Author: Andrew Rogers

Jennifer Lawrence was honoured with the prestigious Donostia Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival, becoming the youngest performer to receive it at 35. Reflecting on her career and the state of culture in the US, Lawrence said: “Our freedom of speech is under attack in America, including in the world of film, where we realise that we are all connected and need empathy and freedom.” The actress, who presented her new film Kill Me Love, urged young filmmakers to pursue their dreams and stressed the importance of watching films. She also highlighted the impact of female creators such as…

Early clinical trial results from Cambridge suggest that combining the diabetes drug metformin with the antihistamine clemastine can partially repair nerve damage in multiple sclerosis (MS). The CCMR Two trial, funded by the MS Society, recruited 70 patients with relapsing MS. Half received the drug combination while the rest were given a placebo for six months. Tests showed that electrical signals between the eyes and brain travelled faster in those on the treatment, indicating some repair to the protective myelin sheath around nerves. However, the effect – an improvement of just 1.3 milliseconds – was too small for patients to…

Women who miss their first breast cancer screening appointment have a 40% higher risk of dying from the disease, according to new research. Scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden analysed data from around 500,000 women invited to their first mammogram between 1991 and 2020. Published in the British Medical Journal, the study tracked participants for up to 25 years and found that 32% did not attend their initial screening. These women were more likely to be diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer, less likely to attend later screenings, and faced a significantly higher breast cancer mortality rate: 9.9 deaths per 1,000…

The world’s oceans have crossed a dangerous threshold in acidity for the first time, threatening marine ecosystems and human food security, according to the 2025 Planetary Health Check by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. The report found that ocean surface pH has dropped by 0.1 units since the industrial era, a 30-40% rise in acidity driven by fossil fuel emissions. This shift disrupts the ability of marine organisms like corals, molluscs and shellfish to form skeletons and shells, with cascading effects on fish, whales and other species higher up the food chain. Oceans, which cover 71% of Earth,…

Amazon will shut all 19 of its Fresh stores in the UK, with five converted into Whole Foods outlets. The closures mark the end of its checkout-free shopping experiment, launched in 2021 in west London. The concept, which allowed customers to leave without scanning items, struggled after the pandemic as demand for contactless shopping declined. Amazon failed to compete with established supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s. The company did not confirm how many staff will be affected but said it would offer roles in other parts of the business. The move comes as Amazon shifts focus to its Whole…

Vodafone was warned by its franchisees that cuts to commissions were having a “massive impact” on their mental health four years before a group of 62 small business owners launched a £120m high court claim against the telecoms giant. Franchisees reported stress, anxiety and even depression following Vodafone’s 2020 decision to reduce fees paid for selling its products and services. The move came after months of uncertainty caused by the Covid pandemic and left many franchisees struggling to cover overheads. A survey conducted by a steering committee of Vodafone franchisees in September 2020 revealed widespread dissatisfaction, with respondents giving the…

European leaders are weighing the feasibility of a “drone wall” along the EU’s eastern border to counter the growing threat of Russian drones. The project, first championed by the Baltic states, gained momentum after EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius called for coordinated action following Russian drones entering Polish airspace. At the centre of the initiative is Eirshield, a multilayered defence platform developed by Estonian firm DefSecIntel and Latvian company Origin Robotics. The system uses radars, cameras and AI to detect, track and intercept hostile drones, deciding whether to jam, disable or neutralise them…

Massive Attack have removed their catalogue from Spotify in protest at founder Daniel Ek’s €600m (£520m) investment in military AI company Helsing. The band cited a “moral and ethical burden” placed on artists, arguing that revenue from their work ultimately funds lethal technologies. Helsing develops AI software to analyse battlefield data and operates military drones. Ek’s venture capital firm, Prima Materia, led the company’s latest funding round, and Ek serves as chairman. Spotify said Helsing is a separate company and its technology is only deployed in Europe for defence against Russian aggression in Ukraine. Massive Attack’s action coincides with the…

Donald Trump announced on Friday that Chinese president Xi Jinping had agreed to approve a deal over TikTok, though no specifics of the agreement or signing timeline were disclosed. The announcement followed a phone call between the two leaders, their first direct contact since June, amid heightened tensions over trade and technology. Trump said earlier this week that Washington and Beijing had reached a deal to place TikTok’s US operations under American control, with Oracle among the investors in talks to take a significant stake. Reports suggest the framework is still incomplete, and negotiations continue over compliance with laws passed…

A major Swedish trial has found that a daily low dose of aspirin can cut the risk of colorectal cancer returning by more than half in patients with specific genetic mutations. Researchers at the Karolinska Institute tested more than 3,500 patients who had undergone tumour removal, with 1,103 found to carry mutations in the PI3K pathway. Those who took 160mg of aspirin daily for three years were 55% less likely to see their cancer return compared with patients on a placebo. Prof Anna Martling, who led the Alascca trial, said the results could change clinical practice, stressing the importance of…