M12 motorway opens as gateway to Western Sydney Airport

Price of life-changing medicines being slashed within days

Ten new life-changing medications will be added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from next week, reducing costs from thousands of dollars to as little as seven dollars per prescription. The subsidised drugs include breakthrough treatments for severe asthma, type 1 diabetes, various cancers, chronic pain, severe allergies and rare conditions affecting thousands of Australians. The PBS now subsidises almost 1,000 drugs, helping 23 million patients at a cost of approximately $20 billion annually, though the scheme faces potential threats from international pharmaceutical pricing pressures. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Social media crackdown as tougher penalties announced to enforce the ban

The Australian government announces it will double maximum penalties for tech giants to $99 million for non-compliance with the under-16 social media ban, despite not issuing any fines in the first six months of the law's operation. Treasurer Jim Chalmers forecasts headline inflation will peak at 4.25% rather than the previously predicted 5%, while the government faces criticism over its gambling reforms and negative gearing amendments. New polling shows Pauline Hanson's popularity has declined following controversial remarks, while Labor regains its lead on the primary vote. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

More Venezuelan earthquake survivors rescued amid growing anger

A devastating earthquake in Venezuela has killed thousands and left tens of thousands missing, with survivors including a nine-month-old baby, an 11-year-old boy, and an elderly woman being pulled from the rubble. Around 2,000 first responders from around the world are assisting with rescue efforts as locals dig through debris with shovels and bare hands. Frustrated residents are criticising the government for insufficient action and lack of machinery to recover bodies and search for survivors still trapped under collapsed buildings. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Australian accused of killing a Thai teeenger claims self-defence

Australian man Simon Peter Carman, 46, has been charged with murder in Thailand after allegedly killing a 17-year-old girl in Pattaya and concealing her body in a suitcase. Carman claims he acted in self-defence during a dispute over 500 baht (approximately $20 AUD), alleging the teenager held a knife to his neck before a struggle ensued. The victim's family is demanding his execution, while Carman faces charges including murder, concealing and moving a body, and abducting a minor for indecent purposes, with the death penalty by lethal injection a possible sentence. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Melbourne rallies behind woman's bone marrow battle

Twenty-one-year-old Chantelle Lanigan from Ringwood has been diagnosed with a rare blood disease requiring a life-saving bone marrow transplant. Her friends and family held an emotional solidarity event where they shaved their heads alongside her, as she prepares for treatment that will require her to lose her hair. Her mother Michelle has raised $53,000 for research and support for Australians with bone marrow failure syndrome, with Chantelle receiving her diagnosis on the same day she secured her dream job as a flight attendant. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.