2016-02-01 Neither the President, the Prime Minister nor any other minister had given orders to arrest former President's son Yoshitha Rajapaksa a deputy minister and a state Minister said today.
Deputy Minister Ajith P Perera and State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake made these remarks while speaking on behalf of the government on the recent arrest of Mr Rajapaksa.
Deputy Minister Perera told a media briefing that Mr Rajapaksa was arrested after a complaint was lodged by the organization named Citizens for Just Society. He said the suspect was arrested in connection with money laundering. Further he said Mr. Rajapaksa had worked as the Chairman of CSN violating the Establishment Code which says a public servant cannot engage in any business while working for the state. It was also alleged that none of the officials of CSN who was questioned had been able to say how it had got US $ 2.3 million to the capital of the company. He said there were several allegations against the suspect.
He said the arrest was a result of investigations carried out for almost a year and it was not an act of political victimization. “Everyone is equal before the law and there are more allegations against Mr. Rajapaksa and I suggest he be court martialled" he added.
State Minister Ramanayake said the present government’s ruling style would even allow its own MPs to be probed. Accordingly he said a judicial procedure on MP Hirunika Premachnadra would continue.
Responding to a question by the media as to whether action would be taken against those who killed a young man in Embilipitiya recently, Deputy Minister Perera said action would be taken against those killers. He also said the government was watchful about an alleged to move to sabotage the Independence Day by staging a protest and disrupting its rehearsal on February 3. (Yohan Perera) -
‘A Small Island of many people’, wrote S.J. Thambiah, in his lucidly written book,’Sri Lanka–Ethnic Fratricide and the Dismantling of Democracy‘ whose political machinery is running down in an environment of increasing fragmentation and factionalism . The hopes of yesterday.. have become fast evaporating fantasies’ .
Peter Kloos in Democracy, Civil War and the Demise of the Trias Politica in Sri Lanka attempts to understand how and why such hopes and aspirations of the people of Sri Lanka, became mere fantasies. The author starts by noting that in 1947 Sri Lanka seemed to have all that was needed to transform itself into an independent democracy and few post-colonial states had such a favourable point of departure: It had already had an elected parliament for more than a decade and a half. [It] had universal suffrage earlier than several European states. It had a high rate of literacy and also a newspaper tradition of a century and a half. It had a well-established, island-wide legal system and it had, inherited from the British colonial government, a Public Service that was virtually free of corruption. It was finally, one of the most affluent countries in Asia. This made possible a welfare state with island-wide free medical care and free education.
He queries ‘So how does one explain the transformation from a promising democracy in the 1940s to the state of the present?’ and continues, “the introduction of the majoritarian model of democracy rule in Sri Lanka chosen already during the late-colonial period paved the way for political forms that were undemocratic in the moral sense of the term. In the end this led to violent opposition – and to dismantling of democracy…. The democratic process as a way of handling conflict failed and government rigidity led to violent opposition. The government answered in kind and in the ensuing life-and-death struggle began to manipulate both legislation and the judiciary, presumably to create greater freedom to fight its enemies. By doing so it contributed to further escalation of violence. Far-reaching decisions regarding the political process are based on political expediency rather than on fundamental discussions of democratic rule”. This note aptly sums up the pitiable situation faced by the people in our Paradise Isle. Continue Reading →
“Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law.” - Thomas Paine -The Age of Reason
Recent events demonstrate that the saffron robe has now become the instrument of choice of an emerging ochlocracy – the refined term for mobocracy. In this land like no other, the ill-natured and the capricious outnumber the good natured and the cautious in politics of the street. Politics of the street in the age of digital communication gives them a head start that others cannot match.
A militant monk who delivered a homily on ‘Theravada Jurisprudence’ as he understood it was ordered to be remanded on charges of contempt of court by the Homagama magistrate. Three days after, our President solemnly reaffirmed that the government will always be guided by the advice of the Maha Sangha.
Seriously injured in a fall, this writer was in a meditative mood recalling the lyrics of John Lennon’s “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” It was in this pensive mind frame that I watched the antics of the militant monks at Homagama and then listened to the President making his pledge to the Maha Sangha at a ceremony on Jan. 29 at the Kotte Rajamaha Viharaya.
