SBS News In Depth

Japan is launching its first foreign intelligence agency since World War Two, backed by a massive US$400 million budget. Driven by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the move aims to counter escalating threats from China, North Korea, and Russia - placing Japan alongside global espionage powers like the CIA and MI6. But will this historic shift successfully deter regional aggression, or will it risk making relations worse?

.

Climate change will be a pressing issue at next month's Pacific Islands Forum, which is being hosted by Palau, with calls for every regional player to be at the table, so opportunities for progress aren't lost. Last year, Taiwan was among other non-member states not invited due to pressure from China. Palau's government has told SBS, it expects entire island communities to be lost to rising seas by the end of the century, calling on Australia to contribute more to climate adaptation.

The Garma Festival is underway in northeast Arnhem Land, with the four-day event showcasing traditional Yolŋu art, song, dance and storytelling. Hosted by the Yothu Yindi Foundation, this year’s festival is expected to attract about two-thousand guests, including Australia’s most famous blue heeler, Bluey.

The Garma Festival is on this weekend. running until Monday, with delegates from around the country attending the major First Nations cultural event in north-east Arnhem Land. It's Australia's largest Indigenous cultural gathering and thousands of people are in attendance at Gulkula. The theme for 2026 is Bukmak, which means 'everyone'. In the Yolŋu Matha language, Garma refers to a two-way learning process, recognising everyone has knowledge to share, and respecting difference and exchange. It's organised by the Yothu Yindi Foundation, and for this edition of Weekend One on One, NITV Radio's Lowanna Grant has been speaking to the organisation;s CEO Denise Bowden:

Here in Australia, while we may not like them, we are, at least, used to wildfires. They are part of our environment. But people in the northern hemisphere are finding it hard to come to terms with the massive fires blazing across Europe and North America. And while an advancing wildfire is a terrifying sight as it consumes everything in its path, scientists are warning that it's the smoke from wildfires that can also be a serious threat to health.