Scientists have presented results of an experimental new drug which in early stage trials has significantly shrunk skin cancer tumours.

US rearchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in New York said their results were “unprecedented”.

While not a cure, the study of 31 patients with late-stage skin cancer suggested the therapy could improve the quality of life and extend lifespan.

Larger scale trials will now be needed to test the drug, PLX4032, further.

In the study, which has been unveiled at a major cancer conference in Berlin, researchers treated patients where cancer had spread throughout their system.

They were given a new drug that blocks the activity of a gene thought to be involved in the spread of skin cancer, the so-called BRAF gene.

Within two weeks they noticed what they described as a “rapid and dramatic” shrinking of the tumours in the cancer patients:

Lead researcher Dr Paul Chapman said: “We’ve seen responses in patients who didn’t respond to chemotherapy before. So far 70 per cent of patients have responded. So that is unprecedented for us.”

New treatments can often seem promising to begin with - but have disappointing results in later larger trials.

However, the doctors involved in the trial - and those at the European Cancer Organisation who have organised the conference - have never seen a cancer drug act so quickly on such a high proportion of patients.

SKIN CANCERS: THE FACTS

The drug, PLX4032, is the latest in a new generation of cancer drugs that block the action of cancer causing genes.

The most successful of these so far has been Gleevec, which is used to treat myloid Leukaemia and gastric cancer.

Professor Alexander Eggermont, president of the European Cancer Organisation, said: “The new drug is the equivalent of Gleevec in terms of the effect its having in advanced melanoma.”

‘It’s fantastic’

One of those to receive the treatment was Mikhail Lvovsky, a dentist from New York.

A year ago he stopped work because he was so ill. He asked his doctor to take him off his previous medication because he could not bear the side effects. Now six months after taking the new drug he is back at work.

He said: “The first thing I did six months ago was to call the funeral director and pay for my funeral. Now I’m thinking of going back to work. It’s beyond exciting. It’s fantastic.”

Dr Lvovsky’s cancer is so serious it is unlikely for the new treatment to hold it back for very much longer longer.

But if the drug is shown to be effective in larger trials it has the potential to help people whose cancer is less advanced to live healthier and longer lives.

Alexander Eggermont, president of the European Cancer Organisation, described the trial as “simply spectacular”.

He said it showed the benefits of targeting treatment.

The news would transform melanoma work into “a very exciting field instead of a graveyard”, he said.

Dr Toby Chave, a consultant dermatologist at Derriford hospital in Plymouth, said: “Up to this point advanced melanoma has been extremely difficult to treat and does not respond well to any existing chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

“Prognosis is very poor. The new study shows that there is some response to the treatment which is very encouraging. Even giving patients the hope of a few extra months of life is significant for them.”

However Dr Chave stressed that the new treatment was not a cure.

He added: “Any hope of long-term cure for advanced melanoma is still a long way off.”

German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck has accused the UK of blocking tougher financial rules ahead of the G20 summit.

“There clearly is a lobby in London that wants to defend its competitive advantage tooth and claw,” Mr Steinbrueck told Stern magazine.

Germany and France have led calls for more restrictions on banks, which have been resisted by the US and UK.

But the UK Treasury told the BBC the UK was not blocking more regulation.

The leaders of the richest 20 nations will discuss reforming the global economy when they meet in Pittsburgh later this week.

London opposition

The UK has “particular difficulties” regulating hedge funds “to put it politely”, Mr Steinbrueck told the weekly German news magazine.

He said the financial sector accounted for 15% of the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) in contrast to just 6% in Germany.

However, a spokesman for the UK Treasury told the BBC the finance sector accounted for 8% of UK GDP, not 15%.

Despite the debates leading up to the summit, Mr Steinbrueck was confident that there would be progress at the G20 meeting.

“Politics at times is like a train engine, it’s slow to get up to speed, but it can pull more and more people along,” he said.

“We will deeply change the rules of the game for financial markets.”

He said he did not want to have to go through the experiences of the past year again.

“Back then, the stick of dynamite nearly blew up in our faces,” Mr Steinbrueck said.

UK proposals

There has been much debate about how to reform the financial services sector of the global economy after the banking crisis a year ago.

The UK Treasury said the UK was at the forefront of efforts to change the global banking sector.

