'Vatican unveils AI services for St. Peter's Basilica ahead of Jubilee'

 The Vatican launched on Monday new Artificial Intelligence-enabled services for St Peter's Basilica, allowing virtual access to its Renaissance-era architectural treasures for all and enhanced tours for visitors.

The new experiences were unveiled in time for the Catholic Church's Holy Year or Jubilee celebrations in 2025, which come around every quarter of a century.

"St. Peter's is like a starry sky on a summer night: you remain enchanted by its splendour," said St Peter's archpriest Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, enthusing that the new tools would act like a telescope or spaceship for better viewing.

Working with tech firm Microsoft MSFT.O and Iconem, a company that specialises in digitalisation of heritage sites, the Vatican launched a new interactive website, a digital replica of the basilica and two AI-enabled exhibitions.

Some 40,000-50,000 people visit the Basilica daily.

A 3D model of St. Peter's was built scanning the basilica using drones, cameras and lasers. AI algorithms pieced together, elaborated and completed the data.

Drones flew at night for 4 weeks, taking over 400,000 photographs and collecting the equivalent of a 6 km-high column of DVDs in data. Data from the digital twin will also be instrumental in preservation and restoration work.

"We are taking St. Peter's not just to the world but to a new generation of people, in a language that is more accessible for the times we live in," Microsoft President Brad Smith told reporters.

Pope Francis has acknowledged that AI can broaden access to knowledge but has repeatedly warned that it must only be used in an ethical way, to benefit humanity.

"The correct and constructive use of (AI's) potential, which is certainly useful but can be ambivalent, depends on us," he said on Monday when the project was presented to him.

https://www.xm.com/au/research/markets/allNews/reuters/vatican-unveils-ai-services-for-st-peters-basilica-ahead-of-jubilee-53965608

Cigna says it is not pursuing combination with Humana

 Cigna Group said on Monday it is not pursuing a combination with rival health insurer Humana, days after Donald Trump's reelection as U.S. president raised investor hopes that any merger would face far less antitrust scrutiny.

Humana shares rose after Tuesday's election as investors bet on an easier antitrust review for any mega-merger during a Trump administration, analysts said.

On Monday, Humana shares fell 4% to $276.44 in early trading, while Cigna was up more than 7% at $343.53.

"Cigna's latest clarification certainly puts the possibility of such a deal to bed," Oppenheimer analyst Michael Wiederhorn said in a research note. Humana's stock will remain under pressure following the news, he added.

The company in its release said it remains focused on acquisitions that are "strategically aligned, financially attractive and have a high probability to close."

Humana did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Bloomberg News reported in October that Cigna had revived efforts to merge with Humana. That came after Reuters reported last year that Cigna had ended its attempt to negotiate an acquisition after the pair failed to agree on a price.

Cigna also said it expects to actively repurchase shares in the fourth quarter and in 2025. The company said it was making the announcement ahead of meetings with investors and analysts over the next several weeks.

Morningstar analyst Julie Utterback called Cigna's announcement unusual and said the move was aimed at removing pressure on its stock.

"With the Republican win last week, there was speculation by investors that the antitrust concerns may decline enough to make the deal possible," Utterback said.

Cigna, which manages employer-sponsored healthcare plans and runs a pharmacy benefit manager, is in the process of selling its Medicare Advantage business, which manages government-backed health insurance for people aged 65 and older.

Last month, Cigna CEO David Cordani described the Medicare Advantage market as highly disrupted and said the company was focused on share buybacks.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cigna-says-not-pursue-combination-123718843.html

China's Huawei Technologies seeks dismissal of US criminal charges

 Huawei Technologies asked a U.S. judge to dismiss much of a federal indictment accusing the Chinese telecommunications company of trying to steal technology secrets from U.S. rivals and misleading banks about its business in Iran.

In a Friday night filing in federal court in Brooklyn, Huawei said there was no proof of a conspiracy, calling the charge part of the Department of Justice's "ill-founded" China Initiative to prosecute people and companies with ties to China.

Huawei said several charges concerned activities outside the United States, while the bank fraud counts rested on a "right to control" theory of fraud that the U.S. Supreme Court rejected last year in an unrelated case.

"The government has approached Huawei as a prosecutorial target in search of a crime," said Huawei, which has pleaded not guilty. A trial is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2026.

Based in Shenzhen, Huawei operates in more than 170 countries and has about 207,000 employees.

