Algorithm performed task beyond capability of classical computers, although experts say real-world application still years away Google has claimed a breakthrough in quantum computing after developing an algorithm that performed a task beyond the capabilities of conventional computers. The algorithm, a set of instructions guiding the operation of a quantum computer, was able to compute the structure of a molecule – which paves the way for major discoveries in areas such as medicine and materials science. Continue reading...

Transport secretary says updated airports national policy statement (ANPS) will be published by next summer * UK politics live – latest updates Heathrow’s third runway plans will be fast-tracked so Britain can “experience the benefits sooner”, ministers said as they launched a key part of the government process required for the airport’s expansion. The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said work had now started on a new airports national policy statement (ANPS), allowing a final decision by the end of this parliament to “realise the government’s ambition” of a runway by 2035. Continue reading...

Skygazers in the UK have the best chance this week to see a comet which will not make another close approach to Earth for another 1,300 years, astronomers have said.

Government’s plans in disarray before Trump talks as MSD, Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca moves prompt job fears Big pharmaceutical companies have ditched or paused nearly £2bn in planned UK investments so far this year, causing “suffering” to patients, as ministers gear up for discussions with Donald Trump amid a row over drug pricing. The government’s plan for the life science sector, a key pillar of the economy, has been thrown into disarray, after US drugmaker MSD’s shock announcement last Wednesday that it would scrap its £1bn London research centre. Two days later, AstraZeneca decided to halt a planned £200m expansion of its research facilities in Cambridge. Continue reading...

ALT: a man stands in front of a microphone with the words it 's about to go down behind him

Models for reconnaissance, rescue, interception and attack are changing the way both sides operate

A man in his 50s has died after a fatal shark attack in Australia, authorities have said.

NASA is accelerating plans to put a nuclear reactor on the moon, and they claim it could happen by 2030.

The UK's second city has said farewell to one of its own - as tens of thousands of fans gathered in Birmingham to pay their respects to Ozzy Osbourne.

Fans have spoken of how Ozzy Osbourne was "a local lad who done good" as they remembered the singer in his hometown of Birmingham.

Having escaped a life of drudgery in Birmingham, Ozzy became the rare rock frontman you could relate to – and then, against the odds, a national treasure

We speak to Professor Becky Malby, who's chair of the Ilkley Clean River Group and founder of the Sewage Campaign Network.

Child reportedly died at Alder Hey hospital amid surge of measles cases in city Health officials have urged people to come forward for the measles vaccine if they are not up-to-date with their shots after a child at Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool died from the disease. The city has experienced a surge in cases among young people, with the hospital warning parents last week that the spike in infections was due to falling rates of uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Continue reading...