Author: Andrew Rogers

An experimental drug called VIR-5500 has produced striking early results in men with advanced prostate cancer.Researchers reported tumour shrinkage and major biomarker reductions in a phase one trial. The treatment uses immunotherapy to direct the body’s T-cells toward cancer cells.It activates mainly inside tumours, which helps limit severe side effects.Most participants experienced only mild reactions. Fifty-eight men whose disease resisted other therapies received the drug.Among those given the highest dose, most saw prostate-specific antigen levels drop sharply.Several patients recorded reductions of more than ninety percent. Doctors also observed visible tumour shrinkage in nearly half of the evaluable cases.One patient saw…

Burger King has introduced an AI assistant in hundreds of US restaurants.The system connects to employee headsets and supports daily operations. The voice chatbot, called Patty, runs on OpenAI technology.It listens to drive-thru conversations and customer interactions.The software can detect polite expressions such as “welcome”, “please”, and “thank you”.Managers will use the data to review overall service patterns. The company says the tool will not score individual workers.It aims to coach teams and highlight good performance.Managers will receive real-time operational insights. The platform also updates digital menus when items sell out.It guides staff through recipes after orders arrive.The assistant can…

A new tablet, orforglipron, helped people with type 2 diabetes lose up to 8% of body weight.The drug acts on GLP-1 receptors, lowers blood sugar, and reduces appetite.Patients can take it without fasting. In a year-long phase 3 trial, it outperformed oral semaglutide for weight loss and glucose control.More participants stopped treatment because of gastrointestinal side effects. Regulators have not yet approved the pill.Experts see major potential for easier, cheaper therapy without injections.They still need long-term safety and cardiovascular data.

Aston Martin will cut up to 20% of its workforce as it tries to save about £40m. The move could affect around 500 employees. The luxury carmaker confirmed the redundancies after reporting pre-tax losses of £363.9m for 2025. Losses stood at £289.1m the previous year. The company had already eliminated 170 roles at the start of 2025. Chief executive Adrian Hallmark said the cuts form part of a wider plan to make the business leaner and more effective. He stressed the reductions alone will not solve the company’s long-term challenges. The carmaker blamed weak demand, higher US tariffs and supply…

Unlicensed gambling companies could lose the right to sponsor Premier League clubs under new government plans. Ministers launched a consultation after controversies involving pornography, weak money-laundering controls and alleged organised crime links. Several top-flight teams, including Everton, Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers, currently display brands tied to offshore casinos or bookmakers. Clubs have already agreed to remove all gambling logos from the front of shirts after this season. That voluntary move will not cover sleeve sponsorships or other commercial deals. The proposed ban would close that gap. It would stop unlicensed firms from using any club partnership to promote their brand,…

The UK has suspended 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 hold talks with King’s College London next week. The Department of Health and Social Care said the study will not recruit participants until they resolve the concerns. The government launched the Pathways trial after the Cass review. That review found weak evidence for the benefits of puberty blockers in young people. Dr Hilary Cass said only a clinical…

China has overtaken the United States as Germany’s largest trading partner, with total trade reaching €251bn in 2025.The figure marks a 2.2% increase from the previous year and comes as Chancellor Friedrich Merz prepares for his first official visit to Beijing. Germany imported €170.6bn in goods from China but exported only €81.3bn, highlighting a wide trade imbalance.Trade with the US fell to €240bn, a 5% drop partly linked to American tariffs. Merz will meet Premier Li Qiang and President Xi Jinping during the two-day trip.He is expected to discuss Ukraine, human rights and economic relations.A delegation of business leaders, including…

OpenAI said it considered notifying Canadian police about a user later responsible for a mass shooting.The company flagged the account in June for potential “furtherance of violent activities”. At the time, it decided the activity did not meet the threshold for referral to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.That standard requires a credible and imminent risk of serious harm.OpenAI said it found no evidence of concrete attack planning. After the shooting in Tumbler Ridge, the firm contacted the RCMP and shared relevant information.The 18-year-old attacker killed eight people before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.Victims included a teaching assistant and several…

The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a ruling that could lead to refunds for businesses and consumers who previously paid tariffs now deemed unlawful. The decision is expected to ease costs and stimulate economic activity across multiple sectors. Businesses impacted by prior tariffs on imported goods may now be eligible to recover expenses paid during the period the tariffs were in effect. Analysts said the potential refunds could improve cash flow for companies and help offset higher production costs. Consumers may also benefit as businesses pass on savings from refunded tariff payments. Lower costs for imported goods could reduce prices…

Amazon’s cloud division suffered at least one outage last year after an internal AI agent made a critical change to its own environment.The system reportedly deleted and recreated part of its setup, causing a 13-hour disruption. AWS runs large parts of the internet, so even smaller incidents raise concern about concentration of infrastructure.Another outage in October knocked dozens of websites offline for hours. Amazon said the event resulted from user misconfiguration, not artificial intelligence failure.It added that only one incident affected customer-facing services and that safeguards have since increased.These include stricter access controls and mandatory peer review for sensitive actions.…