The beautiful and beautifully expressive Malaysian actress Wardina Safiyyah is at our Melbourne studios as part of a Malaysian delegation of future leaders today. She spoke to us about a lot of things, including changing ideas of beauty and wearing the hijab on screen. Interview to come!

Do you think the Cambodian royal family should have to declare their assets? Or are they above Cambodian law?Cambodian prince to risk jail over assetswww.radioaustralia.net.auThe former spokesman for Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk says he'd prefer to go to jail than declare his assets.

Farmers are planting the first rice crop in decontaminated land around Fukushima. Generally, they only come in for a few days at a time, plant and leave. There are still great concerns around contamination, and they won't know if the rice will be safe to eat until after the crop is grown.Fukushima farmers return to decontaminated landRice planting has begun for the first time in some decontaminated areas near Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, while the restocking of cattle and pig...

Rescuers are continuing to look for survivors in Oklahoma. Tornadoes can be extremely destructive. More on how they form here:

"If there is free and fair elections, the leader of the opposition must take part in the election process otherwise any election would be meaningless," Sam Rainsy, Cambodian oposition. He is hopeful there will be electoral reforms put in place to allow him to contest elections in July. Yesterday, about 2,000 people protested in the capital Phnom Penh, demanding the reform of Cambodia's National Election Committee. Full report:opposition pushes for electoral reforms | ABC Radio Australiawww.radioaustralia.net.auCambodia's opposition leader says he is hopeful there will be electoral reforms put in place to allow him to contest elections in July.

Animal rights groups say Thai criminal syndicates are rounding up thousands of dogs to feed demand for dog meat in Asia. Sometimes the dogs are bought from poor villagers, many are taken from the streets. After they are taken, they are force fed to increase their weight so they can be sold at a higher price. some suffocate and die in the process, read full report:

This month, ABC Open is celebrating the many faces of Australia. This is John, taken by Paula McManus Paula wrote: 'John was taking a break from his duties as the generator maintenance man. The town's electricity is supplied by generators which run 24 hours a day. John's job is to make sure that the generators continue to work. He has lived in the town for about 10 years after moving from the Coorong. He said that he thinks that he may retire soon to the Flinders Ranges.'

Can photographs lie, even if they haven't been manipulated? Liam Cochrane speaks with renowned photography Tim Page.Tim Page on history, photography and the Vietnam Warwww.radioaustralia.net.auOne of the most enduring images of the Vietnam War was taken by Eddie Adams in 1968.

For more than eight centuries the sound of the pin harp has been locked in stone - seen on the walls of Angkor Wat, but lost from music today. Now a Cambodian composer has revealed what it may have sounded like. Hear more:

Congratulations to Raha Muharraq - the first Saudi Arabian woman to climb Mount Everest. "Her dream was to prove that with determination and self-denial she can bear difficulties because she believed that humankind can overcome" all tests, her father said.Saudi woman reaches summit of Everestwww.abc.net.auA Saudi Arabian woman has scaled the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, in a first for the conservative Muslim kingdom where women's sports are severely restricted.

The sunrise this morning over Noosa, Queensland. Photo by ABC Sunshine Coast's David Shipton.

Dinghys sit on the shore before the start of the Fremantle to Bali yacht race in Western Australia. Photo by ABC audience member aaronphoto.

Have you ever dreamed of seeing Uluru? ABC Open producer David Nixon takes us to the centre of Australia. Read more about David's video postcard:from UluruA video postcard from one of my favourite places... I've visited and worked at Uluru on and off for over twenty years and every time I visit, I'm overwhelmed…

Members of the Sri Lankan military practice on the streets of Colombo ahead of the annual Victory Day parade commemorating the anniversary of the Sri Lankan Forces' defeat of the Tamil Tigers on May 18, 2009. Photo by ABC audience member Eva Frances.

What happened in your world today? Catch up on all of today’s news and stories by podcasting the latest Radio Australia programs.ABC Radio Australiawww.radioaustralia.net.auGet our programs and stories delivered via Podcast.

If you could tell the story of your town in a picture, what would it look like?Tales from my townThe Tales from my Town exhibition is a joint project between ABC Open and Blackall-Tambo Regional Council's Grassland Art Gallery. It will open on May 19 and run until June 21. Visit the link to find out the stories behind the photographs:

'Big Brother in Space'- a Dutch reality TV show plans to send volunteers on a mission to Mars. The only catch? There's no return trip. Yet. More:

So David Beckham will retire at the end of this season. Do you think it's the right time?David Beckham's top five goalswww.abc.net.auDavid Beckham will hang up his boots at the end of the season at the age of 38.

