Globe Trot: Famine declared in South Sudan

SOUTH SUDAN: The UN declared a famine in South Sudan—the first announced in any part of the world in six years—with 100,000 “nearly starving” and 5 million in need of urgent help.

WORLD Magazine’s cover story by Jamie Dean offers background on the conflict that spawned the famine conditions.

U.S. policy under President Obama also contributed, writes Sudan analyst Eric Reeves, and the Trump administration shows no sign so far of shifting it, banning Sudanese refugees and lawful immigration from the country under Trump’s now-contested executive order.

NIGERIA: Fueled by Boko Haram terrorism, more than 7 million people are at risk of starvation in Africa’s most populous nation.

MEXICO: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly are in Mexico City today to discuss trade and immigration—as new Homeland Security guidelines issued Tuesday lay groundwork for new deportations of illegal immigrants.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which supervises deportations, has an acting director, Thomas Homan, who Trump appointed three weeks ago and the Senate has yet to confirm.

AUSTRALIA: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is getting a striking reception in his first-ever visit to Australia.

TURKEY: Authorities yesterday formally arrested pianist Dengin Ceyhan for his anti-government tweets, in an ongoing crackdown against dissent.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: The latest International Religious Freedom Congressional Scorecard listed Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., as its top scorers.

The UNITED STATES is falling behind other industrialized countries when it comes to life expectancy.

Helpful from all sides is Bret Stephens’ Daniel Pearl lecture on finding intellectual integrity in the age of Trump (video here).