A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Breon Peace in Brooklyn declined to comment on Monday. Huawei's lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Begun in 2018, the case led to the detention in Canada of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, whose father founded the company. Charges against her were dismissed in 2022.

The China Initiative began in 2018 during President-elect Donald Trump's first administration, and was intended to address Beijing's alleged theft of intellectual property.

Four years later, the Biden administration ended the program after critics said it amounted to racial profiling and created a climate of fear that chilled scientific research.

The U.S. government has restricted Huawei's access to American technology since 2019, citing national security concerns. Huawei denies it is a threat.

The case is U.S. v. Huawei Technologies Co et al, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 18-cr-00457.

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/chinas-huawei-technologies-seeks-dismissal-163517440.html

MAGA Vs. Neocons As Senate Majority Leader Race Heats Up

 On Wednesday, the Senate is set to vote to elect its next leader, after the Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) - the party's longest-serving Republican leader, is set to step aside.

The three top candidates to replace him are neocon Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and John Thune (R-TX), and Trump ally Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) - who notably has the backing of MAGA and Elon Musk.

Sens. John Cornyn, John Thune and Rick Scott.Tom Williams / Getty Images

On Sunday, Musk posted a poll on X asking followers to vote on who they would like to see lead the Senate. Scott won overwhelmingly.

On Sunday, President-elect Trump urged whoever the next Senate leader is, they "must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner."

"Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more. This is what they did four years ago, and we cannot let it happen again. We need positions filled IMMEDIATELY! Additionally, no Judges should be approved during this period of time because the Democrats are looking to ram through their Judges as the Republicans fight over Leadership. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THANK YOU!"

Thune responded to this, telling Fox News: "I’ve spent eight months carefully listening to my colleagues about their vision for the next chapter of the Senate Republican Conference, especially as we hit the ground running with President Trump," adding "One thing is clear: We must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s cabinet and other nominees in place as soon as possible to start delivering on the mandate we’ve been sent to execute, and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments."

That said, Thune and Cornyn have historically talked mad shit about Trump.

Very swampy... 

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/maga-vs-neocons-senate-majority-leader-race-heats

Germany: Move To Ban AfD May Come Before New Elections

 Via Remix News,

With the German government collapsing, one of the main proponents of an Alternative for Germany (AfD) ban, CDU politician Marco Wanderwitz, is pushing for a speedy procedure right before new elections.

“Our aim is still to submit the motion and vote on it in this legislative period and thus get the proceedings at the Federal Constitutional Court underway,” he told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland.

He said that things now have to “move quickly.”

CDU MP Marco Wanderwitz says the AfD, the second most popular party in the country, must be banned to save democracy. (Source: Wanderwitz.de)

As Remix News has long reported, MP Wanderwitz, who was defeated by an AfD politician in local elections but gained re-entry into the Bundestag due to being on the CDU party list, has been pushing for a ban for a year. In order to submit a motion to ban the AfD, he needs 37 fellow MPs, or 5 percent of the Bundestag MPs, to vote with him.

Wanderwitz is attempting to capitalize on the arrest of three individuals from the Saxon Separatists group who had links to the AfD, with Wanderwitz claiming that the group has connections to right-wing terrorism. The AfD has indicated that it has no ties to the Saxon Separatists and disavows the group.

Notably, many on the left have open connections to left-wing extremist groups, and even the country’s current interior minister, Nancy Faeser, wrote for Antifa Magazine shortly before she won her position, a group known to be funded by a government-designated left-wing extremist group.

Politicians in Germany have been split on the issue. CDU leader Friedrich Merz is allegedly no longer fundamentally opposed to a ban, but claims he wants to observe new developments. The FDP, which was once against the move, is now moving closer to a ban. Notably, both parties stand to gain voters from the rival AfD should a ban move forward.

The Greens, meanwhile, want a gradual process towards a ban, including consulting with legal experts.

Wanderwitz himself sees a short window for a ban to come about, at least while he is leading the charge. He is set to retire from politics, which means by the time the next government is voted in, he will no longer be a part of it.

No matter what happens, a ban on the AfD could take years. Any final ban would have to be approved by the Federal Constitutional Court, and the burden for such a ban is supposed to be very high. Notably, the AfD party routinely polls between 16 and 20 percent of the national vote, and is the second most popular party in the nation. The courts have never banned such a popular party, setting the stage for a potential national crisis should the motion go through.