The buffoonery at Homagama was revolting. The Presidential pledge in Kotte was disturbing and to me a Buddhist by birth even frightening. Contained in it, is the possibility that the sovereignty of ‘we the people’ is subject to the decrees of ‘they the Maha Sangha’. Read More
Civil citizens are questioning the IGP as to why chairman of Wimal Weerawansa’s Ravana Balaya, Ittekande Saddhatissa Thera, is not being arrested despite the existence of more than enough audio-visual evidence that he had led the mobs at the Homagama magistrate’s court last Monday and Tuesday.
Police investigating to arrest the unruly persons have identified several monks. Among them are Akmeemana Dayaratana of Sinhala Ravaya, Magalkande Sudatta, Aluthgama Ariyashantha, Galle Dhammavineetha, Malabe Jothi and Devinda Theras.
However, the police silence over Saddhatissa Thera, who incited the violence, has become a big question for those who value justice.
When he was a resident monk at Sankhapala Vihara in Embilipitiya, he had pushed to death a person over a money dispute, say those who live near the temple. Saddhatissa Thera had gone missing for several years since then, only to resurface under Ravana Balaya, patronized by Weerawansa.
Civil society activists demand to know the force behind his not been arrested yet.
I am not making an indiscriminate attack on all monk activists. The vast majority of them genuinely represent Buddhist interests while upholding those of the minority communities. I have no doubt that the monks of the Bodu Bala Sena organization belong to that category despite their raucous bluster. My idea is that it would be good if those of our monks who have decided to agitate against perceived or real threats to their peaceful existence were properly restrained, responsible and non-violent as behoves all of us, including especially bhikkhus. Though I hold no brief for the apparently confrontational way they are putting their case at the moment, I don’t question their right to air their views.
Ven. Galaboda Atthe Gnanasara Thera, General Secretary of Bodu Bala Sena, who had been charged with contempt of court, was arrested and remanded on surrendering to the Homagama magistrate’s court on January 26 Tuesday. Some young monks of the BBS behaved riotously trying to prevent their leader from being taken to prison. But Ven. Gnanasara calmly advised them to restrain themselves. He spoke words to this effect: "It is true that I raised my voice in the court because my emotions were frayed; that constituted contempt of court. It must be admitted that what I did was wrong. I am being remanded for that offence. That’s OK. What’s a day or two in prison? We have no quarrel with the law enforcement officers. We must all respect and obey the law. Our struggle is only with the ‘big ones’. This is just the beginning. Now, all of you please disperse peacefully". His advice seemed to take effect, more or less. (At the time of writing, January 28 Thursday, the media reported that a bail application filed on behalf of the remanded monk was rejected by the court.)
When State Minister of National Integration and Reconciliation A.H.M. Fowzie called on the Mahanayake of the Asgiriya Chapter Reverend Galagama Sri Atthadassi Thera in Kandy on 27 January, the latter made some grave comments on the arrest of Ven. Galaboda Atthe Gnanasara Thera. The Prelate reminded the minister of the historical fact that (Sri Lankan) Buddhist monks always acted even at the risk of their life whenever the country faced critical situations. He said that Ven. Gnanasara Thera who has been remanded is also a monk who serves the country with similar dedication; therefore the case must be handled properly. He stressed that communal harmony must not be harmed. The High Monk added that (when dealing with the problem) duplicitous talk should be avoided, and that sincerity of intention, and humaneness must prevail.
I remembered that on a previous occasion, Ven. Gnanasara of the BBS, along with a group of fellow activist monks, visited the Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatte Chapter Reverend Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddhattha, and asked him for advice. In response the Nayake thera suggested that they continue with their agitation if those responsible in the government neglected to address their grievances, which, at the time, I described in an article as not very wise counsel! The monks’ ‘agitation’ at that time had acquired a rather violent character in speech as well as in deeds, which was very unbecoming of even law abiding ordinary citizens, let alone Buddhist bhikkhus.
“Nobody organizes us. We do not want to depend on anyone or have money involved. It’s better to be independent.” East of al-Bureij refugee camp, Gaza Strip
For nearly four months, popular protests, violence and general unrest have buffeted the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, leading some commentators to suggest a third intifada or uprising.
Most of this is driven by restive and young people tired of endless and evidently pointless negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel that have brought no end to Israel’s military occupation and only seen its illegal settlements expand.
“This is our land. We must do anything to free it from occupation,” says Mahmoud, 26, from al-Azzeh refugee camp in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Mahmoud (not his real name, since Israel frequently arrests protesters) has been a regular participant in demonstrations against the military occupation, in which youth confront Israeli forces with stones and, less frequently, Molotov cocktails. The army tries to suppress these protests with tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition.
