Audio
An anthem of love: Saroo Brierley on the true story of 'Lion' Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The extraordinary story of Saroo Brierley, the Indian-born Australian businessman who was separated from his family as a five-year-old and adopted by a Hobart couple, has come to the screen with the Oscar-nominated 'Lion', adapted from Brierley's memoir, 'A Long Way Home'. Brierley speaks with the ABC's South Asia correspondent, James Bennett, about his story and how audiences in India and Australia have reacted to the film.
Topics: biography-film, autobiography, adoption, children, india, tas
National pride or indoctrination? Air show fatality mars Thai Children's Day Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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At the start of each year Thailand celebrates Children's Day, a chance to give thanks for the precious lives of Thailand's children - and to let them play with guns and tanks. While zoos and museums are open for free and kids can visit the Prime Minister's office, the main attraction for many Thai children is to climb on a tank or to hold an M16 assault rifle. This year the military free-for-all took a dark and tragic turn at an air show put on especially for Children's Day.
Topics: children, defence-forces, world-politics, thailand
Dizzying news, widening divides: Trump's America Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The ABC's new North America correspondent, Conor Duffy, arrived in Washington DC just after last year's election. In the 10 weeks since it's been non-stop news, as President Trump implements an ambitious and divisive agenda. Conor speaks with protesters against the administration and reflects on adjusting to a new hyper-partisan world mired in insults, 'fake news' and 'alternative facts'.
Topics: world-politics, united-states
After Islamic State, the Iraqi Government must show authority, not just control Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Over the last month, Iraqi Government forces have focussed their attack on Islamic State and seized control over all of the eastern half of Mosul. The victory is a demonstration of a stronger Iraqi military, after its rebuilding and retraining. But reports of human rights violations on both sides of the conflict highlight both the lack of justice and accountability plaguing Iraq and the fragile hold on legitimacy that the Government has. Middle East correspondent Matt Brown has just returned from the front lines of the battle where he saw reason for hope - and for fear.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, islam, iraq
A million animals at risk as Mongolia's brutal winter hits herders Audio Transcript and Verbatim
Posted
Aid workers in Mongolia say an unusually harsh winter is killing millions of livestock and putting an enormous strain on the nation's herders. Mongolians are used to bitterly cold weather, but this year is being described as a rare weather event that has plunged some parts of the country to below minus 50 degrees.
First emojis are now officially museum pieces Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Emoticons - pictographs attached to mobile phone text messages - have become such a staple of global communication that they are almost a language unto themselves. The first set of these pictures, created back in 1997, have recently been acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. AM's Rachel Mealey spoke with their creator in Tokyo, who is surprised by the worldwide popularity of the ideograms.
Topics: information-and-communication, internet-culture, mobile-phones, united-states, japan
Trump, Abe reaffirm US-Japan military and economic alliance Audio Transcript and Verbatim
Posted
US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are talking up their strong economic and military ties after a meeting at the White House. President Trump has used the meeting to reaffirm America's commitment to Japan's security and vowed to nurture a free and fair trading relationship. Prime Minister Abe has declared that Japan will play a greater role with the United States in ensuring freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
Topics: world-politics, treaties-and-alliances, united-states, japan
Bernardi criticises derogatory comments made at anti-Halal function Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Conservative Senator Cory Bernardi has chosen an anti-halal function in Melbourne to make his first public appearance since quitting the Liberal Party. At an event organised by the Q Society, Senator Bernardi distanced himself from derogatory comments directed towards Muslims and homosexual people made at a similar event.
Topics: government-and-politics, islam, liberals, minor-parties, melbourne-3000
Thermal generators failed during South Australian blackouts: AEMO Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Officials at the agency that runs the national power grid have revealed that the lack of wind power was not the only cause of South Australia's blackouts on Wednesday. Up to three thermal power generators also experienced sudden, unexpected outages in the lead-up to the blackouts, contributing to the state's inability to keep the lights on.
Topics: government-and-politics, electricity-energy-and-utilities, phenomena, canberra-2600
This is what the future will look like: climate scientist Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Climate scientists have been warning for some time that global warming will eventually result in extreme weather conditions. Dr Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, a fellow at the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of NSW, says that says that a rise in average temperatures of one or two degrees will inevitably come with an increased frequency of extreme temperatures. She says that this will have flow-on effects for productivity, health and agriculture and warns that infrastructure will need to adapt, not only to mitigate climate change but also to prepare for more frequent extremes in temperatures.
Topics: climate-change, australia
Regional NSW the focus of extreme temperatures and fire risk Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The continuing heatwave across the eastern seaboard of Australia is causing havoc in regional areas. Gavin Coote updates the weather outlook in central western New South Wales, which is expected to bear the brunt of extreme temperatures. The catastrophic fire risk outlook means that citizens are discouraged from visiting national and state parks - and from doing anything today that may encourage a fire, such as using machinery outside.
Topics: weather, phenomena, orange-2800
Weather bureau predicts extreme heat, catastrophic fire conditions around Australia Audio Transcript and Verbatim
Posted
New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria are expecting extremely hot conditions today, as firefighters warn of dangerous fire conditions throughout the weekend.