Another wild card in a potential AfD ban is Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Musk has come out as a quasi-supporter of the party on his X platform. Any move on democratic backsliding in Germany, including a ban on a major opposition party, could result in U.S. sanctions and increased tensions with a Trump-led United States.

Just last week, Musk called Chancellor Olaf Scholz a “fool,” in the latest sign that tensions are heating up between the new American power bloc and the left-liberal EU elite.

Read more here...

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/germany-move-ban-afd-may-come-new-elections

Musk backs Scott as Senate GOP leader

 Tech billionaire Elon Musk, an ally of President-elect Trump, publicly backed Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in the race for Senate GOP leader.

“Rick Scott for Set Majority Leader!” Musk posted Sunday to X, the social media platform he owns.

Scott is running against Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) and Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), who served as Senate GOP whip during Trump’s first two years in the White House.

Scott’s bid to become the upper chamber’s Republican leader has gained momentum in recent days among some of Trump’s closest allies.

Musk in a separate post said Thune is the “top choice of Democrats.”

Others have backed Scott, including Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.). Rubio shared online that he would be voting for his Florida colleague for the leadership position. Hagerty backed Scott in a post on Saturday.

Trump late Sunday said the Senate GOP leader must agree to recess appointments, which would effectively let him fast-track his nominees and appointments without needing Senate approval.

Scott immediately embraced Trump’s idea, saying he would “100% agree” and he will “do whatever it takes” for Trump’s nominations to get through the Senate quickly.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4983653-elon-musk-rick-scott-senate-gop-leader/

AstraZeneca, Amgen Claim Late-Stage Win in Chronic Rhinosinusitis but ‘Regulatory Risk’

 

The companies did not provide detailed data for Tezspire, however, and William Blair’s Matt Phipps said in a note he does not expect the antibody to outperform Dupixent.

AstraZeneca and Amgen on Friday announced that their subcutaneous antibody Tezspire (tezepelumab) met the primary endpoint in the Phase III WAYPOINT study, demonstrating significant efficacy in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

The partners did not reveal specific data in their news release, only announcing that Tezspire resulted in a “statistically significant and clinically meaningful” decrease in the size of nasal polyps. Tezspire treatment also reduced nasal congestion, as compared with placebo, the companies said, while having a safety profile consistent with what had been established in prior studies of the drug, which was approved last year for severe asthma.

In a Friday note, however, William Blair analyst Matt Phipps pointed out that the partners’ press announcement “does not specifically state that the companies will file for approval” of Tezspire in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). “There could be some regulatory risk for Tezspire in CRSwNP, given that WAYPOINT is the only study that has evaluated Tezspire specifically in this indication.”

In contrast, Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent (dupilumab)—one of the heaviest hitters in the anti-inflammatory space—was backed by two pivotal studies when the FDA granted it approval in 2019.

“Ahead of the full data, we do not expect Tezspire to necessarily beat Dupixent on efficacy,” Phipps said, particularly as patients with CRSwNP “almost exclusively have evidence of high type-2 inflammation,” which Dupixent targets. Meanwhile, Tezspire targets and inhibits the TSLP cytokine, which plays an important role in initiating and maintaining allergic, eosinophilic and other types of inflammation. TSLP signaling is commonly associated with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and CRSwNP.

Still, “given that asthma and CRSwNP commonly present together, we believe inclusion of CRSwNP in [Tezspire’s] label, if approved, could lead to increased adoption in patients with overlapping disease,” Phipps added.

AstraZeneca and Amgen will share these data to regulatory authorities and present them at an upcoming medical congress, according to Friday’s news release.

Sharon Barri, executive vice president of BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca, in a statement said that the companies are “excited” about these findings, which “reinforce that tezepelumab’s first-in-class mode of action . . . effectively addresses the multiple drivers of epithelial-driven inflammatory diseases.”

Tezspire’s Phase III win on Friday follows GSK in September 2024 announced that its investigational anti-IL-5 antibody depemokimab reduced serious asthma attacks by more than 50% and lowered exacerbations needing hospitalization or emergency visits by 72%. Depemokimab, designed to be administered twice-yearly, is being assessed for severe asthma and CRSwNP, and GSK stated that it will coordinate its regulatory filings for these two indications.

https://www.biospace.com/drug-development/astrazeneca-amgen-claim-late-stage-win-in-chronic-rhinosinusitis-but-analyst-flags-regulatory-risk