Exclusive: the 2026 document is designed to provide ‘scaffolding’ for a long-term Labor governmentGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor’s longstanding opposition to mandatory jail terms has been omitted from the first draft of its new national party platform, after the Albanese government backed minimum sentences on several occasions.An early working draft of the ALP’s updated platform also includes more assertive language on China and seeks to position Australia as an “active middle power” in an increasingly fraught and contested world. Continue reading...
• A judge dismissed X's lawsuit against an advertising boycott, labeling it a 'fishing expedition,' marking a significant legal setback for Musk's platform.
• The ruling highlights ongoing complexities surrounding free speech protections, corporate accountability, and advertiser rights in the digital platform economy.
• The decision underscores judicial skepticism toward X's legal strategy and may embolden further advertiser actions against the platform.
The government has launched a consultation on banning social media for under-16s but peers voted to move fasterHouse of Lords pushes for Australian-style social media ban for under-16sGood morning. It is going to be a busy political news day, but potentially quite a mixed and messy one. Keir Starmer is in Helsinki for a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (the northern European military pact – the Nordics, the Baltics, the Dutch and the UK), and he has already been speaking to the media. In the Commons it is the last day before the Easter recess, which means it is “take out the trash day” – the trash, in this case, being government announcements that have to be reported to parliament (so they can’t be announced during the recesss), but which have been held back because they’re moderately embarrassing (or sometimes just too dull). There are 24 written ministerial statements (full list here). Few, if any, of these are likely to produce big headline stories, but there should be a lot here for people interested in the workings of government.And, with the parliamentary session also about to end soon (the new king’s speech is expected to take place on Wednesday 13 May), the government is also trying to get all its bills onto the statue book. And it faced a new problem last night after peers voted for a second time to insert a clause into the bill committing the government to an Australian-style social media ban for under-16s.Obviously we’ll study that ruling very carefully, but I’m absolutely clear that we need to go further.The status quo isn’t good enough. We need to do more to protect children. Continue reading...
• Edmonton-born startup Smart Access raised $12 million in Series A funding from Bay Area investors Lobby Capital, Aspenwood Ventures, and Coelius Capital to expand its digital workforce management platform.
• The company, co-founded by Tim Regnier and John White, helps large distribution operations optimize training, safety programs, and adherence to standard operating procedures across their workforce.
• Smart Access, which relocated its operating base to San Francisco while maintaining Edmonton roots since its 2015 founding, plans to scale deployments across North America using the new capital.
• 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.
• US Customs and Border Protection issued a January 16, 2026 ruling, publicized recently, barring unlicensed foreign online platforms from certain importer services for fees.
• The platform was deemed to conduct impermissible customs business, setting guidelines for automated import tech providers.
• This clarifies regulatory limits amid growing use of tech in US trade compliance.
• A hacker claims to have infiltrated a U.S. platform for searching law enforcement hotline messages, accessing over 8 million confidential tips.
• The breach exposes sensitive crime reporting data, raising alarms about vulnerabilities in public safety communication systems.
• This incident highlights ongoing risks to domestic law enforcement databases amid rising cyber threats.
Reform leader ‘unavailable’ on service after Guardian investigation unearths clips of him repeating extremist slogansFarage videos reveal support for rioter, neo-Nazi event and far-right slogansNigel Farage has stopped using the personalised video platform Cameo after revelations that the Reform UK leader has filmed a string of highly questionable paid-for clips.On Thursday morning, Farage’s page on the website said he was “unavailable”, and sources said he had ended his use of the platform over security concerns. Continue reading...
• Cosmo Technologies is presenting its technical session 'Engineering Medical Grade Platforms for Real Time AI' at the NVIDIA GTC 2026 conference in San Jose, California, running from March 16 to 19.
• The session, scheduled for Thursday, March 19 from 10:00 to 10:50 CET, explores engineering challenges for building AI platforms that operate in real time during medical procedures to assist physicians.
• This highlights Cosmo's commitment to advancing AI in healthcare, positioning it at the intersection of medical technology and AI amid growing demand for clinical-grade systems.
• Creative Biolabs announced an upgraded next-generation drug discovery pipeline integrating AI-driven antibody engineering in Shirley, New York.
• The platform accelerates development of CAR-T therapies and antibody humanization using advanced deep learning techniques.
• This innovation targets faster drug discovery in healthcare and pharmaceuticals, enhancing precision medicine applications.
