• At CETaS conference on May 1, 2026, director Alexander Babuta highlighted Anthropic’s Claude Mythos Preview's advances in math, cybersecurity, software engineering, and vulnerability detection.
• The frontier model promises improved automated tools for security professionals.
• Experts express optimism on AI's defensive potential against powered hacking threats.
Utility bills are up as much as 40% in some regions, and companies shut off power to customers 13m times in 2025The US’s top utilities’ CEOs enjoyed a 16% pay raise last year – to an average of $12.3m – even as consumers shoulder the pain from high bills spurred by continuing inflation, the Iran war and datacenter growth, a new review of industry financial documents shows.Utility bills are up as much as 40% in some regions since 2021, and, nationwide, utilities shut off power to customers 13m times last year, federal data shows. Continue reading...
• The FCC announced it will review eight broadcasting licenses owned or managed by Disney due to the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
• The move came one day after President Trump called for ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel over a controversial joke likening First Lady Melania Trump to an 'expectant widow.'
• Kimmel faces backlash amid debates on whether his late-night monologue could incite political violence following recent assassination attempt charges.
Eight local broadcasting licenses under review after White House launched attack on late-night host over commentSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US’s top media watchdog announced on Tuesday that it is accelerating the review of eight local broadcasting licenses used by ABC, in a move critics see as a clear example of political and regulatory retribution against a disfavored broadcaster.The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) announcement comes after the White House launched a full-on attack against the ABC’s late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel, over a joke he made last week about Melania Trump. Continue reading...
Iran's foreign minister arrived in Russia on Monday, after a whirlwind weekend of diplomacy, seeking to gain political leverage and foreign backing as peace talks with the U.S. remain on hold.(Image credit: Dmitry Lovetsky)
Club chief says ‘anodyne acknowledgements’ can be ‘overworked’. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.The RSL has announced it will review its guidance on welcome to country addresses at Anzac Day services after Indigenous leaders were booed at three dawn services on Saturday. Continue reading...
Hundreds of senior staff in territory benefit from nearly £30,000-a-year grant per child not available to staff in group’s other hubs HSBC is reportedly reviewing a perk that covers school fees for bankers in Hong Kong as part of a big overhaul of the bank under chief executive Georges Elhedery.Europe’s largest bank is considering whether to scrap the perk for new employees or make changes to total compensation, Bloomberg News reported. No decisions have been made yet. Continue reading...
UK cabinet minister says there are extensive discussions over security after gunman attempted to storm dinner attended by TrumpUS politics live – latest updatesKing Charles’s security is being reviewed before his state visit to the US this week after a gunman attempted to storm a dinner with Donald Trump in Washington DC, a UK cabinet minister has said.Guests at the White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday night hid under tables when gunshots were heard as the president and other members of his administration were evacuated by the Secret Service. Continue reading...
• President Trump issued an Executive Order directing the Department of Health and Human Services to expedite access to treatments for patients with serious mental illness.
• The FDA is accelerating its review process for mental health therapies in response to the directive.
• This policy shift aims to reduce barriers to treatment approval and expand therapeutic options for affected patients.
Independent inquiry into Bristol Brunel Academy found visit by Damien Egan was postponed solely on safeguarding groundsAn independent inquiry into a Bristol secondary school, which found itself at the centre of a media storm after postponing a visit by a local Jewish MP, has found no evidence of antisemitism or influence from lobby groups.Damien Egan, the Labour MP for Bristol North East and vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel, was due to visit Bristol Brunel Academy (BBA) last September to talk to students about democracy and his work in parliament. Continue reading...
Two staff suspended after damning review finds department was warned last December that triple murderer Regina Arthurell was living in the homeFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo staff members in the New South Wales Department of Communities and Justice have been suspended following a review into why two foster children went to live with a convicted triple killer.The review, which was made public on Wednesday, found “significant failures” by the department led to foster children aged 12 and 14 living alongside convicted murderer Regina Arthurell until her removal from the home last month. Continue reading...
