SIx In The Morning Thursday April 23

Scientists successfully genetically modify human embryos, allowing for editing of babies’ genes

Ethical and medical concerns abound about the study, which had been rumoured to be taking place in secret

ANDREW GRIFFIN

 

 

Thursday 23 April 2015

Chinese scientists have successfully edited the genes of human embryos for the first time ever, confirming rumours that secret genetic experiments had been happening in the country and prompting fears that the discovery could lead to a new kind of eugenics.

The researchers were able to successfully modify a specific gene responsible for a potentially fatal blood disorder. But they say that problems encountered during the testing mean that it is unlikely to be used more widely in the immediate future.

The technique could one day be used to edit out fatal and destructive genetic diseases. But others worry that it is unethical and could wreak unknown havoc on the human gene pool.

Japanese zoo association suspended by world body over Taiji dolphin hunts 

World Association of Zoos and Aquariums takes action against Japanese member representing aquariums that take dolphins from Taiji hunt

Oliver Milman

@olliemilman

Thursday 23 April 2015 03.48 BST

The world’s leading zoo organisation has suspended its Japanese member over its involvement in the controversial dolphin hunts in Taiji.

The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Waza) has suspended the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Jaza) following a unanimous vote by its council.

As revealed by the Guardian last month, Waza has been targeted in a court action launched by conservationists who accuse it of effectively approving the dolphin hunts, where animals are forced into shallow waters and some slaughtered or picked for public display in aquariums.

The Taiji dolphin hunts gained notoriety through the documentary The Cove. Jaza, which represents Japanese aquariums that have taken dolphins from the hunt, rejected a Waza proposal for a two-year moratorium on the practice.

China warns North Korea nuclear arsenal expanding: report

Seoul (AFP) - Chinese nuclear experts believe North Korea may already have a nuclear arsenal of 20 warheads and the uranium enrichment capacity to double that figure by next year, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

The estimate, which the Journal said was relayed to US nuclear specialists in a closed-door meeting in February, is significantly higher than any previously known Chinese assessment.

It also exceeds recent estimates by US experts which put the North's current arsenal at between 10 and 16 nuclear weapons.

A leading expert on North Korea's nuclear programme, Siegfried Hecker, who attended the February meeting, said a sizeable North Korean stockpile would only compound the challenge the international community faces in persuading Pyongyang to denuclearise.

How I was smuggled into Europe -- and why it was worth it

By Moutassem Yazbek

Updated 0854 GMT (1554 HKT) April 23, 2015

I would have done anything to get to Europe. It was worth the risk, the bad treatment and the fear, hard as that may be to believe. Simply put, I have a better life now than I did before.

But my journey across the Mediterranean, like those of thousands of other migrants, wasn't easy. Here's my story.

It all started late last year when I lost my job in Dubai. My work visa had expired, and I had nowhere else to go. I'm Syrian, and returning to Syria wasn't an option -- going back means you either have to kill or be killed.

But Syrians don't need visas to get into Turkey, so Turkey it was. I arrived in the country in December with an old dream in my mind: reaching Europe.

Drone carrying cesium likely landed on prime minister’s office after April 20

KYODO, BLOOMBERG, JIJI

A drone carrying a small amount of radioactive cesium that was found on the roof of the prime minister’s office may have landed there in the last few days, investigative sources said Thursday, as Japan beefed up security and weighed regulating drone flights.

When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe used the helipad on the roof on March 22 to fly to Kanagawa Prefecture for a graduation ceremony at the National Defense Academy, the four-propeller drone was not there and no staff members had visited the roof since then, the sources said.

The drone, which measures about 50 cm in diameter, was dry when it was found around 10:20 a.m. on Wednesday, indicating that it had landed after April 20 when it rained in Tokyo.

Thousands evacuate after Chile volcano erupts

Red alert remains in place as Calbuco volcano erupts twice after being dormant for decades, spewing ash and smoke.

23 Apr 2015 06:52 GMT | Environment, Latin America

Southern Chile's Calbuco volcano has erupted for the second time in a day, after being dormant for nearly half a century, officials said.

The first eruption on Wednesday sent a thick plume of ash and smoke several kilometres into the sky, local television images showed.

Chile's Onemi emergency office declared a red alert following that eruption, which occurred about 1,000km south of the capital Santiago near the tourist town of Puerto Varas. The area is sparsely populated, with only a few small communities.

Video footage of the first eruption, which occurred at around 6pm local time (21:00 GMT), showed a spectacular mushroom-shaped cloud of ash and smoke, that turned red as the sun went down.