A knife with a nose

An "intelligent" knife that can sniff out tumours to improve cancer surgery has been developed by scientists. The Imperial College London team hope to overcome the dangerous and common problem of leaving bits of the tumour in a patient, which can then regrow. Early results, in the journal Science Translational Medicine, showed the "iKnife" could accurately identify cancerous tissue on the spot. It is now being tested in clinical trials to see if it saves lives, which it hopefully will. But enough about that because Papiss Cisse has reportedly withdrawn from Newcastle's pre-season tour of Portugal after refusing to wear a club sponsor's logo on religious grounds. The Senegal striker, who is a Muslim, told club officials he was not prepared to promote Wonga, a firm which offers short-term, high-interest loans. So what does that have to do with Islam? Islamic law forbids borrowing or paying money with interest, also known as riba. 28-year-old Cisse did offer to wear an unbranded shirt or one bearing a charity logo instead. Newcastle United should at the very least consider such a compromise, because other sports teams have made concessions to the faith of their Muslim players. For example, South African cricketer Hashim Amla has been allowed to wear shirts without the logo of team sponsor Castle Lager because of the Islamic prohibition of alcohol consumption.