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  • Winter storm rips through Gaza, exposing failure to deliver enough aid to territory

    Winter storm rips through Gaza, exposing failure to deliver enough aid to territory

    DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Rains drenched Gaza’s tent camps and dropping temperatures chilled Palestinians huddling inside them Thursday as storm Byron descended on the war-battered territory, showing how two months of a ceasefire have failed…

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  • Mastercard and the McLaren Formula 1 Team launch Team Priceless fan initiative for 2026 season

    Mastercard and the McLaren Formula 1 Team launch Team Priceless fan initiative for 2026 season

    Fans across North America can enter for the opportunity to join the Team Priceless squad for Miami beginning December 12, 2025, through December 23, 2025 by following the submission details on priceless.com/TeamMiami. Further details on how to be…

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  • US is the best place for drugs companies to invest, says boss of London-based GSK | GSK

    US is the best place for drugs companies to invest, says boss of London-based GSK | GSK

    The chief executive of GSK yesterday declared the US to be the best place for pharmaceutical companies to invest.

    Emma Walmsley said the US led the world in launches of drugs and vaccines and, alongside China, was the best market for business development.

    She is the latest boss of a leading UK drugmaker to talk up business opportunities on the other side of the Atlantic, after AstraZeneca’s Pascal Soriot hailed the “vital importance of the US”.

    The UK government, which has been trying to strengthen the phramaceutical sector, confirmed on Wednesday that the proportion of revenues from new medicine sales that companies need to pay back to the NHS would fall next year – from 22.5% to no more than 15%.

    Reducing the record clawback rate was a central demand of the sector but negotiations broke down in late August. Several large companies, including AstraZeneca and US company MSD/Merck, then cancelled or paused major UK investments.

    The government has also been pressed into spending 25% more on new NHS medicines as part of a zero tariff deal with the US administration.

    Donald Trump, the US president, has criticised other rich countries for paying too little for drugs, leaving the US to shoulder much of the cost of medicines. US prices have historically been much higher, partly because of a complex system of intermediaries.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which assesses drugs for use on the NHS, will for the first time raise the price threshold at which new medicines are considered to be cost-effective.

    However, in a consultation document published on Tuesday, the Department of Health went further and said it wanted to give ministers a limited power to set the cost-effectiveness threshold for new drugs.

    Spending on medicines could increase by about £1bn over the next three years, according to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). This has raised concerns of there being less money to pay for health staff and equipment.

    The government says the revenue clawback rate for new medicines will drop to 14.5% next year but payment rates for older, branded medicines will remain unchanged at between 10% and 35%.

    “It’s good that the amount of revenue companies will need to pay to the UK government has come down in 2026,” said Richard Torbett, the chief executive of the ABPI.

    He also said the proposed 15% cap should give companies more certainty but it was just a first step in making Britain more competitive: “Payment rates remain much higher than in similar countries, and there is work to do to accelerate the NHS’s adoption and use of cost-effective medicines to improve patient care.”

    In her interview with the BBC, Walmsley said GSK would not “shy away” from its interests in the US, where it makes half of its revenues. GSK recently outlined plans to invest $30bn (£23bn) in the US by 2030.

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  • empowering farmers amid 2025’s tough conditions

    RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, December 11, 2025 – Farmers faced unprecedented challenges in 2025, including weed control, disease pressure and commodity prices, among others. BASF is committed to helping farmers doing the biggest job on Earth through science and innovation, enabling farmers to make the most of every acre in challenging environments.

    “In 2025 we saw weather, weeds and dynamic markets impact farmers and their operations,” said Scott Kay, Vice President, BASF Agricultural Solutions U.S. “This year, BASF introduced several programs and products to support farmers. From InVigor® Gold, a breakthrough innovation in canola seed, to the launch of the Real Results Yield Challenge, showing farmers firsthand the benefits of performance-driven fungicides in their backyard, BASF delivered on its commitment to helping farmers tackle the challenges they face in their fields.”

