Author: Andrew Rogers

Researchers have reported encouraging early results for a new prostate cancer treatment.The experimental drug VIR-5500 shrank tumours in several patients with advanced disease. Prostate cancer affects about 1.5 million men worldwide each year.Immunotherapy has transformed other cancers but rarely works in this one.Scientists now believe this approach could change that outlook. VIR-5500 is an engineered antibody that redirects killer T-cells toward tumour cells.The drug activates mainly inside the tumour, which limits harmful inflammation.This design may also allow longer circulation and fewer doses. Fifty-eight men joined the phase-one trial after standard treatments failed.Most participants experienced only mild side effects. Researchers measured…

Burger King has introduced an AI chatbot that connects to employee headsets in US restaurants.The system forms part of a new platform called BK Assistant. The voice tool, named Patty, listens during customer interactions.It can detect polite expressions such as “welcome”, “please”, and “thank you”.The company says the technology helps managers understand service patterns. The announcement triggered criticism on social media.Many users described the idea as excessive workplace surveillance. A company spokesperson rejected claims of individual monitoring.Managers will not score staff or enforce fixed scripts.The tool aims to support coaching and improve guest experience. The platform also updates digital menus…

A new GLP-1 pill has produced greater weight loss in people with type 2 diabetes.Researchers tested orforglipron against oral semaglutide in a year-long phase 3 study. Patients taking orforglipron lost up to eight percent of their body weight.Those using semaglutide lost about five percent.The new drug also lowered average blood sugar more strongly. More than 1,500 adults joined the trial across five countries.Participants received different daily doses of either medication. Orforglipron works like other GLP-1 therapies.It reduces appetite, slows digestion, and improves glucose control.Patients can take it without fasting, which simplifies daily use. However, more users stopped treatment because of…

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 announced the plan after reporting a pre-tax loss of £363.9m for 2025. Losses had already reached £289.1m the previous year. The company had reduced 170 roles at the start of 2025. The group said it had to make further organisational changes to prepare for future plans. Chief executive Adrian Hallmark called the cuts an important step toward a leaner business. He said job reductions alone would not solve the company’s challenges. Aston Martin…

Unlicensed gambling companies could lose the right to sponsor Premier League clubs under new government plans. Ministers launched a consultation after a series of controversies and regulatory concerns. Several top-flight teams, including Everton, Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers, currently display brands linked to online casinos without a British licence. Clubs have already agreed to remove all gambling sponsors from the front of shirts after this season. The voluntary move will not cover sleeves or other partnerships. This gap allows overseas operators to keep marketing through English football if they avoid British customers. The government now wants to close that route with…

The UK has suspended a clinical trial on puberty blockers for young people after the medicines regulator raised safety concerns. Officials warned about unknown long-term biological risks and called for a minimum age of 14. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will meet King’s College London next week. They will review the protocol and address wellbeing issues. The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that recruitment will not start until they resolve these points. The Cass review had recommended the trial. It found weak evidence for the benefits of puberty blockers in children with gender dysphoria. Dr Hilary…

China has overtaken the United States as Germany’s largest trading partner in 2025.Total trade between Germany and China reached €251bn, according to official data. German imports from China were worth €170.6bn, more than double its exports of €81.3bn.Trade with the US fell to €240bn, partly affected by new tariffs. Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping and Li Qiang.He will discuss trade, human rights and the war in Ukraine during the trip. Germany’s car industry remains deeply tied to the Chinese market.Companies such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen rely heavily on sales and production there. The…

OpenAI said it considered alerting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police months before a deadly school attack in British Columbia.Its systems had flagged an account linked to Jesse Van Rootselaar for potential violent activity in June last year. The company reviewed whether the case met its threshold for contacting law enforcement.It concluded there was no credible or imminent plan for serious harm at that time.After the shooting, OpenAI voluntarily provided information to investigators. Police said the 18-year-old killed family members at home before attacking a local school in Tumbler Ridge.Eight people died before the suspect took their own life.The victims included…

Amazon’s cloud division suffered outages last year that were reportedly triggered by its own AI systems.One disruption in December lasted about 13 hours after an AI agent deleted and rebuilt part of its environment.Another earlier incident caused shorter service problems. AWS said only one event affected customer-facing services.The company blamed misconfigured access controls and called the failures “user error”, not AI error.It added that new safeguards and mandatory peer reviews are now in place. The outages come as Amazon cuts thousands of jobs while expanding AI use.Chief executive Andy Jassy has said AI will improve efficiency but not replace staff…

Airbus has suggested splitting Europe’s future fighter project into two separate aircraft to break a long-running deadlock.The €100bn Future Combat Air System involves Germany, France and Spain. The dispute centres on who leads development of the next-generation jet.Dassault Aviation wants control of the fighter element, while Airbus represents German and Spanish interests.Chief executive Guillaume Faury said a dual-fighter approach could protect the wider programme. German chancellor Friedrich Merz recently questioned whether the planned aircraft meets Germany’s needs.Berlin does not require a nuclear-capable jet, unlike France.Governments must soon decide whether to proceed with the fighter or focus on other FCAS components…