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“E coli microbes have been modified to carry an expanded genetic code which researchers say will ultimately allow them to be programmed… Now, the first living organisms to thrive with an expanded genetic code have been made by researchers in work that paves the way for the creation and exploitation of entirely new life forms” (The Guardian, January, 24, 2017).
The 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) recently met in the Philippines and were “unanimous in their expression of concern about what they see as a militarization of the region” (Reuters, February 21, 2017).
“The world is ‘on the brink’ of a ‘post-Western age’, a leading German think tank has warned” (EU Observer, February 14, 2017). The Munich Security Conference (MSC) report suggested that the age we may now be entering is “one in which non-Western actors are shaping international affairs”—a reference to nations such as China, Russia, and Turkey (ibid.). The MSC...
“Scientists warn that parts of southern Africa already hit by record droughts now face another potential food crisis because [of] the invasion of a crop-eating pest, known as the ‘fall armyworm’” (BBC, February 14, 2017). Experts are unsure of how this caterpillar, native to the Americas, arrived in Africa, and the pest has arrived following two years of drought...
China “accounted for a third of Asia’s military spending in 2016 and was looking to sell more arms abroad, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said… On air power, China ‘appears to be reaching near-parity with the West,’ IISS said, adding that Chinese-made drones had been seen in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia” (Deutsche Welle, February 14, 2017...
The summer of 2017 could see historic changes in Europe. The Brits will begin their exit from the EU, and “the Netherlands, France and Germany are holding general elections this year, in which populist anti-EU parties are expected to make strong showings” (The Telegraph, February 11, 2017).
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...
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,...
“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.
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...