Of more than 5,000 strip searches conducted by NSW police in the past financial year, less than a third found any illicit drugs, new data shows.

Fines for cyclists who do not wear helmets in New South Wales are more expensive than anywhere else in Australia, and should be drastically lowered, according to university researchers.

NSW Police Minister David Elliott says he would want officers to strip-search his children, after new data reveals 122 underage girls had been subjected to the practice since 2016.

MORNING BRIEFING: Temperatures are set to soar to over 30 degrees Celsius in some places as firefighters stare down a difficult 48 hours on the east coast. Plus a Russian national is wanted for a double stabbing in Sydney's south.

Whether you are dealing with a noise complaint or being asked for ID, having a grasp of your basic rights when dealing with the police can help.

NSW Police release the identity of a Russian man who they allege killed property developer Albert Metledge and critically wounded his son Antony in a daylight stabbing attack in inner Sydney.

It won't shock you to hear that livestreaming services are seeing an upswing in viewership due to the COVID-19 pandemic keeping people at home, but now it's clear just what kind of effect the outbreak has had on viewing habits. Streamlabs and Stream Hatchet have determined that watch hours surged 23 percent between February and March, to just over 1.2 billion. Other services saw increased demand as well, but their gains were relatively slight. Microsoft's Mixer saw a 15.9 percent gain, while YouTube's gaming streams saw a 10.7 percent boost. Facebook Gaming saw a modest 3.8 percent increase.

Baby Archie is officially a toddler!

Last year, Google launched an augmented reality feature within Search that lets you put virtual animals in the real world. Now, it’s adding more 3D objects you can view right from your Search results page on mobile, including Neil Armstrong’s spacesu...

Respawn Entertainment began with a mission to build a better shooter. That became the hit "Titanfall." In 2019, the studio expanded with the free-to-play "Apex Legends" and "Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order." The studio run by Vince Zampella is just getting started, with a virtual reality project on tap for 2020. Zampella also is taking over the Los Angeles offices of DICE.

A group of Apple workers filed a class-action lawsuit alleging they were required to submit to searches before leaving the stores but were not compensated for the time those searches required.

Researchers found a security flaw in Zoom's "Waiting Room" feature that could have allowed users to access a video meeting even if they were not approved to join a call. Zoom said Wednesday it had fixed the issue.

A new method for reliably identifying the presence of beer or other malted foodstuffs in archaeological finds is described in a study published May 6, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Andreas G. Heiss from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW), Austria and colleagues.

Inspired by the biomechanics of cheetahs, researchers have developed a new type of soft robot that is capable of moving more quickly on solid surfaces or in the water than previous generations of soft robots. The new soft robotics are also capable of grabbing objects delicately -- or with sufficient strength to lift heavy objects.

MERS, which struck South Korea in a 2015 outbreak, was caused by a coronavirus--the same family of viruses that is responsible for COVID-19. Recently, a Korean research team announced that it had developed a new vaccine platform using RNA-based adjuvants for the MERS coronavirus. The research team successfully conducted an experiment on nonhuman primates. It is expected that the new vaccine platform will soon be applicable to the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, an urgent global health priority.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a United Nations Organization agency commissioned to regulate international telecommunications between different operating administrations and businesses. Pursuant to specific recommendations by this organization, on 1 July, standard Y.3172, an architecture for machine learning in future networks (5G and beyond), was approved for telecommunications networks.

The Monte Conca cave system in Sicily is showing signs of being altered by pollution from above.

Computerized tomography (CT) is one of the most effective medical tests for analysing the effects of many illnesses, including COVID-19. An international team has developed a new method that improves the quality of the images obtained from CT scans. The algorithm, tested on simulated data, enables them to distinguish different body's tissue types better and opens the door to lowering the doses of radiation to which patients are exposed during this type of test.

As interest in the application of plasma medicine -- the use of low-temperature plasma (LTP) created by an electrical discharge to address medical problems -- continues to grow, so does the need for research advancements proving its capabilities and potential impacts on the health care industry. Across the world, many research groups are investigating plasma medicine for applications including cancer treatment and the accelerated healing of chronic wounds, among others.

Arrows fired from longbows could penetrate right through the human skull creating small entry and large exit wounds.

It is hoped the development will accelerate the search for promising new drug targets and treatments.

The glittering life of playwright Oscar Wilde came undone when his attempt to prosecute the Marquess of Queensberry for libel resulted in his own arrest for "gross indecency".

50 years ago, a West Australian farmer declared his wheat and sheep station at Hutt River an independent principality.

50 years ago, a West Australian farmer declared his wheat and sheep station at Hutt River an independent principality.

Investigators will use the money to pinpoint the optimal amount of exercise needed after joint injury to reduce inflammation, speed healing, and minimize osteoarthritis.
Medscape Medical News

A new study has found the oil and gas industry has had a far worse impact on the climate than previously believed.

Logic suggests a coronavirus slump may provide a window of opportunity for first homebuyers to enter the market. But a new report suggests the opposite may be true.

Canada's trade deficit widened to more than $1.4 billion in March, as the COVID-19 pandemic dragged down both imports and exports to their lowest levels in years.

Kathmandu (AFP) April 26, 2020
Two bodies believed to be of South Koreans missing after being hit by a Himalayan avalanche in January have been found, officials said Sunday, a day after discovering the corpse of their Nepali guide. A wall of snow hit a trekking trail at about 3,230 metres (10,600 feet) near the Annapurna base camp in Nepal on January 17, burying four South Koreans and three locals. Avalanches and more

Kathmandu (AFP) May 1, 2020
A search team on Friday recovered the last remaining two bodies missing after a Himalayan avalanche in January buried four South Korean trekkers and three locals. A wall of snow hit the trekkers at about 3,200 metres (10,500 feet) near the Annapurna base camp in Nepal on January 17, covering them under metres of snow. Avalanches and more snowfall since then made it too dangerous to lau

On Wednesday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a rare video of their baby son Archie...

Prince Harry shot the sweet video of Meghan Markle reading a book to their son, Archie, for #SaveWithStories, a coronavirus-relief initiative.

Dalhousie professor says the heat has been altering marine ecosystems, harming fisheries and killing various species — and the phenomenon is likely to continue.

Artificial intelligence technology is being rapidly deployed worldwide to help tackle Covid-19.

You can view all of the articles from this issue individually in full here.

Experts discuss recent cancellation of first-in-class drug

BIO is hosting a Translation Research Forum at the BIO International Convention.  NIH Director Collins keynotes an event that will explore how private, public and academic sectors can leverage meaningful partnerships, highlight emerging best practices, explore risk-sharing at the clinical research stage, and explore ways to bridge the gap in funding and know-how necessary to take […]

The Scottish government has given funds £101,903 to support the project

The genetic mutations that cause epilepsy don’t stop there. Praxis Precision Medicines CEO Marcio Souza says research also links these genes to other neurological conditions. The biotech startup is turning that research into new neuro drugs and it’s coming out of stealth to share details about its science and its pipeline, which already has two […]

CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society, has released a dataset of chemical compounds with known or potential antiviral capabilities.

The group will work to rapidly develop guidance on standardizing COVID-19 research data, with the help of several participating member companies.

Led by Medable, the multi-company effort is geared toward ramping up development of treatments, diagnostics and other solutions for the pandemic-causing virus.

The research collaboration will seek to identify candidate biomarkers for a group of inflammatory conditions, using AI and other advanced technology.

First, let me say thank you to all of the healthcare workers who are putting themselves at risk during this crisis.

As I noted last week, many of the crucial issues for our healthcare system will remain after we all get through this challenging period. In that regard, here’s a look at some noteworthy news from the past month:

• Sanofi discloses new data about insulin prices

• Excellent new academic research on list vs. net drug prices

• Three notable researchers overturn their earlier research on drug costs

• Amazon switches PBM vendors for some of its employees

Plus, we unveil the teaser trailer for Drug Channels Video!

P.S. Join the more than 9,000 followers of my daily links to neat stuff at @DrugChannels on Twitter. My recent tweets have highlighted such topics as:

• How GoodRx shares patients’ prescription data
• 2019 drug trend at Prime Therapeutics
• Controversy about the independent pharmacy market
• A new $5 generic mail order program, Medicare Part D reform
• Retail pharmacy’s future
• Job openings at Amazon 
• Frozen cookie dough
• And much more!

I have also been tweeting many under-the-radar stories about how the coronavirus affects drug channels.
Read more »

The Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO) highlights contributions to health and economy (Leeds, UK) – Facing unprecedented challenges associated with Brexit,...

The Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO) convenes discussion series that seeks to advance an industry with important health and economic impacts...

On Wednesday, October 23, 2019, ACRO hosted a Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill. With the help of the Congressional Research & Development...

Investigation of combination therapies including Bayer’s chloroquine and interferon beta-1b to foster much needed solutions for patients in fight against coronavirus pandemic / Bayer Canada to make CAD 1.5 million (approximately 1 million euros) financial commitment and to supply products in support of the research / Plans to include more than 60 contributing research locations involving 6.000 patients

Researchers in America have been studying famotidine, the active ingredient in Pepcid, as a potential treatment for COVID-19.

The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety have approved a local trial to evaluate nafamostat’s effectiveness in COVID-19 patients.