Guns and healthcare have been the focal point of the latest Democratic debate, still underway. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have featured almost totally in the debate, with each candidate sniping at each other in the hopes of clinching a February poll in Iowa. Clinton has criticised Sanders’ lax gun control policy and univeral Medicare notions. With Sanders now leading Iowa and New Hampshire polls in some area, the fear of the Clinton campaign is as real as Trump’s xenophobia.

Burkina Faso and Mali are to cooperate in the wake of the former’s deadly terrorist attacks. With at least 28 killed in al-Qaeda attacks, the two countries have resolved to share intelligence and security patrol responsibilities. Whether this will materialise into any real, constructive counterterrorism plan is unlikely, however. With both countries failing to fight terrorism in their own respective neighbourhoods, sharing the problem will not help.

China is to implement a reserve requirement ratio (RRR) on some banks. Those involved in the offshore Yuan markets will be subject to RRR, which in practice should curtail currency speculation. The currency has devalued sharply in recent weeks, and the RRR announcement may alleviate some fears of the People’s Bank of China consideration towards simply devaluing the currency.

SpaceX has successfully launched a climate satellite, but experienced a failed ocean landing of its rocket. Landing at too high a speed resulted in a broken landing leg. This is the third attempt by SpaceX to achieve landing in the water by one of its rockets. Although the successful satellite launch is praiseworthy, the real advantage of this mission lay in the ability to safely land its rocket. Nonetheless, a broken leg is definitely better than a giant fiery explosion.

If you thought tennis was immune from match fixing, think again. Allegations have surfaced from the BBC and Buzzfeed News (which is a thing now) that at least 16 top 50 players have been reported to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) for throwing games, including Wimbledon. It appears as though these players, who remain unnamed at present, have thrust the game into disrepute.

Fact of the day: Switchblade knives are illegal in Michigan. Illegal for everyone, that is, except one-armed people.