IVF ‘may be boosted by time-lapse embryo imaging’
Time-lapse imaging which takes thousands of pictures of developing embryos can boost the success rate of IVF, according to British research. The method, reported in Reproductive BioMedicine Online, can be used to select embryos at low risk of defects. Scientists at the CARE fertility group say such informed selection can improve birth rates by 56%. [...]
Treasury claims banks ‘safer in UK’
The latest UK government paper on the impact of Scottish independence will claim the UK is better placed to manage the risk of a financial crisis. The Treasury will publish its analysis of financial services on Monday. It will say an independent Scotland would have an exceptionally large banking sector compared to the size of [...]
Conservatives are united, says Jeremy Hunt
The Conservative Party is united and David Cameron is showing leadership on Britain’s relationship with Europe, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said. He told the BBC Tories were at one on the key issue – the need for change to ensure the UK remained competitive. Tory grandee Lord Howe has accused the PM of “running [...]
US stocks surge on strong job creation in April
US employment rose more than expected in April. The latest US non-farm payrolls show that 165,000 jobs were created last month. Economists had been predicting a figure closer to 145,000. The unemployment rate is now at its lowest level in four years, at 7.5%. The strong increase in the jobs figures provided a boost to [...]
Luxembourg ‘open’ to bank transparency, Luc Frieden
Luxembourg would consider greater transparency of its banking sector to help curb tax evasion, the finance minister has told a German newspaper. In an interview published on Sunday, Luc Frieden said he wanted to “strengthen co-operation with foreign tax authorities”. Luxembourg is known for its highly secretive banking sector. Germany is among the countries who [...]
Libraries to store all UK web content
Millions of tweets, Facebook status updates and even a blog about a bus shelter in Shetland are to be preserved for the nation. The British Library and four other “legal deposit libraries’” have the right to collect and store everything that is published online in the UK. It is estimated around a billion pages a [...]
Conn. gun law seen as model for Congress, states
HARTFORD, Conn. — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed into law sweeping new restrictions on weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines Thursday in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, a bipartisan deal that gun control proponents hope will spark action in Washington and state legislatures across the country. Just four months ago, the governor [...]
Exxon Mobil oil spill subject to Arkansas investigation
The US state of Arkansas has launched an investigation into the rupture of an Exxon Mobil oil pipeline that spilled thousands of barrels of crude. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel asked the company to keep all documents pertaining to Friday’s spill. The rupture in Mayflower prompted the evacuation of 22 homes, with police enforcing a blockade [...]
Ignoring smoking in mental health patients
People with mental health disorders, such as depression, are twice as likely to smoke and tend to be more addicted. Yet the NHS is turning a blind eye and not doing enough to help them to stop, the Royal College of Physicians said. The Department of Health said it was committed to tackling the issue [...]
Obama names first woman head of US Secret Service
US President Barack Obama has picked the first woman director of the Secret Service. Julia Pierson, formerly Secret Service chief of staff, will succeed Mark Sullivan, who announced last month that he would retire. The agency was caught up in a prostitution scandal last year during a presidential visit to Colombia. The Secret Service investigates [...]