Weekend One on One

As Halloween approaches, haunted houses, horror movies and jump scares are taking centre stage, but why do so many people enjoy being scared?

Clemson University psychology researcher Cynthia Pury explains the science behind enjoying fear, the role of feeling safe, why some people crave adrenaline, and what separates thrill-seekers from those who avoid scary experiences.

In this episode:

• Why fear can be enjoyable when people know they're safe.
• The surprising connection between jump scares, humour and the childhood game peekaboo.
• How anxiety sensitivity influences whether someone enjoys scary movies and haunted attractions.
• Why some horror fans seek out spoilers before watching frightening stories.
• What real-life fear, thrill-seeking and exposure therapy can reveal about our relationship with being scared.

Newly released national survey data provides a clearer picture of the health and wellbeing outcomes for the Stolen Generations survivors and descendants.

The data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare also shows there are an estimated 200,000 Stolen Generations descendants aged 18 years and over. Half of descendants live with a disability or restrictive long-term condition and 37 per cent experience high psychological distress.

The Stolen Generations refers to the First Nations children who were removed from their families across Australia - from the mid-1800s and until the 1970s - as part of deliberate assimilation policies aimed at eliminating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

In this episode:

• How intergenerational trauma manifests in Stolen Generations families
• Lower health, wellbeing and socioeconomic factors documented in national data
• The role of Stolen Generations advocacy groups
• 30 years on from a landmark report, what happened to the recommendations to support healing for Stolen Generations survivors?

SBS News in Depth is a news analysis podcast from SBS, going behind the headlines with reporting and interviews on the stories shaping Australia and the world.

Listen to more episodes of SBS News in Depth, and follow the show on the SBS Audio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

For the latest news from Australia and around the world, visit SBS News and follow us on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.

A UN expert discusses rising executions in Iran, protest-linked death sentences, and concerns over due process.

As World Day Against the Death Penalty approaches, UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran and an academic at Birkbeck University, Dr Mai Sato talks to SBS Persian's Niv Sadrolodabee and discusses rising executions in Iran, including an increase in national security cases linked to protests. She examines concerns over fair trials, public executions, international pressure and efforts to halt death sentences.

In this episode:

• Why executions linked to national security charges have increased following nationwide protests.
• Dr Mai Sato's concerns about the trial and execution of Alireza Sepahi, including allegations of torture and due process failures.
• What public executions could signal, and why some people reportedly gathered to oppose them.
• Cases highlighted ahead of World Day Against the Death Penalty, including prisoners still facing execution.
• Whether international pressure, UN engagement and legal reforms could help reduce executions in Iran.

The Koori Knockout brings hundreds of teams and thousands of visitors to the Hunter for rugby league and community. NITV Radio's Ngaire Ngaire Pakai spoke to committee member Abie Newie.

The Koori Knockout returns to the Hunter as the Newcastle Yowies prepare to host one of the biggest Indigenous sporting events on the calendar. Abbey Nui reflects on the competition’s remarkable growth, its community-led legacy, and what visitors can expect beyond the footy.

In this episode:

• How the Newcastle Yowies earned the right to host this year’s Koori Knockout in Raymond Terrace.
• The competition’s growth from a handful of teams to nearly 200 across multiple divisions.
• Why the event is about more than rugby league, with cultural activities, live performances and community spaces.
• How a juniors draw and leadership event at the University of Newcastle aimed to create pathways for young people.
• Why organisers see the Knockout as a powerful example of Aboriginal self-determination and community leadership.

Historian Zoe Smith explores Australia’s long history of tackling domestic violence and the challenges that remain.

How has domestic violence moved on and off Australia’s political agenda for more than a century? Historian Dr Zoe Smith traces key turning points from the 1880s to today, examining reform efforts, national plans, prevention strategies, media coverage and what Australia might learn from overseas.

In this episode:

• Why domestic violence was described as a “national crime and a social menace” as early as 1904, and what changed after World War I.
• How the women’s movement helped push domestic violence back onto the national agenda in the 1970s.
• Why Australia’s first national plan was criticised, and what the current plan is doing differently.
• The growing focus on prevention, perpetrators, respectful relationships education and generational change.
• What Scotland and Spain’s long-term approaches reveal about the investment and commitment needed to reduce violence.

SBS News in Depth is a news analysis podcast from SBS, going behind the headlines with reporting and interviews on the stories shaping Australia and the world.

Listen to more episodes of SBS News in Depth, and follow the show on the SBS Audio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

For the latest news from Australia and around the world, visit SBS News and follow us on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.

