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HMAS Farncomb had been due to be retired this year, but is now expected to operate until about 2036Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTaxpayers will fork out an extra $11bn to extend the lifespan of Australia’s ageing Collins-class submarines for another decade, bridging the capability gap before the scheduled arrival of the first Aukus vessels in 2032.Originally designed to have a 30-year working life, the six Adelaide-built submarines have already been operational for between 23 and 30 years. The Albanese government announced in 2024 that it would undertake so-called “life of type extension” works to keep the six Collins class boats in the water for an additional 10 years. Continue reading...

After death of his father, Reed Jobs is keen for his $1bn venture capital fund Yosemite to make a difference“I saw my dad have cancer when I was a kid, and unfortunately that happens far too often. And that really motivated me to try to transform outcomes for other people out there.”Reed Jobs is talking about the death of his father, the Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, to a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2011 at the age of 56, the experience that underlines his mission to make cancer a non-lethal, treatable disease. Continue reading...

‘Polyclass’ of 6 million people consider themselves to belong to more than one social category, researchers sayMore than a third of Britons say they have changed social class, with upper-middle and upper-class people most likely to identify as belonging to more than one class, according to a survey.Working-class people were the least likely to say they had changed class or identified with more than one, with 70% saying they were in the same social category they were born into, the study by research firm Attest found. Continue reading...

• Apple will pay $250 million to settle a class action lawsuit accusing the company of failing to deliver its promised AI-powered Siri features on time. • The lawsuit, filed in a U.S. federal court, stems from Apple's 2017 marketing of advanced Siri capabilities that were not released as advertised, affecting millions of iPhone users. • This settlement underscores growing legal scrutiny on Big Tech's AI promises amid delays in product rollouts, potentially setting precedent for similar cases.

After banging the battle drum, the US president is now in Nobel Peace Prize mode, promising to free marooned ships“Project Freedom” has all the trappings of a classic episode of the Trump Show, the reality series that the rest of the world does not just have to watch, but live through and survive. It has a dramatic plot twist, it is bathed in a self-projected beatific light, and the trailer looked far more promising that the reality.Trump spent a long weekend in Florida banging the war drum. Iran had not “paid a big enough price” for its past misdeeds, he wrote in an online post before spending Friday afternoon revving up a cheering crowd at America’s largest retirement community. Continue reading...

• The Environmental Protection Agency has classified microplastics and antidepressants as drinking water contaminants, responding to advocacy from the MAHA movement and public health concerns. • The classification marks a significant regulatory step in addressing emerging contaminants in U.S. water supplies that have raised concerns among health experts and environmental advocates. • The designation may prompt future regulatory actions to establish drinking water standards and treatment requirements for these substances.

Order last week is only partial rescheduling, making ‘an already complex process more confusing,’ expert saysThe Trump administration is making good on its promise to reschedule cannabis, but only partially – raising plenty of questions for those in the cannabis industry.Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, signed an order last week that removes products sold under state medical cannabis licenses and FDA approved cannabis products from schedule I – defined as substances with no accepted medical use, to schedule III – which includes legal but regulated substances including certain doses of Tylenol with codeine and ketamine. Continue reading...

Research on maths teaching in English secondary schools upends decades of debate over mixed-ability educationTeaching pupils in classes grouped by ability improves the results of high-flyers but does not affect the progress of less able children, according to a study that upends decades of debate over mixed-ability education.The research by University College London’s Institute of Education found that secondary school pupils in England with previously strong maths performances made slower progress in mixed-attainment classes than when they were taught alongside children with similarly high ability. Continue reading...

Tech company is latest Silicon Valley firm to sign agreement with US military despite widespread employee oppositionGoogle has reportedly signed a deal with the US Pentagon to use its artificial intelligence models for classified work. The tech company joins a growing list of Silicon Valley firms inking agreements with US military.The agreement allows the Pentagon to use Google’s AI for “any lawful government purpose”, the report from the Information added, putting it alongside OpenAI and Elon Musk’s xAI, which also have deals to supply AI models for classified use. Similar agreements, both at Google and other AI firms, have sparked significant disagreements with the Pentagon and major employee pushback. Continue reading...

• Google and the U.S. Department of Defense have finalized an agreement allowing the Pentagon to use Google's AI models for classified military and defense purposes, amending an existing contract between the two entities. • The deal grants the DOD access to Google's artificial intelligence capabilities for what the company describes as "any lawful government purpose," expanding the scope of prior defense collaborations. • The partnership marks a significant expansion of Big Tech's involvement in U.S. defense operations, continuing a trend of major tech companies providing AI infrastructure to government agencies.

