The United Nations World food program has suspended food to almost a third of the 6.2 million people in South Sudan owing to a shortage of funds. Now, South Sudan is facing a hungriest year since Independence.

South Sudan faces hungriest year since Independence

Africa, one of the most under-reported continents in the media sphere is now evolving fast. Catch all the latest vibrant, untold & intriguing stories on One Africa with Erik Njoka every Tuesday on WION.

One Africa: Unearthing Kenyan hunger menace; Worrying food crisis; Will the suffering ever stop?

Confronting stereotypes about famine reportage Experts give opinions on how the crisis can be averted And will the suffering ever stop?

One Africa: Confronting stereotypes about famine reportage

Fighting drought and famine, Millions in need of rain and food! Why is the continent stuck with the same narrative over the years? This is the Kenyan story

One Africa: Unearthing the Kenyan hunger menace

According to a report by International Food Policy Research Institute on climate change and food systems, the number of Indians at risk of hunger in 2030 is expected to be about 74 million if the effects of climate change are to be factored in it would increase to 90.6 million

IFPRI's Global Food Report 2022: 74 mn Indians at risk due to climate change

The three consecutive failed rainy seasons has led to the shortage of water and pasture, decimating crops and causing high livestock deaths in the Eastern Africa.

East Africa faces severe drought, delayed rains further cause of worry

World&nbsp;food&nbsp;prices&nbsp;jumped nearly 13 per cent&nbsp;in March to a new record high as the war in Ukraine caused turmoil in markets for staple grains and edible oils, the UN&nbsp;food&nbsp;agency said on Friday.

The&nbsp;Food&nbsp;and Agriculture Organization's (FAO)&nbsp;food&nbsp;price index, which tracks the most globally traded&nbsp;food&nbsp;commodities, averaged 159.3 points last month versus an upwardly revised 141.4 for February.

The February figure was previously put at 140.7, which was a record at the time.

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Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of wheat, corn, barley and sunflower oil via the Black Sea, and Moscow's six-week-old invasion of its neighbour has stalled Ukrainian exports.

The FAO last month said&nbsp;food&nbsp;and feed&nbsp;prices&nbsp;could rise by up to 20 per cent&nbsp;as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, raising the risk of increased malnutrition.

The agency's cereal price index climbed 17 per cent&nbsp;in March to a record level while its vegetable oil index surged 23 per cent , also registering its highest reading yet, FAO said.

Disruption to supplies of crops from the Black Sea region has exacerbated price rises in&nbsp;food&nbsp;commodities, which were already running at 10-year highs in the FAO's index before the war in Ukraine due to global harvest issues.

Watch |&nbsp;Transforming food and forestry to curb global warming important: UN

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Sugar and dairy&nbsp;prices&nbsp;also rose sharply last month, the FAO said.

In separate cereal supply and demand estimates on Friday, the FAO cut its projection of world wheat production in 2022 to 784 million tonnes, from 790 million last month, as it factored in the possibility that at least 20% of Ukraine's winter crop area would not be harvested.

The revised global wheat output estimate was nonetheless 1 per cent above the previous year's level, it said.

The agency lowered its projection of global cereals trade in the 2021/22 marketing year as increased exports from Argentina, India, the European Union and the United States were expected to only offset some of the disruption to Black Sea exports.

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Total cereal trade in 2021/22 was revised down by 14.6 million tonnes from the previous monthly outlook to 469 million tonnes, now 2 per cent&nbsp;below the 2020/21 level.

Projected world cereal stocks at the end of 2021/22 were revised up by 15 million tonnes to nearly 851 million tonnes, mainly because of expectations that export disruption will lead to bigger stockpiles in Ukraine and Russia, the FAO added.

World food prices jumped nearly 13 per cent in March to a new record high as the war in Ukraine caused turmoil in markets for staple grains and edible oils, the UN food agency said on Friday.

