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Narcolepsy, cancer tipped as Medicine Prize opens Nobel week
Narcolepsy, cancer, or mRNA vaccine research could win the Nobel Medicine Prize on Monday when a week of announcements kicks off, but experts see no clear frontrunner for the Peace Prize. The awards, first handed out in 1901, were created by Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel in his 1895 will to celebrate those who have "conferred the greatest benefit on mankind." The Medicine Prize is first out and will be announced in Stockholm on Monday around 11:30 a.m. (0930 GMT), followed by the awards for physics on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday, and literature on Thursday. The Peace Prize, the most highly-anticipated Nobel and the only one announced in Oslo, will follow on Friday, before the Economics Prize rounds things off on October 9. The Medicine Prize has over the years crowned groundbreaking discoveries like the X-ray, penicillin, insulin, and DNA -- as well as now-disgraced awards for lobotomy and the insecticide DDT. Several Nobel watchers have suggested this year's prize could go to research into narcolepsy and the discovery of orexin, a neuropeptide that helps regulate sleep. It could also go to Hungarian-born Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman of the United States for research that led directly to the first mRNA vaccines to fight COVID-19, made by Pfizer and Moderna. Their discovery has already won a slew of major medicine prizes, but the Nobel committee nowadays often waits decades to bestow its laurels to ensure the research stands the test of time. "Maybe the Academy thinks it needs to look into it more, but someday they should win," predicted Annika Ostman, science reporter at Swedish public radio SR. Gene engineering and IceCube telescope But Ostman said her guess for this year was on Kevan Shokat, an American biologist who figured out how to block the KRAS cancer gene behind a third of cancers, including challenging-to-treat lung, colon, and pancreatic tumors. T-cell therapy for cancer treatment and work on the human microbiome could also be contenders, said David Pendlebury, head of the Clarivate Analytics group which identifies Nobel-worthy research. "There are more people deserving of a Nobel Prize than there are Nobels to go around," he told AFP. Lars Brostrom, Ostman's colleague at SR, singled out two American biologists, Stanislas Leibler, and Michael Elowitz, for their work on synthetic gene circuits which established the field of synthetic biology. It enables scientists to redesign organisms by engineering them to have new abilities. But Brostrom noted the field could be seen as controversial, raising "ethical questions about where to draw the line in creating life". For the Physics Prize, twisted graphene or the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica were seen as possible winners, as well as the development of high-density data storage in the field of spintronics. Peace Prize to Iranian women? For Wednesday's Chemistry Prize, Pendlebury suggested next-generation DNA sequencing could get the nod, or research into how to target and deliver drugs to genes. Brostrom said he would love to see it go to US-based chemist Omar Yaghi for his work into porous materials known as MOFs, which can absorb poisonous gases or harvest water from desert air, and is an "important field for the future" with enormous potential for the environment. Criticism over a lack of gender and geographical diversity has plagued the Nobels over the years. US-based men have dominated the science fields, while women account for just six percent of overall laureates -- something the various award committees insist they are addressing. Among the names making the rounds for Thursday's Literature Prize are Russian author and outspoken Putin critic Lyudmila Ulitskaya, Chinese avant-garde writer Can Xue, British author Salman Rushdie, Caribbean-American writer Jamaica Kincaid and Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse. But for the Peace Prize, experts have been scratching their heads over possible winners, as conflicts rage around the globe. Some have pointed to the Iranian women protesting since the death in custody a year ago of Mahsa Amini, arrested for violating Iran's strict dress code imposed on women. Others suggest organizations documenting war crimes in Ukraine, or the International Criminal Court, which could one day be called upon to judge them. "I think that climate change is a really good focus for the Peace Prize this year," Dan Smith, the head of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, told AFP after a year of extreme weather around the world. For the Economics Prize, research on income and wealth inequality could be honored. Recent winners of the Nobel Medicine Prize Here is a list of the winners of the Nobel Medicine Prize in the past 10 years: 2022: Swedish paleogeneticist Svante Paabo for his discoveries on the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution. 