PM Full Program Audio
Posted
On Friday's program: Millions of Australians across the south east of Australia are sweltering in extreme temperatures this evening. Catastrophic fire conditions are forecast for some areas of New South Wales, and there's the prospect of power blackouts. As Eastern Australia swelters, two people have been rescued from rising floodwaters in Western Australia. And in New South Wales, there's a push to change the rules so that landlords are prohibited from adding a 'no pets' clause to a lease.
Topics: australia
Dutch students build boat out of salvaged Tasmanian timber Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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To celebrate the 375th anniversary of the Dutch explorer Abel Tasmania finding Tasmania, a group of Dutch boat building students has travelled to Tasmania to build a boat for the Australian Wooden Boat Festival that is being held in Hobart this weekend. The timber has been salvaged from a hydro dam, and the celery top pine is believed to be 500 years old.
Topics: carnivals-and-festivals, building-and-construction, tas, australia
Inside an ice rehabilitation centre still waiting for federal funds Audio Transcript and Verbatim
Posted
In December 2015, the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull launched a new strategy to tackle the drug ice, pledging $300 million for frontline services. But that was more than a year ago, and since then, one of the Northern Territory's few rehabilitation centres says it's yet to receive a cent. The ABC was granted access never given before to spend 24 hours inside the centre meeting the ice addicts who are struggling to beat their demons.
Topics: drug-use, government-and-politics, law-crime-and-justice, drug-offences, nt, australia
Trump's travel ban: 'Each side is hardening in its politics' Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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For some analysis on the court ruling in the United States that has upheld a suspension of Donald Trump's travel ban, and how it might play out politically, PM speaks to Dr David Smith, the academic director at the US Studies Centre at Sydney University.
Topics: courts-and-trials, government-and-politics, law-crime-and-justice, united-states
Push to change NSW laws on pet ownership in rental accommodation Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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It's not only children who are forced to ask permission to own a pet. Millions of Australians who rent their home instead of owning it also find themselves pleading and making promises to a higher power before they get a dog or a cat. In New South Wales, there's a growing push to change the rules so that landlords are prohibited from adding a 'no pets' clause to a lease.
Topics: animals, housing-industry, laws, nsw, australia
Trump slams 'political' appeals court ruling on travel ban Audio Transcript and Verbatim
Posted
A US federal appeals court has upheld the suspension of President Donald Trump's travel ban, capping off an embarrassing day for Donald Trump which included more leaks and a major diplomatic back-down with China.
Topics: courts-and-trials, immigration, government-and-politics, law-crime-and-justice, travel-and-tourism, united-states
Turnbull calls South Australia 'lazy' and 'complacent' on energy Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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While the heat wave swept across the country's south-east today, Australia's political leaders continued to debate the future of coal fired electricity. The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called the South Australian Government lazy and complacent over Wednesday night's blackout. Labor blames failures by Australia's energy regulator. It was left to the Greens to argue a reliance on coal fired power will lead to more heatwaves in the future.
Topics: climate-change, environment, government-and-politics, states-and-territories, weather, sa, australia
As Eastern Australia swelters, Western Australia floods Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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As Eastern Australia swelters, two people have been rescued from rising floodwaters in Western Australia. The pair was stuck in a car east of the great southern town of Wagin, while north of Perth residents in the wheat-belt town of Northam have been told to evacuate.
Topics: floods, weather, wagin-6315, australia, wa, northam-6401
AEMO 'not asleep at the wheel' over SA power cuts Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The Australian Energy Market Operator has denied being asleep at the wheel, following this week's blackouts in South Australia. AEMO fronted a Senate Committee this afternoon to answer questions over the 'load shedding' on Wednesday which left 90,000 homes and businesses without power. It also revealed three thermal generators were offline at the time, increasing the vulnerability of the state's electricity supply.
Topics: electricity-energy-and-utilities, sa, australia
Boss of smelter forced to close says workers at risk Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The boss of that smelter plant forced into shutdown mode, after energy company AGL cut off power supplies this afternoon, is furious. Matt Howell is the chief executive of the Tomago plant near Newcastle. He says workers are at risk, and so is the smelter's expensive plant and equipment.
Topics: electricity-energy-and-utilities, weather, newcastle-2300, australia, nsw
Millions swelter as black-out fears grow in NSW Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Many areas of Australia's south and east are sweltering in temperatures over 40 degrees. After power outages in South Australia, problems are developing in New South Wales with the power being cut to state's biggest electricity consumer, the Tomago aluminium smelter, to protect supply to the rest of the state.
Topics: weather, electricity-energy-and-utilities, nsw, sa
Rare and unreleased Prince music to go public Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Prince was one of the most revolutionary and exciting musicians of recent times. His talents were vast, and his perfectionism made for great material. So when he died suddenly last year, fans and industry insiders hoped that some of his rare and unreleased material, for which he was well known for recording and stashing away, would be released. That hope is about to be granted, with a deal signed between the late star's estate and the music and entertainment company Universal Music. The deal means some of his older cult hits will also be available to stream; something Prince largely avoided.
Topics: bands-and-artists, death, united-states
Mounting calls for Q fever vaccine subsidy Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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There is mounting pressure for the Q fever vaccine to be subsidised in New South Wales, amid concerns that hundreds of people could be exposed to the potentially-deadly disease. There were 220 people across the state who last year contracted the disease, which is spread from animals. Doctors and farmers say the State Government needs to take urgent action.
Topics: diseases-and-disorders, rural, nsw
