World Food Program

Stories 21 - 33 | << Prev 

Somalia Piracy Hampers Food Aid: UN

Danger of hijacking has raised costs dramatically, WFP official says

(Newser) - Piracy off the coast of Somalia is making relief organizations' work even more difficult, Reuters reports. The UN’s World Food Program  today decried both the hijacking of ships bearing aid supplies—the Maersk Alabama, for example, had 232 WFP containers on board when it was seized this week—and...

Big US Food Shipment Marks Korea Progress

UN food program expects to feed 5M in North, gain access

(Newser) - After a major US food shipment arrived yesterday, North Korea has approved a plan for the UN's World Food Program to expand aid delivered to the country, and has agreed to allow UN monitors more access to track where the food ends up, the Washington Post reports. "This marks...

Leaders Rip Mugabe's 'Obscene' Trip to Food Talks

President accused of presiding over starvation of his nation

(Newser) - British and Australian ministers have blasted Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's attendance at a world food summit in Rome, charging him with turning his nation from the breadbasket of Africa into a country plagued by food shortages, reports the BBC. They also criticized him for using food aid given to ZImbabwe...

Burma Relents on Foreign Docs, Aid Workers

But only from ASEAN member nations

(Newser) - Two and a half weeks after cyclone Nargis hit, Burma finally agreed today to allow foreign medics and disaster experts into the battered country, reports the BBC—but only from ASEAN member nations. UN chief Ban Ki-Moon also plans to jet to Burma on Wednesday to bring additional pressure to...

UN Resumes Food Aid to Burma
 UN Resumes Food Aid to Burma 
UPDATED

UN Resumes Food Aid to Burma

Agency bristles at junta's intervention

(Newser) - The UN World Food Program reversed its decision to cut off food shipments to cyclone-stricken Burma, Reuters reports. The WFP had stopped the flow of aid this morning after the junta confiscated a two-plane food shipment. Nonetheless, "discussions continue with the government of Myanmar on the distribution of the...

Irate UN Cuts Burma Off After Junta Seizes Aid

No reason given after goods confiscated

(Newser) - An enraged UN has shut off all further cyclone aid to Burma after its military junta seized two planes carrying a massive food shipment, CNN reports. “This is another example of them actively getting in the way of relief getting to the victims,” said the UN's Asia World...

Burmese Junta Still Blocking Cyclone Aid

'Second disaster' looms if aid is not allowed in

(Newser) - Emergency supplies for some 1.5 million Burmese desperately in need of help are ready to be flown into the cyclone-stricken regions—but the military junta is still blocking delivery. Only two UN planes have been allowed to land in Burma. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon tried unsuccessfully to telephone Burma's...

First Major Aid Finally Reaches Cyclone Survivors

But some planes grounded as officials dicker with junta to get help to villagers

(Newser) - A single United Nations plane laden with relief supplies has finally landed in Burma's Irrawaddy Delta region—six days after a pulverizing cyclone killed an estimated 100,000 people, AP is reporting. Three other UN planes are expected to land later today, but flights operated jointly by the US and...

UN Ready to Tackle Hunger
UN Ready to Tackle Hunger

UN Ready to Tackle Hunger

Ban plans task force, calls on donors to deliver on sorely underfunded pledges

(Newser) - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is putting together a task force to deal with an "unprecedented" world crisis that's left 100 million without enough food, the BBC reports. Ban also called on donors to follow through on pledges for the World Food Program, saying only 62% of the...

UN Compares Food Crisis to 'Tsunami'
UN Compares Food Crisis
to 'Tsunami'

UN Compares Food Crisis to 'Tsunami'

International help needed before situation deteriorates

(Newser) - Rising food prices are creating a crisis every bit as deadly as the tsunami of 2004, and the situation requires a similar response, the UN says. Political and business leaders from around the world gathered today in London and heard the head of the World Food Program, Josette Sheeran, call...

UN May Cut Food Rations for Schoolkids

Soaring food prices raise 'world's misery index,' group says

(Newser) - Food rations for hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren may be cut because of surging crop prices that have widened the World Food Program’s funding gap to $750 million, Reuters says. The UN food aid agency also blamed the situation on high fuel prices and reductions in new crop plantings....

UN Pleads for $500M in Food Aid
 UN Pleads for $500M in Food Aid 

UN Pleads for $500M in Food Aid

May cut food shipments to 73M hungry

(Newser) - A United Nations food program has issued an extraordinary emergency plea for an extra $500 million in aid, warning that shipments to the world's hungry may be rationed if the money can't be raised over the next month, reports the Financial Times. The World Food Program feeds some 73 million...

UN May Cut Aid During Hunger Crisis
UN May Cut
Aid During Hunger Crisis

UN May Cut Aid During Hunger Crisis

Rising food costs force agency to rethink relief plan

(Newser) - A UN hunger relief agency is in crisis talks today over concerns that it has to slash worldwide aid, the Financial Times reports. Officials at the World Food Programme said today that rising food prices are forcing up their budget by millions of dollars per week. “Our ability to...

Stories 21 - 33 | << Prev