The President of the group calling itself the Vietnamese Community in Australia says he understands the desperation of asylum seekers. Phong Nguyen came to Australia from a refugee camp in Indonesia in 1979, after fleeing the aftermath of the Vietnam war. Many of his compatriots were amongst the first asylum seekers to come to Australia by boat, as were others from Laos and Cambodia. Mr Nguyen says many in the Vietnamese community support the current government's border protection approach. But he says asylum seekers should also be treated with compassion.

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** Australia's original &uot;boatpeople&uot; call for compassion. ** The government announces an inquiry into the massive oil spill off the W-A coast. And, ** Why it's tough being a kid in America.

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A series of new reports suggests growing up in the United States is a difficult and risky business. The reports are part of a large-scale study on the American Food Aid program, conducted over 32 years and across 48-hundred households. They found nearly half of all US children will receive food aid before the age 18. Washington correspondent John Stempin says it also found millions of American children are living with stress. He's speaking with Caroline Davey.

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In this podcast with Caroline Davey, ** New evidence that some boatpeople may already be deemed to be refugees by the United Nations. ** Papua New Guinean villagers call for the lifting of Torres Strait travel restrictions. And, ** Human traffic - Australia becomes home to a new invisible underclass.

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A commentator on Iranian politics says the 30th anniversary of the United States embassy hostage drama is especially important for the Ahmadinejad government this year...coming just months after the country's elections were surrounded by violent protests. On November 4th, 1979 Iranian militants took a group of U-S citizens hostage, after storming the embassy in support of the Iranian revolution. Attempts to free them failed and 52 people were held hostage until 20 January 1981, when the U-S agreed to unfreeze Iranian assets worth eight-billion dollars. The convenor of Islamic Studies at Melbourne University's Asia Institute Dr Sharam Akbarzadeh told Caroline Davey, the event which lasted 444 days.. has shaped American-Iranian relations ever since.

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In today's edition of World View with Caroline Davey, ** Amnesty international slams expansion plans for the Christmas Island detention centre. Also, ** What lies ahead for Afghanistan, after a one-horse race declares its winner? And... ** Australia prepares for another deadly bushfire season.

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Next time you reheat some leftovers in the microwave, will you use a plastic container? Or, if you have a baby, will you feed the newborn with a plastic baby bottle? Some scientists are warning us to think again. Caroline Davey has the story.

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In today's podcast with Caroline Davey, ** How Australian asylum policy is traumatising child refugees. Also, ** Internet domain names prepare to go multilingual. And ** Asia and Pacific nations urged to strengthen their own domestic markets

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The federal government this week resumed its national screening program for bowel cancer. Around 12 Australians die each day from what bowel cancer, which experts say could be prevented. It is the most common form of cancer in non-smokers, but those living in Japan and some Mediterranean countries have a lower incidence of bowel cancer. However, the Gut Foundation's president, Professor Terry Bolin, says that in Australia, this advantage seems to disappear after couple of generations, when these groups migrate to Australia. Dr Bolin is speaking with Caroline Davey.

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In this edition of World View with Caroline Davey, ** We cross live to Canberra to get the latest on the asylum seeker situation ** The Rural Doctors Association calls for urgent action on the doctor drought And... ** Sir Gustav Nossal makes a plea to rich countries to help reduce child mortality in poor countries

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The peak body for Aboriginal medical services has accused the RUDD government of &uot;losing its way&uot; on the promise to close the gap on life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation - or NACCHO - says the government is still only applying band-aid remedies to disadvantage...from housing and health problems, to raising educational and employment participation. The assessment follows new Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, which show some marked improvements in the quality of life of Indigenous Australians. For example, the A-B-S study reveals that smoking rates have declined by four per cent since 2002.. to 47 per cent. But the figures show that a large life expectancy gap still remains. NACCHO chair, Doctor Mick Adams, says while there may be political will to improve the life of Indigenous Australians, progress on the ground has been too slow. He's speaking with Caroline Davey.

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The number of young Australians choosing to end their lives has prompted a call for Australia to adopt a more comprehensive approach to suicide prevention. Figures from the Bureau of Statistics show that suicide is the leading cause of death for men under the age of 45 and women under 35 years. The statistics are even worse for Australians who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. They're 14 to 16 times more likely to take their own lives than their heterosexual counterparts. More from Greg Dyett.

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In this podcast with Greg Dyett: ** Divisions emerge among Indonesian politicians over an agreement with Australia on asylum seekers. ** American musicians, including R.E.M, are outraged over the use of their songs by the U-S military. ** Calls for Australian dance, theatre and music to better reflect cultural diversity. ** And a preview of all this weekend's A-League action.

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In this podcast with Greg Dyett: ** An Australian family claims they are trapped in the Gaza Strip. ** The Immigartion Department found to have breached the human rights of an intellectually disabled Lebanese immigrant. ** And have we learnt anything from the Great Depression?

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The rehabilitation of people who have experienced the trauma of war is a complex area. Counselling may work with some groups, but for others the concept of sharing personal and often traumatic experiences with a stranger can initially be daunting and confronting. One organisation in New South Wales that helps survivors of torture and trauma, is taking a different approach. Peggy Giakoumelos has more. *STARTTS is holding a fundraiser for the project on November 4. Contact STARTTS for details.

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