Since the beginning of last October, which witnessed increased confrontation with the occupation, more than 160 Palestinians and approximately two dozen Israelis have been killed. A United Nations monitoring group recorded a weekly average of 1,000 Palestinian injuries at the hands of the Israeli army during the last quarter of 2015.
Approximately one-third of those Palestinians killed, and many of those injured, were hit by live ammunition while taking part in demonstrations or while they were in the vicinity of protests.
Risks
The youths confronting the Israeli army know all too well the risks involved.
“I have mixed feelings during clashes. Sometimes you are afraid of dying,” Mahmoud explained. “But it’s also good to get the anger out. I have two children. I am married. In the night, I start to think about them, what they will do if I do not come back. But during the clashes, I try not think about it.”
The protests are led by youth and not any particular political party.
Khaled (also a pseudonym), a 21-year-old student from the Ramallah area, said the Palestinian Authority’s only role has been to try to stop them.
“Their role is to bring down the spirit of the people. It does not support us,” he said.
Palpable frustration
Their frustration is palpable and has sparked a debate among analysts and journalists whether this could be termed a third intifada. But the youths themselves seem not to care much about designation.
“First intifada, second intifada, it doesn’t matter. The intifada is connected to the occupation,” said Mahmoud, “and so it will continue. It is an ongoing process.”
The following series of photographs were taken at protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the past four months. The quotations included are from the two Palestinian youths interviewed, neither of whom are featured in the photos.
Images by Activestills photographers Anne Paq in Bethlehem, Ezz Al-Zanoon in the Gaza Strip, Mohannad Darabee in the Ramallah area, Oren Ziv in Bethlehem and the Ramallah area. Photo editing by Shiraz Grinbaum.
Activestills is an independent collective based in Israel/Palestine which uses photography as a tool for social and political change.
A boy looks on at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail
A member of Afghan security stands guard at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismai
BY MIRWAIS HAROONI-Mon Feb 1, 2016
A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself after joining a queue to enter a police office in Kabul on Monday, killing 20 people and wounding at least 29 in the worst such attack this year.
The Afghan capital was hit by a series of suicide attacks last month as the Taliban stepped up their campaign against the Western-backed government. They coincided with renewed efforts to revive a peace process with the Islamist insurgent movement that stalled last year.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement that 20 people had been killed and 29 others wounded in the bombing.
In a separate statement, the NATO mission condemned the attack, which it said killed 20 police officers and wounded 25 others as well as seven Afghan civilians.
"Once again, terrorists have targeted a populated area with no regard for innocent lives," said Brig. Gen. Wilson Shoffner, Resolute Support deputy chief of staff for communications.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement that said 40 police officers had been killed or wounded. The group often makes exaggerated casualty claims for its attacks.
Ambulances and police vehicles rushed to the explosion site in the crowded Dehmazang district west of the city, near the Kabul traffic directorate, which is visited by those seeking driving licences and other documents.
"I saw three bodies on the ground and a number of other people wounded, then ambulances arrived and took all the victims away," witness Mohammad Ajmal said.
Last August, a Taliban suicide bomber killed dozens of students at a police academy in Kabul, using a similar tactic by joining a queue waiting to enter the compound.
The Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP) was set up as a gendarmerie-style unit to control riots and urban disorder but have also been used in counterinsurgency roles against the Taliban.
(Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi; Writing by James Mackenzie, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
The obsession with self-portraits is growing into a menace as it has claimed people’s lives. (Source: Nandagopal Rajan)
May 24, 2015
The obsession with self-portraits is growing into a menace as it has claimed people’s lives. In a recent incident, a Singaporean man died after falling into the sea off a cliff while attempting to take a selfie on an island in Bali.
Mohamed Aslam Shahul was killed after losing his balance after being hit by a wave and falling into the sea from a two-metre high cliff at the Sandy Bay Beach in Nusa Lembongan where he was holidaying with his friends, The Guardian reported.
“He slipped and fell into the ocean. He apparently couldn’t swim,” a police officer was quoted as saying.
In a separate incident, a 21-year-old woman accidentally shot herself in the head while taking a selfie.
She was said to have been posing while pointing a 9mm handgun to her head. While taking a selfie with one hand, she accidentally pressed the gun’s trigger, shooting herself in the temple at close range, as per the reports.
She had found the gun at her Moscow office left behind by a security guard, police said.
