The International Monetary Fund says four in 10 economies will suffer a recession over the next 12 months. The bleak prediction comes ahead of a major meeting between the IMF, central bankers and global finance ministers, including Australia's treasurer Jim Chalmers, who has just arrived in Washington for the gathering. 

Chalmers says Australia won't be among the four tanking economies. But he'll raise concerns with the US Federal Reserve about the impact that blunt and brutal tightening of monetary policy would have on Australia. 

The Treasurer also says he's prepared to make last minute changes to this month's budget to avoid inflicting financial pain on Australians.

Today on Please Explain, senior economics editor Shane Wright joins Kate Aubusson to discuss the state of world's economy as it teeters on the brink of recession.

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There's increasing evidence that Ukraine has seized momentum in the six month old war.

On October 8, a blast crippled the Kerch Strait Bridge, which links the occupied Crimean peninsula to Russia.

Now, Russia is responding by sending missiles into Ukrainian cities in what it calls revenge attacks.

Today on Please Explain, digital foreign editor Chris Zappone joins Nick O'Malley to discuss the latest attacks, and whether the Russian setbacks will see Vladimir Putin turn to nuclear weapons.

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Right now, dozens of Australian women and children are trapped in detention camps in northeast Syria. 

They are the widows, sons and daughters of jailed and slain ISIS fighters, and in the camps they live in malnutrition, illness and violence are common.

While other nations have repatriated many of their own citizens in the same position, Australia has so far refused to do the same. But now - that could change. 

Today, foreign affairs and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Matthew Knott on the story of these women and children, and what the mission to bring them home could mean for the Albanese government.

Additional audio from: CNN, ABC Action News, Four Corners, Sky News Australia, Sunrise.

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AFL players at the centre of the Hawthorn racism scandal will now have the chance to be heard by Victoria’s first nations truth-telling commission. 

It follows reluctance from families to speak before the AFL’s own investigation into racism and mistreatment of players at the club. 

Indigenous affairs journalist and Birpai man at The Age, Jack Latimore joins audio producer Julia Carr-Catzel to discuss how a truth-telling commission may better serve affected players.

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Earlier this week Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek announced an updated Threatened Species Action Plan, promising to halt Australia’s extinction crisis. 

But ecologists say endangered species will need a lot more in both dollars and a range of measures - to affect any real change.

Mike Foley, climate and energy correspondent for the Age and Sydney Morning Herald joins audio producer Julia Carr-Catzel to discuss.

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The man accused of raping former political staffer Brittany Higgins in the Parliamentary office of the former Minister of Defence Linda Reynolds was always going to be one of Australia’s most high-profile and politically-charged rape trials, after Higgins shared her allegations in the news media 18 months ago.

Her story triggered a public outpouring of support and demand for accountability, not just for her alleged rapist - another former staffer Bruce Lehrmann- but for the political system that failed her. 

Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to having sexual intercourse with Higgins without consent and being reckless as to whether she was consenting. 

Today on Please Explain, senior writer and columnist Jacqueline Maley joins Kate Aubusson to talk through the trial so far.

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Ukraine troops have made significant gains in recent days, leaving Russia without full control of any of the four regions it annexed only days ago.

Ukraine’s counter-offence escalated dramatically, bursting through Russian lines in the country’s south on Monday and advancing along the Dnipro River.

The breakthrough mirrors similar gains in the country’s east, even as Russia moved to up the stakes by annexing four provinces and raising the spectre of nuclear war.

And a warning, some of what we’ll discuss today will be distressing for some listeners and we recommend you don’t listen in earshot of children.

Today on Please Explain, Bianca Hall is joined by Nine Europe correspondent Carrie-Anne Greenbank, who is in Ukraine.

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More than two million Australians have had their IDs – including passport and Medicare numbers – exposed in the Optus hack.

The telco has endured sustained criticism from the federal government and customers.

On Monday Optus called in consultancy Deloitte to conduct a forensic assessment of how the hack happened. Optus has not committed to releasing the findings of that assessment.

But should the millions of Australians whose data was compromised have the right to know the details of how their data was leaked? And how can we be sure it won’t happen again?

Today on Please Explain, Bianca Hall is joined by technology editor Nick Bonyhady to discuss the latest in this massive breach of customer trust.

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Women, life, freedom - is the slogan painted across thousands of banners in Iran as locals confront a brutal crackdown by authorities. 

But what started out as a fight against mandatory hijab laws - has evolved into a stand against the Iranian regime and what locals believe is an overdue reckoning. 

Freelance journalist Zoe Osbourne speaks with audio producer Julia Carr-Catzel to discuss the protests and whether they can bring down the Iranian government.

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This week, Anthony Koletti took the stand for the very first time at the inquest into his wife  Melissa Caddick’s suspected death. 

There were hopes that Koletti’s evidence might tie-up some loose ends, but it has left us even more confused.

The Sydney Morning Herald’s chief investigative reporter, and host of the podcast Liar Liar, Kate McClymont speaks with audio producer Julia Carr-Catzel about his evidence.

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