If You're Listening

Britain's National Health Service was in crisis when COVID arrived in the UK.After years of increasing demand and flatlining funding, the NHS was deeply broken.One Chancellor called the NHS "the closest thing the English people have to a religion", so how was it left to fall into disrepair, on the edge of collapse, right as a catastrophic pandemic hit?This is part 3 of our series, Who Broke Britain.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our Who Broke Britain series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vobIKYrfZwg

British Prime Minister David Cameron took a colossal gamble when he called for a referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union.Instead, he brought about Brexit and sent the country into three years of chaos.Cameron was certain his side — Remain — would win. How did he get it so wrong?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Watch Who broke Britain, part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW2NSrzcrIQCheck out our entire series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq

When the UK Conservative Party won the election in 2010, they took a butcher's knife to the budget.David Cameron's money-man George Osborne — the young heir to a wallpaper fortune — had a big plan called "austerity," but it put the country on a journey to total chaos.This is the first episode in a four-part series called Who Broke Britain.It's about the past 14 years of Conservative Party leadership, all the way up to the general election that's happening next month.London was once the largest city on Earth — capital of a global empire larger than any other in the history of the world.Even as recently as 17 years ago, Britons were the richest people in any of the world's large economies.Since then, they've gone backwards, more than any other large economy.Britain feels broken. So, who broke it?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3IhkTK9-xs

We're still on a break from our regularly scheduled programming but don't worry, we're hard at work.Next week we'll be launching a four-part series leading up to the UK election called Who Broke Britain?The country that was once the centre of the world's greatest empire now seems a lot smaller, and in many ways — broken.So — who broke it?Until then, check out the latest ABC podcast Not Stupid, from our colleagues in ABC News.It's hosted by Jeremy Fernandez and Julia Baird, and this week they're diving into Trump's guilty conviction and whether we should raise the minimum age for social media.You can subscribe to it on the Listen app.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM7IYWahjGY

The island of Taiwan, just off the coast of China, is shaping up as the most likely spark for the next global conflict.China's president Xi Jinping wants to claim all the territory he thinks belongs to China, without triggering a nuclear war.It's a century-old civil war, which has been frozen in place for decades.It's an almost unimaginably dangerous situation, and one mistake could lead to catastrophe.This is a repeat episode. It was first broadcast on the 6th July, 2021 as part of the China, If You're Listening series.If you want to listen to the whole series you can find it here, or scroll back in your podcast feed.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0_VTGzZj2U

Earlier this week the President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in bad weather.Raisi was a phenomenally important figure in Middle Eastern politics — not just Iran's President, but the likely next Supreme Leader of Iran.He got there through acts of extreme brutality, showing his willingness to do anything to defend the Iranian status quo.How did Ebrahim Raisi become the heir-apparent to the Iranian Supreme Leadership, and what could happen now he's gone?Listen to our other episodes about Iran:Iran, Israel and the calculus of revengeThe Ayatollah who dreamed of an Iranian caliphateHow the Shah's cancer led to Iran's rift with the USSubscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0_VTGzZj2U

Australia's first domestic violence shelter Elsie opened in the 1970s, and researchers have been analysing the problem ever since.In the last three decades more than 1,500 women have been killed by intimate partners in Australia and we're still no closer to finding out why.Campaigner Rosie Batty has compared domestic violence to terrorism, and called for similar levels of funding.Is that comparison extreme, or is it the best way to get us closer to fixing the problem?*EDITOR'S NOTE: This episode incorrectly states that Luke Batty was 14 years old at the time of his death. He was 11 years old when he died.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube.

