La Nina – she’s the wild child of weather and she’s causing havoc here and around the world. Scientists say this La Niña is one of the most severe on record and is directly responsible for the recent floods and for fuelling Cyclone Yasi. The opposite of El Niño - which tends to bring dryer and often drought conditions to Australia – La Niña is caused by waters in the Pacific Ocean becoming cooler. So how much is the recent extreme weather just natural climate variability? Is climate change making things worse? And in a land of droughts and flooding rains can we ever really prepare? Don’t miss INSIGHT as we take an in depth look at the recent extreme weather events and ask: Is there more to come?

The release of a quarter of a million classified U.S diplomatic cables has been described as the biggest release of secret documents in modern history. It's set off furious debate about the balance between secrecy and transparency. This week Insight looks at WikiLeaks and the whistle-blowing websites that have sprung up in its wake. Former WikiLeaks members have created 'GreenLeaks.org' and 'OpenLeaks.org', and traditional media are also getting in on the act. Al Jazeera's new 'Transparency Unit' hopes to solicit secret documents anonymously. They've already released 1,700 confidential documents about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - the so-called 'Palestine Papers'. Most agree that this is unchartered territory and the world waits for what leaks may come next. But is the leaking of secrets about greater transparency, good journalism or is it just plain treachery? (GreenLeaks.org is a separate group to GreenLeaks.com)

Three women, each with vastly different paths to success, tell their stories on the centenary of International Women’s Day. Hear how a refugee ended up in Silicon Valley, why a multi-millionaire loves ballroom dancing, and what it's like for a doctor dealing with HIV in conservative Malaysia. They talk about the lives they have lived and the choices they have made to get where they are today.

Monumental change is sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa. Powerful dictators are being toppled and long-entrenched regimes are under threat. Insight looks at the unfolding new order in the region and how democracy might work there. What do the people actually want ... and what will they get?

Australia is rethinking its surrogacy laws. NSW has just joined Queensland and the ACT in taking a hard line against paying for the services of a surrogate, now banning the practice even if you go overseas to do it. Those supporting the moves say they're concerned for the wellbeing of the women being paid to carry babies, especially those in developing countries. But some infertile couples don't see the harm in it and say they don’t want the state interfering in their personal lives. Join us on Insight as we navigate the challenges, emotions and ethics of this controversial practice.

This week Insight replays one of our most popular programs from last year. A panic attack can involve a rapid heart rate, nausea, tingling, sweats and a sense that "you're going crazy" or "losing control". It can happen at any time and affect almost anyone. Anxiety attacks and disorders are the most common reason people in Australia get counselling. The condition affects over 10 percent of the population at any given time, and it's estimated that one in four people will experience it over a lifetime. We hear from one man who was unable to leave his house for years because his social anxiety became so debilitating, and from a woman whose panic attacks control her daily movements. We also talk to psychiatrists, psychologists and researchers about treatments for anxiety sufferers - and hear how online therapy is revolutionising treatment.

The debate has been loud and angry. Since the government announced the introduction of a fixed price on carbon pollution from July next year, public opinion has been divided and there have been protests across the country. As Australians keenly await more details, Insight tests public support, looking at the possible winners and losers of the carbon price scheme. We look at the likely effects on household budgets and electricity prices, the big businesses that are for and against the plan, and what motivates the No Carbon Tax groups.

This week Insight explores narcissism: what causes it, whether social media is feeding it, and when narcissistic tendencies verge into serious disorder. Narcissists have an inflated sense of self, a lack of empathy and can be vain and materialistic. But narcissism can be far more serious and destructive than simply an overblown ego. While the spectrum of narcissistic personality disorder is broad, those at the severe end of the scale can tear apart the lives of the people around them.

What's really going on inside our Defence Force? Defence is receiving a public backlash for its handling of an incident in which a female cadet’s sexual encounter with a fellow cadet was filmed and broadcast via skype without her consent. The scandal has sparked a raft of inquiries looking into the treatment of women in the Defence Force. A program to allow women into all combat roles has also been fast-tracked. Other reviews will look into alcohol use, binge drinking culture, the use of social media, the management of complaints and the treatment of victims. We explore the Defence culture and the future of women in the military.

