North and South Korea have exchanged artillery fire across the Demilitarized Zone. The North initiated the attacks to protest the joint military maneuvers between South Korea and the US. But both sides have been waging an intense propaganda war that have aggravated tensions. These exchanges are not unusual on the Koran peninsula. Typically, they do not lead to wider conflicts, but every time they happen there is always a danger of one side or the other making a miscalculation or a mistake.
According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), July was the warmest month recorded since records started being kept in 1880. According to the Los Angeles Times:
“The new record was fueled by the oceans. Across the globe, the average sea surface temperature in July was 62.85 degrees F, 0.13 degrees higher than the previous monthly record (set in July 2014) and 1.35 degrees higher than the average for the 20th century. All 10 of the hottest months for sea surface temperatures have occurred since April 2014, the NOAA report noted.”
Land temperatures were also very high. The situation is likely to get worse as the el Niño strengthens in the winter.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has resigned in an attempt to form a new government which might give him more support that his bitterly divided party, Syriza. Tsipras has been forced to back down from his earlier hard-line positions vis-a-vis the troika, and many members of his party consider him a traitor. Without solid party support, Tsipras will be unable to govern effectively. He is hoping that new elections will give him a more effective political base. The risk is quite high, but Tsipras likely does not have much of a choice. In a month we will have the decision of the Greek voters.
World Politics News 
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