2021: US duo David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for discoveries on human receptors responsible for our ability to sense temperature and touch. 2020: Americans Harvey Alter and Charles Rice, together with Briton Michael Houghton, for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus, leading to the development of sensitive blood tests and antiviral drugs. 2019: William Kaelin and Gregg Semenza of the US and Britain's Peter Ratcliffe for establishing the basis of our understanding of how cells react and adapt to different oxygen levels. 2018: Immunologists James Allison of the US and Tasuku Honjo of Japan, for figuring out how to release the immune system's brakes to allow it to attack cancer cells more efficiently. 2017: US geneticists Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael Young for their discoveries on the internal biological clock that governs the wake-sleep cycles of most living things. 2016: Yoshinori Ohsumi of Japan for his work on autophagy -- a process whereby cells "eat themselves" -- which when disrupted can cause Parkinson's and diabetes. 2015: William Campbell, an Irish-US citizen, Satoshi Omura of Japan, and Tu Youyou of China for unlocking treatments for malaria and roundworm. 2014: American-born Briton John O'Keefe, May-Britt Moser, and Edvard I. Moser of Norway for discovering how the brain navigates with an "inner GPS". 2013: Thomas C. Sudhof, a US citizen born in Germany, and James E. Rothman and Randy W. Schekman of the US for work on how the cell organizes its transport system. The post Narcolepsy, cancer tipped as Medicine Prize opens Nobel week appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Indonesia arrests 88 Chinese nationals over love scams
Dozens of Chinese nationals were arrested in Indonesia on suspicion of running an online love scam syndicate that ensnared hundreds of victims in China, police said Wednesday. Acting on a tip-off from their Chinese counterparts, Indonesian police arrested 83 men and five women at an industrial park in Batam city in Riau Islands province on Tuesday. Police said the syndicate blackmailed hundreds of victims in China, many of whom were public officials. "We are investigating if there are any Indonesians among the victims. If there are none, the scammers will be deported immediately," Riau Islands police spokesman Zahwani Pandra Arsyad told AFP on Wednesday. The alleged scammers pretended to have romantic feelings for their victims during video calls. The women scammers are accused of seducing the victims before asking them to engage in sexual acts during the calls while other suspects recorded the videos. The suspects then allegedly blackmailed their victims, threatening to release the videos on social media if they refused to send them money. It is unclear how long the group had been operating and how much they had earned. Police had previously said many scammers had moved to Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries after China cracked down on domestic networks. In 2019, police arrested 85 Chinese nationals and six Indonesians over an online scam that tricked victims out of millions of dollars. str-dsa/jfx/dva © Agence France-Presse The post Indonesia arrests 88 Chinese nationals over love scams appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
China executes South Korean for drug trafficking
China has executed a South Korean national for drug trafficking, Beijing's foreign ministry said, the first time such a sentence has been carried out on a citizen of that country in almost a decade. A court in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou "lawfully pronounced a verdict and executed the South Korean defendant... for drug trafficking" on Friday, the foreign ministry said in a statement. "When defendants of different nationalities commit crimes on Chinese territory, Chinese law shall be applied equally", it added. An official from Seoul's foreign ministry told reporters Friday that "the death penalty was carried out today for a South Korean citizen who was sentenced to death for selling drugs in China". Beijing said the individual, who Chinese officials named Jiang -- which would be rendered Kang in Korean -- had had their "legitimate rights and interests" protected. South Korea expressed "regret that the death penalty has been carried out against our citizen". "The government has made multiple requests for reconsideration or postponement of the execution on humanitarian grounds through various channels since the death sentence was announced," the official said. It is the first execution of a South Korean drug offender by China in nine years, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported. The individual was arrested in China in 2014 in possession of five kilograms of methamphetamine, according to Yonhap. He was sentenced to death in 2019, the agency said. China, the world's top executioner, frequently carries out the death penalty by lethal injection for very serious crimes. The Chinese legal system is tightly controlled by the ruling Communist Party and courts have a near-100 percent conviction rate in criminal cases. Like many countries in the region, China has strict drug laws, and several foreign nationals have been handed death penalties for trafficking in recent years. In 2020, an Australian was sentenced to death in China for drug trafficking. According to Chinese media, he was arrested at Guangzhou airport in December 2013 with more than 7.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in his luggage. And in 2019, China sentenced two Canadian nationals accused of drug trafficking to death at a time when relations with Ottawa were nosediving. Seoul said Friday's execution was "unrelated to the relationship between China and South Korea". The post China executes South Korean for drug trafficking appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BI nets 7 fugitives
