--- title: "While you were sleeping: 27th January 2017" description: "Mexico hits back at Trump's wall plans, Man United progress to League Cup final, and a pig-human embryo created successfully." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "Newsdeck" author: "John Stupart" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/johnstupart/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-01-27-while-you-were-sleeping-27th-january-2017/" published: "2017-01-27T05:56:16" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 669 --- # While you were sleeping: 27th January 2017 > Mexico hits back at Trump's wall plans, Man United progress to League Cup final, and a pig-human embryo created successfully. By John Stupart · Published 27 January 2017, 07:56 SAST ## Content **TGIF, 27th January 2017** *“Sometimes skulls are thick. Sometimes hearts are vacant. Sometimes words don't work. ”* **James J Frey** ![Op-Ed: Independence of Western Sahara is an inalienable right](https://i1.createsend1.com/ei/d/5B/5E3/021/csimport/849x493q70Merten-bodyguard-Parly-Diary1.050616.jpg) STORY OF THE DAY [Parliament: Security grip at the National Legislature](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-hrutuld-l-h/) By MARIANNE MERTEN These days, the Secretary to the people’s Parliament, Gengezi Mgidlana, is shadowed by a bodyguard. The reason? That’s not for discussion on public platforms, according to Parliament: “We are not allowed by law to divulge such as details relating to the security of a National Key Point and related matters.” But the bodyguard for its top official, alongside parliamentary offices being made available for the State Security Agency (SSA), is part of an unrelenting creep of security grip at the national legislature. WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING [Mexico cancels US visit over wall](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-hrutuld-l-k/) Mexican President Pena Nieto has cancelled an upcoming meeting with President Donald Trump over demands that his country pays for America's wall. Citing the matter as "non-negotiable", Nieto is now sandwiched between his irate northern neighbour and low approval ratings at home. The White House suggested an alternative 20 percent tax on all Mexican imports but later went back on this, saying it was just one option. [TransCanada applies for Keystone construction](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-hrutuld-l-u/) Canadian company TransCanada has officially filed application papers to build the Keystone XL pipeline. In its statement on Thursday, TransCanada defended the project, insisting the 1,900km pipeline would create tens of thousands of "well-paying jobs", while also generating $3.9-billion for the United States economy. — [Man United book League Cup final spot](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-hrutuld-l-o/) Despite losing 2-1 to Hull City on Thursday, Manchester United have won on aggregate 3-2 in order to proceed to the League Cup final. Manager Jose Mourinho dismissed a late Hull penalty, insisting the game ended 1-1 but seemed nonetheless upbeat about his team's performance. [Scientists create first successful human-pig embryo](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-hrutuld-l-b/) Scientists from the Salk Institute of Biological Studies have been able to create embryos using a combination of human and pig stem cells. In what is guaranteed to call the four horsemen upon us all, the combination successfully paves the way towards artifically growing usable organs for transplant. The procedure was difficult, however, and the ability to grow a heart from stem cells, for example, is still a long way off. — IN NUMBERS 4 The number of chambers in a sloth's stomach. FACTS OF THE DAY Today is **International Holocaust Remembrance Day**. Early South American humans used to hunt**car-sized armadillos** called Glyptodon. They would use the shells for housing. 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