Reviews website features pages praising unlicensed sites’ supposed qualities as if they were legitimate businessesTrustpilot, the reviews website that offers to “find a company you can trust”, is hosting ratings of illegal casinos, raising concerns in Westminster about the potential risks posed to consumers.Unlicensed casino operators linked to financial harm, addiction and even suicide have flooded the UK market in recent years, often targeting people who are trying to limit their gambling by “self-excluding” from licensed operators. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Adrian Fulford will also examine wider national security vetting system after Foreign Office controversyUK politics live – latest updatesA retired high court judge is expected to review Peter Mandelson’s vetting process and the wider national security vetting system.The review, commissioned by Downing Street, comes after a Guardian investigation revealing that security officials decided Mandelson should not receive developed vetting clearance, but were overruled by the Foreign Office to allow him to become US ambassador. Continue reading...
Design among projects before US Commission of Fine Arts as lawsuits challenge scale and impactDonald Trump’s design for the triumphal arch he wants built at an entrance to the US capital comes up for a review and possible vote on Thursday by a key federal agency. It is one of several projects the US president is pursuing alongside a White House ballroom to leave his lasting footprint on Washington.Trump said on social media that the arch “will be the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World” and a “wonderful addition to the Washington D.C. area for all Americans to enjoy for many decades to come!”. Continue reading...
Lack of funding leaving police forces failing to keep pace with two-thirds annual increase in referrals, says reportChild victims of online sexual abuse are being inadequately protected from further harm because police forces are struggling to cope with an increase in this crime, his majesty’s chief inspector of constabulary has warned.Michelle Skeer said: “Without investment and coordination, the situation will worsen and children could be put at further risk.” Continue reading...
Fiona Hill, a former White House chief adviser, joins ex-Nato chief in criticising Starmer’s leadership on defenceUK politics live – latest updatesA co-author of Britain’s strategic defence review has joined criticism of Keir Starmer’s leadership on military policy, warning of a “bizarre” lack of urgency in defence planning.Fiona Hill, a former chief adviser to the White House on Russia, echoed the concerns of George Robertson, her co-author with Gen Richard Barrons on the strategic defence review (SDR), over what he had called the prime minister’s “corrosive complacency”. Continue reading...
• US State Department on April 5, 2026, reaffirmed support for the Philippines' call to review 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling, rejecting China's 'nine-dash line' territorial assertions.
• Secretary Blinken issued a joint statement with Manila, committing $100 million in naval aid; Filipino President Marcos said, 'US alliance is ironclad.'
• Development escalates US-China rivalry in Indo-Pacific, vital for $3 trillion annual trade routes and US freedom of navigation operations.
• NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, has cleared its final hurdle and remains on track for launch no earlier than April 1, 2026.
• The mission will send four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, and Christina Koch—on a 10-day orbital test around the Moon, validating systems for future lunar landings.
• This milestone follows rigorous technical reviews, ensuring crew safety and vehicle performance after lessons from uncrewed Artemis I in 2022.
• Last August, the Trump administration ordered states to reverify immigration status of hundreds of thousands of Medicaid enrollees, but findings from five states show few immigrants without legal status improperly receiving benefits.
• States paid Deloitte and other firms millions to comply with the law aimed at cutting Medicaid rolls, with federal officials mandating reverification of enrollee immigration data.
• The reviews highlight limited evidence of widespread ineligibility, raising questions about the policy's effectiveness and costs to update systems amid ongoing crackdowns.
‘There is no doubt that the cells and tissues of the oral cavity, the mouth and the lungs are altered by inhalation from e-cigarettes,’ academic saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVaping is likely to cause lung and oral cancer, researchers have found, as they urged regulators to act now rather than wait decades for a definitive level of risk.Cancer researchers led by UNSW in Sydney analysed reviews of evidence from animal studies, human case reports and laboratory research published between 2017 and 2025, in one of the most detailed assessments to date of whether nicotine e-cigarettes could cause cancer. Continue reading...
• The U.S. government has designated Anthropic's Claude AI model as a potential supply-chain risk amid evaluations for military applications.
