Gene

• 펜타곤은 Project Maven의 일환으로 2025년 12월 GenAI.mil을 출시하여 약 300만 명의 국방부(Department of Defense) 직원에게 보안 생성형 AI 액세스를 제공했습니다. • 이 플랫폼에는 Anthropic의 Claude, Google의 Gemini, xAI의 Grok, OpenAI의 ChatGPT를 포함한 여러 주요 AI 모델이 내장되어 있어 군사 작전 전반에 걸친 광범위한 AI 도입이 가능해졌습니다. • 이번 이니셔티브는 첨단 AI 역량을 국방 작전에 통합하려는 미국 군의 전략적 우선순위를 반영하며, 이중 용도(dual-use) AI 기술에 대한 정부의 상당한 투자를 보여줍니다.

• 매슈 페니쿡(Matthew Pennycook) 장관은 주택 공급에 타격을 주고 법적 함정에 빠지는 것을 피하기 위해 리스홀드(Leasehold) 제도 폐지는 서서히 진행되어야 한다고 말했습니다. • 주택부 장관은 정부의 단계적인 제도 해체 시도를 옹호하며, 잉글랜드와 웨일스의 신규 리스홀드 부동산 금지 조치가 다음 선거 이후에나 시행될 가능성이 높다고 밝혔습니다. • 2024년에 신축 주택에 대한 리스홀드 금지가 통과되었고 정부가 신축 아파트에 대해서도 곧 통과시킬 계획임에도 불구하고, 오랫동안 약속된 제도 종료까지는 "전환"하는 데 수년이 걸릴 것이라고 매슈 페니쿡 장관은 언급했습니다.

• 공화당 소속 Chris Carr가 기소를 통해 주지사 출마 가능성을 되살리려 한다는 비난을 받고 있으며, 이는 ‘죽어가는 자의 마지막 숨결’과 같다는 평가가 나오고 있다. • 조지아주의 최고 법 집행 책임자인 Chris Carr 법무장관은 ‘캅 시티(Cop City)’로 알려진 애틀랜타 경찰 훈련 센터 시위자들을 대상으로 새로운 기소를 제기함으로써, 자신의 직위를 이용해 정치적 입지를 넓히려 한다는 비난을 받고 있다. • “안티파(antifa)에 맞서 전선을 유지하겠다”는 허풍 속에서도, Chris Carr 법무장관은 지난주 후반 3명의 활동가를 기소한다고 발표했다. 이는 5월 19일로 예정된 경선 전 여론조사 지지율이 한 자릿수에 머무는 등 주지사 공화당 후보 지명 도전이 난항을 겪고 있는 상황에서 이루어졌다.

Lawsuit alleges DoJ breached transparency law by withholding records on Jeffrey Epstein and over-redacting disclosuresTodd Blanche, the acting attorney general, engaged in a “brazen, shocking, and ongoing violation” of a law requiring the justice department (DoJ) to release the entirety of the so-called Epstein files, a lawsuit filed in Washington DC alleges.The action on Monday by Katie Phang, an investigative journalist and legal analyst, seeks to hold Blanche personally responsible for the DoJ’s alleged failure to publish all the documents the government holds about Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender. A full release was mandated by a landmark transparency act passed by Congress in November, with a deadline of 19 December. Continue reading...

Ellen Mulvey ran up huge betting losses online and wrote ‘addiction is the worst disease’ before she diedA family is calling for wholesale reform of the gambling industry after an inquest heard details of the life and death of Ellen Mulvey, a “generous and caring” woman with a high-flying City job who also had a secret addiction.Mulvey’s family believe she lost hundreds of thousands of pounds gambling without their knowledge, first via mainstream operators and then on unlicensed platforms. Continue reading...

Alex Greenwich says inquest crucial to understand what failures led to Bikram Lama’s death and avoid similar deaths Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe New South Wales attorney-general, Michael Daley, has been urged to order an inquest into the death of Nepali rough sleeper Bikram Lama in Hyde Park.The death of Lama – who was also known as “the birdman” for his love of the area’s pigeons – has prompted widespread calls for change, after Guardian Australia revealed last week that the young migrant’s body lay unnoticed for up to a week in bushes near a busy thoroughfare into St James station. Continue reading...

Trump and first lady were safely evacuated and police arrested Cole Tomas Allen of southern California at eventThe gunman who tried to breach the ballroom at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington DC on Saturday night is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, the acting US attorney general, Todd Blanche, said on Sunday morning.Blanche also said officials believe that the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where he checked in as a guest at the hotel where one of the capital’s glitziest annual events was being held, the Washington Hilton. Continue reading...