Michael Cohen is the star witness in the Trump 'hush-money' trial.He was once Trump's personal attorney and said he would "take a bullet" for his boss, but then everything changed.He has served years in prison for lying, tax fraud, bank fraud and campaign finance violations.But he thinks everything he's gone through will be worth it if he can take Trump down.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqPubAjtbc4

Plans for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics are not going well.It's a political quagmire, with plans for billion-dollar stadium upgrades or massive new venues being thrown around like confetti.There are concerns that Brisbane is going to blow its budget.Fifty years ago, the 1976 Montreal Olympics suffered a financial disaster so massive it nearly heralded the end of the Olympic Games.Is Brisbane repeating the mistakes of the past?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VRUVQz-Dlw

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.He is doing everything he can to stay in office, because if he holds office, he can't be thrown in jail.Sound familiar? It's a bit like Donald Trump's situation in the United States.But Netanyahu's case has an old-school flavour. It's a fierce battle between media tycoons, and it even involves Australian media nepo baby James Packer.It's a rollicking tale. But with a military campaign against Gaza and tensions with Iran rising, it could also change the fate of the war in the Middle East.For more on Benjamin Netanyahu's history, check out this episode: Can Israel rescue the hostages?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25NndMbkhVE

Narenda Modi loves to promote India's status as the largest democracy in the world, and experts agree that the country's elections are free and fair for all. Modi is now an unbackable favourite to win a third term as Prime Minister in the weeks ahead, with polls suggesting he is heading for another victory. So why is he so sensitive to criticism, and aggressive in pursuing his detractors? In this final episode, Avani learns of the consequences of her own reporting on Modi after so many months searching for the truth.

Iran and Israel are caught in a cycle of revenge.On April Fools' Day, there was a huge escalation in the conflict when an Israeli air strike killed 16 people, including two Iranian Generals.Two weeks later, the skies over Israel lit up with a counterattack.It might seem like in this conflict, anything goes, but each response and retaliation is a calculated move.Israel knew the attack was coming and almost every drone and missile was intercepted.So, when the game of chess begins, how does it end?Last time the revenge cycle started to turn, Donald Trump was in the White House, and the wheel only stopped because of a tragic mistake.This time, Israel's response could change the trajectory of the conflict in the Middle East.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_dbh10orQc

Lifting Indians out of poverty lies at the core of Narendra Modi's wildly popular political strategy. And it's worked: during his Prime Ministership, India has risen from the tenth largest economy in the world to the fifth. But this rising tide has also widened the gap between the rich and the poor in India, and has raised questions about Modi's ties to business leaders who have turned the nation's rise to their own advantage.

People don't like wind farms. They say they're bad for wildlife, they affect property values and they create pollution.But are any of these claims true?Today, the wind farm debate and how it nearly tore the small Australian community of King Island apart.This episode of If You're Listening is a live recording from the Newcastle Writers Festival.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ-9hfWk8TI

In 2002, Narendra Modi's carefully crafted political story was rocked by a series of deadly attacks in his home state of Gujarat, where he was the highly popular Chief Minister. Thousands were killed in a wave of riots that lasted for three days and became a major national scandal.Modi's role in the violence has been heavily contested in the decades since, but he has never been able to shake the association in the minds of some Indians. How did he manage to survive such a high-profile catastrophe, and what is the legacy of those terrifying riots today?

The Duterte and Marcos families are the Montagues and Capulets of the Philippines.They are, depending on who you ask, the country's most famous statesmen, thieves, murderers or heroes.They have tussled for power for nearly 60 years, and now there are talks of secession splitting the country in two.Could this family feud literally tear the Philippines apart?Want to watch Matt present If You're Listening live from the Newcastle Writers Festival this Sunday, April 7? A stream will be posted to this channel on YouTubeSubscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5pPcV54kiQ

In January 2024, Narendra Modi travelled to the northern Indian town of Ayodhya to attend the consecration of a Hindu temple with a very contested history. The site had previously been occupied by a 500-year-old mosque, and had become a focal point of broader disputes between India's Hindu and Muslim communities.That fight over one hill in Ayodhya resulted in a demolition, mass protests and deadly retaliations across India. It also gave Modi a cause he could champion throughout his rapid political rise.

Australia’s housing market is, like many places in the Western world, in the midst of a crisis that feels like it will never be solved. Owning a property in an Australian city has only drifted further out of reach for most Australians in the last decade, and there are very few practical solutions on offer. Is it possible to actually unpick this situation?Japan offers a useful example. Thirty years ago, property in Tokyo was the most expensive in the world. Today, home ownership in that same city is comparatively affordable, with plenty of available stock on the market. How was this massive turnaround achieved, and how can other countries learn from the Japanese model?