Is Bollywood to blame? Women in Indian film are still presented as scantily clad, passive sex objects, leading many to wonder if blame for a recent spate of horrific rapes lies with the country's directors and actors. More:

In Myanmar's state of Rakhine, many Muslim Rohingya made homeless by communal bloodshed last year said they were too scared to move. "We could die here. We have no place to go," said Yu Sut Taw, a Muslim man living in a camp on the outskirts of the state capital Sittwe, one of several in Rakhine which are home to a total of about 140,000 displaced persons.Cyclone threatens Myanmar, Bangladesh and Indiaof thousands of people in Bangladesh and Myanmar have been ordered to evacuate as Cyclone Mahasen bears down on coastal areas.

You might not be able to walk on water, but you can at least stand up and glide. A stand up paddle boarder makes his way across the water at the seaside Adelaide suburb of Seacliff.

Across Papua New Guinea, and in communities around the world, people are coming together to call for on the government to help end gender-based violence. More:Krai in picturesThousands of people come together to call for an end to violence against women and children

Australia has announced plans to save money by delaying planned spending to foreign aid. But Dr Musimbi Kanyoro, one of the world's leading advocates for the advancement of women, says this could have serious consequences for women in the Asia Pacific. Full interview:

What does it mean for your region? - Foreign aid targets, as forecast, have been delayed. - Savings worth $88 million over six years are being found in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs. - Almost half a billion dollars is going towards the transition of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, RAMSI. - An increase to the cost of applying for a 457 temporary skilled worker visa from $455 to $900.Asia-Pacific watching foreign aid in Australia's budgetwww.radioaustralia.net.auForeign aid spending remains the biggest issue for the Asia-Pacific region in the wake of Tuesday's Australian budget.

If you lived on Australia's Sunshine Coast, you would have seen this this morning. Beautiful photo from ABC Sunshine Coast's David Shipton.

Ever wondered what it looks like inside a space capsule? Astronaut Chris Hadfield has returned to Earth after a stint on the International Space Station that show him use social media like Facebook and Twitter to share the experience with the world. Were you watching? A special thanks from us Earthlings should go to his son, Evan, who managed a lot of the Facebooking while his dad was up in space. Fotos de la biografía(Evan's note) Wonder what it looks like in the Soyuz capsule? I think the term they prefer is "cozy".

You can help but dancing when you hear the music of Melbourne-based bluegrass band Mustered Courage. Their new album 'Powerlines' is our Album of the Week and they stopped by to treat us to a live performance in the ABC Music Library. Full interview here:de mayo de 2013 21:00

Around 4,500 factories produce clothes for many of the world's major brands in Bangladesh. They employ 4 million workers. Wages are as low as $37 a month, with some employees working 10-15 hours per day.Hundreds of Bangladeshi factories to shut indefinitelyof factories which form the hub of Bangladesh's garment industry are to close indefinitely after a building collapse that killed more than 1,100 people sparked worker unrest, employees announced on Monday.

A UN report says insects like maggots, beetles, caterpillars and ants might be the food of the future. They're environmentally friendly and could help fight obesity. Do you think people will catch the bug-eating bug? More:

"I won't commit suicide under any circumstances, for the Communist Party, for the country or for the people," said one internet user called PY-Liu in a posting. "If I commit suicide, then it's definitely fake."Woman's death prompts 'anti-suicide' protest in Chinawww.radioaustralia.net.auMillions of Chinese go online to protest the suspicious death of a woman in Beijing earlier this month.

The Australian Body Art Carnival was held over the weekend in Eumundi, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. (Photo by Bruce Atkinson)

In 1932 about 20,000 emus descended on farms - a situation that local farmers thought could only be handled by the Australian Army. It seems absurd today, but in 1932 three army personnel along with Lewis machine guns and 10,000 rounds of ammunition were dispatched to the frontline. After a few days it appeared that their enemy was to be more difficult to defeat than they had first expected. Read more -

Workers left their factories en masse Sunday morning to demand an increase in wages. They also demanded the death penalty for Sohel Rana, owner of the collapsed Rana Plaza complex. He is accused of forcing labourers to work on April 24, the day of the collapse, even though cracks appeared in the building a day before.Bangladesh to raise clothing workers' minimum wageBangladeshi Government is promising to increase the minimum wage for more than three million of the country's garment workers.