World food prices jumped nearly 13 per cent in March to a new record high as the war in Ukraine caused turmoil in markets for staple grains and edible oils, the UN food agency said on Friday. The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) food price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 159.3 points last month versus an upwardly revised 141.4 for February. The February figure was previously put at 140.7, which was a record at the time. Also read | Explained: UN to vote on expelling Russia from Human Rights Council Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of wheat, corn, barley and sunflower oil via the Black Sea, and Moscow's six-week-old invasion of its neighbour has stalled Ukrainian exports. The FAO last month said food and feed prices could rise by up to 20 per cent as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, raising the risk of increased malnutrition. The agency's cereal price index climbed 17 per cent in March to a record level while its vegetable oil index surged 23 per cent , also registering its highest reading yet, FAO said. Disruption to supplies of crops from the Black Sea region has exacerbated price rises in food commodities, which were already running at 10-year highs in the FAO's index before the war in Ukraine due to global harvest issues. Watch | Transforming food and forestry to curb global warming important: UN Sugar and dairy prices also rose sharply last month, the FAO said. In separate cereal supply and demand estimates on Friday, the FAO cut its projection of world wheat production in 2022 to 784 million tonnes, from 790 million last month, as it factored in the possibility that at least 20% of Ukraine's winter crop area would not be harvested. The revised global wheat output estimate was nonetheless 1 per cent above the previous year's level, it said. The agency lowered its projection of global cereals trade in the 2021/22 marketing year as increased exports from Argentina, India, the European Union and the United States were expected to only offset some of the disruption to Black Sea exports. Also read | Why did India abstain from voting against Russia in UNGA? Total cereal trade in 2021/22 was revised down by 14.6 million tonnes from the previous monthly outlook to 469 million tonnes, now 2 per cent below the 2020/21 level. Projected world cereal stocks at the end of 2021/22 were revised up by 15 million tonnes to nearly 851 million tonnes, mainly because of expectations that export disruption will lead to bigger stockpiles in Ukraine and Russia, the FAO added.

Food prices hit record high in March, UN agency says

Millions more&nbsp;Sudanese are set to go hungry this year as economic turmoil and erratic rains drive up prices and reduce harvests, with a halt to foreign assistance and the war in Ukraine putting food supplies at further risk.

The&nbsp;rising&nbsp;levels of&nbsp;hunger&nbsp;forecast by United Nations agencies threaten to further destabilise a country that faces growing conflict and poverty following a military takeover last year.

Sudan&nbsp;has been mired in economic crisis since before the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in an uprising&nbsp;in 2019. A transitional government attracted billions of dollars in international support, but that was suspended after the coup, placing&nbsp;Sudan&nbsp;on the brink of economic collapse.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/sudanese-man-killed-in-crackdown-on-anti-coup-protests-as-un-expert-arrives-454954">&nbsp;Sudanese man killed in crackdown on anti-coup protests as UN expert arrives</a>

Currency devaluations and subsidy reforms have driven up prices, and inflation is running at more than 250 per cent. In the capital Khartoum, the cost of ever-shrinking small loaves of bread has risen from 2&nbsp;Sudanese pounds two years ago to about 50 pounds ($0.11) today.

Some 87 per cent of&nbsp;Sudan's imported wheat comes from Russia and Ukraine, according to FAO data, making it one of the Arab world's most exposed countries to the war in Ukraine.

"If this measly piece of bread is 50 pounds, what kind of life can we have?" said&nbsp;Haj Ahmed, an elderly man at a vegetable stall in Alhalfaya, on the capital's outskirts.

The World Bank estimates that in 2021 56&nbsp;per cent of&nbsp;Sudan's population of around 44 million were surviving on less than $3.20, or about 2,000 pounds per day, one of its global poverty lines, up from 43 per cent&nbsp;in 2009.

Last week the World Food Programme estimated that the number of people experiencing levels of&nbsp;hunger&nbsp;that will force them to sell essential assets, or who will have nothing more to sell, will double by September to 18 million.

Aid&nbsp;agencies have long worked to help the rural poor and people displaced by war in&nbsp;Sudan. In 2019 the WFP extended its operations to urban centres for the first time.

"This jump didn't happen yesterday or a couple months ago, it's been building," said&nbsp;Marianne Ward, WFP deputy country director.

"It's not exclusively driven by conflict anymore, it's also about structural issues such as inflation (and) availability of foreign currency," she said.

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Lower Crop Yields

Inflation means farmers are unable to afford inputs including seeds, fertilizers and fuel, experts say. There has also been increased unrest in some important farming regions, and rainfall has been scarce in some places and too heavy in others.

Yields of sorghum, millet and wheat are 30 per cent&nbsp;lower than they have been on average over the past five years, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the WFP estimate.

Sudan&nbsp;will face its first deficit of sorghum, the country's traditional staple grain, since the droughts that ravaged the region in the 1980s, U.N. agencies project. Prices have doubled in the past four months, one trader said.

