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‘Shortcomings and failures’ could sink Aukus nuclear submarines plan, UK inquiry warns

Australia is dependent upon UK’s ability to deliver new submarines but report says ‘cracks are already beginning to show’“Cracks are already beginning to show” in the UK’s funding for the Aukus agreement that could derail the ambitious nuclear submarine plan, a British parliamentary inquiry has found, highlighting a threat to Australia’s security.UK shipbuilding has been under-funded for decades and the country’s submarine availability is “critically low”, the House of Commons defence committee’s report found. Continue reading...

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Ministers open-minded on shape of UK social media limits, Phillipson says

Education secretary says children will face restrictions and government will consider range of views on their formUK politics live – latest updatesChildren in the UK will face restrictions on their use of social media but the government remains open-minded about what form the limits will take, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has said.Phillipson told broadcasters on Tuesday she had concerns about the content that under-16s were exposed to online and the length of time they spent staring at screens. Continue reading...

Author of novel depicting toddler role-play spared jail after being convicted of writing child abuse material

Lauren Ashley Mastrosa given 18-month community corrections order after book was read by handful of advance readersThe author behind an offensive novel depicting toddler role-play has been convicted but spared jail for penning child abuse material.Lauren Ashley Mastrosa, a 34-year-old former marketing executive for a Christian charity, wrote Daddy’s Little Toy under the pen name Tori Woods and published it through an online pre-release in March 2025. Continue reading...

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‘Protected for another century’: experts lift 15-tonne foremast from HMS Victory

In latest stage of £42m restoration project, 30-strong team remove mast from Nelson’s Battle of Trafalgar flagshipThere is only one correct way to extricate a 15-tonne wrought iron mast from one of the world’s most famous and beloved warships – very slowly, and with extreme care.Which is precisely how a 30-strong team led by shipwrights and riggers set about their task on Monday night into Tuesday morning when they lifted the foremast from HMS Victory as part of a £42m conservation project. Continue reading...

Shadow minister says Australia ‘ill-prepared’ for conflict – as it happened

This blog is now closedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe White House has nominated David Brat, a former Republican member of the US House of Representatives, to be the next ambassador to Australia.Brat represented Virginia in Congress and served two terms before he was defeated by a Democrat in 2018 in a close race. He is currently a vice-president of business relations at Virginia’s Liberty University.It wouldn’t fund the entire amount of that extra storage, but it would help make a contribution …Obviously, this comes at a cost … But given what we’re facing right now, we think it’s a reasonable insurance premium to improve the security of all Australians.It was sensible to do a few years ago to get to 30 days. It’s helping us now. Given the high risks, it’s even more sensible to go to 60 days. Continue reading...