CHINA A Chinese scientist who set off an ethical debate with claims that he had made the world’s first genetically edited babies was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison because of his research, state media said. He Jiankui, who was convicted of practicing medicine without a license, was also fined 3 million yuan by a court in the southern city of Shenzhen.
PHILIPPINES President Rodrigo Duterte continued his attacks on a local television network he’s accused in the past of bias, and urged owners of ABS-CBN Corp. to sell before its franchise expires in March. Duterte suggested the media firm’s franchise renewal is uncertain. He had earlier threatened to block the network’s bid to extend the franchise for 25 years.
AUSTRALIA’s Jewish community has slammed an Israeli government decision to promote to the post of health minister a legislator who is suspected of aiding an alleged sexual abuser wanted in Australia. The Israeli government on Sunday appointed Yaacov Litzman as health minister, sparking a litany of condemnations from Australia’s staunchly pro-Israel Jewish community.
TURKEY’s main opposition party said yesterday it does not support the government’s plans to deploy troops to Libya, saying the move would embroil Turkey in another conflict and make it a party to the “shedding of Muslim blood.”
SUDAN A court yesterday sentenced 27 members of the country’s security forces to death for torturing and killing a detained protester during the uprising against longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir earlier this year.
RUSSIA-IRAN Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers is in danger of “falling apart” without the compliance of the United States and the European Union, Russia’s foreign minister warned yesterday after meeting with his Iranian counterpart in Moscow. The 2015 deal between Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear program. The U.S. withdrew from the accord last year and imposed crippling economic sanctions that block Iran from selling crude oil abroad.
RUSSIA President Vladimir Putin called his U.S. President Donald Trump to thank him for intelligence that helped prevent terrorist acts as the country prepares to celebrate the New Year’s holidays. While the Kremlin didn’t provide any details in its statement, the Federal Security Service, or FSB, said it arrested two people in St. Petersburg who were planning attacks during the holidays based on information from the U.S. special services.
GERMANY Police said a person apparently fired several shots at a shop in central Berlin and an operation is under way. A tweet from police didn’t specify whether anyone was hurt in the incident in the Friedrichstrasse area yesterday and didn’t give any further information, other than to say that the apparent perpetrator wasn’t identified.
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