Does birth order matter and how does it define who you are? Hilary Clinton is the eldest in her family but John Howard and Julia Gillard are the youngest. Malcolm Turnbull is an only child. The importance of birth order is often talked about. Most of us know the stereotypes: the responsible first-born child; the rebellious youngest; the spoilt only child. And then there's the so-called "middle child syndrome". But does the research back this up? And what happens when there is a blended family or complicated dynamics? Tonight we're trying to find out whether it really matters and how it may or may not help define who you are. Join Insight as we bring international and local psychologists together with a host of diverse Aussie families willing to share their experiences as we explore whether birth order shapes your personality - and what other factors are at play.

People are identifying as gay at younger ages than ever before. How is it playing out in the school yard and classroom? And what does it mean for the kids themselves? Some teens say they feel pressure to declare their sexuality one way or the other. And researchers say same-sex attracted young people are far more likely than other teenagers to self-harm, become depressed, attempt suicide or abuse substances.

Superbugs are on the rise. Since the discovery of penicillin in the early twentieth century, antibiotics have fought infections and diseases that were once life threatening. But over time, many bacteria have become resistant to these drugs and patients are increasingly at risk. There are an estimated 440,000 new cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis worldwide every year. And there are fears that the problem could be inching closer to Australia's doorstep, with growing rates of the disease in Papua New Guinea. And it's not just TB. Microbiologists have discovered a brand new superbug – a bacteria containing the so-called NDM-1 gene. The bacteria with this gene are resistant to virtually all antibiotics, and researchers say there are no new drugs on the horizon to tackle it. Cases of the bug have been found in Australia. Insight will explore which superbugs are of most concern, and whether over-use of antibiotics and clinician hygiene is behind the problem.

What's life like for those hitting the Big Four Oh? There are more forty year olds in Australia than any other age group. And there's more of them than ever before. But what does the big milestone mean these days? Strictly speaking, being 40 is not actually "middle aged" anymore - especially for women, whose life expectancy is now well into the 80s. And while many 40 year olds find themselves hitting their stride, others are confronting some hard facts. They're in the midst of a long mortgage and nearly a quarter of 40 year olds are suffering from mortage stress, where more than a third of their income goes to housing costs. They're also staring down the barrel of declining fertility. A quarter of today's 40 year old women will have no children in their lifetime. However, due to medical advancements, today there are now far more women aged 40 giving birth. And while most 40 year olds are married, around a third have never walked down the aisle. Forty is also the average age for men to separate from their partner. And for single women looking for a partner, it can be tough: there are more 40 year old women than men, so there's a 'man drought' in that age group. This week an audience of 40 year olds from Australia join host Jenny Brockie to share their very personal and diverse stories of what this milestone means in 2011.

Whose side is Pakistan on in the fight against terrorism? With the recent capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden just two hours away from Islamabad, attention has again turned to Pakistan and its complex relationship with the West. Fears of reprisal attacks are high, after heavily armed Taliban gunmen attacked a naval base in the country's biggest city Karachi. Against that backdrop, we ask: how genuine and effective are Pakistan’s efforts in combating terrorism? How do Pakistan’s leaders juggle cooperation with the West on the one hand and anti-US sentiment among the population on the other? And who has the real power there – the government or the military? Join Insight as we bring together the Pakistani-Australian community and talk with people with first-hand knowledge of Pakistan's diplomatic and military circles.

Can one climate change scientist change the minds of a roomful of climate change sceptics? With a carbon tax looming and the recent release of the Climate Commission’s report, climate change is squarely back on the national agenda. This week on Insight we re-screen of one our most talked about episodes, featuring internationally renowned climate change scientist the late Stephen Schneider. A few weeks after we recorded this program in June last year, Stephen Schneider died on a flight from Stockholm to London. He was 65 and had been battling a serious illness. Stephen Schneider was a passionate believer that science should engage directly with the public on the issue of climate change. It was in this spirit that he appeared on Insight. He faced a crowd of 52 climate sceptics and they were asking the questions. The recorded discussion is just as relevant today. While Britain has recently announced an emissions reduction target of 50 percent by 2025, Australia in contrast is aiming for a minimum five percent reduction by 2020.

More Australians die from suicide than on our roads, but it's hardly ever talked about publicly. Fears of copycat suicides have meant the topic is a virtual no-go area, with the media, police and film makers avoiding the issue in detail. However, there's debate around whether this is the best approach. The award-winning Australian mental health expert Pat McGorry thinks not. He says guidelines for reporting suicide are outdated, and that the problem should be tackled head on, with a national campaign and statistics published regularly. The current guidelines are maintained by a government-funded organization called Mindframe. They say there’s strong evidence of a link between reporting of suicides and increases in suicide attempts. Join Insight for a frank and powerful look at how Australia is talking about suicide and whether it is working.

