Author: Andrew Rogers

The United States and China have reached a final agreement on the sale of TikTok’s US operations, treasury secretary Scott Bessent announced on Sunday, marking a major step in efforts to resolve one of the most contentious issues between the two powers. Speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation, Bessent said the deal was completed during negotiations in Madrid, with final approval expected when Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet later this week in South Korea. “We reached a final deal on TikTok,” Bessent said. “All the details are ironed out, and it will be for the two leaders to consummate…

The Co-op has instructed staff to increase the visibility and promotion of vapes in its stores as part of a drive to recover from a major cyber-attack that caused a sharp fall in sales. An internal document titled Powering Up: Focus Sprint: Cigs, Tobacco and Vape outlines plans to boost sales by introducing larger vape displays, more advertising, and an expanded product range across its 2,000 UK grocery outlets. The move aims to plug an estimated £1m per week in lost sales and reverse a decline of about 100,000 weekly transactions since the April hack. The document says at least…

Leading scientists are urging the UK government to introduce cigarette-style cancer warnings on packets of bacon and ham, citing strong evidence that chemicals used in processed meats cause bowel cancer. Their appeal comes a decade after the World Health Organization (WHO) classified processed meats as carcinogenic to humans, placing them in the same risk category as tobacco and asbestos. Despite this, experts say successive UK governments have done “virtually nothing” to curb the use of nitrites — chemicals added to meat to preserve colour and flavour. According to the Coalition Against Nitrites, government inaction since 2015 has led to 54,000…

The popular weight-loss drug semaglutide – used in treatments such as Wegovy – significantly cuts the risk of heart attacks and strokes regardless of how much weight a person loses, according to a large international study published in The Lancet. Researchers from University College London (UCL) examined data from 17,604 adults aged 45 and over, across 41 countries, who were either overweight or obese. Half received weekly semaglutide injections, while the other half took a placebo. Results showed a 20% reduction in major cardiac events – including heart attacks, strokes, and deaths from heart disease – among those taking the…

A major UK study has found that antidepressants vary widely in their physical side-effects, with some causing significant weight gain, while others lead to weight loss or changes in heart rate and blood pressure. Researchers from King’s College London and the University of Oxford analysed data from 151 clinical studies involving more than 58,000 participants, comparing 30 commonly prescribed antidepressants. They found weight changes of up to 4kg between different drugs. Patients taking maprotiline gained about 2kg on average, while those on agomelatine lost around 2.5kg. Nearly half of people on drugs like maprotiline or amitriptyline experienced weight gain, whereas…

The company operating Pizza Hut’s UK restaurants, DC London Pie, has entered administration, leading to the closure of 68 dine-in sites and 11 delivery-only locations across the country. The closures, which affect venues from Finchley Lido in London to Carlisle in Cumbria and Rhyl in north Wales, put 1,210 jobs at risk. However, there is some relief for staff as US parent company Yum! Brands — which also owns KFC and Taco Bell — has stepped in to acquire part of the business. In a pre-pack administration deal, Yum! bought 64 remaining Pizza Hut sites, preserving 1,276 jobs and ensuring…

Millions of young people could miss out on new and effective treatments because so few take part in medical research, according to new data showing that Gen Z is significantly underrepresented in clinical trials and health studies in England. Analysis by The Guardian found that 18- to 24-year-olds make up 8% of England’s population but only 4.4% of medical research participants, meaning they are often left out of crucial developments in healthcare. Between 2021 and 2024, only 32,879 young adults took part in 5,042 studies supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) — roughly seven per…

President Donald Trump proposed that the United States purchase beef from Argentina as a way to lower prices for American consumers. The plan is intended to address rising food costs and increase supply in the domestic market. Speaking at a recent event, Trump highlighted that U.S. beef prices have been steadily climbing and that importing beef from Argentina could help make it more affordable. “We want to make sure families across America can put dinner on the table without paying too much,” he said. Trump emphasized that the initiative is part of a broader effort to stabilize food prices and…

A new “smart” cancer treatment has shown remarkable results in shrinking head and neck tumours within just six weeks, offering new hope for patients with advanced disease. The drug, amivantamab, works through a triple-action mechanism and can be administered as a simple injection rather than lengthy infusions. It was tested in patients whose cancers had returned or spread after both immunotherapy and chemotherapy — a group with few remaining treatment options. Findings from the Orig-AMI 4 trial, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Berlin, revealed that 76% of patients treated with amivantamab saw their tumours shrink…

Paramount Skydance will lay off about 2,000 employees in the U.S. starting the week of 27 October as part of a $2 billion cost-cutting plan led by new CEO David Ellison, Variety reported on Saturday. The job cuts come just months after Skydance Media completed its $8.4 billion merger with Paramount Global in August. Additional layoffs are expected internationally, with more details to be released in the company’s third-quarter earnings report on 10 November. A previous Variety report suggested Paramount was targeting between 2,000 and 3,000 job reductions by early November. As of December 2024, Paramount employed nearly 18,600 full-…