When Narendra Modi left home, it wasn't to begin a career in politics. He wanted to be a monk. Modi's teenaged pilgrimage would take him across India, following the trail of his country's most influential religious leader. It was a journey that would ultimately steer him towards politics, and lay the foundation for some of his most popular and controversial philosophies.

The Princess of Wales has barely been seen since Christmas and everyone is asking, where is Kate?The Royal Family released a photo meant to squash the rumours, but when it became obvious it had been photoshopped, the speculation just got worse.Fake photos are everywhere, and there's a long history of people doctoring them, from photocopying to photoshopping, to straight up AI.But is there a time coming where we won't be able to tell the difference between what's real and what's fake?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihzt5GNfnig

For most politicians, the image of a stable marriage and a happy family is a crucial part of their pitch to voters. But in India, being single is a selling point: leaders want to show that they are dedicated only to their country. Narendra Modi's carefully crafted image of a bachelor was up-ended when it emerged that he had a wife who had been kept secret for decades.Since this scandal broke, Modi's estranged wife has barely been seen or spoken to the media. In this episode, we're going to find her.

Russia is in the midst of an election, but we already know Vladimir Putin will win. He always wins.So why does Russia bother holding elections? What’s the point?Putin learned a lesson many years ago about the illusion of democracy, and it’s one he has never forgotten.

Every Tuesday for the next seven weeks, we'll be dropping an extra episode from a new ABC podcast into the If You're Listening feed. Looking for Modi, hosted by the ABC's South Asia correspondent Avani Dias, examines the life and political career of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. It's a fascinating show that we think you might enjoy. Matt will be back with another episode on Thursday.Narendra Modi's rise from poverty-stricken childhood has been a major appeal throughout his political career. He tells ordinary Indians that he is just like them, and that his life is proof of India's egalitarian democracy. But in truth, some of the central elements of his own biography are disputed. What do we really know about his origin story, and how did his time spent with a volunteer right wing organisation many view as a paramilitary group influence his politics?

The police arrested and interrogated Andrew after he was set up by hackers.Now we know how Chinese spies pull it off.An unprecedented leak of data from Chinese company i-Soon has cracked open the black box, revealing the secrets of China's cyber espionage operations.Correction: When Andrew Phelan was taken in for questioning by Victoria Police, he was never chargedSubscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c58XyP6Bx1E

Donald Trump was ordered to pay a $463.9 million fine for lying to banks about how rich he is.He's also facing at least five other cases that could cost him millions more in legal fees and fines.And this is all happening as he tries to run for president again — and political campaigns ain't cheap.So the question is: Can Donald Trump make it to election day without running out of money?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzEp-Vr4Oao

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was a revolutionary leader with a revolutionary idea.In just 10 years as Supreme Leader, Iran became a global pariah; virtually friendless in the international community.Yet when he died, millions of Iranians hysterically grieved his death.In today's episode, how Ayatollah Khomeini changed the course of Middle Eastern history, and how his ideas are still affecting us today.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOsdbCwS5qQ

In 1974, the Shah of Iran was diagnosed with cancer.It led to a Shakespearean tragedy that brought about the end of the Iranian monarchy and shaped the Middle East conflict we're seeing today.As open warfare between the US and Iran becomes more and more likely by the day, it's worth remembering that it all started with something tiny — a small lump in the spleen of one man.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZgrNZDxQhA

The Red Sea is the most trafficked trade route in the world, and now the US Navy and a group of militant Houthi rebels are going to war over it.The Houthis are attacking ships it says are linked to Israel and its allies; America is desperately trying to stop them. I mean, America might not get directly involved in the Israel-Gaza conflict, but you bet they'll protect their trade routes.The stakes couldn't be higher — if the US can't prove they have this under control, plenty of other groups around the world might decide to try their hand at blocking global trade as well.Editor's note: This introduction has been edited to clarify that not only Israeli ships have been targeted in Houthi attacks.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYJFHtTYc0g

