Last year, the West African nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger established the 'Alliance of Sahel States', a new mutual defence pact in response to political disputes with regional organisation, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

These three countries are located in the Sahel region of West Africa which borders the the Sahara Desert. For over a decade the region has seen much political as well as security instability… and as a consequence the Sahel countries’ elected governments were toppled in military coups. In early 2024, the three juntas led-states declared their withdrawal from ECOWAS.

To learn exactly why these states decided to leave and what potential ramifications does this new alliance hold for the region, 4ZZZ's Toni Pankaluic spoke with Dr Muhammad Dan Suleiman, International Relations Academic at WA's Curtin University and a West Africa security analyst.

A new research from LaTrobe University highlights the struggles rural and regional victim survivors face.

The study, conducted along with the Centre Against Sexual Violence Central Victoria, shows how rural and regional women are revictimised, and why the numbers in these areas are higher.

4ZZZ & The Wire's Eduardo Jordan spoke with Dr Emily Corbett Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Melbourne University and Kate Wright CEO of the Centre Against Sexual Violence Central Victoria.

With Australia's rental vacancy rate at one per cent, we're told the homelessness crisis has never been so bad but is true?

Recently have you ever tried lodging photographic documents, such as passports into a government app and the system has asked you to upload to your facial ID in order for you to gain clearance.

Well this is an example of a digital ID and they’ve expanded across many sectors of society in Australia and around the world.

Have you wondered where exactly are we at with digital IDs and the debates surrounding these systems? Did you know there has actually been a digital id bill put forth in Australia?

4ZZZ's Toni Pankaluic chatted about these topics with Dr Erica Mealy, a Lecturer in Computer Science at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Telling others “I’m donating my milk” isn’t as common as telling them “I’m donating my blood”, but there are a group of mothers across Australia doing so. 4ZZZ Journalist Grace Koo speaks with a donor and experts surrounding the issue. 

Boxing... you might think boxing is a sport that’s only about punching and KO'ing your opponent in the ring, which offers nothing more than entertainment. Well, Gareth Williams a former professional boxer and owner of The Boxing Shop gym in Salisbury, Brisbane sets out to prove that thinking wrong.

Through a mentorship program he established, Boxing Beyond Barriers... Gareth uses boxing as a way of transforming disengaged and troubled youths lives around South East Queensland schools.

4ZZZ’s Toni Pankaluic interviewed Gareth Williams, head of the program to find out more.

Did you know the most powerful geomagnetic storm of the past 500 years occurred in 1859? This phenomena would later be known as the Carrington Event. Apart from the storm’s sheer intensity, why was it significant and what lessons can we learn from the Carrington Event... now and into the future.

4ZZZ's Toni Pankaluic spoke with Professor Jonti Horner, an Astrophysicist and Astronomer from the University of Southern Queensland.

Our Rainbow Lorikeets are colourful boisterous birds full of personality, however recently have you noticed some listless birds that donʻt want to fly?

4ZZZ's Eliot Rifkin chatted with Claude Lacasse a veterinarian at Qld RSPCA about Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome affecting Southeast Queensland

Many of us have passed the ‘Judith Wright Centre’ on Brunswick Street in the Valley… however, how much do you really know about Judith Wright? Was she a poet? An environmental activist? Advocate for Aboriginal Land Rights?
Actually, she was all this and more, even helping to form the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland.
Professor Tony Hughes - d’Aeth the Chair in Australian Literature at The University of Western Australia joined 4ZZZ’s Eliot Rifkin and Toni Pankaluic to chat about Judith Wright.

Julian Assange and his representatives faced a hearing in the UK High Court to see if the Wikileaks founder can appeal his extradition to the United States for Espionage charges.

4ZZZ Journalist Mack Prentis spoke with Greg Barnes SC, Assange's Lawyer about the case and how it went for the unwell publisher, as well as Dr Richard Murray about the case's significance to press freedom.