    BASF innovations and initiatives in 2025 by the numbers:

    • Introduced InVigor Gold, a breakthrough innovation in canola seed. In June, amidst the picturesque setting of Great Falls, Montana, more than 100 enthusiastic growers, retailers and other stakeholders gathered to witness this cutting-edge advancement poised to transform agriculture. Designed to unlock the full genetic potential of canola quality Brassica juncea in new areas of Canada and the United States, InVigor Gold is expected to feature hybrids with LibertyLink® herbicide tolerance, inherent pod shatter resistance, and strong blackleg disease resistance. Key takeaway: InVigor Gold features outstanding heat tolerance, enabling farmers to utilize land that may have been fallow or idle, thus providing a new income source for farmers and the agriculture channel.
    • Launched the Real Results Yield Challenge, showing nearly 10% of farmers who use fungicides regularly side-by-side comparisons of Veltyma® fungicide, Revytek® fungicide and/pr Revylok® fungicide versus untreated or competitive acres – right on their own field. Key takeaway: Even under this season’s heavy disease pressure, growers in the Real Results Yield Challenge saw consistency, increased yield and ROI.
    • BASF offered 0% APR financing on all participating BASF crop protection, seed treatment and seed brands again, continuing its commitment to affordable solutions for farmers. Key takeaway: By expanding its Grower Finance Program, BASF is allowing growers more flexibility and opportunity when planning for 2026.
    • Launch of Zorina fungicide, designed to tackle today’s toughest disease challenges. Zorina fungicide combines the proven white mold performance of Endura® fungicide with the long-lasting, broad-spectrum control of Revysol® fungicide. Key takeaway: Farmers get reliable disease protection across soybeans, canola and dry beans, helping maximize yield potential with a single, powerful solution.
    • Liberty® ULTRA herbicide was applied across 60 million acres of canola, corn, cotton and soybeans in its launch year. Farmers and retailers gained first-hand experience with Liberty’s 20% better weed control over generic glufosinate thanks to the Liberty Lock Formulation. Key takeaway: Beginning in 2026, Liberty ULTRA will feature an increase in its use rate structure, increasing application flexibility.
    • Surtain® herbicide delivered one of the largest corn PRE herbicide launches in the last 25 years (according to market data). In its first year in-field, Surtain herbicide was distributed on nearly two million acres to help farmers control Palmer amaranth, waterhemp and grass species. Key takeaway: Performance was excellent, even across weather variabilities for pre-emergence control of tough-to-control weed species.
    • Introduced six new FiberMax® and Stoneville® cotton seed varieties, expanding the FiberMax and Stoneville cotton seed portfolio to a total of 13 varieties. Key takeaway: All new varieties for 2025 include Axant™ Flex herbicide tolerance technology and three-gene insect control with TwinLink® Plus trait.
    • Opened the FiberMax® One Ton Club™ Sweepstakes for the 21st year, providing farmers who yield a ton or more of FiberMax cotton during the 2025 season a chance to join the exclusive One Ton Club and a chance to win impressive prizes, like a two-year lease on a Ford® Super Duty® F-350 Lariat® truck.
    • BASF hosted the Biofuels Summit in February, welcoming over 60 representatives from the renewable fuels, sustainability and agriculture industries to the BASF Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Attendees discussed the need for coupling climate-smart agriculture with value chains, such as biofuels, sustainable aviation fuels and chemicals, and how this growing market will shape the outlook for the agriculture industry.
    • BASF welcomed 74 cotton farmers and their families across five meetings in December, January and February to share the results from over 200 Agronomic Performance Trials (APT). The farmers in attendance participated in the trials and helped plant, grow and harvest BASF test plots for cotton seed. These trials help BASF determine which varieties of FiberMax® and Stoneville® cotton seed to advance for the following year.

