AstraZeneca, Bristol diabetes drug disappoints in key test
By Ben Hirschler
LONDON |
Wed Jun 19, 2013 3:07am EDT
LONDON (Reuters) – AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb’s diabetes drug Onglyza failed to reduce heart risks in a large clinical study, disappointing investors who had thought it might demonstrate an edge over rivals.
The companies, which jointly sell several diabetes drugs, said on Wednesday the so-called SAVOR trial showed that patients on Onglyza had no fewer adverse cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, than those on pla [...]
Endangered list highlights at-risk landmarks and landscapes
Travel
35 minutes ago
A lighthouse built in 1799, an airport terminal that helped launch the 747 and the world’s first domed, air-conditioned sports stadium. Separated by miles, styles and disparate histories, they have one thing in common.
On Wednesday, they were named three of the nation’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP).
Now in its 26th year, the list spotlights important examples of the nation’s architectural, cultural and natural heritage that are at risk of de [...]
Explosions rock Russian village after fire at ammunition depot
Link to video: Explosions at Russian military base
Exploding shells set off a fire that triggered more blasts at a military depot in southern Russia, injuring about 30 people and causing the evacuation of more than 6,000 from a nearby village, investigators and emergency workers said.
No cause has yet been determined for the fire at the Chapaevsk military depot in the Samara region on Wednesday. The federal authorities said it was set off by the “involuntary” explosion of shells.
Russian munitions, [...]
Taliban peace talks: ‘Peace and reconciliation’ negotiations to take place ...
The US is to open direct talks with Taliban leaders within days, it was revealed on Tuesday, after Washington agreed to drop a series of preconditions that have previously held back negotiations over the future of Afghanistan.
In a major milestone in the 12-year-old war, political representatives of the Taliban will shortly meet Afghan and US officials in Doha, the capital of Qatar, to discuss an agenda for what US officials called “peace and reconciliation” before further talks take place with Afghan government representative [...]
Huawei banks on the rise of the selfie for world’s thinnest smartphone
The world’s thinnest smartphone, with a touch screen so sensitive it responds to gloved hands, has been unveiled by rising Chinese manufacturer Huawei in the latest challenge to the iPhone.
The Ascend P6 is just over 6mm thick, comes in white, black and baby pink, and in language usually associated with skin creams rather than computer technology, its maker claims the camera’s “instant facial beauty support” software reduces wrinkles and blends skin tone.
The phone capitalises on the growing popularity of the self [...]
Barbra Streisand echoes Monroe’s birthday tribute for Shimon Peres
Perhaps it lacked the raw sexuality of Marilyn Monroe’s breathless birthday ode to JFK more than 50 years ago, but Barbra Streisand‘s tribute to the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, on Tuesday evening had a sombre power that enthralled the audience of 2,000.
At Peres’s request, the Jewish-American diva sang Avinu Malkeinu – Our Forefathers – to mark the president’s 90th birthday at a gala celebration in Jerusalem that included video tributes from Barack Obama, Bono and Vladimir Putin.
In the front row at Jerusalem& [...]
Google calls for greater transparency and challenges surveillance gag order
Google has called on the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to relax its gag order on tech companies targeted in US security investigations.
The search giant stepped up its campaign for greater transparency from the US courts Tuesday in the wake of the disclosure of the National Security Agency’s top-secret Prism surveillance program.
The legal filing cites the first amendment’s guarantee of free speech and follows on from a letter to attorney general Eric Holder asking for permission to disclose the number of r [...]
Celebrity Birthdays
Happy Birthday to:
Rapper Macklemore (1983)
Actor Atticus Shaffer (1998)
Actor Paul Dano (1984)
Actress Robin McLeavy (1981)
Actress Lauren Lee Smith (1980)
Actress Zoe Saldana (1978)
Actress Mia Maestro (1978)
Czech supermodel Veronica Varekova (1977)
Actor Ryan Hurst (1976)
English actor Hugh Dancy (1975)
Actress Robin Tunney (1972)
Actor Jean Dujardin (1972)
Actress Poppy Montgomery (1972)
Actress Mia Sara (1967)
Actor Samuel West (1966)
Singer Paula Abdul (1962)
Actress Sadie Frost
Singer/songwriter Meredith Brooks (1958)
Actress Ka [...]
‘Geeky and not for girls’: Technology’s big image problem
We have a small but growing number of female shining stars in leadership roles in innovation and technology. Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook and Marissa Mayer of Yahoo are two great examples. What we can’t lose sight of, though, is that success stories don’t happen overnight and the next generation of future female business leaders needs to be nurtured and supported.
I often speak at girls’ schools about careers in tech, and it quickly becomes apparent that a perception gap exists between engagement and enjoyment of technolo [...]
Huawei Ascend P6: world’s thinnest smartphone
The world’s thinnest smartphone, with a touch screen so sensitive it responds to gloved hands, has been unveiled by rising Chinese manufacturer Huawei in the latest challenge to the iPhone.
The Ascend P6 is just over 6mm thick, comes in white, black and baby pink, and in language usually associated with skin creams rather than computer technology, its maker claims the camera’s “instant facial beauty support” software reduces wrinkles and blends skin tone.
The phone capitalises on the growing popularity of the self [...]
Steve Bell’s If … on the Cameron-Putin G8 face-off
1hr 12min ago
Why Australians deserve a universal minimum income
Godfrey Moase for Overland: I’d like to see every citizen receive a basic income of AUD$30,000 per year. No exceptions, no means testing. This is why
If you want to change the world, you have to get your hands dirty | Nafeez Ahmed
Activist from Kew Bridge ‘Eco Village’ and the Parliament Square ‘Democracy Village’ apprehended by police after a sit-down protest
Two years before the Occupy movement sprang forth in New York and London, a motley group of land rights activists occupied a piece of disused land in west London to create an alternative model of moneyless, sustainable living. Little did they know they were about to embark on an extraordinary journey, at once harrowing and inspiring, that [...]