“The UK government has led the international efforts to end the risky pay and bonus culture in the global banking industry,” a Treasury spokesman told the BBC.

“Our proposals for clawback and deferral of bonuses in addition to much greater transparency have become the international blueprint for reform.”

The UK and US have been resistant to calls for restrictions and to mandatory caps on banker bonuses, as proposed by France.

Instead, they have proposed deferring bonuses for several years and allowing banks to take bonus payments back in the event a bank later runs into trouble - both policies designed to reduce the incentive for risky lending.

“We will continue to work with other nations - including our G20 partners in Pittsburgh this week - to make sure pay policies are structured in the long-term interests of financial stability,” the spokesman added.

‘Obscure’

This week’s G20 summit in the US will also call for major reforms to promote a more balanced global economy.

This would see countries in Europe and the US save more, and countries that are fast growing such as India and China spend more to boost global growth.

A draft document seen by the BBC says huge imbalances in the global economy must be ironed out.

But Brazil, one of the leading emerging economies, was unenthusiastic about the draft statement.

“The way it is, this proposal is obscure and we do not agree with it,” Brazil’s Finance Minister Guido Mantega said.

He said the G20 should focus on monitoring the financial system, performing stress tests to determine whether banks need more capital.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also said the G20 needed to deliver a strong message against protectionism in trade and international financial flows.

Mr Steinbrueck said he was in favour of a levy - known as a Tobin Tax - to be applied to every financial transaction to discourage risky lending and pay for

“It can’t be the case that citizens have to shoulder the cost, even though they did not cause the crisis. That’s why we have to ensure the financial sector makes a contribution.”

“Every euro that we can collect on financial markets will provide relief for tax payers,” Mr Steinbrueck added.

A radical reshaping of Europe’s patchy system of financial supervision moved a step closer on Wednesday when the European Commission unveiled legislation which officials hope will guard against a repeat of last year’s financial crisis.

EU commissioners Joaquin Almunia and Charlie McCreevy announced the proposals in Brussels.

“We have had a crisis — and we have to learn from this crisis….The proposal is a first,” said Joaquin Almunia, economic and monetary affairs commissioner.

On the one hand, the commission is advocating the creation of a new European Systemic Risk Board, to assess and warn about threats to financial stability in the region.

This will be a new body made up of central bank governors for all the member states in the 27-country bloc, and chaired by the president of the European Central Bank, which will also provide working support.

Its role will be to monitor threats to financial stability.

Separately, there will be a new “European System of Financial Supervisors,” which will oversee individual banks and financial firms. Here, day-to-day supervision of firms would remain with national supervisors. However, the commission proposes to upgrade three existing pan-EU coordinating committees into new European Supervisory Authorities for the banking, insurance and securities sectors respectively.

Their role will be to develop harmonized rules and common approaches to supervision. But they will also be required to ensure “consistent application” of the rules, and be able to coordinate and make some decisions in emergency situations.

The boards of the authorities — made up of member state representatives — will use a system of vote by qualified majority voting, which is weighted by size of country, on key issues involving technical standards but adopt one-member-one-vote for enforcement and implementation matters

The new organizations may also be given responsibility for supervising “certain entities with pan-European reach”, such as credit rating agencies.

The commission proposals draw heavily on the two-tier approach suggested by former French central banker Jacques de Larosière in February after he was called to advise on changes in the wake of the recent financial and economic turmoil.

Resistance to giving EU bodies any binding powers on supervision has been evident in some countries, as has resistance to allowing them to make decisions which could require states to put up money — not least in the City of London.

The principle that the new supervisory authorities should not intrude on states’ fiscal responsibilities was agreed by EU finance ministers and is enshrined in the draft legislation. Nevertheless, there are predictions of tough negotiations over the precise wording.

If a member state disagrees with a decision by one of the new supervisory authorities, there will be an appeal mechanism. Ultimately, this will be to EU finance ministers, who will make the final decision by qualified majority voting.

The legislation will need approval by both member states and the European Parliament before coming into force.

Commission officials have said they hope to have the changes in place next year.

US President Barack Obama is due to deliver his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

He is expected to say the US is acting to tackle global challenges, but will stress that other nations also need to do their part.

Mr Obama will also stress the change in attitude of the US to the UN compared with that of the Bush administration.

The assembly will also hear from Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi for the first time, and the Iranian president.

