The World Today

The latest statistics from a long running food allergy project show two-thirds of children will outgrow their allergies by the age of four. But nut allergies are more persistent than problems with eggs and milk.

Extra Australian troops could soon be headed for Afghanistan, with the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull indicating today he's 'open' to boosting the Australian Defence Forces commitment to the troubled country. The NATO commander in Afghanistan made a personal plea to Mr Turnbull for more resources during the Prime Minister's visit to the country two weeks ago.

Budget week is drawing to a close with the Federal Government and Opposition trading blows over the question of fairness. The Government says it's at the heart of its budget; but Labor's announced it won't back the full plan to increase the Medicare levy to help pay for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Bill Shorten says Labor would support a higher levy for those earning over $87,000 and it would also re-impose a two per cent levy on the highest tax bracket.

Commonwealth Bank chief executive Ian Narev has accused the Government of 'concocting policy on the run' and managing the economy based on opinion polls. Mr Narev has described the decision to impose a levy on bank liabilities as grabbing tax from a profitable sector to prop up the budget. But so far the five major banks targeted with the levy, are yet to announce a fightback plan similar to the resource industry back lash against Labor's mining tax.

Leaders in Turkey have expressed anger at the United States, over its decision to arm Kurdish fighters in Syria. The US argues the move is necessary if it's to drive Islamic State fighters out of their stronghold of Raqqa. However, Turkey considers the Kurdish fighters to be an extension of an outlawed Turkish terror group. Leaders from both countries are due to meet for the first time soon, and the issue is expected to dominate those talks.

Steven A. Cook is the author of the upcoming book 'False Dawn: Protest, Democracy and Violence in the New Middle East.' He spoke to The World Today from Washington DC.

An international law expert is warning the extradition of alleged Islamic State terrorist Neil Prakash may take longer than the twelve months or less, that some media outlets are reporting.

The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wants the alleged IS recruiter extradited from Turkey to face court in Melbourne as soon as possible.

President Donald Trump is facing mounting questions over his motives for sacking the FBI Director James Comey. Originally the White House circulated a memo suggesting the President had acted on the advice of the deputy Attorney General to sack Mr Comey, citing his conduct over an investigation into Hillary Clinton. Now, the President has told NBC television the decision was his alone. US media reports suggest he may have made his decision after a dinner with the FBI boss in January.

Child protection advocates have welcomed new laws in Queensland, aimed at giving police more powers to track known child sex offenders. State Parliament passed the bill overnight, which also gives courts more say in determining who's a known offender. But some advocates say there needs to be a co-ordinated national response, instead of a state-by-state approach.

Child health experts are urging parents to give their kids the flu jab, in the face of a new study which reveals most mums and dads have reservations about the vaccine. The latest Australian Child Health Poll also found parents have misconceptions about the flu not being a serious disease.