Puerto Rico has proposed a plan to ease its crushing debt burden that would give major creditors new bonds worth an average of 54 percent of their existing ones, but also would give bondholders an unusual way to receive additional money if the commonwealth’s economy grows at unexpectedly rapid rates.
The proposal was made Friday at a meeting between advisers to the Puerto Rican governor and advisers to creditors that hold $49 billion of the island’s more than $72 billion worth of debt, according to a person briefed on the proposal. The proposal comes as Congress and the Obama administration are wrestling over what legislation could help Puerto Rico restructure its debt, force recalcitrant creditors to sign onto a plan, and ensure that the island maintains fiscal discipline so that it does not end up in a similar fix in the future.
The plan presented Friday, and which the creditors are weighing, would cut Puerto Rico’s debt service from 36 percent of the commonwealth’s budget to 15 percent, a level equal to that of Hawaii, which has the highest rate of any U.S. state. Creditors must now choose whether to accept the deal, negotiate, or pursue lengthy litigation while waiting for possible congressional action.
Under the proposal, Puerto Rico would issue $26.5 billion worth of new “base bonds” to replace $49 billion in existing bonds issued by 17 government entities. Investors holding the highest quality bonds would be able to exchange their existing bonds for new ones at a more favorable rate.
The territory would not pay any interest or repay any principal for 18 months, and for 3 1/2 years after that would pay only interest, starting at 3 percent and rising every year to 5 percent. After that, the territory would pay $1.7 billion a year to service and repay the debt.
Puerto Rico also would issue $22.7 billion in new “growth bonds” so that if its economy grew at a rate of more than 4.5 percent a year and if its tax revenue grew faster than forecast in the deal, then bondholders would get 25 percent of the higher tax revenue.
The bond is similar to ones that Argentina and Ukraine have issued.
Those payments would not begin sooner than 10 years from now and could continue for no more than 35 years. But if Puerto Rico’s economy, which has been shrinking for the past 10 years, does not exceed forecasts, then the bondholders would receive nothing.
The “base bonds” would replace some of the territory’s highest quality bonds, backed by streams of tax revenue. The existing bonds include $17 billion general obligation and public building authority bonds;
$17 billion issued by COFINA, a government corporation backed by sales tax revenue; and $15 billion issued by the Government Development Bank, the highway and transportation authority (supported by gasoline taxes) and smaller government entities.
Steven Mufson covers the White House. Since joining The Post, he has covered economics, China, foreign policy and energy.
Or a Republican in the White House, backed by a fearful, anti-Cuba Congress, could undo -- in an instant -- all his good work.
BY WILLIAM M. LEOGRANDE-FEBRUARY 1, 2016
On Jan. 26, the Obama administration rolled out a new slate of regulatory reforms that further relax the embargo against Cuba — the third such action since Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro announced their intention to normalize relations in December 2014. The goal is to stimulate commerce and create a constituency in the business community that will defend Obama’s legacy of better relations with Cuba — even if there’s a Republican in the White House in 2017.
The Obama administration’s recent moves lower some long-standing barriers to U.S.-Cuba commerce. The big changes include one that will license U.S. firms to privately finance authorized exports, and another to allow sales to Cuban state enterprises, so long as the sales “meet the needs of the Cuban people,” as determined by the Department of Commerce. Another obstacle that will disappear: the ban on letting Cuba buy U.S. products on credit, which has put U.S. exporters at a major disadvantage to competitors in Europe and Asia. Under the new rules, this restriction will now be lifted across all sectors of approved trade except in agriculture, where credits are still prohibited by the 2000 Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act.
By allowing U.S. firms to sell to state enterprises so long as these sales benefit the Cuban people, the new regulations open a potentially wide field of exports, although the exact scope of what is permissible has been left intentionally vague. Among the examples of eligible goods are those for artistic endeavors, education, food processing, public health and sanitation, and residential construction — by no means an exhaustive list, but one can imagine that most consumer staples might be eligible for export.
But despite opening these important new avenues for business, the regulations did not go nearly far enough to calm the fears and remove the regulatory obstacles that still impede U.S. business deals with Cuba. Without some notable commercial successes, the business community could lose interest in Cuba and in lobbying Congress to lift the embargo, leaving Obama’s normalization project dead in the water.
Up to 100 masked men, dressed in black, gathered in central Stockholm to attack people from immigrant backgrounds, reports say.
