Youth crime prevention programs face axe as Victorian government funding dwindles | Victorian politics

Several programs supporting young people at risk of reoffending will be cut unless the Victorian government increases funding, as it can be revealed the state awarded only one new crime prevention grant in the past financial year. It comes as Labor’s controversial “tough” bail laws edge closer to passing parliament on Thursday, amid ongoing debate … Read more

Ontario’s provincial police force could be using Israeli spyware, report finds | Canada

Researchers have uncovered “possible links” between Ontario’s provincial police force and an Israel-based military-grade spyware maker called Paragon Solutions, raising questions about the extent and scope of Canadian authorities’ use of cyber weapons. The new findings were published by the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, which tracks and identifies digital threats against civil … Read more

First thing: Russia attacks Ukraine hours after partial ceasefire agreed in Putin-Trump call | US news

Good morning. Russia attacked Ukraine with kamikaze drones and S-300 surface-to-air missiles overnight, Ukrainian authorities said, hours after Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he would sign up to a partial and temporary ceasefire. The US and Russian presidents spoke for more than two hours on Tuesday evening, and while Putin rejected Trump’s request for a … Read more

PBS-listed medicine to cost no more than $25 a script if Labor re-elected | Health

A re-elected Labor government would reduce the price of PBS-listed medicines to no more than $25 a script, in a major new election pledge to be included in next week’s budget that builds on Anthony Albanese’s focus on cheaper medicines as a cost-of-living measure. With the formal election campaign to commence within weeks, where Labor … Read more

Scientists hail ‘avalanche of discoveries’ from Euclid space telescope | Space

Astronomers are predicting an “avalanche of discoveries” after the first major release of observations from a European space telescope built to study the mysterious dark matter and dark energy that comprise the bulk of the universe. The European Space Agency’s Euclid mission has captured images of 26m galaxies, covering 10bn years of cosmic history. They … Read more

Pentagon reportedly planning to cut workforce by at least 50,000 – US politics live | US politics

Pentagon reportedly looking to cut civilian workforce by at least 50,000 The Pentagon is reported to be hoping to reduce its civilian workforce by about 50,000 to 60,000 people, chiefly through voluntary means, it has been reported. ABC News quotes one senior defense official saying: “The number sounds high, but I would focus on the … Read more

Albanese to rush through new laws to protect Tasmania’s salmon industry from legal threat | Tasmania

Anthony Albanese plans to rush through contentious legislation next week to protect Tasmania’s salmon industry from a legal challenge over the industry’s impact on an endangered fish species. The future of the salmon industry on the state’s west coast has become a sharp political issue centred on whether it can coexist with the Maugean skate, … Read more