Environment

The World Health Organization (WHO) has given the green light for the 2016 Rio Olympics to go ahead, despite the high risk the Zika virus outbreak poses to visitors.  In a surprising move WHO said they would not postpone or move the games, saying that they believed the games would “not significantly alter” the spread of the virus. BBC News reports: In an open letter to the WHO, more than 100 leading scientists had said new findings about Zika made it “unethical” for the Games to go ahead. They also said the global health body should revisit its Zika guidance.

The University of California have warned that 93% of the American public have tested positive for Monsanto’s carcinogenic Glyphosate herbicide.  The Detox Project, using laboratories at the University of California San Francisco, found traces of the poisonous herbicide in the urine of 93% of participants.

Donald Trump told voters on Friday that the California drought is actually a government conspiracy to deprive them of water.  The presumptive Republican presidential nominee told a rally in Freno, California, that there is no drought in California, and accused state officials of secretly taking water to Central Valley farmers so that they could send it out to sea “to protect a certain kind of three-inch fish.” Yahoo News reports: “We’re going to solve your water problem. You have a water problem that is so insane.

China are to deploy nuclear submarines to the Pacific Ocean for the very first time, in a move that risks escalating an arms race with the U.S. Chinese military officials are refusing to comment, but it is thought they were left with no choice after the U.S. expanded its missile defence operation in the disputed South China islands region. Foxnews.com reports: The report comes days after U.S. President Barack Obama announced that he had lifted a decades-long arms embargo against Vietnam.

A British scientist has been given the go-ahead to create the world’s first genetically modified baby and has begun preparatory work following the decision.  Dr Kathy Niakan, of the Francis Crick Institute, will be allowed to genetically modify human embryos, using gene editing techniques on donated human embryos by fertility treatment patients. Telegraph.co.uk reports: Despite the approval, the start of research may still be months away due to the difficulties of obtaining sufficient embryos. The controversial project is thought to mark the second time the procedure will be undertaken.