In what’s being called the 12 Day War, 627 people have been killed in Iran by Israeli strikes and nearly 5000 injured, and Iran's retaliatory bombardment has killed 28 in Israel. In this episode, we're taking a break from the ongoing series Back to Basics, to speak to two Iranian New Zealanders who've spent the last few weeks in despair and worry about the fate of their families in Iran and that of their homeland.

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In our second part to this series, we dive into another sonic universe - the fascinating connection between ancient Indian musical tradition and the more modern sounds of Indian film and folk music. While Bollywood and Bhangra are an inextricable and now cliched part of the modern Indian music experience, the real bedrock upon which all that is built really is classical Indian music. Join Manjit Singh and Kooshna Gupta as we look at Indian music beyond bhangra and Bollywood.

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The unmistakable sounds of Brazil, even to the untrained ear are an instant invitation into the world of carnival and caipirinhas – but that’s the good stuff. Some of these sounds come from places of struggle and solidarity and in this first part of Back to Basics, Leandro Vasques talks about the history behind some genres, his musical influences and what life as a Brazilian muso in Auckland is like for him.

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With his latest book, globally renowned skin cancer surgeon Dr Sharad Paul, reflects on habits and tweaks that may just allow us to hack into genomics to optimize our performance. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar.

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Pepa Torre first came to New Zealand in the mid 90s. In her recent multimedia art installation called "23, 24, 25…Life U-Turns...Fate?", Torre looks back at 25 years of exploring time and experiences that define her idea of self.

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In our final episode of Accidental Comics - We're with guests Sameena Zehra and Eddy Rodriguez both of whom stepped into the world of comedy after coming to New Zealand.

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This week, Scotland to Auckland was a circuitous route for comic David Stuart who came seeking love and a laugh - he's gets there in the end. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar.

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In part two of our series with funny folk, we're joined by Summer Xia and Annie Guo who found comedy through chance in New Zealand. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar.

When Summer Xia and Annie Guo came to New Zealand, performing in front of a crowd was certainly nowhere on their model minority dreams.

Not taking themselves too seriously helped with their Kiwi orientation. Roasting friends, family and their new immigrant selves eventually lef them to the world of standup comedy. So in this second part to Accidental Comics, Annie Guo and Summer Xia speak to Kadambari Raghukumar about what humour is to them; how it manifests in their bilingual brains and when do jokes on our collective immigrant experience run out of steam?

They both take to the stage at the NZ International Comedy Festival this May, to share their jokes on navigating life as first-gen Chinese immigrants in New Zealand.

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