UK set on resolving standoff with big pharma, science minister says

The UK is determined to resolve its standoff with the pharmaceutical industry and reverse a 10-year decline in NHS spending on medicines, the science minister has told MPs after a string of drugmakers cancelled projects worth nearly £2bn.Patrick Vallance, a former executive at drugmaker GSK, said the country needed to increase spending on medicines and reverse a decade of declining investment.“We are determined to solve this,” Lord Vallance told the Commons science committee. “This is not something [where] we’re sitting saying let’s watch the decline of the industry. That’s what’s happened for the past 10 years

Jaguar Land Rover extends production shutdown after cyber-attack

Jaguar Land Rover has extended its shutdown on car production, as Britain’s biggest carmaker grapples with the aftermath of a cyber-attack.JLR said on Tuesday it would freeze production until at least next Wednesday, 24 September, as it continues its investigations into the hack, which first emerged earlier this month.The manufacturer said: “We have taken this decision as our forensic investigation of the cyber incident continues, and as we consider the different stages of the controlled restart of our global operations, which will take time.“We are very sorry for the continued disruption this incident is causing and we will continue to update as the investigation progresses.”JLR, which is owned by India’s Tata group, stopped production at its sites after discovering hackers had infiltrated its systems a few weeks ago

How memes, gaming and internet culture all relate to the Charlie Kirk shooting

Hello, and welcome to TechScape. Dara Kerr here, filling in for Blake Montgomery, who promises he’ll come back from vacation. Meanwhile, I’m looking at the memes, gaming and internet culture behind the shooting of Charlie Kirk.The bullet that killed conservative activist was inscribed with a message: “Notices bulge OwO whats this?” The online world quickly recognized the reference. It’s a phrase used in internet culture to troll people in online role-play communities, specifically furries (a subculture that cosplays as anthropomorphic animal characters)

How AI is undermining learning and teaching in universities | Letter

In discussing generative artificial intelligence (‘It’s going to be a life skill’: educators discuss the impact of AI on university education, 13 September) you appear to underestimate the challenges that large language model (LLM) tools such as ChatGPT present to higher education. The argument that mastering AI is a life skill that students need in preparation for the labour market is unconvincing. Our experience is that generative AI undermines teaching and learning, bypasses reflection and criticality, and deflects students from reading original material.Student misuse of generative AI is widespread. Claims that AI helps preparation or research is simply cover for students taking shortcuts that do not develop their learning skills

County Championship: Notts build lead despite Fisher’s 10-wicket heroics for Surrey – as it happened

Seventeen wickets fell on a feet-tappingly tense day at the Oval, the game swinging like an out-of-kilter pendulum as the bowlers hunted in packs, with assistance from a pitch with a twinkle in its eye. Nottinghamshire finished the day with a lead of 277 and two wickets left, to leave Surrey the biggest score of the match to chase – but on a pitch that usually irons out.After a calm first hour Surrey collapsed from 101 for one to 173 all out, only for Nottinghamshire’s batters to repeat the feat, quickly 89 for six against the excellent Matt Fisher, who has picked up 10 wickets in the match and may have bowled himself on to the Lions’ winter tour of Australia. Liam Patterson-White and Lyndon James then added crucial late afternoon runs.Surrey announced that 80,000 people had come through the gates at the Oval to watch Championship cricket this year – a record for the 21st century

Berthoumieu’s ban cut to nine games and Feleu also out of Women’s Rugby World Cup

Axelle Berthoumieu’s ban for biting Ireland’s Aoife Wafer has been reduced to nine matches but Manaé Feleu’s citing was upheld by a disciplinary committee meaning both will miss the rest of the Rugby World Cup. France play England in the semi-finals on Saturday.The pair were cited on Sunday after their 18-13 quarter-final win against Ireland. Berthoumieu was cited for biting Wafer and, while the flanker accepted the foul play, she was appealing against the length of the initial 12-match ban a disciplinary committee proposed on Monday. That had already been reduced from the starting point of 18 matches but was taken down to nine because of her clean previous disciplinary record, remorse and public apology