Author: Andrew Rogers

Leading Alpine racers including Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin and Federica Brignone have voiced alarm over rapidly shrinking glaciers.They say the changes are visible from Olympic host Cortina d’Ampezzo, where ice once seen from town has largely disappeared. Italy has lost more than 200 square kilometres of glacier area since the late 1950s.Scientists report the decline has accelerated in the past two decades.Many smaller glaciers in the Dolomites have already been reduced to residual ice. Skiers rely on glaciers for reliable early-season training.Vonn said most of the glaciers she used as a child are now gone.Shiffrin called the transformation a “front-row…

Senior UK bank executives will meet this week to begin work on a national payments system to rival Visa and Mastercard.The talks, chaired by Vim Maru of Barclays, aim to reduce reliance on US-owned networks. About 95% of UK card transactions currently run through the two companies.Industry figures warn that losing access would cause severe economic disruption.Concerns have grown alongside geopolitical tensions and the decline of cash use. The project, known as DeliveryCo, will be funded by City institutions with government support.Participants include Santander UK, NatWest, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide Building Society and Link.The Bank of England will design the…

Volkswagen aims to cut costs by 20% by 2028 as it restructures to face rising competition from China.Plant closures remain a possible option under the plan presented by chief executive Oliver Blume and finance chief Arno Antlitz. High production costs, weaker sales and the growth of Chinese brands in Europe are driving the overhaul.Automation is also forcing change across Germany’s car industry. The group had already announced 35,000 job cuts by 2030 to save €10bn.It says earlier measures have produced savings in the double-digit billions and helped absorb geopolitical pressures such as US tariffs. New data showing a wider EU…

Daily obesity tablets are reshaping the race dominated by GLP-1 injections.The new oral version of Wegovy from Novo Nordisk has seen rapid uptake in the US.Patients and doctors say pills are easier to use, cheaper and more convenient than weekly shots. Many users are switching because of insurance costs or needle aversion.They report steady appetite control and continued weight loss.Analysts believe tablets will draw in people who avoided injections.The global obesity-drug market could reach $200bn within the decade. Rival Eli Lilly is preparing its own pill, orforglipron.It does not require fasting and may be simpler to take.More oral and combination…

Max Verstappen strongly criticised Formula One’s new regulations after testing in Bahrain.He said the heavy focus on energy management makes the cars “not fun to drive”.He called the changes “anti-racing” and compared them to “Formula E on steroids”.He again suggested he could leave the sport if the enjoyment disappears. Lewis Hamilton voiced similar concerns.He said the systems are so complex that fans will struggle to understand them.He argued drivers now need extensive technical knowledge to operate the cars. The 2026 rules introduce new engines, chassis, tyres and fully sustainable fuel.Power now comes almost equally from combustion and electric sources.Drivers must…

US inflation dropped to 2.4% in January after last year’s tariff-driven price swings.The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a 0.2% monthly increase in consumer prices.Core inflation, excluding food and energy, rose 0.3% during the month. Economists had expected a slight decline to about 2.5%.Prices fluctuated sharply last year, falling to 2.3% in April.They later climbed to 3% in September before easing again. The White House credited Trump’s economic agenda for stabilizing prices.Officials argued tariffs did not create lasting inflation spikes.They also predicted future interest rate cuts would boost growth. The Federal Reserve kept rates steady in January.Chair Jerome Powell said…

A senior adviser to the European Court of Justice has said billions of euros were wrongly released to Hungary. Advocate general Tamara Ćapeta argued that the European Commission should not have unfrozen about €10bn because required judicial reforms were not fully implemented. The commission had suspended the funds in 2022 over concerns about corruption and rule-of-law backsliding under prime minister Viktor Orbán. In 2023, it decided Hungary had met reform conditions and lifted the suspension, making the country eligible for payments. The European Parliament challenged that decision, claiming serious errors and suggesting political motives linked to EU support for Ukraine.…

Aerobic exercise such as running, swimming or dancing can serve as a frontline treatment for mild depression and anxiety, researchers say. A major analysis of 63 reviews covering nearly 80,000 people found that physical activity significantly reduced symptoms, especially in young adults and new mothers. The findings, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, show that heart-rate-raising aerobic exercise had the strongest impact on depression. Resistance training and yoga also helped, though to a lesser extent. Group or supervised sessions delivered additional benefits, suggesting that social interaction plays a key role. Lead researcher Neil Munro of James Cook University…

Doctors say a return to Nepal’s traditional lentil-and-rice diet could help curb a growing type 2 diabetes epidemic. In Nepal, around one in five people over 40 has the condition, while diabetes medication remains largely unaffordable. Experts link the rise to western-style processed foods and reduced physical activity. Small studies in Kathmandu and nearby communities show promising results. Nearly half of participants achieved diabetes remission after following a calorie-controlled traditional diet for several months. The programme focuses on simple meals such as dal bhat, strict portion control, and community support, rather than drugs or hospital care. Ashish Tamang said diabetes…

People who drink a small number of teas or coffees each day appear to have a lower risk of dementia, researchers say. A large US study found that those who drank two to three cups of caffeinated coffee or one to two cups of caffeinated tea daily had a 15–20% lower dementia risk over four decades than non-drinkers. The findings, published in Journal of the American Medical Association, also showed slightly better cognitive performance among caffeinated coffee drinkers compared with those choosing decaf. The analysis followed more than 130,000 participants from two long-running health studies and tracked diet, cognition, and…