PM

Russia's parliament has voted to decriminalise domestic violence in cases where it does not cause 'substantial bodily harm' and does not occur more than once a year. The state duma voted 380-3 on the bill, which now goes to parliament's upper chamber, where no opposition is expected. According to government statistics, nearly 50 000 crimes involving violence in the family were committed in Russia in 2015. But the Kremlin argues that family conflicts do 'not necessarily constitute domestic violence.'

The Prime Minister says it's not his job to provide a running commentary on the domestic policies of other countries, so he's refusing to criticise the United States' dramatic change to its immigration policy. Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed he's spoken to President Donald Trump and that the deal to send some refugees to the US is still on. And while some world leaders have openly stated their disapproval of President Trump's newly imposed travel bans, Mr Turnbull has shied away from criticising them.

The Federal Opposition says the Prime Minister should have the courage to join other world leaders in criticising the US President's decision to temporarily ban migration from seven majority Muslim nations. Malcolm Turnbull says he won't provide a running commentary on the domestic policies of another nation, but the shadow foreign affairs minister Penny Wong says the US policy is having a global effect.

US President Donald Trump's migration order freezes entry from citizens of seven Muslim majority nations: Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan. Democrats and some Republicans in the US have criticised the ban, and now counter-terrorism officials in Australia have told PM that it's misguided and will only make America, and possibly Australia, less safe.

The executive order signed by The US President could have a huge impact on US national security. Pegged as anti-Muslim, the travel ban could be an immediate safety concern for US troops posted in Iraq. Robert Baer says that the situation is unpredictable and warns of the catastrophic consequences, as Islamic State will characterise it as a Muslim ban. The executive order will make the US a target.

Residents in a remote Northern Territory town say their concerns about asbestos exposure from demountable housing are being ignored. They fear more than a dozen children were exposed several years ago, after one of the demountables was vandalised. The local Aboriginal corporation that purchased the housing says it's working with NT Worksafe to resolve the issue.

The CSIRO's plan to set up an office in Silicon Valley has been given a cautious welcome by one of the veteran climate scientists made redundant by the organisation last year. Dr Michael Borgas hopes the new office will foster ties between CSIRO researchers and their American colleagues, but he isn't convinced it will deliver the commercial boost to innovative Australian products the CSIRO is aiming for.

The Queensland Government has been quick to assure the public it's working on getting an independent crime statistics body up and running as soon as possible, after the ABC's national reporting team's Mark Willacy revealed allegations crime statistics have been fudged in an effort to keep a lid on rising crime rates.

The prison population in New South Wales has reached a new record high prompting fresh concerns about overcrowding and an increase in assaults. But for the first time in two years, those inmate numbers aren't increasing quite as fast as they have in the past.

While there's been a lot of attention on President Trump's travel bans for people from the Middle East, Mexico was the original target of his immigration crackdown. PM speaks to John Ackerman, a Professor at the Institute for Legal Research at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and editor in chief of the Mexican Law Review. He says the economic ripple from Trump turning his back on Mexico could paradoxically cause a wave of Mexicans seeking work in the US.