UN food agency chief tells of ‘apocalyptic’ scenes in quake-hit Turkey
Rome, ItalyReuters The head of the United Nation’s World Food Programme said on Saturday he was confronted with “apocalyptic” scenes as he visited earthquake-stricken areas in southern Turkey. Strong earthquakes, which began on 6th February have struck both Turkey and neighbouring Syria, killing more than 50,000 people according to the latest figures released on Friday. […]
Medecins Sans Frontieres gains access to quake zone in Syria
Antakya/Kahramanmaras, Turkey Reuters Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said a convoy of 14 of its trucks had entered northwestern Syria on Sunday to assist in earthquake rescue operations, as concerns grow over lack of access to the war-ravaged area. The World Food Programme has been pressuring authorities in that region of Syria to stop blocking […]
Earthquake death toll passes 46,000; desperation for signs of life
Antakya/Kahranmanmaras, Turkey Reuters More than 46,000 people have been killed in the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria and the toll is expected to soar, with some 345,000 apartments in Turkey now known to have been destroyed, and many still missing. As Turkey attempts to manage its worst modern disaster, concerns were growing over the […]
With Ukraine farmers on frontlines, UN food chief warns of “devastation”
United NationsReuters The UN food chief warned on Tuesday that the war in Ukraine was threatening to devastate the World Food Programme’s efforts to feed some 125 million people globally because Ukraine had gone “from the breadbasket of the world to breadlines”. “It’s not just decimating dynamically Ukraine and the region, but it will have […]
WFP ramps up food aid to Ukraine amid reports of severe shortages
London, UKReuters The World Food Programme said on Friday it is ramping up food aid to war-torn Ukraine, citing reports of severe shortages of food and water in Kyiv, the capital, and the north-eastern city of Kharkiv. The UN agency said it is in the process of finding partners in Ukraine to help it distribute […]
UN appeals for fresh injection of funds for famine-threatened Yemen
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesReuters Funds needed to feed millions of people in war-ravaged Yemen could run out in a matter of weeks, a senior United Nations official warned, calling on donors to inject more cash to avert a large-scale famine. World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley told Reuters the first half of 2022 would […]
WFP says communities on verge of starvation in Madagascar after drought
Nairobi, KenyaReuters Communities in Madagascar are on the verge of starvation, with women and children walking for hours to reach food after the worst drought in four decades devastated the south of the island, the World Food Programme said. Acute malnutrition has almost doubled over the last four months, the WFP said, with more than […]
Donors back tech over aid to feed hungry world
Johannesburg, South AfricaThomson Reuters Foundation Food donors want to deliver cutting-edge technology to poor farmers in place of aid in a bid to cut waste, preserve precious land – and make themselves redundant. In a shift they hope to accelerate, the donors say that tech – not handouts – is their best hope of tackling […]
270 million people face starvation, says WFP as it receives Nobel Peace Prize
Oslo, NorwayReuters Some 270 million people worldwide – equivalent to the combined populations of Germany, Britain, France and Italy – stand on the brink of starvation, the head of the United Nations’ World Food Programme said on Thursday upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. The WFP, which has coordinated medical logistics during the coronavirus pandemic, […]
UN warns 2021 shaping up to be a humanitarian catastrophe
New York, USReuters Next year is shaping up to be a humanitarian catastrophe and rich countries must not trample poor countries in a “stampede for vaccines” to combat the coronavirus pandemic, top UN officials told the 193-member UN General Assembly on Friday. World Food Programme chief David Beasley and World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom […]