Germany: Seeking energy savings

Germany

Discount grocery retailer Aldi Nord announced Oct. 18 its stores will close early this winter to cut energy costs amid an ongoing crisis caused by the lack of Russian oil and natural gas. Aldi Nord stores in large cities like Hannover and Hamburg will close at 8 p.m., two hours earlier than usual. National energy ­saving measures also restrict illuminated advertising after 10 p.m. and lighting of public monuments. In most public buildings, halls and corridors will not be heated and office temperatures will be limited to 66 degrees F. Amid shortages, Germany has committed to reducing its gas consumption by 20 percent. —Jenny Lind Schmitt

Nigeria

Fulani herdsmen descended on a community in ­central Benue state in October, ­killing dozens of Christians in two days of violence. State and community leaders said authorities in the Gbeji community recovered 36 bodies, with others missing. Terumbur Kartyo, a local council chairman in the state, told Morning Star News more than 70 people died. Authorities said the killings were likely a reprisal attack for the death of five Fulani herders in the area. The nomadic, largely Muslim cattle herders have increasingly clashed with predominantly Christian farmers across ­central Nigeria. Community leaders urged federal authorities to set up military posts around Gbeji and ­surrounding communities. Nigeria is also battling violence from Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province. Late in October, the U.S. Embassy and other foreign missions stepped up warnings over a terror threat in Abuja, the nation’s capital. —Onize Ohikere

Indonesia

Religious leaders from the world’s most economically powerful nations convened in Bali Nov. 2-3 for the G-20’s first Religion 20 forum. The goal: to discuss how the shared values of religion, rather than violence, can lead to global solutions. The G-20 countries, which include the United States, the EU, Russia, and China, include two-thirds of the global population. Religion 20 began when Indonesia’s president asked the world’s largest Muslim organization, Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama, to create an ongoing G-20 dialogue on religion. Nahdlatul Ulama and the Saudi Arabia–based Muslim World League hosted this year’s event. Next year’s Religion 20 and G-20 meetings will be held in Hindu-majority India. Catholic-majority Brazil will host the summits in 2024. —Amy Lewis

Philippines

Bicol University College of Engineering students took their first post-pandemic, in-person exams in mid-October after more than two years of online schooling—and did so while wearing wacky headgear. Mechanical engineering professor Mary Joy Mandane Ortiz asked her class to don anti-cheating hats, inspired by college students in Thailand. Thai ­students in 2013 took an exam wearing sheets of paper attached to the sides of their heads to prevent peeks at classmates’ answers. But Mandane Ortiz’s students took her request a step further: Some wore decorated boxes or paper bags over their heads, while others sported blinders fashioned from tubes or egg cartons. —Joyce Wu

Thailand

Transgender Thai business tycoon and celebrity “Anne” Jakapong Jakrajutatip bought the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) for $20 million from IMG Worldwide, the marketing company announced Oct. 26. Pacific Knitting Mills founded the MUO in 1952 to promote its Catalina Swimwear. Donald Trump held an ownership stake for 19 years until 2015. Jakrajutatip controls JKN Global Group and intends to use MUO’s Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA pageants to promote JKN’s content distribution, beauty, and food products. The pageants have welcomed transgender contestants since 2012. —Amy Lewis

Zimbabwe

Farmers in the southern African nation are set to collect their largest harvest of wheat since 1962—380,000 tons. The expected yield is 20,000 tons more than the country needs, according to Deputy Agriculture Minister Vangelis Haritatos, who told the Associated Press the Ukraine war made Zimbabwe “realize that we shouldn’t rely on other countries for food that we can grow on our own.” Authorities introduced the grain to small-scale farmers and new locations, improved water infrastructure, and distributed fertilizers to farmers. Farmers are worried about the threat of bush fires and rainy weather, but the government has deployed more combine harvesters to speed up harvest. The winter wheat harvest runs from October to December. —Onize Ohikere