Wall Built to Hide Slum From Anti-Poverty Conference

Delegates attending an international anti-poverty conference in Manila this week were shielded from unsightly poverty by a wall hastily erected by the Philippine government, reports the AP. The makeshift wall put up before the Asian Development Bank conference hid the view of a sprawling slum along a creek from visitors traveling from the airport to downtown Manila. Critics called the move reminiscent of the Marcos regime but a spokesman for President Benigno Aquino defended it, saying "any country will do a little fixing up before a guest comes." (More Asian Development Bank stories.)