Prime minister says his job is not at risk over Mandelson vetting as allies back him against claims of wrongdoingKeir Starmer has said he will lead Labour into the next general election as his Downing Street allies denied claims of any wrongdoing over the appointment and vetting of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, told Sky News’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday show that “no wrongdoing by the prime minister has been proven in relation to Lord Mandelson’s appointment”, adding “the whole situation is regrettable”. Continue reading...

Four men face murder charges in case of 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp, whose body was found in a wooded areaFour people have been arrested in connection to the 1982 killing of a Louisiana teenager, investigators announced on Friday.State police troopers said tips generated by a true-crime podcast they were involved in making – along with improvements in investigative technologies – helped them make arrests in the killing of Roxanne Sharp, 16, about 44 years earlier. Continue reading...

Mandated release of files was marred by missed deadlines, leaked victims’ information and excessive redactionsUS politics live – latest updatesThe US Department of Justice’s office of the inspector general (OIG) announced on Thursday that it is launching an audit of the justice department’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.In a news release, the deputy inspector general William M Blier, who the statement said is performing the duties of the inspector general, said that the “preliminary objective” of the internal probe “is to evaluate the [justice department’s] processes for identifying, redacting, and releasing records in its possession as required by the Act”. Continue reading...

• An international team including University of Oxford, University of Michigan, and others used the Gemini laser and plasma to compress light, creating the most powerful light ever in a lab. • The technique acts as a 'quantum magnifying glass' by focusing light waves, enabling direct study of Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) interactions with the quantum vacuum. • Published in Nature on April 22, 2026, it bridges a 20-year gap between theory and observation, per Prof. Brendan Romey of Queen's University Belfast.

Exclusive: Formby, an ally of Jeremy Corbyn who quit role in 2020, says Labour is now ‘in hock to corporate sponsors’A former Labour general secretary has defected to the Green party, in the latest sign that allies of Jeremy Corbyn are moving in large numbers to Zack Polanski’s party.Jennie Formby, who managed the Labour party from 2018 to 2020, told the Guardian she had signed up as a Green party member and intended to campaign for it before May’s local elections. Continue reading...

• The FDA granted accelerated approval to a CRISPR-based gene therapy for severe sickle cell disease on April 20, marking the first approved genetic treatment editing patient blood cells to produce functional hemoglobin. • Clinical trials demonstrated 95% of treated patients experienced elimination or near-elimination of vaso-occlusive crises within 12 months, with durable responses observed for over two years post-treatment. • The therapy addresses a disease affecting approximately 100,000 Americans, primarily of African descent, offering potential cure for patients previously reliant on pain management and blood transfusions.

Chancellor aims to curb rising household bills as she consults on reforms to weaken link between gas and electricity pricesRachel Reeves is poised to raise the government’s windfall tax on low-carbon electricity generators to help to limit UK household energy bills, the Guardian understands.The chancellor is ready to hike the levy introduced in 2022 to target the excess profits made by the owners of older renewable energy and nuclear plants as electricity market prices soared after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Schwartz was deputy surgeon general under Trump’s first administration and is a rear admiral in the US Coast GuardDonald Trump announced Thursday that he has selected Erica Schwartz to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bringing to an end a months-long search for a permanent head of the troubled public health agency.Trump revealed his choice on Truth Social, saying: “I am pleased to announce the new leadership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is my Honor to nominate the incredibly talented Dr Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH, as my Director of the CDC,” he wrote. “She is a STAR!” Continue reading...

Exclusive: A trove of previously redacted documents was filed as part of the tech giant’s anti-trust battle with the state of California. Amazon denies it engages in price-fixingHundreds of previously redacted records reveal how Amazon has pressured independent sellers using its platform into raising their prices on the sites of competitors like Walmart and Target, so that Amazon can appear to have lower prices, California authorities allege.The global conglomerate became concerned even if a competitor was selling an item for as little as a penny less, according to one segment of the newly unredacted evidence. Continue reading...

• Andreessen Horowitz has successfully closed a $15 billion fund dedicated to artificial intelligence startups, representing one of the largest venture capital commitments to the AI sector. • The fund targets investment opportunities across healthcare, enterprise software, and robotics sectors, focusing on companies leveraging generative AI technologies. • The massive capital commitment reflects continued investor confidence in AI-driven innovation despite broader market dynamics and demonstrates venture capital's long-term commitment to the generative AI space.

