Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz looks weaker than ever, and the nation's far-right AfD is stronger than ever. Europe's most important country looks to be heading into a period of deep political instability. The AfD has just won two state elections in eastern Germany, while the hard-left Die Linke has taken Berlin. That leaves coalition talks in turmoil and raises fresh questions about whether Germany's long-standing political "firewall" against the far right can hold. At the same time, Berlin is trying to lead Europe's rearmament, support Ukraine against Russia, and fill the gap left by a more reluctant United States.Tom Nuttall, The Economist's chief Germany correspondent and head of its Berlin bureau, joins Laura Tingle and Latika Bourke to explain how Germany reached this point. We unpack the AfD's rise, its links to Russia, why Friedrich Merz has become so unpopular, and why growing numbers of voters are backing what Nuttall calls a "policy of rupture".Guest: Tom Nuttall, Chief Germany correspondent & head of the Berlin bureau - The Economist.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Richard Walsh has spent decades publishing books. He thinks the physical book is surviving for a reason.As Radio National prepares to reveal Australia's Top 100 Books, Walsh joins Geraldine Doogue and Waleed Aly to explain why print continues to endure, even as reading habits decline and digital platforms dominate almost every other form of media. He argues that books offer a deeper reading experience than screens, helping readers remember, reason and engage with ideas in ways technology struggles to match.The conversation ranges from the changing economics of publishing to the rise of Amazon, book influencers, writers' festivals and book clubs. Walsh explains why individual book sales have fallen, why launching new authors has become harder, and why Australia remains one of the strongest book-reading nations in the world. Along the way, he reflects on some of the most influential books and authors he has worked with across a long career in Australian publishing.It's also a conversation about what books represent in a digital age. Are readers looking for authenticity? Why do physical books continue to matter? And what do we lose if reading moves entirely onto screens?Geraldine Doogue and Waleed Aly speak with veteran publisher Richard Walsh about the future of reading, publishing and the strange resilience of books.Guest: Richard Walsh, Australian publisherMentioned: Radio National's Top 100 Australian booksGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

The world's leaders are heading home from UN General Assembly week, and Donald Trump gave them plenty to talk about: a threat to annihilate Iran, and a line about "the spoils" of victory that Foreign Policy editor-in-chief Ravi Agrawal says shocked him more.Agrawal argues Trump's coercive power may have peaked, with US munitions depleted by the Iran war, an unpopular presidency and midterms looming.So who fills the gap? He tells Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke he sees no clear successor, but he does see countries de-risking from Washington through new defence pacts and trade deals.He also warns that Ukraine faces a brutal winter as Russia scales up jet-powered drones.Plus: Israel's isolation ahead of its October election, and a surprising reason for hope.Guest: Ravi Agrawal, editor in chief of Foreign PolicyGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Four years after Kabul fell, hundreds of Afghans who worked for the Australian Defence Force, diplomats and NGOs are still waiting on promised visas, while facing lethal risk. Waleed Aly and Hamish Macdonald speak to security consultant Dr Tony Murney and Azadi-e Zan's Susan Hutchinson, both of whom have spent years trying to get Australia's locally engaged employees to safety, about the human cost of a promise made by several successive governments and, they argue, broken by all of them.Plus, how Canada is leading the world in sponsoring refugees, and how Australia's current political climate is making it harder than ever to bring Australian allies homeGUEST: Dr Tony Murney, security consultant & Susan Hutchinson, executive director of women's rights organisation Azadi-e ZanGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

A month after catastrophic floods and glacial collapse swept through Nepal, thousands are still missing and entire mountain communities have been wiped off the map.The Australian's Asia Pacific correspondent Amanda Hodge, just back from the disaster zone, tells Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald what she saw on the ground — including a shelter where 70 children have lost every member of their family — and unpacks the stark contrast between Nepal's response and Beijing's heavily censored silence.Plus: a story that's had almost no coverage in Australia — how Sri Lanka's High Court has just convicted 14 men over the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, and why a former president now faces imminent arrest over explosive allegations regarding the attack. Guest: Amanda Hodge, Asia Pacific correspondent, The AustralianGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]