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Hunger in the news

A daily selection of news reports from the world's media dealing with hunger and responses to it.
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Hunger in the news
12 February 2013

Humanitarian appeal for flood-hit Mozambique: $30.5M

The international community is seeking some $30.5 million to assist at least 150,000 people who are said to have been displaced by severe flooding over the last few weeks. Food accounts for a bulk of the appeal: $10 million. (..) The Central Emergency Response Fund, meanwhile, has approved the allocation of $5.13 million to U.N. agencies providing life-saving assistance to flood-affected people in Mozambique. These agencies include the World Food Program, UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration.
Devex
Hunger in the news
12 February 2013

Aid agencies face violence and arrests in South Sudan

Aid agencies working in South Sudan, one of the poorest countries in the world, are under regular threat from members of the security services who beat or arrest them or commandeer their equipment, the United Nations said on Monday. (..) This year, the U.N. World Food Program plans to provide food aid to over 2.7 million people, almost a quarter of South Sudan's population.
Reuters
Hunger in the news
11 February 2013

WFP: 1.6 Million in Need of Food Aid in Somalia

The World Food Program (WFP) reports it plans to feed 1.6 million people in Somalia this year, including more than one million people who are in a state of crisis. (..) Though the number of those in need has dropped by more than half, WFP says the situation remains critical, especially in the south. It is for this reason that WFP says it is particularly happy to be able to work again in the port city of Kismayo. (..) WFP spokeswoman Elizabeth Byrs said a rapid food security and nutrition assessment carried out in Kismayo shows the severity of the situation there.
VOA News
Hunger in the news
11 February 2013

Lebanon may need refugee camps for Syrians: UN

Lebanon should consider setting up transit centers to absorb the waves of refugees fleeing neighboring Syria and may have to establish formal refugee camps if the influx continues, a United Nations refugee official said.
al akhbar
Hunger in the news
11 February 2013

Wheat traders challenge Syrian officials' one-year reserves estimate

International traders challenged Syrian officials' estimates that the government has enough wheat stored to last a year despite the raging 22-month revolt against President Bashar al-Assad's rule. (..) A kilo of bread now sells closer to market prices at about 100 Syrian pounds ($1.4), four times its fixed price, residents in several areas across Syria said. Last month the U.N. aid agency the World Food Programme (WFP) has said there were signs of availability problems with wheat flour and bread.
Reuters
Hunger in the news
8 February 2013

Turkey says has spent $600 mln on Syria refugees

Turkey has spent more than $600 million sheltering refugees from the almost two-year-old conflict in neighbouring Syria, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said on Friday. (..) The United Nations said on Friday that refugee numbers have spiked, with around 5,000 people fleeing each day, 2,000 more a day than last year's figures. (..) Some diplomats have suggested foreign funding might be more forthcoming if international organisations such as the United Nations were given greater control.
Reuters/ Alertnet
Hunger in the news
8 February 2013

Poor people have got a right to be angry

Malnutrition is chronic in much of Guatemala, at about 50% of the population – higher than in many African countries. (..) I have detected a worrying lack of empathy towards poor people demanding their rights. But what would you do if your child was growing up stunted or you couldn't pay for your electricity? (..)
The Guardian
Hunger in the news
8 February 2013

A change of tide in Mali

After weeks of airstrikes, the World Food Program and some of its partners have resumed operations in Mali’s north. Seven boats carrying 600 tons of food aid left the river port of Mopti over the weekend toward Nianfunké, near Timbuktu. The boats carried a month’s worth of food to some 35,000 people, according to U.N. food agency’s spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs.
Devex
Hunger in the news
7 February 2013

Global food prices hold steady in January: UN agency

Global food prices held steady in January after three straight months of decline, with increased prices for cooking oils balancing out lower grain and sugar prices, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Thursday. The FAO said its Food Price Index remained at 209.8 in January, unchanged from December, and down slightly from 212.8 in January 2012.
Global Post
Hunger in the news
7 February 2013

Sask. has role in feeding hungry

Feeding a hungry world and what role Saskatchewan has to play in that fight were discussed at a forum hosted by The Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP). (..) Ramiro Armando Lopes da Silva, assistant executive director of the WFP, said it is not a question food being available. It's a question of "connecting the food with those who need it." (..) Mary Ellen McGroaty, deputy director of procurement for the WFP, said Saskatchewan has a number of areas of expertise that will be vital in feeding the world's hungry. "I think there is incredible knowledge around the agro-processing sector from here," McGroaty said. "In addition to the traditional products that we buy - last year we bought over 10,000 tonnes of pulses from Canada - we are also interested in nutrition-ally improved products."
The Star Phoenix

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