UNITED KINGDOM
Genome mapping made easy
Scientists have assembled the most complete human genome to be mapped with a single technology using a new pocket-size portable DNA sequencer, which they say could one day make genome mapping quick and simple enough to do at home. Using a device about the size of a mobile phone and called a MinION, made by Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd, researchers from the UK, the US and Canada said they were able to sequence much longer strands of DNA than previously, making the process cheaper and swifter. Understanding and interpreting the human genome is a cornerstone of modern medicine, offering a wealth of information about a person’s inherited genetics risks, the antibodies they have, or how their diseases — such as cancer — have developed.
UNITED STATES
State-built network opposed
Telecom regulators and industry groups on Monday voiced opposition to a government-built wireless network that President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly considering. The news Web site Axios on Sunday reported that national security officials might want a government-built next-generation “5G” mobile network because of concerns about China and cybersecurity. A White House spokesman referred inquiries to the National Security Council, which did not immediately respond to questions. The telecom industry, which is powerful in Washington, is already working on 5G, which heralds better Internet on smartphones as well as potential applications for self-driving cars and other new technology. The new standard is already being tested and could be widely available by 2020.
CANADA
NAFTA talks inch ahead
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Monday said talks to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are progressing very slowly. Lighthizer said the US views NAFTA as a “very important agreement” and said the sixth round of talks between Canada, the US and Mexico, which concluded on Monday, were a “step forward.” “Some real headway was made here,” Lighthizer said. “We’re committed to moving forward.” President Donald Trump called NAFTA a job-killing “disaster” on the campaign trail and has threatened to withdraw from the 24-year-old pact if he cannot get what he wants. However, Lighthizer called the idea “vague.” “We find that the automobile rules of origin idea that was presented, when analyzed, may lead to less regional content than we have now, fewer jobs in the United States, Canada and likely Mexico,” he said. Lighthizer said the Trump administration’s goal coming out of the negotiations is to boost the number of manufacturing jobs in the US, either by encouraging new investment or by bringing back jobs that had moved to Mexico.
UNITED STATES
Facebook to shift focus
Facebook on Monday said it has decided to deliver more local news to US users, in its latest effort to manage the flow of information on the enormously-influential social network. Earlier this month, Facebook announced it would ask its 2 billion users to rank their trust in news sources as part of an effort to combat the spread of misinformation. The changes come as the social network seeks to address charges that it has failed — along with Google and Twitter — to prevent the spread of false news, especially ahead of the 2016 US presidential election.
SPAIN
Catalan vote postponed
The Catalan parliament speaker said the vote for a new regional head, planned for yesterday, had been postponed, but added that former leader Carles Puigdemont was the only viable candidate. “Today’s session has been postponed, but under no circumstance canceled ... another candidate will not be presented,” Roger Torrent told a news conference. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy reiterated yesterday that Puigdemont could not be a candidate as he was in exile in Brussels.
JAPAN
Bird can visualize snakes
Japanese songbirds can make unique calls to warn of a snake nearby, causing their comrades to conjure a visual image of the predator and react accordingly, researchers said on Monday. Until now, the ability to visualize something after hearing a word or sound was thought to be a human-only trait, the report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said. Researchers played recordings of songbird calls warning of a snake, while a short tree branch was moved “in a serpentine fashion,” the report said. When birds saw this movement and heard the call, they reacted as if seeing a snake. “With a snake’s image in mind, tits can efficiently search out a snake regardless of its spatial position,” study author Toshitaka Suzuki said.
JAPAN
Woman sues for sterilization
A Japanese woman in her 60s yesterday sued the government over her forced sterilization under a now-defunct eugenics law, a court official and local media reports said. The woman was 15 in 1972, when the government forced her to undergo a sterilization procedure after she was diagnosed with a mental disability, local media reported. She is reportedly seeking ¥11 million (US$101,200) in damages, saying the state failed to offer relief measures while seriously violating her human rights under the law that remained in force until 1996. About 16,000 people were forcibly sterilized under the eugenics law, according to the Japanese Bar Association. The government is prepared to have talks with those who need support, but “has no plans to offer blanket measures” to all victims of forced sterilization, a Ministry of Health official said.
PHILIPPINES
‘Significant’ volcanic ashfall
A significant amount of ash has fallen on towns near the Philippines’ most active volcano after energetic eruptions of lava from the crater. Mount Mayon in northeastern Albay province has been erupting more than two weeks, and 84,000 people who fled are staying in schools and other crowded shelters. The Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said one large lava eruption lasted more than an hour and a half late on Monday. The ash plume reached 1.5km above the crater and caused significant ashfall in the towns of Camalig and Guinobatan.
MACAU
Wynn’s firm to cooperate
Wynn Macau Ltd yesterday said it would comply with Macau regulators as they seek more information about sexual misconduct allegations against the Las Vegas billionaire. The statement came after Macau’s gambling regulator said it was concerned about reports Steve Wynn, 76, might have been “involved in inappropriate behavior in the United States.” The Wall Street Journal on Friday reported that a number of women said they were harassed or assaulted by Wynn, and that one case led to a US$7.5 million settlement with a manicurist.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of