• Denver Broncos completed their 2026 NFL Draft class on Sunday with selections through the seventh round. • The finalized roster additions aim to bolster depth across multiple positions. • Additions position Broncos for improved performance in upcoming training camp and season.

• The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) released preliminary measurement guidance addressing accounting treatment for paid-in-kind (PIK) dividends on equity-classified preferred stock. • The guidance represents an important clarification for companies issuing preferred stock with dividend structures, affecting financial reporting standards across the U.S. corporate sector. • This regulatory development impacts corporate accounting practices and may influence capital structure decisions for companies considering preferred equity financing.

• The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the launch of the 2026 class of Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF), showcasing its commitment to hiring top technology talent. • The new PIF class will focus on key Administration priority projects, including developing AI-powered tools to accelerate infrastructure permitting processes. • The initiative demonstrates the federal government's strategy to leverage specialized technology expertise for modernizing government operations and infrastructure development.

Marijuana had same classification as heroin, LSD and others before Trump signed an order to move it to schedule IIISign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Trump administration has moved to reclassify marijuana, more than four months after Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the attorney general to move it from schedule I to schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act.The schedule I classification meant marijuana was alongside heroin, LSD, MDMA and synthetic opioids, whereas a schedule III classification put it in the same category as ketamine, anabolic steroids and testosterone. Continue reading...

Measure will also limit device use during passing periods, lunch and recess and block YouTube on district devicesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Los Angeles unified school district’s board passed a resolution on Tuesday to curb students’ classroom screen time for the upcoming school year, in the latest effort nationwide to address adverse effects from excessive device use.The measure, which passed 6-0 at a Tuesday school board meeting, will set daily and weekly screen time limits for students based on grade level, prohibit elementary and middle school students from using devices during passing periods, lunch and recess, and block use of YouTube on district devices, among other provisions. Continue reading...

Company promises to meet new delivery targets by next May after being fined last year for poor recordBusiness live – latest updatesSecond-class post will be delivered every other weekday and scrapped on Saturdays from next month as part of a £500m plan to tackle late deliveries at struggling Royal Mail.The delivery company has been testing a new letter delivery pattern in a pilot since July, and it will be rolled out nationwide in May. Continue reading...

Hannah Spencer says minister ‘continuously offends people by saying working-class people don’t care about dogs’Labour is “offensively caricaturing” working-class people by saying they do not want a greyhound racing ban in England, the Green party MP Hannah Spencer has said.The sport has traditionally been associated with working-class culture and has historically been popular in so-called red wall areas, which Labour insiders suggest is part of the reason why there are no plans for England to follow bans announced last month in Scotland and Wales. Continue reading...

• The ACC has added several notable recruits through the transfer portal, including former Indiana backup quarterback Alberto Mendoza and Justice Haynes, a running back who previously played for Alabama and Michigan. • These portal additions represent significant roster improvements for ACC programs as they build competitive depth for upcoming seasons. • The transfers highlight the increasing importance of the portal in college football recruitment strategy.

Courtney Williams accused of sharing material with reporter examining deaths and drugs at US military baseThe FBI has arrested a former military special operations employee accused of providing classified information to the media, the agency’s director Kash Patel announced on Wednesday.The US Department of Justice said in a press release that the former employee, identified as Courtney Williams, 40, was arrested on Tuesday and indicted on Wednesday for allegedly sharing classified material with a journalist. Continue reading...

• Complex TV curates 10 must-watch movies for April 2026, featuring Christopher Nolan films alongside Wayans family comedies. • The lineup includes hood classics 'Belly' and 'King of New York,' offering diverse cinematic options from prestige dramas to urban tales. • This selection caters to varied tastes, blending high-profile directors with cult favorites for streaming viewers.

• Kyndryl Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: KD) announced an April 13, 2026, application deadline for class action lawsuits, with investors urged to contact Lewis Kahn, Esq. at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC. • The notice follows concerns over potential securities issues, impacting shareholders amid broader market volatility. • This legal development adds pressure on the IT infrastructure services firm as Wall Street navigates geopolitical and economic risks.

Move by state education officials picked by Republican governor removes the course as a graduation componentEducation leaders in Florida have removed sociology as a graduation component at state universities in Ron DeSantis’s latest attack on what the Republican governor sees as the “woke” indoctrination of students.The move on Thursday by a majority of DeSantis’s hand-picked university board of governors effectively relegates the stand-alone Introduction to Sociology course to a makeweight elective instead of a core component subject that has been a popular choice for generations of students. Continue reading...

