Radio National Breakfast

Hollywood actor Timothee Chalamet has become a running gag at the Oscars after an off-the-cuff comment criticising ballet and opera. 

It's Reserve Bank decision day - so what will happen to interest rates as the conflict in the middle east continues?

• GUEST: Warwick McKibbin, is a former RBA Board Member and now Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington DC and ANU Emeritus Distinguished Professor

An independent panel of experts has concluded the country's Research and Development sector is in desperate need of bold reform.

The Ambitious Australia report, commissioned by the government, is warning Australia's future living standards are at risk unless the country moves toward focused, mission‑driven innovation tied directly to economic growth, productivity and sovereign capability.  

Right now R&D investment has fallen to just 1.69% of GDP; almost half the OECD average.

• GUEST: Anna-Maria Arabia, Chief Executive at the Australian Academy of Science
• PRODUCER: Eddy Diamond 

Iran's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has slowed the flow of a major share of the world's energy supply, disrupting global markets.

Since the conflict began, US President Donald Trump has floated the idea of naval escorts to help oil tankers pass safely through the strait.

So far, no countries have taken up the call for help - including Australia.

• GUEST: Admiral Gary Roughead, former chief of US naval operations 
• PRODUCER: Eddy Diamond 

The war in the Middle East has entered its third week; with missile and drone attacks continuing across the gulf, hundreds of ships left stranded in the Strait of Hormuz and the conflict also spreading into Lebanon.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump's calls for regime change appear to have fallen on deaf ears in Iran, with the son of the former Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei now at the helm.

So, where does this war end for Iran and how do Iranians view the conflict?

• Guest: Seyed Hossein Mousavian, former Iranian ambassador to Germany, and former Head of the Foreign Relations Committee of Iran's National Security Council
• Producer: Grace Stranger

Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has entered its third week, and shipping has been put to a halt.

US President Donald Trump has urged its allies and China to send warships to the Strait to help secure the key shipping route out of the Middle East.

But the US is yet to do so - so will any other nation offer its own navy? 

Fuel prices in Australia have risen sharply amid uncertainty over the ongoing conflict in the MIddle East .

On the weekend, U-S President Donald Trump called for other nations to help secure the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks... which have disrupted global energy supplies.

Israeli bombardments have now killed more than 800 people in Lebanon as the conflict in the middle east intensifies.

Israel began its operation in Lebanon after Iran-aligned Hezbollah launched strikes in response to the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In just 10 days, more than 800-thousand people — nearly one out of every seven residents of Lebanon — have been displaced.

Back home, opinion polling indicates the Labor government is set for a victory in the upcoming South Australian election...

A recent poll from Roy Morgan indicates primary support for Labor is 35 per cent... ahead of One Nation's 28 per cent and the Coalition's 16-point-five per cent.

Recap the morning's news, politics and global affairs with the Breakfast Wrap

Thousands of people can now access federal disaster assistance following severe flooding in Central Australia and the Top End.

In Katherine, state schools are re-opening today and the recovery effort is beginning after last week's record breaking floods. But further south, communities in central Australia are bracing for more rain.

• Guest: Joanna Holden, Katherine Mayor
• Producer: Eddy Diamond

As a child you might have fond memories of a favourite book being read to you.

It's one of those enduring enjoyable activities, and it also fosters connection and better literacy.

But it's not something that all children have been able to experience, including those in the protection system.

So more than 20-years ago Bronwyn Sheehan had an idea: what if she could help those kids and their out-of-home care families during those vital first few years in a child's life?

• Guest: Brownyn Sheehan, founder of the Pyjama Foundation

Opinion polling indicates the Labor government is set for a victory in the upcoming South Australian election.

A recent poll from Roy Morgan indicates primary support for Labor is 35% ahead of One Nation's 28% and the Coalition's 16.5%.

• GUEST: Peter Malinauskas, South Australian Premier 
• PRODUCER: Isadora Bogle 

Fuel prices in Australia have risen sharply amid uncertainty over the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

On the weekend, US President Donald Trump called for other nations to help secure the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks, which have disrupted global energy supplies.

• GUEST: Catherine King, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
• PRODUCER: Isadora Bogle