Relatives of victims of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing protested outside the UN headquarters as Col Gaddafi was due to arrive. The Libyan convicted of the bombing was released from a Scottish prison last month.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has previously said he does not believe the Holocaust happened, is due to speak later in the day.

Israel has called for a boycott of his appearance and the Germans have said they will walk out if he repeats the claim.

Mr Obama will address leaders from more than 120 countries, a day after he spoke at the UN’s climate change summit.

The president acknowledged that the US had been slow to act, but promised a “new era” of promoting clean energy and reducing carbon pollution.

His maiden general assembly speech will address nuclear non-proliferation, “peace and security, climate change, and global growth and development, and underscore America’s fundamental commitment to universal values - and challenge others in the United Nations to do the same”, an unnamed senior US official said.

Some countries may not take kindly to his words urging greater responsibility if it sounds too much like a lecture, particularly those who feel his commitments to tackle global warning were disappointing, says the BBC’s Mark Mardell in New York.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon opened Wednesday’s proceedings by telling the assembled leaders: “Now is the time to put the ‘united’ back into the United Nations”.

He outlined problems facing the world - including “catastrophic climate change”, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the global economic crisis - and said the world was looking to the UN for answers.

“We must act for all nations and all people. So much is possible if we work together. We are the UN, the best hope for humankind, and now is our time,” Mr Ban said.

The order of the speeches is based on protocol, with some flexibility.

A UN spokeswoman described it as a “challenging and meticulous” task to decide the order.

There is an agreed order of hierarchy - with heads of state coming before heads of government and crown princes.

But exceptions are made - this time UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown will speak before China’s head of state, President Hu Jintao.

Enough Afghan opium to supply world demand for two years has effectively gone missing, with the Taliban suspected of stockpiling supplies in a bid to corner the market, the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has revealed.

Pakistani customs officials destroy contraband narcotics on the border with Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is the world’s leading narcotics supplier. Earlier this month, a U.N. study revealed Afghanistan’s opium production had dropped dramatically this year partly because of new aggressive drug-fighting tactics in the country.

According to the UNODC report, production dipped by 10 percent this year while cultivation fell by 22 percent.

However, a senior U.N. spokesman warned that this positive news should be treated with caution.

“We figure the world needs around 4,000 tons of opium a year for licit and illicit purposes,” Walter Kemp of the UNODC told CNN.

“But this year around 6,900 tons was produced, with 7,700 tons delivered last year and more than 8,500 the year before that.

“So if the world only needs around 4,000 tons of opium and a further 1,000 is seized, where is the rest of it going?”

According to Kemp, world demand for opium remains stable yet prices are not crashing, which suggests a large amount of opium is being withheld from the market.

“Our guess is that around 12,000 tons of opium has been stockpiled somewhere — not all in one place but in and around Afghanistan,” he added. “So while production might be coming down — mostly because of market reasons — there’s still a lot of product around to satisfy demand for about two years.”

It is unclear exactly who is responsible for this but there’s growing evidence, according to the U.N., that the Taliban are becoming increasingly involved in the industry and could be sitting on huge stockpiles of opium to use as credit for financing their activities.

“Farmers will be keeping small amounts back as credit for things such as a dowry or buying livestock,” said Kemp. “But they won’t have the means to store supplies in the kind of quantities we’re talking about here.

“It’s probably in the hands of people with the ability to store it underground and to keep people away from it through corruption or force.”

Hakan Demirbuken, a research expert on the U.N.’s Afghan Opium Trade Program, said Taliban involvement in the drugs trade is not limited to taxing Afghan opium farmers and traders in return for their “protection.”

He told CNN: “Last year we estimated that Afghan poppy farmers earned around $730 million, while traders who take the product on to the border earned around $3.4 billion.”

“From this lucrative business the Taliban took around $125 million in tax.

“But according to U.N. figures they need around $800 million per year for their operational needs.”

However, most of the trade is controlled by organized criminal groups from outside Afghanistan. Therefore Demirbuken believes groups such as the Taliban and al Qaeda will be forging links with gangs such as the Turkish and Iranian mafia in order to become more involved in the production and trafficking stages.

In addition to the increased revenue greater involvement would provide, he said groups such as al Qaeda “will have noted the destabilizing effect this industry — and the sums of money it generates — can have on more vulnerable countries with weak governments.”