President also held on to record from his first term so sensitive only six people had access, says letter from leading Democrat on House judiciary committeeHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The White House says Donald Trump “did nothing wrong”, amid reports that he showed off a classified map on a 2022 flight to his New Jersey golf club.Violence continued across much of the Middle East a day after Donald Trump said the US was in “very good” talks with Iran to end the war in the region soon. Iranian barrages targeted Israel, Gulf Arab states and northern Iraq on Tuesday, while Israeli and US warplanes continued to carry out strikes across Tehran and on other targets in the Islamic Republic. More here.Democrats managed to flip a seat in the Florida state house in the district that is home to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. Emily Gregory, a Democrat, defeated Republican Jon Maples, who had an endorsement from the US president, in the special election in Florida’s 87th state house district. The Associated Press called the race on Tuesday evening, with Gregory, a public health expert and small business owner, leading by more than 2 percentage points. More here.Donald Trump on Tuesday swore in Markwayne Mullin as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), while Senate Republicans unveiled a compromise that would restart funding to most of the agency but appears to exclude reforms to immigration enforcement Democrats have demanded. More here.Donald Trump has described voting by mail as “cheating” at an event in Memphis, Tennessee, just days after casting a mail‑in ballot himself. “Mail-in voting means mail-in cheating. I call it mail-in cheating, and we got to do something about it all,” the US president said on Monday, in remarks to a roundtable on his administration’s crime taskforce. More here.Workers with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are reeling from the White House’s deployment of immigration law enforcement into airports as TSA workers enter their sixth week without pay as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown continues. More than 400 TSA workers have quit since the shutdown began in February, with major US airports reporting high call-out rates among workers, leading to longer security wait times. More here.The California governor, Gavin Newsom, backtracked on earlier remarks likening Israel to an “apartheid state” in a new interview with Politico published on Tuesday. In the interview, the Democrat, who is widely expected to launch a presidential bid in 2028, said that when he used the term three weeks ago, he meant it to apply to Israel’s future should it continue on its present trajectory. More here. Continue reading...

Susie Wiles was on plane and witnessed event, according to files shown to House judiciary committeeFederal prosecutors examined whether Donald Trump showed a classified map to people on his plane after his first term, including to his now White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, according to justice department materials produced to the House judiciary committee.The incident was described in a 13 January 2023 briefing memo prepared for the then attorney general, Merrick Garland – roughly six months before special counsel Jack Smith charged Trump with retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago club. Continue reading...

Australian Education Union members to rally outside state parliament in dispute over pay and conditionsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastClasses have been halted across Victoria as thousands of striking public school teachers, principals and education support staff prepare to descend on state parliament for a rally over pay and conditions.According to the Australian Education Union’s Victorian president, Justin Mullaly, up to 500 schools would either be closed or “significantly affected” as a result of the first strike in the state’s public school system in more than 13 years. Continue reading...

• The United States defeated the Dominican Republic in a 2026 World Baseball Classic semifinal, with Roman Anthony hitting the go-ahead home run to secure advancement to Tuesday's championship game. • The American roster, led by NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and featuring stars Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge, will face the winner of Monday's semifinal between Italy and Venezuela in the title game. • This marks the USA's third straight World Baseball Classic title game appearance after winning in 2017 and losing to Shohei Ohtani's Japan in 2023.

• The 2026 World Baseball Classic semifinals continue Monday with Venezuela taking on Italy in Miami, airing at 8 p.m. ET on FS1. • This marks a significant matchup in the international baseball tournament, with both nations competing for a spot in the championship game. • The World Baseball Classic represents one of the premier international baseball competitions, attracting top talent from around the globe.

• The U.S. meets the Dominican Republic in the 2026 WBC semifinals on March 15 at 8 p.m. ET at loanDepot park in Miami, after advancing with a 5-3 win over Canada. • U.S. boasts a red-hot offense with 40 runs in their last 5 games (wins over Canada 5-3, Mexico 5-3, Greece 9-1, Brazil 15-5; loss to Italy 8-6); leaders include Brice Turang (.467 AVG), Aaron Judge (2 HR). • Dominican Republic counters with strong pitching (3.40 team ERA, .184 opponent AVG); Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads at .500 AVG; U.S. favored at -141 odds, total runs over/under 8.5.