Food assistance runs out of money

January 2 - The UN call for about US-$ 5.2 billion for the UN Word Food Programme (WFP). Funding secured only until April. The United Nations and humanitarian organisations warn of an aggravation of the hunger problem in the wake of a possible economic crisis.

U.N. Tackles Rising Threat of Urban Hunger in Africa

Escalating hunger in African cities is forcing aid agencies accustomed to tackling food shortages in rural areas to scramble for strategies to address the more complex hunger problems in sprawling slums.

United against hunger

In the year 2008, the Federal Government of Germany granted € 65.75 million for the fight against hunger to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), which means a new record level of donations. Just ahead of New Years Eve, additional € 10 million were provided for Afghanistan.

North Korea issues New Year denuclearization pledge

reeted the New Year by repeating its pledge to rid the peninsula of nuclear weapons and hinting it could work with Barack Obama when he becomes the U.S. president, editorials said on Thursday. The communist North, which uses joint editorials in its state newspapers on New Year's Day to lay out its policy priorities for the year, also pledged to rebuild its faltering economy and improve the quality of life for its 23 million people. [...] North Korea relies on food handouts from international aid agencies such as the U.N. World Food Program, while the United States in 2008 pledged to provide major food aid.