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In theory, Musk and Altman’s court fight could pose key questions about AI safety – in reality, it’s motivated by money and personal grievanceSign up for the TechScape newsletter: our free technology emailHello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m your host, Blake Montgomery, US tech editor at the Guardian, writing to you from beneath a cherry blossom tree in Prospect Park in New York City. Spring has arrived!Facing AI and a tough job market, gen Z turns to entrepreneurship: ‘I have to prove myself’ Continue reading...

Extreme weather likely to continue after devastating homes and endangering millions in US south and midwestAt least one person was killed after a very powerful tornado struck northern Texas on Saturday night, as extreme weather continued to devastate homes and put millions across the south and midwestern US at risk, with wildfires also raging on in parts of Georgia.Officials from Wise county in Texas said the storm reached the area at around 10pm and caused significant damage across multiple neighborhoods. In addition to the confirmed death, six people were treated or transported by emergency responders to be treated for storm-related injuries. Continue reading...

Martha Odom, 16, died from a gunshot wound to the chest according to the local coroner’s statementA high school senior has been identified as the person killed in a mass shooting that also wounded five others when two groups exchanged gunfire inside the food court at a mall in Louisiana’s capital city on Thursday afternoon, according to officials.Martha Odom, 16, died from a gunshot wound to the chest, according to a statement issued Friday by the local coroner’s office. Continue reading...

Tom Kean, who has not voted since 5 March and whose seat is top Democratic target, due back ‘very soon’, speaker saysA vulnerable Republican congressman who has not voted in weeks “is attending to a personal health matter,” the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, said on Friday as he struggles to maintain his historically small majority in Congress’s lower chamber.Tom Kean Jr’s New Jersey district is a top pickup target for Democrats in the November midterms, but the congressman has not cast a vote in the House since 5 March. Continue reading...

Lawsuit follows exchange on X in which airline suggested customer should clear their cache or book with incognito windowSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxJetBlue has been sued in a proposed class action claiming it uses customers’ personal data to set ticket prices, after its response to a social media post raised concern that the carrier employed “surveillance pricing” to make flying more expensive.According to a complaint filed late Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court, JetBlue conceals its use of “trackers” to set prices dynamically, and shares data with third parties whose programs help it decide when to raise fares. Continue reading...

NHS struggling to cope with record numbers, which Cancer Research UK says puts progress on survival rates at riskThe number of people in the UK being diagnosed with cancer has reached a record high, with one person diagnosed every 80 seconds, a report reveals.Cancer Research UK found that more than 403,000 people were being diagnosed with the disease each year, largely due to a growing and ageing population, as people are more likely to develop cancer as they get older. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Australian Recreation Union says it plans to support candidates and parties that oppose gun control laws brought in after terror attackGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA gun users’ group targeting marginal Labor seats in next year’s New South Wales election plans to campaign for candidates who oppose the government’s firearm laws enacted after the Bondi terror attack.In an email sent to the electorate offices of 15 Labor backbenchers last week, the Australian Recreation Union (ARU) said it had recruited campaign managers across 17 “vulnerable” electorates, including Kogarah, the seat of the premier, Chris Minns, and Swansea, held by the police minister, Yasmin Catley. Continue reading...

Luther Davis, a national champion with the Crimson Tide, is said to have worn wigs and make-up to secure fraudulent loansA former University of Alabama football star plans to plead guilty later this month to orchestrating an alleged scheme in which he impersonated NFL players and defrauded lenders out of nearly $20m. The alleged scam is described in detail by the US attorney for the northern district of Georgia, including depictions of the former defensive lineman donning disguises during loan closings.Luther Davis, a member of the Alabama team that won the 2010 national championship game, along with a partner, CJ Evins, “obtained at least thirteen fraudulent loans totaling more than $19,845,000”, the criminal information filing alleges. A criminal information (CI) document is filed by a US attorney when a defendant agrees to waive the constitutional right to indictment by a grand jury and instead proceed by typically entering a guilty plea; both Davis and Evins are doing so according to the court docket.Aliya Sports and Sure Sports did not reply to a request for comment for this article. Continue reading...