US President Donald Trump's administration is preparing sanctions against the International Criminal Court as part of a campaign to dismantle the institution created to prosecute people accused of the world's most heinous crimes. So what are the implications?

The Trump administration is preparing new sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), intensifying a long-running US campaign against the world's only permanent court for prosecuting genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. In this interview, Zoe Paris, Advocacy Coordinator for the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, explains the ICC's role as a court of last resort, stepping in when national governments are unwilling or unable to prosecute the gravest international crimes.

Paris argues that Washington's opposition stems from the ICC's willingness to investigate alleged crimes involving US nationals and key allies, particularly Israel. She outlines how proposed sanctions could restrict the provision of services to the court, potentially exposing individuals and companies to severe penalties and creating a chilling effect on organisations that support the ICC's work.

The discussion places the current dispute in historical context, noting that US hostility towards the court predates Donald Trump and can be traced through previous administrations, including measures designed to shield US citizens from ICC jurisdiction. However, Paris describes the current efforts to undermine the court as unprecedented in scale and ambition.

The interview also examines the broader consequences of sanctions, arguing they would affect not only investigations in Palestine and Afghanistan but also ICC work in Ukraine, Darfur, Libya and the Philippines. Despite these challenges, Paris maintains that the court, human rights organisations and civil society groups remain committed to pursuing justice, accountability and reparations for victims of mass atrocities, and will continue their work regardless of political pressure.

Conservationists are calling for government funding to count the population of the platypus over the next decade.

Feral cats are one of the biggest threats to Australia's native wildlife, having contributed to the extinction of at least 20 mammal species. In this interview, the Australian Wildlife Conservancy explains how researchers are tackling the problem through habitat restoration, targeted control programs and cutting-edge genetic research. The discussion also explores why Australia's wildlife is especially vulnerable to cats, the role of pet cats in wildlife decline, and why experts remain hopeful that many threatened species can recover. Paulien Roessink from SBS Dutch is speaking to Joey Clarke from the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.

In this interview, the Australian Wildlife Conservancy explains how researchers are tackling the problem of feral cats and their impact on native wildlife. These are the main points of the interview:

1. Feral cats are a major driver of Australia's extinction crisis
   Cats have spread across more than 99% of Australia and have played a significant role in the extinction of at least 20 native mammal species, contributing to Australia's record as the world's worst country for mammal extinctions.
2. Cats have a broader impact than foxes
   While foxes are also a serious threat, cats occupy a much larger range across Australia, including areas where foxes are absent. Together, cats and foxes have devastated populations of small and medium-sized native mammals such as bandicoots, bettongs and hopping mice.
3. Researchers are testing multiple ways to control feral cats
   The Australian Wildlife Conservancy is combining traditional methods such as fenced wildlife sanctuaries, baiting, trapping and shooting with habitat management strategies, including improved fire regimes and removing feral herbivores to make landscapes safer for native species.
4. Genetic research could offer a future breakthrough
   In partnership with CSIRO, researchers are mapping feral cat genomes to better understand population movements and explore the long-term possibility of genetic biocontrol technologies that could reduce cat populations over generations.
5. Protecting wildlife and pets can go hand in hand
   The interview highlights that free-roaming domestic cats also have a significant impact on wildlife. Keeping pet cats contained not only protects native animals but can also safeguard cats from threats such as bird flu and other environmental risks.

For the first time since 2023, the US Federal Reserve board has voted to raise interest rates. The Fed also flagged further increases in borrowing costs in coming months, with new US central bank chief Kevin Warsh joining a unanimous decision that effectively acknowledges the Trump administration's inability so far to control inflation. While President Donald Trump had promised to lower prices on his watch, the combined impact of his global import tariffs, an energy shock following the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, and capital spending from the artificial intelligence boom has kept price pressures intense enough that the Fed felt it needed to raise its benchmark overnight interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, putting it into the 3.75-to-four-per-cent range. Economist Jill Cetina of the Texas A&M University Mays Business School explains this unanimous decision and the impact it can have on the economy.

Springtime doesn't just bring a shift in weather and more sunshine; it also marks the beginning of snake season. Australia is home to over 170 land and sea snake varieties, including around 100 venomous species and 12 that are likely to inflict a wound that causes death. In 2024-25, more than 2,100 Australians presented to hospital due to a snake bite, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. But WIRES, the Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service, says snakes generally don't attack people unless provoked. For more on this, SBS chatted with WIRES spokesperson and snake enthusiast, John Grant.