The Bureau of Immigration reported on Thursday the arrest of the seven fugitives in Las Piñas which composed of four Chinese national and three Taiwanese. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that they received information that these foreign nationals were wanted fugitives. A mission order was issued against them and they were also arrested for being undesirable aliens. The four Chinese nationals were identified as Zhang Quanbao, Song Tianming, Yu Liming, and Liu Jianxin while the three Taiwanese were identified as Li Yi Liang, Huang Hsin-Chiang and Lin Yue Hong. Tansingco added that an information from authorities revealed a warrants of detention were issued against the four Chinese nationals by the China Public Security Bureau for Contract Fraud, Drug Trafficking, Telecom fraud and theft, respectively. Meanwhile, the Taoyuan and Taichung District Prosecutors’ Offices in Taiwan have issued warrants of arrest against the three Taiwanese fugitives for fraud and offenses of causing bodily harm. The seven fugitives were allegedly worked for a fraud syndicate running an online gaming hub in the Philippines. They are now detained in the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig, pending for their deportation proceedings. The post BI nets 7 fugitives appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Wanted Chinese woman arrested
The Bureau of Immigration at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport recently arrested a female Chinese national wanted for her involvement in human trafficking in Beijing, China. BI Intelligence Division chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. identified the Chinese national as Zheng YuYu, who was intercepted at NAIA Terminal 2 last Saturday. Manahan said members of the BI’s border control and intelligence unit collared Zheng before she could board a Philippine Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco immediately ordered the woman’s commitment to the BI warden facility at Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, where she would remain while undergoing deportation proceedings. The BI Board of Commissioners, meantime, is expected to issue an order for Zheng’s summary deportation and her inclusion in the bureau’s blacklist of undesirable aliens. According to BI-BCIU deputy chief Joseph Cueto, since 9 April this year, Zheng has been on the BI’s wanted list, along with another Chinese national identified as Chen Dongxin, who was charged with deportation by the bureau’s prosecutors for being undesirable aliens. Cueto said that the charges against Zheng and Chen were filed after the Chinese Embassy in Manila informed the Bureau that the two were wanted in their country for large-scale human trafficking. They were both accused of allegedly organizing people to illegally and secretly cross China’s territorial borders. The post Wanted Chinese woman arrested appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
2 Chinese nabbed at NAIA
The Bureau of Immigration reported yesterday the arrest of two Chinese nationals on two separate occasions for violating the country’s immigration laws. Cai XiaoMing, 43, was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 after immigration officers found that he was on the bureau’s list of persons with court-issued hold departure orders. Cai, who arrived from Quanzhou, China, was issued an HDO in September 2019 by the Pangasinan regional trial court after he was criminally charged with tax evasion. The second Chinese national, Wang ZiLi, 27, was also arrested at NAIA 1 terminal as he was about to leave the country for Shanghai. Wang is allegedly one of 16 Chinese nationals who were recently placed on the BI’s watchlist after being informed by the Chinese authorities that they were wanted in China for involvement in economic crimes. Both Cai and Wang were detained at the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that the bureau will continue to intensify its efforts to crack down on foreigners who are violating the country’s immigration laws. “We will not tolerate any foreigner trying to circumvent our immigration laws,” Tansingco said. “We will continue to work closely with our foreign counterparts to ensure that those who are wanted in their countries are brought to justice.” The post 2 Chinese nabbed at NAIA appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Overstaying Chinese collared