• Former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke has announced plans to seek sanctions against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, accusing him of making an "outright lie." • The legal action represents escalating political conflict between O'Rourke and state leadership over unspecified disputed statements or conduct. • The case highlights ongoing partisan disputes within Texas politics involving high-profile Democratic and Republican figures.

• U.S. Energy Secretary visited the DIII-D National Fusion Facility at General Atomics, the largest magnetic fusion research site in the United States, on April 14, 2026. • During the tour, Secretary Wright, along with executives Gil and Prochaska, engaged with DOE-funded scientists and engineers advancing fusion power plant technologies. • The visit highlights fusion as a promising energy breakthrough, with the secretary calling it 'what powers the stars and why I went to MIT.'

• Researchers have developed a compact CRISPR system capable of achieving up to 90% efficiency in targeted in-body gene editing applications. • The breakthrough addresses previous limitations of CRISPR technology, enabling more precise genetic modifications for therapeutic purposes. • This advancement could significantly improve treatment options for genetic disorders and certain cancers by allowing safer, more effective gene therapy interventions.

Exclusive: Pre-chemotherapy tests previously did not look for gene variant that put some ethnicities at higher risk of serious side effectsThousands of cancer patients from minority ethnic backgrounds will have access to “groundbreaking” genetic testing on the NHS that previously discriminated against them.This routine form of genetic testing, used before chemotherapy treatment, could save the lives of Black and minority ethnic cancer patients who already face poorer health outcomes after diagnosis compared with their white counterparts. Continue reading...

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) achieved a $15 billion annual run rate in AI revenue during Q1 2026, according to CEO Andy Jassy's annual shareholder letter. • Amazon's internal chips business now generates over $20 billion per year, supporting AI infrastructure and custom silicon development. • The figures underscore Amazon's aggressive push into AI and cloud computing dominance amid intensifying competition from Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

• The UN General Assembly voted 142-28 on April 8, 2026, to approve $500 million humanitarian corridor for 1.2 million Myanmar refugees in Bangladesh. • Resolution, led by US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, demands junta access for aid convoys amid Rohingya crisis escalation. • It underscores US push for democracy restoration post-2021 coup, with China and Russia opposing as 'interference'; camps report 20% rise in malnutrition.

• US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Geneva on April 8, 2026, to discuss de-escalating trade tensions after new US tariffs on Chinese EVs and semiconductors. • The talks addressed a $50 billion US trade deficit with China and Beijing's retaliatory duties on US agricultural goods, with both sides agreeing to a 90-day tariff freeze. • The negotiations matter as they could avert a global economic slowdown, with IMF warning of 0.8% GDP hit if tensions worsen; Wall Street rallied 1.2% on the news.

• NIH awarded $500 million in grants on April 7, 2026, to 15 US institutions for CRISPR-based gene therapies addressing 100,000 Americans with sickle cell disease. • Phase 2 trials at Boston Children's show 94% pain crisis reduction; total funding supports 200 patients over five years. • Initiative responds to 17% US mortality drop goal by 2030; 'Breakthrough for underserved communities,' per NIH Director.

• Microsoft's GitHub is seeing booming traffic and frequent outages as developers deploy AI agents to generate massive volumes of code beyond human capacity. • Companies like Meta are hosting 'tokenmaxxing' contests, intensifying AI agent usage on the platform and straining infrastructure. • This surge reflects the rapid adoption of AI in software development, highlighting both productivity gains and operational challenges for major platforms.

Bread and biscuits made from Crispr-edited wheat showed substantially reduced acrylamide levels, even after toastingGene-edited wheat which can make bread less carcinogenic when toasted has been successfully developed by scientists.Researchers at Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, used Crispr genome editing which allows researchers to selectively edit the DNA of living organisms. This revolutionary technology was adapted for use in the laboratory from naturally occurring genome editing systems found in bacteria. Continue reading...

Fake image of airman surrounded by smiling military members has been reshared more than 21,000 times on the X platformSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxRepublican politicians were hoaxed over the weekend by an image purporting to be a downed US warplane crew member rescued by military special forces in Iran on Saturday, igniting a call for a national “crash course in media literacy”.Greg Abbott, the Texas governor, Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general and a US senate candidate and Mike Lawler, a New York representative, were all caught out for “liking” a fake picture of the airman, who has not been publicly identified. Continue reading...