• Defense aviation startup Hermeus secured $350 million in funding on April 7, 2026, to develop autonomous hypersonic fighters following supersonic flight demonstrations. • The investment supports advancement toward operational hypersonic aircraft, targeting U.S. military applications in next-generation aviation. • This funding underscores surging interest in hypersonic tech amid geopolitical tensions, positioning Hermeus as a key player in defense innovation.

Two fatalities have been reported so far, with warmer spring resulting in the reptiles being out on trails earlierA sixth person has been bitten by a rattlesnake in southern California’s Ventura county in just under a month, two-thirds of the number of people bit in all of 2025.Andrew Dowd, a Ventura county fire department spokesperson, said paramedics responded to a call on Sunday for a man who had been bitten by a rattlesnake. The victim said he’d been bitten near CSU Channel Islands. Continue reading...

Met police say 19-year-old man held at Westminster magistrates court, where three other men charged over attackA fourth person has been arrested in connection with the arson attack on Jewish volunteer ambulances in north-west London, the Metropolitan police has said.The force said the 19-year-old man was arrested on Saturday morning at Westminster magistrates court, where three other men were charged over the arson attack. Continue reading...

Dayton Webber is accused of shooting Bradrick Michael Wells twice in the head during an argumentA quadruple amputee professional cornhole player acted in self-defense when he shot and killed a passenger in his Tesla during a heated argument, his attorney has said.Dayton Webber, 27, appeared in Charles county district court via videoconference for a bail review Wednesday, where judge Patrick Devine noted that he left Maryland after the 22 March shooting of 27-year-old Bradrick Michael Wells. Devine ordered Webber to remain jailed without bail. Continue reading...

Defense secretary signs memo letting members request permission to carry firearms on military installationsDefense secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo on Thursday that would allow military service members to request permission to carry their personal firearms on military installations such as bases, naval yards and recruitment centers, claiming the new policy will allow soldiers and other military personnel to defend themselves in case of an attack.While the full text of the memo has yet to be made public, it appears to loosen the current policy that allows for personnel to get permission to have their weapons on base on a case-by-case basis, and requires that they are registered with the base’s authorities and stored in a secure device. Continue reading...

Simon Dudley fired after his comments were condemned by prime minister and families of fire victimsReform UK’s housing spokesperoson has been sacked his role after he described the Grenfell Tower fire as a “tragedy” but said that “everyone dies in the end”.Keir Starmer had called on Nigel Farage to sack Simon Dudley, a former head of Homes England, after his comments, which were condemned by Grenfell families and others. Continue reading...

Labour says it is ‘untenable’ for Simon Dudley to continue in his role after he said that Grenfell was tragic ‘but everyone dies in the end’Good morning. One of the big policy decisions for all parties ahead of the next election is whether or not to keep the pensions triple lock. Most mainstream economists and welfare experts think it is overly generous (pensioners used to be significantly poorer than working-age people, but that is no longer the case), and ultimately unaffordable. But it is popular, and pensioners turn out to vote in elections in much higher numbers than younger people.The Conservatives at one point suggested they might drop it, but Kemi Badenoch now defends the triple lock quite strongly. Labour has not said what its election plans are yet. Nigel Farage, the Reform UK, says he will take tough decisions to cut welfare spending, and he was thought to be sceptical about the triple lock. But Robert Jenrick, his Treasury spokesperson, is thought to be in favour, and at a press conference later they are expected to confirm Reform UK would keep it.Reform UK is facing calls to sack its housing spokesman after he said the Grenfell Tower fire was a “tragedy” but that “everyone dies in the end”.Simon Dudley, a former executive at Homes England and the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, said the pendulum had “swung too far the wrong way” on regulation after the deadly blaze at the west London tower block in 2017.If Nigel Farage has an ounce of decency, he will sack his housing chief immediately.These disgraceful comments about those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire are beyond the pale and it is completely untenable for Simon Dudley to continue in his position. Continue reading...

• The Pentagon released new details on personnel reforms for U.S. Cyber Command to enhance cybersecurity operations. • Officials aim to utilize existing CyberCom powers and avoid creating a separate cyber force. • The reforms address growing cyber threats, bolstering U.S. defense amid rising incidents.