Swedish police say the large gang distributed leaflets inciting people to assault refugees.
Witnesses said the men physically attacked people they believed were foreigners. However, police have not confirmed these reports.
It comes amid heightened tension in Sweden over the migrant crisis.
Some 163,000 migrants applied for asylum in Sweden in 2015, the highest per capita number in Europe.
According to Aftonbladet newspaper, the men in Stockholm were distributing leaflets on Friday evening with the slogan "It's enough now!",
The material threatened to give "the North African street children who are roaming around" the "punishment they deserve."
The newspaper published a video showing the gang clashing with police at Stockholm's central station.
Knuckledusters
Stockholm police said in a statement (in Swedish) that the group was handing out leaflets with the intention to incite people to carry out crimes.
One man was arrested after punching an officer in the face. Several others were detained on public order offences and another was found with brass knuckledusters, police said. All had been released by the following morning.
Police apparently clashed with masked men outside Stockholm central station
Spokeswoman Towe Haegg told Swedish radio police had not received any reports of violence against people from migrant backgrounds.
However, Aftonbladet interviewed one 16-year-old who said he had been hit in the face near Stockholm's central station. The newspaper also quoted another witness who said he had seen men beating up people who appeared to have a foreign background in the middle of the city's Sergelstorg square.
The men were wearing arm bands of various colours and have been reportedly linked to football hooligan gangs.
There were scuffles on Saturday between pro and anti-migrant demonstrators, during which witnesses say foreigners were assaulted.
Tensions have increased after a 22-year-old employee was stabbed to death at a centre for young asylum seekers earlier this week. A 15-year-old asylum seeker was arrested in Molndal, near Gothenburg, over the murder.
Along with Germany, Sweden is a prime destination for refugees and illegal migrants entering the EU.
More than one million refugees and migrants travelled to Europe last year, most fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The numbers arriving in Sweden have fallen significantly since it imposed tighter border controls this year.
Refugees load firewood and bedding onto a truck as they prepare to leave Yamadi (Bilal Abdul Kareem)
Bilal Abdul Kareem-Friday 29 January 2016
YAMADI, Syria - Refugees fleeing a Syrian government offensive in Latakia province say they would rather pitch tents in the freezing countryside than risk being caught by advancing soldiers or endure further shelling or Russian air strikes.
Hundreds of people at the refugee camp at Yamadi, close to the border with Turkey, are loading their belongings onto trucks and heading deeper into rebel-held territory after pro-government forces regained control of a series of strategically placed towns. Army commanders said they expected the entire province of Latakia to be back under government control within weeks.
But among refugees already facing a constant threat of Russian air strikes there are few prepared to sit and wait for the arrival of pro-government forces, some of whom are now less than 20km away following the capture earlier this month of the previously rebel-held towns of Salma and Rabia.
“We don’t want to live under the rule of the government for a minute. They have no mercy on us. If they catch you then it’s the end for you,” Umm Asim told Middle East Eye as she prepared to flee with her family amid fears that one or two more nights of heavy fighting could bring Syrian army tanks rolling down the road.
“We are trying to leave because the government is getting closer and the Russians have done nothing good. We get shelled from one side and bombed on the other side and we are afraid. My little son doesn’t eat and he doesn't move because he is so afraid.”
“I’m afraid for my children,” added Umm Marwan. “We are leaving because of the planes and because the children are so afraid. The army is getting closer and the planes are constantly shelling us. We want to leave and find a new place to stay.”
Russia is accused of killing hundreds of civilians since intervening in Syria last September on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by launching air strikes in rebel-held territory.
In November, Russian jets bombed camps including Yamadi in the Turkmen Mountain region of northern Latakia that had become refuges for Syrians fleeing from war-shattered cities, including long-besieged Homs and Aleppo, and Ariha in Idlib province.
The bombardment came after a Russian jet crashed in the area after being shot down by Turkey for reportedly violating Turkish air space, with local rebels accusing Moscow of taking revenge.
“The Russians came to kill the Syrian people. It’s a massacre, they use planes, tanks and missiles,” said Umm Asim. “Where do we go? If we go to the villages they bomb us, if we go elsewhere… where do we go?”
Images and video footage published by activists following MEE's visit to Yamadi showed burnt-out tents and smoke rising from a similar camp in the same area which they said had been shelled by pro-government forces.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that Russia carried out more than 500 air strikes in northeastern Latakia during a two-week period of January and says that Russian military officers are directing the offensive there.
