World News and Trends- Southern Africa: Hunger may affect millions
The following summary was included in a report from Maseru, Lesotho, to The Independent on Sunday: "The World Food Programme is warning that it may soon have to feed up to 8 million people in Southern Africa as famine stalks a region wracked by drought, floods, economic mismanagement and political instability."
Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland are all experiencing a cocktail of crises, both natural and man-made. This includes much of the geography of Southern Africa.
When fact-finding missions report their discoveries affecting some six countries, the figure of eight million may soon double or even triple. Some estimate that at least 20 million people may be at serious risk from famine, and this may be the worst food shortage in some 60 years.
Starving children scavenge for berries in drought-ridden and politically chaotic Zimbabwe. Convoys of food aid have already been hijacked by pro-Mugabe thugs and distributed exclusively to their political supporters. In Malawi the average life expectancy is about 37 years, with a literacy rate of 56 percent. It is estimated that "in Malawi alone, at least two million of its 11 million population will die."
Truly the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are already riding high in this area of Africa. However, U.S. officials are preparing a major response to cope with this huge food crisis. "What's unfolding in Southern Africa is very big," acknowledged one official from a U.S. agency for international humanitarian assistance. Thankfully, since God has blessed North America and the Western world with abundant food resources, these countries can help other nations in time of need. (Sources: The Independent on Sunday, The Sunday Telegraph, The Daily Mirror [all London], Reuters, USA Today.)
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John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
Melvin Rhodes
Melvin Rhodes is a member of the United Church of God congregation in Lansing, Michigan.
Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
