In The News

Wired: To Save Florida’s Oranges, Scientists Race to Weaponize a Virus

Megan Molteni April 19, 2017
A disease known as citrus greening, spread by the bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus and the psyllid as insect vector, has infected about 90 percent of Florida’s orange groves. Scientists try traditional breeding and genetic engineering methods as well as chemical and heat treatments to slow the disease's spread without luck. One citrus company “is developing something more like an...

Market Pulse: Theresa May Seeks Snap UK Election To Get Brexit Backing

Dean Popplewell April 19, 2017
British voters narrowly approved leaving the European Union a year ago, but political leaders are divided over how to proceed. So Prime Minister Theresa May is taking a gamble by calling for a snap election on June 8 in hopes of consolidating power behind a conservative approach and slowing opposition to details as she prepares to negotiate with the EU. The early election requires approval from...

The Guardian: Who Are the New Jihadis?

Olivier Roy April 18, 2017
The contemporary terrorist’s brutal acts against symbolic targets are centered around his or her own death, explains author Olivier Roy in an essay for the Guardian. “Muslim tradition, while it recognises the merits of the martyr who dies in combat, does not prize those who strike out in pursuit of their own deaths, because doing so interferes with God’s will,” he writes. Roy describes jihadism...

Deutsche Welle: Turkey's Referendum Result Could Scare Off Investors

Rolf Wenkel April 18, 2017
Turkish voters narrowly approved a referendum, by 51 percent, to replace its parliamentary system with a strong presidency. That could cement power for the current president over the next decade, though opposition leaders object to last-minute changes in voting procedures. Investors will watch closely how political leaders handle the transition as well as minorities, including Kurds who make up...

Prospect Magazine: Gibraltar Dispute Is a Sign of Things to Come

James Black April 17, 2017
As Britain prepares to formally leave the European Union, it is facing a dilemma over Gibraltar’s sovereignty. Although “EU negotiating guidelines make clear that Madrid should have a say on any agreement affecting the territory,” writes James Black for Prospect Magazine, the UK is unwilling to let go of the territory that it has held since 1713. Due to its southern location, the tiny peninsula “...

Caixin: US Hospitals See Opportunities in China

Coco Feng April 17, 2017
China’s growing middle class increasingly seeks state-of-the-art medical treatment, with about 500,000 Chinese traveled overseas for medical treatment in 2016. Japan, South Korea and the United States were the leading destinations, but more foreign hospitals are headed to China. “Two American hospitals have become the latest addition to a growing list of about 100 foreign clinics that have...

The Diplomat: British Trainers Quietly Help Shape North Korean Education

Charlotte Fitzek April 14, 2017
Education in any topic and choices made by teachers can transform attitudes over time. For 17 years, the British Council has run an English Language Teacher Training Program in North Korea. “Against all odds, this program has grown,” including teachers outside of Pyongyang, and focusing on “best practices and methodology,” notes Charlotte Fitzek for the Diplomat. The project – one of the few...