BBC announces departure of Radio 2 star who took over breakfast show from Zoe Ball in 2025Radio 2 star Scott Mills has been sacked by the BBC following allegations about his personal conduct, the BBC has said.A statement from the corporation to BBC News said: “While we do not comment on matters relating to individuals we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted and has left the BBC.” Continue reading...

The Handala Hack Team published more than 300 emails from Kash Patel’s inbox between 2010 and 2019Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxIran-linked hackers have broken into the personal email inbox of Kash Patel, FBI’s director, publishing photographs of him and other documents on the internet, the hackers and the bureau said on Friday.On their website, the hacker group Handala Hack Team said Patel “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims”. The hackers published a series of personal photographs of Patel sniffing and smoking cigars, riding in an antique convertible and making a face while taking a picture of himself in the mirror with a large bottle of rum. Continue reading...

Exchanges about US ambassador appointment may be lost after McSweeney’s phone was stolenUK politics live – latest updatesPeter Mandelson will be asked to supply messages from his personal phone as part of the investigation into his appointment as Keir Starmer’s ambassador to the US.In February, MPs forced the government to commit to publishing tens of thousands of documents after a controversy erupted over the prime minister’s awareness of the former peer’s links to the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before he was given the prestigious posting. Continue reading...

People’s payments, account details and national insurance numbers visible to other users, says Treasury committeeLloyds Banking Group exposed the personal data of nearly 500,000 customers in an IT glitch that left people’s payments, account details and national insurance numbers visible to other users, a committee of MPs has revealed.A letter from Lloyds, published by MPs on the Treasury select committee on Friday, blamed the glitch on a software defect introduced during an IT update to its Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland mobile banking apps overnight into 12 March. Continue reading...

Regular events at the Tasmanian festival, including the Winter Solstice Nude Swim and the Night Mass party, joined by Australian and international musicians and artists in a program dominated by Latin American art Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailA hallucinatory experimental film starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Rampling that can only be watched by one person at a time is heading to Australia as part of Tasmania’s 2026 Dark Mofo festival.It’s estimated that only 500 people in the world have seen French artist Loris Gréaud’s film Sculpt since its premiere at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2016 – though the exact figure is hard to know, since he later supplied the files to hackers to distribute over the dark web.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...

• NASA's X-59 Quesst low-boom supersonic demonstrator had its second flight on March 20, 2026, cut short after just 9 minutes due to a cockpit warning light. • The aircraft returned to base immediately, marking another delay for the already behind-schedule program. • NASA plans a speedy return to flight testing to advance quiet supersonic technology over land.

• Perplexity AI introduced Perplexity Health on March 23, 2026, enabling users to connect provider health information via B.Well alongside data from Apple Health, Fitbit, and Withings. • The dashboard tracks personal health metrics and answers questions based on individual user data using AI-powered search capabilities. • This tool addresses growing demand for accessible health data integration amid criticisms of inaccurate crowdsourced medical advice from platforms like Google.

• Google has expanded its Personal Intelligence feature to all US users after months of limited testing, allowing Gemini AI to access Gmail, Google Photos, and other services for highly personalized responses. • The feature enables Google to compete directly with Microsoft's Copilot and OpenAI's ChatGPT by leveraging user data for context-based AI responses. • Privacy concerns have emerged as the AI increasingly accesses personal information, raising questions about data protection as Google advances its AI integration into flagship products.

A year 13 pupil and a University of Kent student have died after contracting the disease, while 11 people remain seriously ill in hospital A school pupil has been confirmed as the second person to have died after an outbreak of meningitis in Kent, an MP has said.Over the weekend it was reported that a University of Kent student was one of two people to have died after contracting the disease, while 11 more people were seriously ill in hospital. Continue reading...

Perplexity revealed plans on March 13, 2026, to evolve AI beyond question-answering by developing secure agents that run on personal hardware and act autonomously for users. The strategy emphasizes on-device processing to enhance privacy and speed. This positions Perplexity in the growing $20 billion edge AI market, challenging cloud-dominant rivals. Future updates are slated for Q2 2026 rollout.