    BASF engages regularly with retailers and farmers and dedicates 11 cents of every dollar earned to research and development, underscoring its commitment to continuous innovation in agricultural solutions. This investment supports a robust pipeline of integrated solutions, including next-generation seed traits, biologicals and advanced crop protection products, aimed at enhancing flexibility and performance for farmers. To learn more about BASF innovation, visit agriculture.basf.us.

    Always read and follow label directions. Axant, Revylok, One Ton Club and Zorina are trademarks of BASF. Endura, FiberMax, InVigor, Liberty, LibertyLink, Revysol, Revytek, Stoneville, Surtain, TwinLink and Veltyma are registered trademarks of BASF. Ford, Super Duty and Lariat are registered trademarks of Ford Motor Company. One Ton Club is not sponsored by Ford Motor Company. © 2025 BASF Agricultural Solutions US LLC. All Rights Reserved. 

    About the BASF Agricultural Solutions division

    Everything we do, we do for the love of farming. Farming is fundamental to provide enough healthy and affordable food for a rapidly growing population, while reducing environmental impacts. That’s why we are working with partners and experts to integrate sustainability criteria into all business decisions. With €919 million in 2024, we invest in a strong R&D pipeline, combining innovative thinking with practical action in the field. Our solutions are purpose-designed for different crop systems. Connecting seeds and traits, crop protection products, digital tools and sustainability approaches, to help deliver the best possible outcomes for farmers, growers and our other stakeholders along the value chain. With teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we do everything in our power to build a sustainable future for agriculture. In 2024, our division generated sales of €9.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or our social media channels.

    About BASF

    BASF Agricultural Solutions US LLC, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has approximately 16,000 employees in North America and had sales of $19.7 billion in 2024. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.com/us.

    At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €65.3 billion in 2024. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.

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  • Feel like you gained 5 kilos right before your period? Nutritionist shares 5 nutrition hacks to manage PMS symptoms

    Feel like you gained 5 kilos right before your period? Nutritionist shares 5 nutrition hacks to manage PMS symptoms

    Feeling bloated, heavy, or as if you’ve suddenly gained five kilos right before your period is a familiar experience for many – only for everything to return to normal once menstruation begins. That “mystery weight” isn’t fat at all,…

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  • Paraiba Tiffany Necklace Soars to Record-Setting $4M at Christie’s

    Paraiba Tiffany Necklace Soars to Record-Setting $4M at Christie’s

    A Tiffany & Co. necklace set a world auction record for a Paraiba tourmaline when it sold for $4.2 million — more than seven times its high estimate — at Christie’s New York.

    Sporting a triangular modified brilliant-cut,…

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  • Platelet-inspired nanoparticles could improve treatment of inflammatory diseases

    Platelet-inspired nanoparticles could improve treatment of inflammatory diseases

    Scientists have developed platelet-inspired nanoparticles that deliver anti-inflammatory drugs directly to brain-computer interface implants, doubling their effectiveness.


    Scientists have found a way to improve the performance of…

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  • Bulgarian prime minister steps down after mass protests – DW – 12/11/2025

    Bulgarian prime minister steps down after mass protests – DW – 12/11/2025

    Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced his resignation on Thursday, following weeks of mass protests over his handling of the economy and government corruption.

    “Our coalition met, we discussed the current situation, the challenges…

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  • Bulgarian government resigns after mass anti-corruption protests | Bulgaria

    Bulgarian government resigns after mass anti-corruption protests | Bulgaria

    Bulgaria’s prime minister has handed in his government’s resignation after less than a year in office after weeks of mass street protests over its economic policies and perceived failure to tackle corruption.

    Rosen Zhelyazkov announced his…

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  • Intel Core Ultra X9 388H Panther Lake CPU Gains Ground on AMD in Leaked Results – extremetech.com

    1. Intel Core Ultra X9 388H Panther Lake CPU Gains Ground on AMD in Leaked Results  extremetech.com
    2. First Intel Panther Lake gaming handheld shown boosting beyond 35 W in fresh leak  Notebookcheck
    3. Intel’s top Panther Lake processor gets leaked in…

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