"[Y]ou can't borrow money to spend on aid," Senator Bob Carr says. What do you think of the decision?Aid spending on hold as Swan readies budgetwww.abc.net.auFederal politicians return to Canberra today as Treasurer Wayne Swan prepares to hand down his sixth budget.

In Australia these days, it's pretty rare to find families with more than two kids. But when Natalie Elkins wakes up this Mother's Day, she'll have twice as much fun. She has four children to make her breakfast in bed. Nadia Hume catches up with some mothers who are bucking the trend of 2.1 kids and having families larger than the norm:

Happy Mother's Day! How do you tell your mum you love her?

Tomorrow is International Nurses Day. Stop and think a moment about all the great things nurses do for you and your community. Nurses like Olivet Tugu in rural Vanuatu. Olivet works every single day, treating people who are sick in a very remote community. Here she is learning how to use a compass so that she can navigate the boat trip to the hospital in foggy weather.

It's the Milky Way. ABC Open contributor Laurie Anne King took this amazing shot of the night sky.

Barbara Stuart Artist Barb Stuart is one of over half a million 'Forgotten Australians' finding their way through the battle scars of institutionalised childhoods in the 1900's. Painting saved her life.How art changed my life: Barb Stuartwww.abc.net.au

Ali Haider Gilani was heading to a rally when he was seized by gunmen in Multan, a city in southern Punjab. He is a candidate for the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) - one of the parties being targeted by the Taliban in a pre-election terrorism campaign which has claimed the lives of more than 100 people since April.Ex-PM's son abducted as Taliban threaten Pakistan pollPakistani prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's son has been kidnapped just two days before the country's election.

Did you see this morning's solar eclipse? Producer Bethany Keats used a pinhole camera to view it safely. Did you do a better job than her? Send us your photos!

What happens in Australia when the sun goes down? ABC Open stays up late with Snapped: After Dark Photo by vorka70

It cost $170,000. It took 16 people seven months to make. It's the Skywhale, and you have to see it to believe it.Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a Skywhalewww.abc.net.auA $170,000 hot air balloon called the Skywhale has been unveiled to mark Canberra's centenary. The unusual design is already creating public controversy.

"Ye old mother, hand I this black worm" This sentence is made up of some of the 23 words researchers believe have stayed the same through the millennia. Now the next time you travel back in time, you'll know what to say.Ice Age words stand the test of timeIce Age ancestors in Europe 15,000 years ago may have used words we would recognise today, a new study shows.

A horse attempts to buck its rider at the Daly Waters Rodeo in the north of Australia's Northern Territory. Photo by audience member Sam Gubicak.

Shutting down 18 factories over safety concerns, could this be the turning point for Bangladesh's garment manufacturing industry?Building collapse prompts Bangladesh factory closureswww.radioaustralia.net.auBangladesh has shut down 18 garment plants for safety reasons after a building collapse last month killed more than 800 people.

"I think the people of Malaysia are willing to defend their very basic rights - the right to peaceful assembly, the right to free and fair elections, "I think the crowds will gather, regardless of the police warning, we will go ahead." - Opposition spokesman Tian ChuaMalaysian Opposition vows to hold 'illegal' rally | ABC Radio Australiawww.radioaustralia.net.auMalaysia's Opposition says its supporters won't be deterred from attending a rally tonight, despite police threatening to arrest participants.

The autographed bass guitar from Metallic was Joko Widodo's first gift as governor. Do you think he should have had to give it over to anti-corruption authorities?Jakarta governor surrenders Metallica guitarwww.radioaustralia.net.auThe heavy metal-loving governor of Indonesian capital Jakarta has surrendered a guitar given to him by US band Metallica to anti-corruption authorities.

Are vegetarians hypocrites because millions of animals are massacred to protect fruit, vegetable and grain crops? Is it possible to be a compassionate meat-eater? Hear the debate: (Flickr photo by ZeroOne)

A girl walks past a flock of little corellas as they take off from a field in South Australia. Photo by audience member Rod Squire.