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

Google to tap into gas plant for AI datacenter in sharp turn from climate goals

Google’s plan for a partnership with a natural gas power plant that could provide energy for one of its datacenters in Texas was unearthed by new research and confirmed by the company. The move is part of an ongoing about-face for the tech giant, which once pledged to be carbon neutral by 2030 and has long been seen as a pioneer in clean energy.The gas power plant is slated to be built in Armstrong county, a sparsely populated area in the Texas panhandle. According to a report by the research organization Cleanview, the project is being led by Crusoe Energy, which partnered with Google to develop the datacenter campus known as “Goodnight”, named after a nearby town.Crusoe filed for a permit in January to build the 933-megawatt power plant on the site of the Goodnight campus, which showed the facility would operate off the grid and provide energy to at least two buildings on the campus, according to Cleanview

Court dismisses former WhatsApp security chief’s lawsuit against Meta

A US court has dismissed a lawsuit from WhatsApp’s former security chief, who alleged that parent company Meta ignored internal flaws he flagged about the messaging app’s digital defenses.Abdullah Baig, who claims he was fired in retaliation for raising these concerns, had alleged that billions of users had been put at risk because of these vulnerabilities. Thousands of employees could view sensitive user data, including profile photos and location, Baig claimed in the lawsuit filed in September. A judge ruled he had not presented enough evidence to move forward.The US district court in northern California ruled last month to dismiss Baig’s claims, with the judge, Laurel Beeler, writing on 19 March that “the complaint does not contain sufficient facts to show that the plaintiff reported violations of SEC rules or regulations

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

Washington Wizards apologize after $10k April Fools’ prank draws backlash

The Washington Wizards apologized on Thursday after an April Fools’ Day in-game promotion during their loss to the Philadelphia 76ers prompted criticism on social media.During Wednesday night’s game at Capital One Arena, a fan was brought on to the court for a blindfolded half-court shot promoted as being worth $10,000. The shot missed, but arena staff and performers reacted as if it had gone in and briefly presented the fan with a ceremonial check as part of what later was revealed to be a scripted skit.Video of the sequence circulated online and led to questions about whether the fan had been misled.“To do this to a fan that chose to come see a 17-win team is unhinged,” Jemele Hill, a contributing reporter for the Atlantic, wrote on X