resources before they are wiped.  Our Ukrainian/American/Canadian guest, Ksenya Kiebuzinski, adds that the Ukrainian diaspora has a long history of preserving and circulating cultural artefacts.

Young people are growing up with the knowledge that they will bear the brunt of today's policies, yet they have no say in the political process. Increasingly, political scientists are making the case that not only are young people capable of voting, their doing so might go some way to cleaning up politics and reversing democratic decline.

The Persian empire was the world’s first superpower.  Its geographical spread was from Libya down to Ethiopia, and across the Middle East to Pakistan and India.  Its heart, and main seat of power, was in what is now Iran.  But much of what we know about it is skewed, because our understandings of the Persians have been shaped by the Greeks, who were not big fans

There have been violent clashes in multiple cities in Sweden over rallies by anti-Islam group Hard Line, led by the Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan. Meanwhile Sweden and Finland are pushing to join NATO in the wake of the Russia/Ukraine war, with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson saying Sweden had to be “prepared for all kinds of actions from Russia.”

The confirmation that the Solomon Islands have signed a security treaty with China has landed right in the middle of Australia's election campaign. But what does the treaty mean for the people of the Solomon Islands?

In 1851, the Great Exhibition was held in London in the spectacular Crystal Palace. One person watching how this event changed London was Charles Dickens. At the peak of his powers, Charles Dickens was initially doubtful about the event, despite being one of the exhibits. Did this event change Charles Dickens, London and the world?

The American culture wars are heating up, with self-proclaimed 'free speech fundamentalist' Elon Musk set to take over Twitter and Disney dished a punishment for speaking out against what critics call the 'Don't Say Gay' bill, signed by Florida governor and prominent Republican Ron DeSantis.

How the loss of high profile Liberals will impact on the election campaign in WA, is Labor's Pacific plan enough to counter Scott Morrison's claims they are weak on China and has the government abandoned its net zero by 2050 climate change policy?

Often overlooked in annual Anzac Day commemorations, has been the historical strength of anti-war sentiment among Australian ex-servicemen and women from WW1 to the Gulf War. During WW1 there were 23,000 courts martial of Australian soldiers for desertion or going AWOL. This program sheds light on the many who resisted war however they could, and reveals the determination of certain leaders to continue prosecuting WW1, despite repeated chances to settle for peace. Originally broadcast on 22 April, 2021

Emerging First Nations astrophysicists Krystal de Napoli and Karlie Noon explore the connections between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander environmental and cultural practices and the behaviour of the stars, and what must be done to preserve this knowledge into the future.

Boris Johnson has been fined for breaking COVID regulations during lockdown. Could the proposal to send illegal migrants to Rwanda merely be a distraction or is it serious policy?