If you’re a fan of detective novels you’ll know this name almost as well as you know your own: Agatha Christie. She’s the mind that created Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and she put the Orient Express on the map... But there’s one Agatha Christie mystery that’s never been solved – and you’ve probably never heard of it. It’s the story of her own disappearance, on one December evening in 1926.

Guest: Bec Armitage for ABC Online

The mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie

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Death is something we don’t really like to think about. But when you or someone you love becomes ill, it’s important to be able to have a conversation about end of life care in a respectful and informed way. Despite being legal, there are still obstacles to accessing voluntary assisted dying or VAD, and because no one likes to talk about it, these issues are often discovered when it’s too late. So how can we ensure those who want to make the choice to end their life can do so with safety and dignity?

Guest: Annika Blau for Background Briefing

Why we need to start talking about dying

Australians have been in the midst of a cost of living crisis for a while now. Groceries are more expensive. Petrol is more expensive. Rent is more expensive. We're all in the same boat, so why is talking about money still so taboo? And what can we do to feel more in control of our finances?
 

Guest: Maani Truu from ABC Online

How to survive the cost of living crisis

Banning books feels like a thing of the past. A humble past-time of authoritarian leaders and churches trying to control the way people think. These days; thanks largely to our streaming services, it seems we’re reading much less than we used to. But in the last few years 10,000 books have been banned in the US alone. So why is the number of banned books sky rocketing?

Guest: Sarah L'Estrange for The Book Show

Why are book bans skyrocketing?

We spend more of our waking hours at work than anywhere else – and by extension, a lot of time with our colleagues. That might explain why up to half of us have been in a workplace relationship. So is it true a successful office romance can make you a better worker? And what about if it's your colleagues who are involved in not-so-subtle flirting while you’re just trying to get your job done?

Guest: Zoe Ferguson for This Working Life

Office romances are more common than you think

TikTok has over a billion users and counting. Recently there’s been a lot of talk about the national security threat that such a large user base owned by a Chinese company poses and now the US government has just passed a bill banning TikTok all together. So how did TikTok turn videos of synchronised dancing and lipsyncing into a multi-billion dollar business? And is the company’s Chinese ownership really as dangerous as governments would have us believe?

Since this episode was recorded US President Joe Biden signed a law that would ban TikTok unless it was sold within a year.  The measure formed part of a bill providing foreign aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan and stipulates that the parent company ByteDance must sell its stake in TikTok in 12 months under the threat of being shut down. 



Guest: Jen Leake for Rear Vision

The mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie

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