Australia says it won’t raise drug prices after Trump’s 100% tariff on pharmaceuticals imported into US

Australia will not cave in to pressure from pharmaceutical giants and the Trump administration by removing consumer price protections on common medications, the health minister, Mark Butler says.Donald Trump imposed a new 100% tariff on branded pharmaceuticals imported into the US overnight, Australian time, trying to force manufacturers to agree to drug-pricing deals or commit to making their products domestically.It is the latest challenge for Australian manufacturers selling products to American consumers and comes as the White House tries to force changes to Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which guarantees lower prices for prescription holders here.Under a new executive order signed by Trump, large pharmaceutical companies will have 120 days to announce plans to avoid the new tariff, while smaller companies have 180 days.Companies agreeing to move manufacturing to the US can see a reduced 20% tariff, with some carve-outs given to companies agreeing to preferred pricing deals for US consumers

Blue Owl Capital limits withdrawals after investors try to redeem $5.4bn

A major private credit investment firm, Blue Owl Capital, has imposed a cap on withdrawals after investors tried to pull $5.4bn from two key funds, in the latest sign of crumbling confidence in the unregulated lending market.The New York-headquartered firm released filings on Thursday that showed a surge in redemption requests, with investors asking to take back 21.9% of the cash stored in Blue Owl’s $20bn (£15bn) Credit Income Corp fund between January and March. Meanwhile, investors requested 40

Goodbye mrbrightside416: Google allows users to alter quirky Gmail addresses

Did your McLovin!1976!@gmail.com email address seem funny at the time but less so now you are applying for dozens of jobs?Google has said it is giving US users a chance to appear more professional by letting them change their Google account username – whatever appears before @gmail.com in an email address – without losing access to their account.However, the tech company will limit the name changes to one per 12 months. In an example shared online by Google, the email address sk8tergrl123

Pupils in England are losing their thinking skills because of AI, survey suggests

Pupils using artificial intelligence are losing their capacity for critical thinking, according to a survey of secondary school teachers in England.Two-thirds said they had observed the decline among children who they also said no longer felt the need to spell because of voice-to-text technology.“Students are losing core skills – thinking, creativity, writing, even how to have a conversation,” one teacher told the National Education Union poll.“AI is destroying what ‘learning’ – problem-solving, critical thinking and collaborative effort – is,” said another. A third anonymous contributor added: “Children no longer feel the need to spell as voice-to-text replaces knowledge

Chess: Sindarov, 21, takes early 1-point lead as Uzbek star stuns Candidates field

Javokhir Sindarov is already the clear favourite to win the 2026 Candidates in Cyprus and to challenge India’s Gukesh Dommaraju for the world crown after the Uzbek grandmaster, 21, began the tournament with a commanding 3.5/4, including an impressive victory against the pre-tournament favourite and world No 3, Fabiano Caruana. It is the fastest ever start by a player under the format of a double-round Candidates.Sindarov’s seconds correctly anticipated that Caruana, with the black pieces, might open with the solid Queen’s Gambit Accepted, and prepared accordingly. “I got kind of caught in the opening,” said a subdued Caruana at the post-game press conference

Alana King spins Australia to crushing win over West Indies to seal ODI series sweep

Alana King has spun Australia to a commanding nine-wicket victory over West Indies as the tourists completed an ODI series sweep in St Kitts.The leg-spinner ripped through the hosts with a stunning spell of 5 for 19 from 10 overs as the West Indies collapsed after a bright start to be bundled out for 136 in the third and final ODI in the series.Australia raced to their target inside 20 overs as opener Phoebe Litchfield (68 not out from 56) and veteran Ellyse Perry (33 not out) steered them home.King claimed her second-best figures in women’s one-day internationals in the crushing win over West Indies, after she claimed 7 for 18 at the World Cup last year.The 32-year-old leaves the Caribbean with 11 wickets across six white-ball matches after returning to the T20 team in style with five scalps from three games in the shorter format