Author: Andrew Rogers

An experimental drug called VIR-5500 has produced encouraging results in men with advanced prostate cancer.Researchers reported tumour shrinkage and major biomarker reductions in an early clinical trial. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in many countries.About 1.5 million people receive a diagnosis worldwide each year. VIR-5500 is an engineered antibody that redirects killer T-cells toward tumour cells.The drug activates mainly inside the tumour, which helps limit harmful immune reactions.This design may also allow longer circulation in the blood and fewer treatments. Fifty-eight men whose disease no longer responded to standard therapies received the drug.Most participants experienced only…

Burger King has introduced an AI assistant in hundreds of US restaurants.The system connects to employee headsets and supports daily tasks. The voice chatbot, called Patty, listens during customer interactions.It detects polite words such as “welcome”, “please”, and “thank you”.Managers will use the data to study service patterns. The company says the tool will not score individual workers.It aims to coach teams and improve guest experience.Managers will receive real-time operational insights. The platform also updates digital menus when items sell out.It guides staff through menu preparation after each order.The system can flag tasks such as cleaning restrooms. The rollout has…

Researchers tested the new GLP-1 pill orforglipron in a large phase 3 study.Patients lost 6–8% of body weight during one year of treatment.Oral semaglutide led to only 4–5% weight loss. Orforglipron lowered blood sugar more strongly and reduced appetite.Patients could take the tablet without fasting. More participants stopped treatment because of gastrointestinal side effects.About one in ten discontinued the new drug. Regulators still review orforglipron in the US, UK, and Europe.Experts expect simple tablets to expand access and reduce costs. Researchers stress the need for long-term safety data.They believe effective oral therapies could soon become first-line diabetes treatments.

Aston Martin will cut up to 20% of its workforce to save about £40m. The move could affect roughly 500 employees. The luxury carmaker confirmed the plan after reporting pre-tax losses of £363.9m for 2025. Losses rose from £289.1m the previous year. The company had already cut 170 jobs at the start of 2024. The group said it must reshape the business for future plans. It called the decision difficult but necessary. Chief executive Adrian Hallmark said the reductions form part of a broader restructuring to make the company leaner. Weak demand and higher US tariffs hit trading during the…

Ministers are considering a ban on unlicensed gambling companies sponsoring Premier League clubs. The move follows controversies involving explicit promotions, weak anti-money-laundering controls and alleged organised crime links. Several clubs, including Everton, Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers, currently display brands linked to offshore casinos or bookmakers. Many of these firms do not hold a British licence. Premier League teams have already agreed to remove gambling logos from the front of shirts after this season. The voluntary deal will not cover sleeve sponsors or other commercial partnerships. Unlicensed operators could still gain exposure if they avoid targeting UK customers. The government has…

The UK has halted a clinical trial on puberty blockers for children after the medicines regulator raised safety concerns. The agency warned about unknown long-term biological risks and demanded a minimum age of 14. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will meet King’s College London next week. They will review participant wellbeing and the study design. The Pathways trial will not recruit children until they resolve these issues. The Cass review had called for the trial. It found weak evidence for the benefits of puberty blockers in young people with gender dysphoria. Hilary Cass said only a controlled study…

China has overtaken the United States as Germany’s largest trading partner in 2025.Trade between Berlin and Beijing reached €251bn, according to official data. Germany imported €170.6bn in goods from China but exported only €81.3bn.Trade with the US fell 5% to €240bn, partly influenced by tariff tensions. Friedrich Merz will travel to Beijing for his first visit as chancellor.He is scheduled to meet Xi Jinping and premier Li Qiang for talks on trade, Ukraine and human rights.A delegation of German business leaders will accompany him. Germany’s car industry remains deeply tied to the Chinese market.Companies such as Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz…

OpenAI said it considered contacting Canadian police about an account later linked to a deadly school shooting.The company flagged the profile in June for the “furtherance of violent activities”. The user was later identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar, who killed eight people in British Columbia before taking his own life.The attack is among Canada’s worst in recent years. OpenAI reviewed whether to notify the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.It decided the activity did not show an imminent or credible threat of serious harm at the time.The company said that threshold guides all law-enforcement referrals. After the shooting, OpenAI proactively shared information…

Amazon’s cloud division reportedly suffered outages last year after internal AI software made critical changes to its own systems.One disruption in December lasted about 13 hours after an AI agent deleted and rebuilt part of its environment. The incidents have renewed scrutiny of Amazon’s rapid AI rollout.They also come as the company cuts thousands of jobs while promoting automation.Chief executive Andy Jassy has said AI will improve efficiency but not simply replace staff. Amazon disputes the claim that AI caused the failures.It says the problem was human misconfiguration and only one event affected customer services.The company added that new safeguards…

Airbus has proposed building two separate warplanes to rescue Europe’s stalled Future Combat Air System.The €100bn project has been slowed by a dispute with Dassault Aviation over leadership of the next-generation fighter. Chief executive Guillaume Faury said a split solution could protect the wider programme.FCAS also includes drones and a digital combat cloud that are progressing more smoothly.He stressed that governments must decide the project’s structure and partners. Tensions increased after German chancellor Friedrich Merz said the planned jet does not match Germany’s needs.Berlin does not require a nuclear-capable aircraft, while France does.Germany, France and Spain must soon decide whether…