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a new problem. As well as fighting Russia, he also has to fight Israel and Hamas for the world's attention.The shift in attention to Gaza has already meant Ukraine has lost crucial support.The question is — can Zelenskyy get the world to care about Ukraine again? And if not, what will that mean for the war?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fSMBo3xGBQ

China's pandas are not just pandas. They're diplomats.You're friendly to China? You get a panda. You criticise China? You get no pandas.In recent years China has been hostile toward the West, with the most literal symbol of their displeasure being the withdrawal of their pandas from zoos around the world.And yet, Chinese President Xi Jinping appears to be having a change of heart.This may indicate something very important — a return to a more peaceful relationship with the West.But why? And why are pandas the key to understanding it?Please participate in our listener survey!Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzM1L3Nrc-I

The world's most famous artificial intelligence company, OpenAI — the creator of ChatGPT — was set up to create a superintelligent AI, while at the same time safeguarding humanity from an omnipotent robot overlord which could enslave us all.But last week the company fell into chaos. OpenAI fired its wunderkind CEO Sam Altman.Just days later, under intense pressure, Sam Altman was put back in charge and the entire board was booted.So is an AI apocalypse possible, and with Altman back in charge, will OpenAI be able to protect us from its own robots?Please participate in our listener survey!Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR8c10Tkb3E

China is using cash to try and shore up support in the Pacific.In Honiara, the Solomon Islands capital, they just built most of the venues in the Pacific Games precinct.And China is not alone. Like a geopolitical version of The Bachelor, China, Taiwan, Australia and the United States are all trying desperately to win Honiara's heart.This tussle has caused panic in Taipei and Canberra, anger in Beijing and Washington, and actual violence in the Solomons.It's hard to think of a more perfect example of trouble in paradise.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzF_o11VvuQ

As international sanctions have cut into North Korea's ability to import and export things, they've become desperate for cash.They've been running crazy schemes to get it — smuggling, stealing, lying, cheating, swashbuckling — but that's nothing compared to what they make from stealing cryptocurrency.In fact, most of their foreign currency now comes from stolen crypto.So, can anything be done to stop the world's first nuclear-armed crypto bro, Kim Jong-un?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Catch up on our series about the Israel-Gaza conflict on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7eK8MO7c0Q

The Israeli hostages Hamas took back on October 7th still have not been rescued.The 1976 Entebbe rescue mission is legendary and gave Israel a reputation — they get hostages back no matter what.Now this reputation is putting enormous pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to rescue the hostages again.The question is — can he?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Catch up on our series about the Israel-Gaza conflict on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQx0U-bfd7A

While Israel tries to defeat Hamas, they also have to worry about a much more dangerous paramilitary group on their northern border: Hezbollah.The express purpose of Hezbollah, which formed 40 years ago, is also to eradicate Israel.It would be a nightmare for Israel if Hezbollah swings in and backs Hamas up.So where did Hezbollah form, why do they hate Israel, and what hand did Israel have in their creation?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Catch up on our series about the Israel-Gaza conflict on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ4x0gAzJx4

The Israeli Government has one of the most well-resourced intelligence communities in the world, specifically tasked with preventing attacks from Hamas.So how did it fail to detect an operation that involved months of planning, meetings in multiple countries, and thousands of militants?This is part two in our series on the Israel-Gaza conflict.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Catch up on our series about the Israel-Gaza conflict on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYJFHtTYc0g

Last week, Hamas burst out of the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, killing at least 1,400 people, the vast majority of them Israeli civilians.But Hamas' origins go back decades, to its founder Ahmed Yassin.How did a disabled refugee from Gaza become one of the most influential men in Palestine?And how did he take Hamas from obscurity to wresting control of the Gaza Strip?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VqWVeanOS0

In 2021, a doctor from Florida met with a group of men to plan the overthrow of the Haitian President.The plot triggered a series of events which led to the President's death, the almost total collapse of the government, and the rise of mob rule in Haiti.So why is Kenya now being sent in to save the day?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhcd5oos_P4

