News

January brought record-setting summer weather to New Zealand. In the eastern parts of the country, extreme drought is causing problems. Yet, in the west of the South Island, rainfall has been more than double what is typical, and the flooding rains are causing problems for farmers and leaving damaged and water-logged pastures. Dry conditions in the east are rivaling or breaking records that have stood for 100 years (New Zealand Herald, January 31, 2017).

Iran is testing the waters with the new American President. “Iran conducted its first ballistic missile test under Donald Trump’s presidency… U.N. resolution 2231—put in place days after the Iran nuclear deal was signed—calls on the Islamic Republic not to conduct such tests. However, this is at least Iran’s second such test since July” (Fox News, January 30, 2017).

“Brazil’s president on Monday ordered 200 troops to the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, where a police strike in recent days sparked a wave of violence including what is already believed to be dozens of murders.

This week, Iran defiantly tested a ballistic missile in apparent violation of the 2015 nuclear deal reached with world powers (The Independent, February 1, 2017).

According to the Marine Corps Times, “male and female infantry Marines [are] to share tents in the field” as the integration of females into combat roles gains momentum (January 25, 2017). One officer stated, “We’re not changing any of our tactical posture or breaking unit cohesion or adjusting anything to accommodate mixed genders while we’re operating in a field environment replicating tactical conditions” (ibid.).