In October last year, the United States told NATO members that the drug trade was a threat to coalition troops because there was a direct connection between it and Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.

“There is what we call a nexus of insurgency. There’s a very broad range of militant groups that are combined with the criminality, with the narco-trafficking system, with corruption, that form a threat and a challenge to the future of that great country,” then-U.S. commander in Afghanistan Gen. David McKiernan told reporters.

As a result NATO combat forces have now been actively attacking militants, drug laboratories and buildings connected to insurgents with ties to drug lords for the first time since the start of the Afghan conflict in 2001.

Meanwhile, international law enforcement organization, Interpol, believes there has been a change of tactic involving Afghanistan’s opium, with much more of it being turned into heroin within the country and stockpiled or couriered out, primarily through Iran.

Historically Afghanistan has been responsible only for cultivating raw opium, with the conversion into a final product taking place across the border in Pakistan or in Iran and Turkey, according to the UNODC.

Producing heroin in Afghanistan makes it easier to conceal and transport than the bulkier raw opium.

Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 106 inspired Sri Lanka to a 55-run rain-affected win over South Africa in the opening match of the Champions Trophy in Centurion.

The opener put on 158 with captain Kumar Sangakkara (54), while a brutal 77 from Mahela Jaywardene took Sri Lanka to 319-8 in their Group B game.

Graeme Smith’s 58 gave the hosts a strong start, but a devastating Ajantha Mendis spell ended their victory hopes.

Mendis’ 3-30 left the hosts at 206-7, well behind the Duckworth/Lewis target.

The thumping victory made a mockery of South Africa’s ranking as the world’s best one-day team as they were dismantled by the match-winning abilities of Mendis and Dilshan.

The result means the hosts will need to win their next match against New Zealand on Thursday to stand any chance of qualifying for the semi-finals of the tournament.

With Sri Lanka in total control at 70-1 after 10 overs, captain Smith must have questioned his decision to bowl first on a good batting wicket as Dilshan launched an astonishing aerial assault in the mandatory powerplay overs.

Despite losing Sanath Jayasuriya, lbw to Steyn in the third over, the opener meted out punishment to South Africa’s fast bowlers, including the first “Dilscoop” of the tournament, shovelling the ball high over wicketkeeper Mark Boucher’s head for four off Wayne Parnell.

Graeme Smith brought up his 50 from just 40 deliveries

Batting serenely with Sangakkara, Dilshan brought up his 17th one-day half century off just 38 deliveries.

A crunching cover drive and a fine cut allowed Dilshan to record his third one-day century in the 28th over, but he lost Sangakkara almost immediately after when he chipped a return catch to off-spinner JP Duminy.

Dilshan’s epic innings was eventually brought to an end in the 30th over when a rank long-hop outside off stump from Steyn was upper cut into the hands of the relieved Albie Morkel at third man.

But an intelligent fourth-wicket partnership of 116 between ex-captain Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera gave Sri Lanka the impetus to set a daunting target of 320 under the floodlights.

“We batted very well by doing the basics properly and building partnerships,” said Sangakkara.

The hosts’ riposte began in the worst possible fashion when a thick inside edge off the bat of Hashim Amla dislodged his leg stump at 9-1.

But Smith and new batsman Jacques Kallis punched boundaries on both sides of the wicket, with the Proteas captain bringing up his 50 in just 40 deliveries with a deft glance for his eighth boundary.

But his innings was brought to a close when a beautiful delivery in Mendis’ first over totally bamboozled him.

The spinner quickly dispatched Kallis (41) and Duminy for a golden duck, while the dismissal of AB de Villiers (24), caught top-edging and attempting to pull a Lasith Malinga short delivery, effectively ended the run chase.

“Ajantha is a big challenge for anyone playing him for the first time,” Sangakkara added.

“With him, Muttiah Muralitharan and Malinga, we have a lot of unorthodox match-winners in our side.”

Late hitting from Johan Botha and Morkel took South Africa beyond 200 but a heavy storm forced the game to be abandoned in the 38th over with South Africa comfortably short of their Duckworth/Lewis target of 261.

“We never got our basics right and we’ve got to improve very quickly,” said Smith, whose side had not played an international match since the World Twenty20 semi-final in June.

“The number of extras we gave away is a problem, and we’ve got to think better on our feet.”