The Bureau of Immigration on Tuesday reported the arrest of a Chinese national long wanted by the agency for overstaying and illegally working in the country. In a report given to BI commissioner Norman Tansingco, BI Intelligence Division chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. identified the suspect as Zheng ZongYi, a 30-year-old man who was arrested last 10 May his workplace at the Central Business District in Makati City. Manahan said Zheng has been on the BI’s wanted list since 2021, when it was found that he had never left the country since he arrived on 22 November 2019. During the investigation, it was also revealed that Zheng violated the conditions of his stay as a tourist by engaging in gainful employment here without bothering to apply for a work permit or visa. The BI chief immediately ordered to conduct deportation proceedings against Zheng, whom he described as undesirable for blatantly violating Philippine immigration laws. “Foreigners who deliberately violate our laws do not deserve the privilege to stay in the country. They should be sent out and perpetually banned from coming here again,” Tansingco said. Zheng is now detained at the BI warden facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, pending deportation proceedings. The post Overstaying Chinese collared appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
2 aliens arrested for possession of unregistered Chinese medicines
BY JEFFREY DAMICOG National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents have arrested two foreigners for possession of large volumes of unregistered Chinese medicines and health products in Mabalacat City, Pampanga, officials reported Thursday. NBI Officer-In-Charge Eric Distor identified the two suspects as Chinese woman Bing Liu and Indonesian man Jhon Michael. Distor said […].....»»
100 Chinese arrested in illegal testing lab
At least 100 Chinese were arrested during a raid on an illegal coronavirus disease 2019 testing laboratory in Las Piñas yesterday......»»
92 foreigners held for quarantine violation
Ninety Chinese and two Malaysians allegedly violating health and safety protocols for coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 were arrested during a raid on an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator firm in Bacoor, Cavite on Friday......»»
2 Chinese on BI watchlist over fake hospital
Two Chinese citizens arrested during a raid on a clandestine hospital at Clark Freeport in Pampanga said to be treating coronavirus disease 2019 patients have been placed on the watchlist of the Bureau of Immigration......»»
Danao City ‘gun maker’ nabbed in raid
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A 39-year-old man, who was accused of the illegal manufacture of guns, was arrested in a raid in his residence in Sitio Sapangdako, Barangay Matija, Danao City in northern Cebu, Tuesday dawn, March 26. In a report, the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) said that the raid was based on a.....»»
Tarlac POGO hub raid: Raps filed vs 8 Chinese
Criminal complaints were filed yesterday against eight Chinese who were arrested during a raid at a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Bamban, Tarlac on Wednesday......»»
Chinese fugitive, who became Vanuatu citizen, arrested
Despite changing his citizenship, a Chinese man wanted for various economic crimes was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Feb. 21 as he was about to board a flight for Singapore......»»
Chinese charged with kidnapping arrested
Chinese charged with kidnapping arrested.....»»
43 Chinese nationals engaged in human trafficking deported
In a press release, the BI said that the Chinese citizens are part of the more than 100 foreign nationals previously arrested in Pasay City for the alleged violation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act......»»
3 Chinese nationals nabbed for violating Davao City’s firecracker ban
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 11 February) – Three Chinese nationals who used pyrotechnics to welcome the Chinese New Year here are facing charges for violating City Ordinance 060-02 or the firecracker ban. Arrested by operatives of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) for using pyrotechnics at the Royal Pines Subdivision along Shrine Hills in Matina […].....»»
5 foreigners nabbed in Albay
Four Chinese and a South African have been arrested in separate operations conducted by the Bureau of Immigration in Legazpi, Albay......»»
4 nabbed for kidnap try on Chinese trader
Four persons were arrested for the foiled kidnapping of a Chinese businesswoman in Pasay yesterday, according to the Southern Police District......»»
128 fugitive aliens wanted in their countries nabbed by BI in 2023
A total of 128 foreign fugitives who are wanted for various crimes in their homelands were arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) last year. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that based on a report from BI- fugitive search unit (FSU) head Rendel Ryan Sy, the alien fugitives were captured in various operations that the […].....»»