Firms unite to plug hydrogen as fuel

Over a dozen leading European and Asian firms have teamed up to promote the use of hydrogen as a clean fuel and cut the production of harmful gases that lead to global warming.

Convened on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, the first Hydrogen Council brought together 13 firms, among them top carmakers BMW, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota as well as industrial gas firms Air Liquide and Linde.

Others at the gathering late on Tuesday included energy firms Alstom, Engie, Shell and Total as well as mining company Anglo American.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Drugmakers to aid poor nations

Two decades after they were spurred into action to tackle Aids in Africa, global drugmakers said yesterday they would invest US$50 million (S$71.2 million) over three years to fight cancer and other non-communicable diseases in poor countries.

Twenty-two companies - including Pfizer, Merck , Novartis, Roche, Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline - will provide funds and expertise to the project, which is backed by the World Bank.

The so-called Access Accelerated initiative was announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos and aims to improve both treatment and prevention.

REUTERS

'New collar' work in the future

Fears that artificial intelligence will steal jobs are largely unfounded, said IBM chief executive Ginni Rometty, as the technology will instead work cohesively with most professions.

"It is a partnership between man and machine, if you want to put it that way," Mrs Rometty said in an interview on CNBC at the World Economic Forum, as reported on its website.

Artificial intelligence will replace some jobs, but most humans will be working with AI systems, she said. IBM itself has expanded its cognitive computer, Watson, over the past few years. In the future, there won't be blue-collar or white-collar jobs. She coined it "new collar", she told CNBC.