03 World News | Pakistan Pays & Meat Wars

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China and Taiwan are officially recognized by the US as under one banner of “One China”. The Taiwanese however do not recognize mainland China’s legitimacy, since the civil war between Taiwan and China 69 years ago. The Chinese have since traded military displays in the Taiwan strait between the two territories. The United States now however is getting kushty with Taiwan. Opening travel options for their elites and providing them with submarine tech. China, is not happy. Papers on the mainland are tooting the war horns with a trend rising that a Chinese takeover of the island is not too far away. With China’s second aircraft carrier being tested next month a Taiwan takeover could be a nice tester. It is widely known by all sides a total takeover of Taiwan is extremely risky for china.

If you live in Seoul, South Korea, don’t go outside. Stay home and hold your breath. A fine dust has covered the city comprising of a concentration of air pollutants at “alarmingly high levels”. The Korea Meteorological Administration say the density of the dust is between 81 to 150 micrograms per cubic meter. Maximum levels have been recorded as high as 257 micrograms per cubic meter. This home grown apocalypse has been worsened by a yellow dust sweeping in from China over the last few days.

Pakistan is set to soon borrow $13bn this next fiscal year. The largest single loan amount in Pakistan's 71 year history. The last eight months has already seen Pakistan borrow $7.3bn. These amounts do not include money borrowed from the IMF. Pakistan do not want another bail out from the IMF so are relying heavily on extensive foreign borrowings to stay afloat, with China lending largest sums so far. Pakistan's national debt clock reads $ 208,536,556,373.

Silicon Valley has made a few enemies. This time, from the beef industry. Cell-cultured meat or laboratory grown meat is being herded or rounded up or shepherded into a constrained position by the existing meat industry. Meat made without the use of livestock and all the costs involved may be extremely disruptive to existing meat distributors. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is under pressure to label the “clean laboratory meat” as no different to existing meat produce. Why? Because cell-cultured meat currently has no influence on this market. Without being able to use their unique selling point of “clean meat” they will not disrupt the current meat market. A chess game worth watching!”

A German Tech Startup named Green City have devised a bench named CityTree. CityTree absorbs pollution from the surrounding air much like trees do. In fact the CityTree bench absorbs as much pollution as 275 real trees; filtering up to 240 metric tons of carbon dioxide every year. Using a combination of different plants and moss this ingenious bench maintains our air whilst it maintains itself. How? It houses it own rainwater storage tank so it can water itself, solar panels to power its on board environment data sensors and it looks nice. Already being deployed across Europe, get on social media and show them some love.

The Atlantic Ocean carries warm water up north from the equator, and brings cold water south through the deep ocean currents. This circulation maintains temperate weather patterns and fisheries off the US mainland. This circulation however is at it slowest level compared to the last 1,000 years. Mr. Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany said this is “something that climate models have predicted for a long time, but we weren’t sure it was really happening. I think it is happening… And I think it’s bad news”. Greenland is melting, and this new icy water is dossing about on the ocean surface and interfering with the system. If the water continues to slow the sea level will continue to rise on the east coast of the US (as the water is currently pushed right towards Europe).

Spain is still holding the politicians involved with the Catalonians independence movement. Spain does not want to lose Barcelona but police say 315,000 protesters have take to the streets in Barcelona to demand the release of their separatist politicians. Catalonia's leaders have been in prison for 6 months since Spain has chosen not to accept the independence vote. The charges for imprisonment are for ‘acts of rebellion’ which carry a weighty 30 years each. regional union leader Camil Ros says "The majority of Catalans, regardless of their political position, agree that pre-trial jail is not justified”.