Permits three-person IVF
The House votes by 280 votes to 48 to approve changes to the law allowing fertility clinics to carry out mitochondrial donation. Babies conceived through this technique would have biological material from three different people – a mother, father and a female donor. Around 100 children each year are affected by genetic defects in the mitochondria and in around 10 cases the defects cause severe illnesses such as liver failure, muscle wasting, blindness and brain damage. Direct of Wellcome Trust, Jeremey Farrar:
Families who know what it is like to care for a child with a devastating disease are the people best placed to decide whether mitochondrial donation is the right option for them. Parliament is to be commended for a considered and compassionate decision to give these families that choice, with proper safeguards under the UK’s internationally-admired regulatory system.
Court orders compensation
A New York federal court has ordered compensation of $219 million from the PLO and Palestine Authority for victims of attacks to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Hamas. Families of the victims demand compensation over shootings and bombings in 2002 to 2004 that had killed 33 people and injured over four hundred. Plaintiffs’ lawyer Nitsana Darshan-Leitner:
Now the PLO and the PA know there is a price for supporting terrorism.
The defendants announce that are seeking for appeal. Palestinian Deputy Information Minister, Mahmoud Khalifa:
Deeply disappointed by the adverse decision issued today in a New York court.
Kidnaps villagers
ISIS abducts Christians from the villages in north-eastern Syria, along the banks of the Khabur river near the town of Tal Tamr in Hassakeh province where Assyrians inhabit the area. Activist group:
During the raids, the militants took between 70 and 100 Assyrians captive. 3,000 people had managed to flee the onslaught and sought refuge in the cities of Hassakeh and Qamishli.
56m users drop
56 million people dropped Weibo in the last year, declining from 331 million accounts to 275 million accounts, according to China’s state internet regulator. A study from the University of Hong Kong’s Journalism and Media Studies Center reports ninety-four percent of messages on Weibo are generated by only five percent of its users, and that sixty percent of accounts in Weibo never post messages. Chinese users have to hand over personal information to the Chinese government before they can use social media. Many users are opting to use WeChat, a mobile messaging platform that allows users to send messages privately to their friends.
Season 3 DVD announcement
Home Entertainment releases the complete third season of Longmire on DVD. The DVD contains two discs and a ten episode set. WBHEG:
With this release, fans will be able to dive even deeper into the drama of this contemporary Western’s thrilling third season.
Attend Oscars
Teigen and Legend arrive at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre. Legend will perform Glory, the Oscar-nominated song with Common. Legend:
It’s going to be special. We just performed it at the Grammys so we wanted to do something different.