Until last year the nearby Turkish border had been accessible to refugees, with thousands of members of the local Turkmen community crossing eastwards to camps in Turkey’s neighbouring Hatay province.
But the border is now considered too dangerous for many to risk the crossing, amid reports of Turkish border guards shooting at refugees trying to reach the country.
“All countries are against us. None of them have stood with us. If they want to help us then let them help us with the planes, not with food and drink but help us with the planes,” said Umm Asim
Just weeks ago, the camp at Yamadi was a desperate but bustling and sprawling place that had become a temporary home to thousands of people.
Now many of the tents stand empty and abandoned, with trucks laden with bedding and firewood, a highly valued commodity, setting off regularly inland in the direction of rebel-held territory in neighbouring Idlib province.
Some hope to reach other refugee camps, rather than returning to homes already destroyed. But with nearby camps already overflowing, most expect to set up tents in the countryside, where freezing night-time temperatures pose a further threat to life.
Others, with children who are too sick or who lack the resources to pack up and leave, have no choice but to stay put and take their chances. Few of the children left have adequate clothing for the harsh mountain conditions, with some wearing just slippers on their bare feet.
“They have no place to go,” Abu Ali told MEE. “If they can find a place in another camp that’s good, but if not they will pitch a tent in the middle of nowhere and do the best they can.”
UN body acts over mosquito-borne virus linked to serious birth defects which is ‘spreading explosively’ across the Americas
Nadja Cristina Gomes Bezerra holds her three-month-old daughter, Alice Vitoria, who has microcephaly. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images
Monday 1 February 2016
The World Health Organisation has declared a “public health emergency of international concern” due to the apparent link of the Zika virus to a surge in serious birth defects in South America.
WHO chief Margaret Chan said the link between the Zika virus and microcephaly was “strongly suspected but not yet scientifically proven.”
“After a review of the evidence, the committee advised that the clusters of microcephaly and other neurological complications constitute an extraordinary event and public health threat to other parts of the world,” Chan said.
She said an international coordinated response was necessary, although there was no reason to introduce restrictions on travel or trade. Mosquito control was the top concern, she said.
The designation was recommended by a committee of independent experts, and should help fast-track international action and research priorities.
Chan advised pregnant women to take measures to protect themselves.
“If you can delay travel and it does not affect your other family commitments, it is something they can consider,” she said. “If they need to travel, they can get advice from their physician and take personal protective measures, like wearing long sleeves and shirts and pants and use mosquito repellent.”
In a nondescript office in London, a small group of experts and patient advocates have made a momentous decision that could forever change the human condition. The U.K.’s Human Fertilization and Embryo Authority (HFEA) decided to approve a researcher’s request to use CRISPR to permanently change DNA in a human embryo.
It’s the first time the technology, which has taken the medical world by storm, has been sanctioned for use on human embryos. The team of scientists led by Kathy Niakan, a biologist at Francis Crick Institute, will attempt to edit out bits of DNA that prevent an embryo from developing properly—which may answer important questions about infertility. The embryo would not be allowed to survive beyond 14 days—meaning they wouldn’t be implanted into a woman’s womb and grown into live babies.
“I promise you she has no intention of the embryos ever being put back into a woman for development,” Robin Lovell-Badge, group leader at the Crick Institute, told TIME. “That wouldn’t be the point. The point is to understand things about basic human biology. We know lots about how the early mouse embryo develops in terms of how various cell lineages give rise to the embryo or to [other] tissue that make up the placenta. But we know very little about how this happens in the human embryo.”
Still, the experiment raises serious questions about how the powerful technique should be used. CRISPR opens the door to an unprecedented level of control over the human genome. Older techniques for editing DNA have been blunt and unreliable at best; CRISPR, on the other hand, is quickly emerging as the precision blade to those butter-knife approaches.
CRISPR allows scientists to precisely snip out and replace genes, and for the first time, the newly green-lit experiment will apply this to the so-called germline cells in an embryo—the DNA in an embryo so early in its development that all of its resulting cells will carry the change—and pass it on to the next generation. Monday’s decision has been eagerly anticipated by scientists around the world.
Neither the President, the Prime Minister nor any other minister had given orders to arrest former President's son Yoshitha Rajapaksa a deputy minister and a state Minister said today.
Neither the President, the Prime Minister nor any other minister had given orders to arrest former President's son Yoshitha Rajapaksa a deputy minister and a state Minister said today.
