China has a new buzzword: Emotional value. It is used to explain everything from blind box obsessions and AI companions to why young people are hiring strangers to climb mountains with them. In this episode of the CNA Correspondent podcast, Genevieve Woo and Correspondent Krystal Chia explore the rise of China’s emotional economy and examine what this growing search for comfort and connection reveals about modern Chinese society.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 was always going to be unprecedented. Three host nations, 16 cities and 48 teams across an entire continent. What nobody quite expected was how much drama would happen off the pitch. The tournament kicked off amid an ongoing US-Iran conflict, Africa's top referee was denied entry to America, fans have paid record prices for tickets and the three co-hosts - the US, Canada and Mexico - are fighting a trade war of their own. Arnold Gay speaks to correspondents Matthew Mohan, Mitch McCann and Toni Waterman to unpack the politics, problems and blemishes behind the beautiful game.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Almost six months ago, two gunmen opened fire on hundreds of Jewish families celebrating Hanukkah near Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Fifteen people were killed and more than 40 wounded in the December 14, 2025 attack - Australia's worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years. In the aftermath, Parliament passed stricter hate crime and gun ownership laws, announced a national buyback scheme and launched a Royal Commission into antisemitism. But since then, the gun buyback initiative has faltered and a provision to criminalise inciting racial hatred has been quietly dropped. On this episode of the CNA Correspondent podcast, Arnold Gay speaks to Natashya Gutierrez and Jack Board to ask: Do Australian Jews feel any safer today? And have the nation's leaders truly matched their words with action?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The numbers going into 2026 were some of the best in aviation history. Then, US and Israeli strikes on Iran led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, choking off a fifth of the world's oil supplies. Carriers saw jet fuel prices surge by more than 120% and braced for supply shortages, cancelling thousands of flights and raising airfares. Some budget airlines have already shut down, and others could follow.
The aviation industry's annual gathering in Rio was supposed to celebrate record profits and chart a greener future. Arnold Gay speaks with Yasmin Jonkers to find out who will survive, who pays for cleaner skies and what kind of world we are flying into.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Traditional rice farming is a major climate problem. Flooded paddy fields release methane, a greenhouse gas 27 times more potent than carbon dioxide. But a Singapore-led project in Indonesia is testing a new way forward. By changing the way rice is planted and grown, researchers say emissions can be cut by up to half, without hurting farmers’ incomes. Arnold Gay speaks to CNA Senior Correspondent Saifulbahri Ismail about the science behind low-methane rice, the challenges of changing long-held farming practices and if consumers will go for a more climate-friendly grain.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jensen Huang is one of the most influential men in the world right now - the CEO and face of Nvidia, the company powering the global AI boom. But beyond the black leather jacket and rockstar status is a deeply candid story about immigrant sacrifice, fear of failure and relentless ambition. In this special episode of the CNA Correspondent podcast, Genevieve Woo speaks to Senior Correspondent Victoria Jen after her wide-ranging interview with the Nvidia co-founder, covering everything from AI anxiety and job losses to China, Taiwan and what really drives the world’s most powerful chipmaker.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1960s and 70s, tens of thousands of South Koreans went to what was then known as West Germany as miners and nurses under a labour-for-loan deal. They were meant to stay for three years. Many never left. Genevieve Woo speaks to CNA Senior Correspondent Lim Yun Suk about the sacrifices behind South Korea’s rise - and the lives built between two countries.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Trump–Xi summit has just wrapped in China.

But beyond the handshakes and official statements, what really happened behind closed doors?

We break down the key moments, the surprises and the strategic stakes with insights from Beijing and Washington.

From trade and tech rivalry to the Taiwan question, the shadow of Iran and global energy tensions, we ask - who came in with the upper hand and did that balance of power shift by the end?

Genevieve Woo unpacks the two-day meeting with Tan Si Hui in Beijing and Nick Harper in Washington.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.