• This follows Department of Defense introductions of new guardrail policies for military AI use, with xAI’s Grok also entering classified systems.
• The move highlights growing scrutiny on AI models' security and reliability for national defense.
CMA also looks into Pasta Evangelists, funeral operator Dignity and review company Feefo in latest crackdownThe UK competition watchdog has launched investigations into five companies including Autotrader and Just Eat over concerns they have not done enough to tackle fake and misleading online reviews.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which has previously investigated the tech companies Amazon and Google, said its latest crackdown includes the funeral services operator Dignity, the review company Feefo and the restaurant chain Pasta Evangelists. Continue reading...
• President issued an executive order on March 24, 2026, further continuing the FEMA Review Council established by Executive Order 14180.
• The council's term is extended until 10 days after its required report submission or May 29, 2026, whichever comes first.
• Extension ensures ongoing assessment of FEMA operations amid disaster preparedness concerns.
Ministers will publish review by Philip Rycroft, which will make recommendations relevant to all the political parties, todayGood morning. In December the government announced that Philip Rycroft, a former permanent secretary at the Brexit department, will lead a review into foreign financial interference into UK politics. The review is being published today, and it will include recommendations that we’re told the government will implement as a priority.The review will make recommendations relevant to all the political parties, but no one in government is trying very hard to pretend that one party in particular isn’t the main focus. Rycroft was hired for the job soon after Nathan Gill, the former Reform UK leader in Wales, was sentenced to 10 and a half years in jail for taking bribes to spout pro-Russian propaganda. Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, dismissed Gill as a one-off bad apple, but other Brexit party MEPs gave pro-Russian speeches similar to Gill’s. Reform UK is the Brexit party under a new name. Continue reading...
• On March 21, 2026, Subcommittee Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX) requested a GAO review of threats from violent extremists using AI technologies against the US.
• The letter warns that malicious actors, including cyber threats and insiders, exploit generative AI for terrorist tactics like recruitment and attacks.
• Pfluger emphasizes the challenges in detecting and deterring these evolving national security risks, citing prior hearings on foreign terrorist use of emerging tech.
• Lawmakers reviewed 27 bills on March 18, 2026, in the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee to update VA health care, accountability, education, and workforce programs, many unchanged for 30 years.
• Proposals include 12 Republican-led and 15 Democrat-led bills expanding dental coverage, VA mental health for incarcerated veterans with PTSD, and aligning drug formularies with industry standards.
• Chairman Bost stressed reauthorization as a tool to fix underperforming programs; bills also update leasing, contracts, and protect 30% veteran VA staff from layoffs via Rep. Tim Kennedy's act.
International researchers find ‘very little evidence’ medical form of the drug can treat anxiety, anorexia and other disordersCannabis is not an effective treatment for common mental health conditions despite the global surge in patients using it for that purpose, a review has found.Researchers concluded there was “very little evidence for its efficacy” in treating anxiety, anorexia nervosa, psychotic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder or opioid use disorder. Continue reading...
A letter from 15 critics to the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh condemns ‘divisive move’ that saw non-Scottish publications excluded from reviewing the musical’s press nightTheatre critics in Scotland have written to the Royal Lyceum theatre in Edinburgh condemning a “divisive” and “London-centric” decision to not invite reviews from UK national publications for its new musical version of One Day.The show, based on the 2009 novel by David Nicholls, held a press night on Wednesday but only critics writing for Scottish publications were invited to review it. A separate press night for other critics is planned for a later date, when the show opens in London. Continue reading...
National Secular Society to launch court action after failure to investigate alleged breaches of academic freedom lawsA university regulator in England has failed to investigate potential breaches of laws protecting academic freedom at a dozen theological colleges and is now facing legal action, the Guardian has learned.The National Secular Society says it is preparing to pursue the Office for Students (OfS) through the courts to act on complaints first made five years ago, arguing that the colleges are ineligible for public funding or government-backed student loans because of their commitment to theological doctrine. Continue reading...
Image: Computer Weekly
