Author: Lucas Bennett

American agricultural biotechnology firm Monsanto has announced it will cut 2,600 jobs over the next two years as falling sales of both genetically modified seeds and its flagship weedkiller Roundup continue to weigh heavily on the company’s finances. The planned redundancies represent a 13 percent reduction in the company’s global workforce of around 20,000 employees, with marketing and sales departments expected to bear the brunt of the cuts. The restructuring is targeted at generating savings of between $275 million and $300 million, with the full programme expected to be completed within 18 to 24 months. The job losses come against…

Microsoft has introduced a new feature to Skype that allows users to search and send short clips from well-known films and television shows directly within their conversations, giving people a new way to respond when words alone fall short. The feature, called Mojis, gives Skype users access to a searchable database of memorable moments drawn from titles including Jurassic Park, Bridesmaids, Pitch Perfect and Despicable Me, with the library built through partnerships with major entertainment providers including Universal Studios, the BBC and The Muppets franchise. Microsoft described the collaboration as an effort to bring the funniest, most recognisable and most…

American health regulators have approved a new heart failure medication that performed so strongly in clinical testing that some medical experts believe it could replace existing treatments currently used for one of the country’s most widespread conditions. The Food and Drug Administration has cleared Entresto, developed by pharmaceutical company Novartis and previously known as LCZ696, for use in patients suffering from heart failure — a condition in which the heart becomes too weak to pump sufficient blood to meet the body’s needs. Around 5.1 million people in the United States are currently affected by the condition. The drug combines two…

Teen Mom 2 cast member Leah Messer is facing a police investigation after reports emerged that she repeatedly failed to provide her disabled daughter with a wheelchair at school, with the situation allegedly reaching a point where the child was unable to evacuate her classroom during a fire drill. The investigation was triggered by a tip from one of the children’s teachers, according to reports. Messer’s daughter Ali, who shares with her twin sister Aleeah, suffers from a rare form of muscular dystrophy that prevents her from moving around independently. Complaints have been raised that her mother has not consistently…

A dual Russian-American citizen who ran an electronics company in Texas has admitted in a New York court to illegally supplying controlled microelectronics to Russian military and intelligence agencies over a period of several years, in a case that prosecutors say directly compromised United States national security. Alexander Fishenko, who operated Houston-based ARC Electronics Inc., pleaded guilty on September 9, 2015 to a series of charges including conspiracy to export controlled technology, money laundering and obstruction of justice. He had originally been charged in October 2012 alongside ten co-conspirators. Prosecutors said Fishenko used his American company as a front to…

New Zealand has established a new marine sanctuary covering one of the Pacific’s most biodiverse stretches of ocean, with the announcement made by Prime Minister John Key at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Kermadec ocean sanctuary is home to almost 35 species of whales and dolphins, around 150 types of fish and three of the world’s seven sea turtle species, making it one of the most ecologically significant marine environments in the southern hemisphere. The New Zealand government said the decision reflects the high value the country places on its oceans and coastlines, which play a…

British fashion house Burberry has warned of a second consecutive year of falling profits, with weakness across Asian markets continuing to weigh heavily on the iconic trenchcoat maker’s financial performance. Chief Executive Officer Christopher Bailey will see his pay reduced as part of a broader cost-cutting response to the downturn, with other staff across the group also facing salary reductions as the company looks to manage the impact of slowing demand. The profit warning points to ongoing difficulties in China, which has been a critical growth market for luxury brands in recent years. A cooldown in consumer spending across the…

Two separate space events are set to give astronomers and skygazers plenty to watch over the coming weeks, with a piece of debris believed to date back to the Apollo programme due to crash into the Indian Ocean and a stadium-sized asteroid set to pass closer to Earth than usual. The more unusual of the two involves an object designated WT1190F, a fragment of space debris measuring between one and two metres that is expected to enter Earth’s atmosphere and come down in the Indian Ocean south of Sri Lanka on the morning of November 13. Only the portions that…

A young boy from Minnesota has gone viral after recording a heartfelt video challenging Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson over his comments that a Muslim should never become president of the United States. Yusuf Dayur, a 12-year-old middle school student from Eden Prairie in the Twin Cities area, posted his response to Facebook after Carson made the remarks on NBC’s Meet the Press, where he stated he would not advocate for a Muslim to lead the country and that he did not believe Islam was consistent with the Constitution. The video has since been viewed more than 117,000 times. In…

A popular free application that allows Windows 10 users to switch off the operating system’s built-in data collection processes has received a significant update, adding new controls over wireless networking features that some users have raised concerns about. O&O ShutUp10, which enables users to disable telemetry and tracking services beyond what is accessible through Windows 10’s standard settings menu, has been updated to version 1.3.1355 with a fresh set of privacy options alongside a number of bug fixes. The most notable addition in the new release is the ability to disable Wi-Fi Sense, a Windows 10 feature that automatically connects…