Gates stake in drug group
Bill Gates, the Microsoft billionaire, has emerged as a 9 per cent shareholder in Corus Pharma, a Seattle drug development firm that is planning a $100 million (£56 million) float. Although the IPO market has been slow, Corus could succeed in going public in the next few months, partly on the reputation of Mr Gates.
Volkswagen denial
Volkswagen, the German carmaker, dismissed reports that it was in talks to hire Wolfgang Bernhard, former chief operating officer of Chrysler Group. There were press reports that Herr Bernhard would become head of the group’s Volkswagen division in January if it could conclude
Aids vaccine appeal
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About 800 scientists at a conference in Switzerland have called for up to $15 billion (£8 billion) to be spent in the next decade to develop Aids vaccines. This comes after the US threatened to withhold its contribution to the Global Fund to Fight Aids unless others paid $1.1 billion salary negotiations successfully.