Australia is in the midst of a resource rush and there simply aren’t enough suitable people to fill all the jobs. In the next four years alone, it’s estimated we’ll need another 2.4 million skilled workers.But what’s the best way to get them? The federal government’s new system – which came into effect this month – is making it easier than ever for Australian businesses to bring in overseas labour. But while skilled migration is a quick solution, there are concerns that it means local workers are less likely to receive valuable training. And it doesn’t always work out well for the migrants either. There are scores of engineers, nurses and accountants who come all the way to Australia and end up as cleaners. Insight looks at what is the best outcome for migrants themselves, for Australia’s skilled workforce, and for the wider population.

This week Insight looks at the rise in electricity prices – what’s behind it, and is there anything we can do about it? Energy bills have been rising significantly for the last five years. Experts say different factors are behind the price hikes - higher demand, inefficiency and ageing infrastructure to name a few. And next year the carbon tax will be in the mix. Insight examines the factors and looks at what we can do – from an individual level to a national level - to save energy and lower costs.

From foie gras to kangaroo, whale meat to shark-fin soup, dinner dishes and delicacies have long been the subject of heated debate. What's fine in one country can be considered shocking in others, depending on your cultural, ethical or religious beliefs. So how do different people justify eating one meat over another? Can any meat can be deemed 'more ethical’ than others? Huge concerns have been raised about how Australian livestock are slaughtered, and many say stunning a beast first is far more ethical. But others believe that no matter how humanely an animal is killed, eating any kind of meat can never truly be 'ethical'. Others say what matters to them is how smart or sentient the animal is (an oyster versus a pig), how much cultural affinity we have with that animal (the Skippy factor), or the environmental impact of eating that animal.

There’s a growing trend for people to alter their ethnic features – from double eyelid surgery, to chin implants, to skin lightening or darkening. In some cases, patients undergoing such ethnic cosmetic surgery say they are doing so to achieve a more 'western look’. Others say it has nothing to do with trying to look more Caucasian – it’s just about being more beautiful. Insight looks at the growing number of people who are willing to change their racial features in the quest for beauty, what is spurring them to go to such lengths, and what is considered 'beautiful’ today.Subsequent to this recording, Insight discovered Dr Andrew Kim gave Heidi Liow and Glenda Bui an 80% discount to publicise his practice.SBS had no prior knowledge of this agreement.

Ten years ago, hundreds of asylum seekers left Indonesia bound for Australia. Their journey took an unexpected turn when their fishing vessel hit mechanical trouble and they were rescued by the Norwegian freighter, the Tampa. They then found themselves at the centre of a diplomatic stand-off which made headlines around the world. Insight reunites some of the resettled refugees to find out what’s happened over the last decade, and what their lives are like now. One is now a painter living in Western Australia who almost lost everything at the local casino. One is a customs officer in Auckland who thrived when a local public servant took him under her wing. And another is a hotel night manager in Wellington who insists he isn’t going to give up on trying to find the wife and child he left behind. Join Insight for this raw and frank discussion in the week of the ten year anniversary of the Tampa incident.

Retail is in trouble.Australians are spending less and retail figures are at their lowest levels for fifty years. Some stores are closing their doors.Some say Australian consumers are spooked by the volatile sharemarkets and global instability. Others say stores are simply not up to scratch in terms of price, innovation, and offering people what they really want. It’s not all bad though – online purchases are growing and set to expand further. Join Insight as we look at whether the traditional bricks-and-mortar store is being left behind, and whether spending less is such a bad thing anyway.

People are taking revenge every day – whether in love, war, politics or sport. On the receiving end are former partners, family members, colleagues, clients or companies. More broadly, revenge can play a role in large and complex conflicts around the world. This week, Insight looks at whether humans are hardwired for revenge, whether revenge makes you feel better, and whether it can ever be justified.

Internet betting is the fastest growing form of gambling in Australia. There are more online gambling providers than ever before, and Australian punters – armed with laptops and smartphones – now have access to thousands of sites, compared to only a handful in the 90s. Punters can place a wager on everything from the weather forecast to who’ll win the next election. And if you watch televised sporting events you’ve probably seen the live promotion of betting odds for the match. And that’s just the legal side of things. Last year, the Productivity Commission estimated that in 2009 Australian punters sent $800 million to offshore gaming sites, which are meant to be off-limits to Australians. This week Insight looks at Australia’s changing gambling habits – asking whether it’s all just a bit of harmless fun and part of our Aussie culture, or whether gambling is being normalised in a way that should concern us.