In September last year, Elon Musk refused to let the Ukrainian military use his Starlink satellites to attack Russia.Musk jumped on Twitter and posted “Starlink is meant for peaceful use only”. So how did we get into a situation where Elon Musk gets to personally decide whether a Ukrainian military operation succeeds or fails?And was he justified in refusing to help? Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVojbEzWoUU

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was murdered in Vancouver in June.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has just come out saying the Indian Government assassinated him.India is, of course, denying it.So who was Niijar? Why would anyone — much less the Indian Government — want to kill him?And is there more to this story than meets the eye?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2K0dTtkGNE

When world leaders received their invitations to the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi, everyone got a bit of a surprise. It referred to Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of Bharat, not India.The debate over the naming of India stretches back nearly 80 years, and tells an important story about the country's history.And Modi's new push for a change in the constitution is just the latest in a series of political fights centred on race, religion and unity in India.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWhuh87aYOM

The US, Russia, China and India are all sending missions to the moon — and all to its totally unexplored south pole.Why? Well, in order to make the next giant leap, we need to build a petrol station on the moon.How a discovery made a century ago will allow us to use the moon as a stepping stone to explore the solar system.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWhuh87aYOM

For a century society has bullied and shamed people into trying to lose weight, without much result.Now, a seemingly accidental discovery by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk may be the first weight loss drug that actually works.People are hailing semaglutide, marketed under the names Ozempic or Wegovy, as a miracle weight loss drug — but it comes at a cost.One clear winner is the Danish economy, as semaglutide has shot Novo Nordisk into the stratosphere as the most valuable company in all of Europe.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meJItedDm2Y

China's economy is struggling. Similar things are happening across Asia but in China it's happening extremely fast.And a big part of the reason why is the disastrous One Child Policy and years of dodgy population data.How can you make plans for a country when you don't know how many people you have?Now the population is going backward, the property sector is faltering, and China is in a world of trouble.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4E5qY_tTDg&t

While everyone has their eyes on the war in Ukraine, West Africa is threatening to break out into war.There's been a seemingly unstoppable wave of coups washing along the edge of the Sahara, gaining strength each time.After the recent military coup in Niger, locals were seen chanting "down with France" and "long live Putin".What are France and Russia doing in West Africa? And could they end up in a proxy war?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_N9w5e9NrE

Microchips are in your car, your microwave — there might even be one in your kettle. They run everything.And the best microchips are made by TSMC, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.TSMC chips have put Western tech companies and militaries streets ahead of China, and China is not happy about it.TSMC is so important, that the world could go to war over it.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tC3u8NEqU8&t

Inflation in Argentina is at 100 per cent. The government is printing money fast and locals are spending in US dollars because the peso is so unreliable. The economy is like a rollercoaster.It might be tempting to think, "they're different over there", but here's the thing: they're kind of not. Argentina — one of the wealthiest countries in the world — was once uncomfortably similar to Australia. Until it totally lost control of its own economy.

Donald Trump has been charged with trying and failing to delete CCTV evidence of farcical, and allegedly criminal behaviour.It's just the latest charge in the case against the former president over his… interesting decision to take classified documents with him when he left the White House.Could it land him in jail? We tell the story of how Trump got into this predicament, and his plan to get out of it.

A bromance is a powerful thing. Lennon and McCartney. Holmes and Watson. Gilbert and Sullivan. Han and Chewy. But occasionally a bromance can nearly get you killed.A month ago the entire world watched transfixed as a former chef named Yevgeny Prigozhin marched with his private army on Moscow. At the core of this mutiny is a bromance between Prigozhin and a guy you've probably never heard of — General Sergei Surovikin.Prigozhin assumed his friend Surovikin would back him up, but he flaked, and now both men are missing. So how did Prigozhin's bromance with Surovikin nearly bring down the Russian Government? And what's the punishment for even thinking about trying to roll Vladimir Putin?We now make a video version of If You're Listening! Check us out on YouTube and iView.

If You're Listening is back, and better than ever. Same espionage, same corruptions, same scandals, but more often.Not only will we be in your feed every Thursday, we'll also cover a different story each week. And if you prefer to watch rather than listen, we're also making videos for iView and YouTube.Episode one drops Thursday, 27th July.