Crops in north Africa are under threat from swarms of locusts, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Outbreaks of locusts have been reported in Mauritania, Niger and Sudan and observers fear they could spread across the northern half of the continent. Affected governments and international donors have been alerted. “The situation has the potential to develop rapidly and it could be a matter of weeks,” said the FAO’s Locust Group in a statement. “We must immediately boost the number of surveys, the level of monitoring and prepare for expanded intervention.” Full Story