The gas rush is on in Queensland and NSW could be next. As more exploration and drilling licenses are granted, coal seam gas mining is generating jobs, headlines, protests, town hall meetings and advertising campaigns. Insight focuses on the Queensland region of Chinchilla Dalby, where the CSG industry has operated for many years, to look at the impacts – environmental, social and financial. Real estate agents, hotels, butchers, hairdressers and residents have different views on whether the boom is good for their town. Farmers are also divided - some are worried that the mining process will contaminate their land and use too much precious water, while others report no problems and say they’re doing well out of the gas rush. Meanwhile, industry representatives say coal seam gas mining is safe. But some farmers and residents want more evidence, and are pushing for greater regulation and monitoring.

Next on Insight - a rare chance to hear hackers and 'hacktivists’ talk about what they do and why. They're hacking into computers and defacing or crashing websites. 'LulzSec’ made headlines earlier this year when it claimed to have hacked into Sony accounts, compromising the personal data of thousands of customers. 'Anonymous’ says it was behind attacks on Australian Government websites during debates over internet censorship. But little is known about the hackers themselves and what propels them to act. This week, Jenny Brockie speaks directly with hackers and hacktivists – some of them wearing masks, disguises and using voice distortion devices – to ask them how they choose their targets, and where they draw the line.

Australia’s main political parties are in trouble.Dissatisfaction ratings are up. Party memberships are down. Way down.This week, Insight brings together an audience of disenchanted young voters with politicians - old and new – to thrash out what’s wrong and what might be done about it.

Are narcissists born or made? And are there more of them than ever before? This week we revisit narcissism: what causes it and when it verges into a serious disorder. Narcissists have an inflated sense of self, a lack of empathy and can be vain and materialistic. And they can be incredibly destructive to those around them. Earlier this year, Insight brought together psychiatrists, workplace psychologists and parents to discuss whether narcissists are born or made. In this week’s replay, we look at the whole spectrum – from those obsessed with their Facebook pages, to those whose lives have been torn apart by narcissists.

With just 13.8 donors per million people last year, Australia has one of the lowest organ donation rates in the developed world. While that may be the highest figure in ten years, it remains well below other countries, such as Spain - considered world leader with 32 donors per million in 2010. This week Insight asks why Australians are saying no when it comes to donating organs. It may be psychological barriers that are stopping patients, and their relatives from saying yes. But some say Australia has a flawed system. Despite dedicated organ donation teams in hospitals, potential donors are not being identified and family members are not consulted sensitively - and are sometimes overriding the wishes of their loved ones.

What is a breach of privacy? The federal government is looking at whether to make it possible to sue someone for a serious invasion of your privacy. But deciding where to draw the line could prove challenging. What’s harmless for one person could be uncomfortable or upsetting for others. To explore the different boundaries, this week we examine a host of different, real-life examples – residents upset over a neighbour’s security camera; facial recognition technology used on nightclub patrons; an exhibition of candid photographs taken of people without their knowledge; cases of media intrusion, and more.

Will reforming the pokies kill clubs? Clubs and anti-gambling campaigners are in a bitter fight over poker machines. Under proposed reforms, gamblers will have to set a spending limit before playing the pokies. Clubs say the change will threaten their very survival, taking a big chunk out of their revenue. And that, in turn, would impact the services they offer communities. But those supporting reform say the changes will only affect high-risk problem gamblers, and most Aussie punters won’t be affected. And they say clubs – which enjoy tax breaks – aren’t channelling enough of their poker machine money back into the community. Insight brings together two key players spearheading each side of the debate – Independent MP Andrew Wilkie and Anthony Ball from Clubs Australia – as well as ordinary club-goers and gambling experts to examine what’s at stake.

Greece is in trouble. After living beyond its means for years, Greece has got to the point where its sovereign debt is equal to 166 per cent of its annual output. On top of that is a lurching political situation, talk of leaving the eurozone, a youth jobless rate of more than 40 per cent, and a slashing of wages, pensions and hospital budgets. Little wonder the rest of the world is nervous. We look at what’s unfolding in Greece – from the broad economic picture to the experience of those on the ground – and whether Australia will be affected.