News

For over 300 years Scotland has been part of the UK. Now the Scots are set to vote on September 18 on independence from the UK (Telegraph, August 31, 2014). No one knows the exact outcome of the vote, but the Scottish National Party is already preparing—behind the scenes—for a “no” vote and working to obtain greater political powers for Scotland should such a vote occur (ibid.).

“Leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees on Sunday prodded President Barack Obama to take decisive action against what they say are growing threats from Islamic State militants on U.S. soil” (Associated Press, August 31, 2014). According to U.S. lawmakers, “Those militants now are looking toward the United States or Western Europe for their next targets” (ibid.). “Sen.

A recent National Post headline tells an important story about the growing influence of Egypt and its President: “Israel-Hamas ceasefire solidifies untested Egyptian president as region’s top power broker” (August 26, 2014). The article noted “The Egyptian-brokered ceasefire… has reinforced Egypt’s central position in the Arab world as the only country able to negotiate between Israel and Hamas” (ibid.).

The United States recently attempted the test launch of a hypersonic missile from a base in Alaska. Four seconds after the launch, the missile had to be destroyed (Reuters, August 25, 2014).  Hypersonic missiles can travel at about ten times the speed of sound and are designed to reach any target on earth within an hour (ibid.).