UK officials have paused a clinical trial on puberty blockers for children after a safety warning from the medicines regulator. The agency cited uncertain long-term biological risks and called for a minimum age of 14. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will hold talks with King’s College London next week. The Pathways trial will not recruit participants until they resolve the concerns, the Department of Health and Social Care said. The study followed the Cass review, which found weak evidence for the drugs’ benefits in young people. Hilary Cass argued that only a controlled trial could clarify their effects.…
Author: Andrew Rogers
Andrew Rogers
Andrew Rogers is a freelance journalist based in Beijing, China, with over 15 years of experience covering Politics, World Affairs, Business, Health, Technology, Finance, Lifestyle, and Culture. He earned his degree in Communication and Journalism from the University of Florida. Over the course of his career, he has contributed to major outlets such as The Miami Herald, CNN, and USA Today. Known for his clear and engaging reporting, Andrew delivers accurate and timely news that keeps readers informed on both national and international developments.
China has regained its position as Germany’s top trading partner, overtaking the United States in 2025.Total trade between Germany and China reached €251bn, according to official data. German imports from China were far higher than exports.Imports stood at €170.6bn, while exports to China reached €81.3bn.Trade with the US fell 5% to €240bn, partly linked to tariffs. Friedrich Merz will travel to Beijing for his first official visit as chancellor.He is scheduled to meet Xi Jinping and Li Qiang for talks on trade, Ukraine and human rights.A delegation of major German business leaders will accompany him. Germany’s car industry remains deeply…
OpenAI says it considered alerting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police about a user months before a deadly school attack in British Columbia.The company flagged the account in June for possible “furtherance of violent activities”. Staff reviewed whether the activity met the threshold for law-enforcement referral.They concluded there was no credible or imminent plan for serious harm at the time.Under its policy, OpenAI reports cases only when an immediate threat appears likely. The user, Jesse Van Rootselaar, later carried out one of Canada’s worst school shootings.Eight people were killed before the attacker died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.Police said the victims…
Amazon’s cloud division suffered outages last year that were reportedly triggered by its own AI systems.One 13-hour disruption in December occurred when an AI agent autonomously deleted and rebuilt part of its environment. AWS underpins large parts of the internet and has faced wider reliability concerns.An October incident temporarily knocked dozens of websites offline and highlighted dependence on a few major providers. Amazon said only one smaller event affected customer services.The company blamed “user error” and misconfigured access controls rather than the AI itself.It added that new safeguards now require peer review for production access. The claims come as Andy…
Airbus has suggested splitting Europe’s future fighter project into two separate aircraft to break a long-running deadlock.The dispute centres on leadership of the €100bn Future Combat Air System, developed by Germany, France and Spain. Airbus’s defence division and Dassault Aviation disagree over control of the next-generation jet.Chief executive Guillaume Faury said a dual-fighter approach could save the wider programme.He argued the project is vital for Europe’s long-term defence capability. German chancellor Friedrich Merz recently questioned whether the planned aircraft meets Germany’s needs.France wants a nuclear-capable jet, while Germany does not.Governments must soon decide whether to continue the fighter element or…
Top Alpine skiers have raised alarm over rapidly shrinking glaciers during the Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo.Athletes including Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin and Federica Brignone say climate change is transforming the mountains where they train and compete. Italy has lost more than 200 square kilometres of glacier area since the late 1950s.Many glaciers once visible from Cortina have shrunk to small ice patches high in the Dolomites.Major ice now remains mainly on the Marmolada glacier, which is also melting quickly. Skiers rely on glaciers for reliable early-season snow.Vonn said many training sites from her youth have almost disappeared.Shiffrin described athletes…
Scientists in China have developed a groundbreaking 3D printing method using holographic light fields. The new technique allows tiny, complex components to be printed in just 0.6 seconds, far faster than conventional methods. The rapid speed could transform manufacturing for industries that rely on small, precise parts. Devices such as mobile phone components and micro-robotics parts may benefit significantly from this technology. Holographic 3D printing works by projecting a 3D light field onto a material that solidifies instantly in the desired shape. This approach bypasses the layer-by-layer process of traditional 3D printing, enabling much faster fabrication while maintaining high precision.…
Senior UK bank executives will meet this week to begin work on a domestic card payments system.The project aims to reduce reliance on US networks such as Visa and Mastercard. The meeting will be chaired by Vim Maru of Barclays.City institutions will fund the new company, with government support.The initiative, known as DeliveryCo, could be operational by 2030. About 95% of UK card payments currently run through Visa and Mastercard.Executives fear a shutdown of US systems could severely disrupt the economy.The concern has grown amid geopolitical tensions and declining cash use. The Bank of England is designing the technical infrastructure.Major…
Volkswagen is preparing a major restructuring to cut costs by 20% by 2028.Reports say plant closures are possible as the group adapts to rising competition from China. Chief executive Oliver Blume and finance chief Arno Antlitz presented the plan to senior managers.The goal is to secure stable profits despite falling sales, high costs and rapid automation. An earlier overhaul already included 35,000 job cuts by 2030 and a €10bn savings target.Volkswagen says previous measures have produced double-digit billion-euro savings. Pressure is growing as the EU trade deficit with China reached €359.3bn in 2025.German carmakers remain deeply invested in the Chinese…
Daily tablets are reshaping the race for obesity treatments and widening the market.New GLP-1 pills suppress appetite like the injections but are easier to take and cheaper.Analysts expect global sales to approach $200bn within the next decade. Novo Nordisk launched the first oral Wegovy in the US, with rapid early uptake.Many patients are switching from weekly jabs because pills feel more convenient and provide steadier appetite control.They also remove the need for refrigeration and injections. Rival Eli Lilly is preparing its own tablet, intensifying competition.Oral drugs are slightly less effective than injections, so people with severe obesity may stay on…
