A former Russian foreign minister recently warned, “The East-West standoff over the Ukraine crisis has brought the threat of nuclear war in Europe closer than at any time since the 1980s” (Reuters, March 19, 2016). “Igor Ivanov, Russia’s foreign minister from 1998 to 2004 and now head of a Moscow-based think-tank founded by the Russian government” also stated, “We have less nuclear warheads, but the risk of them being used is growing’” (ibid.).

On Tuesday, March 22, an ISIS attack at the Brussels international airport and at a metro station killed or injured more than 330 people (Wall Street Journal, March 23, 2016).

“The UN is redoubling efforts to secure emergency food aid for Zimbabwe where a key official… [said] the situation was ‘unprecedented.’ Sixteen million people are now facing hunger across southern Africa… Zimbabwe is facing its worst drought in 25 years. The exceptionally arid weather… has killed around 20,000 cattle over the last few months and left close to three million people facing hunger in the southern African country.