News Headlines - 28 November 2018

▽China orders inquiry into 'world's first gene-edited babies' | The Guardian

A Chinese scientist’s claim that he has created the world’s first genetically edited babies has prompted global outcry and an investigation by Chinese health authorities.
In a video posted on Sunday, university professor He Jiankui announced the birth of twin girls whose DNA had been edited to prevent HIV infection. He said the twins’ DNA was modified using CRISPR-Cas9, a technique that allows scientists to remove and replace a strand with pinpoint precision.
Editing the genes of embryos, which can alter other genes, is banned in many countries because DNA changes, which will be passed to future generations, could have unforeseen effects on the entire gene pool.

▽TEPCO and state slapped with new lawsuit over nuclear crisis：The Asahi Shimbun

The lawsuit was filed at the Fukushima District Court on Nov. 27 after five years of negotiations between the town and TEPCO collapsed in April over the utility's refusal to meet demands for more compensation.
According to court papers, 109 plaintiffs of 49 households are seeking 12.1 million yen in individual compensation... TEPCO, under guidelines established by the central government, has been paying 100,000 yen a month to each resident forced to evacuate.
However, town officials argued that the figure was painfully low and should be increased to compensate for psychological suffering caused by the disaster.

▽$18M of cocaine found in boxes of bananas donated to Texas prisons | Daily Mail Online

Nearly $18million-worth of cocaine was found in a shipment of bananas donated to the Texas prison system.
Ports of America in Freeport offered two pallets of the bananas to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice because the shipment hadn't been claimed and the fruit was already ripe.
Two sergeants with the Wayne Scott Unit - a prison facility south of Houston - were unloading the bananas when they noticed one box that felt heavier than the others.

▽Stephen Hillenburg Dead: SpongeBob Squarepants’ Creator Was 57 – Variety

Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of the megahit Nickelodeon cartoon series “SpongeBob SquarePants,” died on Monday. He was 57.
The cause of death was ALS, which Hillenburg revealed he had been diagnosed with in March of last year.

▽Milan coach hits back as Italy's deputy PM slams his game plan - The Local

AC Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso told Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini to focus on politics and not football after criticising his game plan in a Sunday's 1-1 draw against Lazio... Asked about Salvini's comments, Gattuso said: "I don't talk about politics because I don't understand anything.
"I tell him to think about politics because with all the problems we have in our country, if the deputy prime minister is talking about football, it means that we are in a bad way."