News

The fall armyworm is now present in 38 African nations, including the Cape Verde Islands (Deutsche Welle, November 24, 2017). The worms are extremely destructive and feed on over 80 plant species, including the all-important staple crop of maize (corn). Experts fear that half of Africa’s agricultural crops could be destroyed by the blight in years to come—wiping out billions of dollars in income for mostly small farms.

Just prior to the recent German elections, former German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg spoke at a rally in Bavaria, where 1,000 people came to support him (Financial Times, September 1, 2017). Guttenberg resigned from his government post seven years ago due to a plagiarism scandal and moved to New York, where he has continued to speak out on European affairs and the need for stronger leadership in the EU.

Recently, Saudi Arabia summoned Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to Riyadh where he was apparently ordered to follow the peace plan being written up by the Trump administration (The Times, November 14, 2017).