The ministries of finance and agriculture did not respond to requests for comment.

Billions of dollars of World Bank and IMF financing, some earmarked for budget support and agricultural development, were frozen and could be lost because of the coup.

Direct humanitarian&nbsp;aid&nbsp;has continued but USAID&nbsp;and the WFP paused programmes that had been aimed at supporting a transitional civilian government by covering about a quarter of last year's wheat consumption. The WFP says its food stocks in&nbsp;Sudan&nbsp;will run out in May without new funding.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/morning-news-brief-sudan-pms-resignation-us-def-secy-contracts-covid-and-more-441868">Morning news brief: Sudan PM's resignation, US def secy contracts Covid and more</a>

Frequent protests against military rule, increasingly fuelled by economic grievances, bring life to a halt in Khartoum and other cities.

"The burden of all this political mayhem falls on the citizen," said&nbsp;Ghareeballah Dafallah, an agricultural engineer in Alhalfaya who struggles to afford food and electricity.

"People used to be ashamed to say they were hungry, but now it's clear."

Watch |&nbsp;Sudan plunges deeper into political chaos, at least 7 protesters killed

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/sudan-plunges-deeper-into-political-chaos-at-least-7-protesters-killed-445591/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Millions more Sudanese are set to go hungry this year as economic turmoil and erratic rains drive up prices and reduce harvests, with a halt to foreign assistance and the war in Ukraine putting food supplies at further risk.

Millions more Sudanese are set to go hungry this year as economic turmoil and erratic rains drive up prices and reduce harvests, with a halt to foreign assistance and the war in Ukraine putting food supplies at further risk. The rising levels of hunger forecast by United Nations agencies threaten to further destabilise a country that faces growing conflict and poverty following a military takeover last year. Sudan has been mired in economic crisis since before the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in an uprising in 2019. A transitional government attracted billions of dollars in international support, but that was suspended after the coup, placing Sudan on the brink of economic collapse. Also read | Sudanese man killed in crackdown on anti-coup protests as UN expert arrives Currency devaluations and subsidy reforms have driven up prices, and inflation is running at more than 250 per cent. In the capital Khartoum, the cost of ever-shrinking small loaves of bread has risen from 2 Sudanese pounds two years ago to about 50 pounds ($0.11) today. Some 87 per cent of Sudan's imported wheat comes from Russia and Ukraine, according to FAO data, making it one of the Arab world's most exposed countries to the war in Ukraine. "If this measly piece of bread is 50 pounds, what kind of life can we have?" said Haj Ahmed, an elderly man at a vegetable stall in Alhalfaya, on the capital's outskirts. The World Bank estimates that in 2021 56 per cent of Sudan's population of around 44 million were surviving on less than $3.20, or about 2,000 pounds per day, one of its global poverty lines, up from 43 per cent in 2009. Last week the World Food Programme estimated that the number of people experiencing levels of hunger that will force them to sell essential assets, or who will have nothing more to sell, will double by September to 18 million. Aid agencies have long worked to help the rural poor and people displaced by war in Sudan. In 2019 the WFP extended its operations to urban centres for the first time. "This jump didn't happen yesterday or a couple months ago, it's been building," said Marianne Ward, WFP deputy country director. "It's not exclusively driven by conflict anymore, it's also about structural issues such as inflation (and) availability of foreign currency," she said. Also read | Top 10 world news: Sudan revokes license of Al Jazeera, France protests, and more Lower Crop Yields Inflation means farmers are unable to afford inputs including seeds, fertilizers and fuel, experts say. There has also been increased unrest in some important farming regions, and rainfall has been scarce in some places and too heavy in others. Yields of sorghum, millet and wheat are 30 per cent lower than they have been on average over the past five years, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the WFP estimate. Sudan will face its first deficit of sorghum, the country's traditional staple grain, since the droughts that ravaged the region in the 1980s, U.N. agencies project. Prices have doubled in the past four months, one trader said. The ministries of finance and agriculture did not respond to requests for comment. Billions of dollars of World Bank and IMF financing, some earmarked for budget support and agricultural development, were frozen and could be lost because of the coup. Direct humanitarian aid has continued but USAID and the WFP paused programmes that had been aimed at supporting a transitional civilian government by covering about a quarter of last year's wheat consumption. The WFP says its food stocks in Sudan will run out in May without new funding. Also read | Morning news brief: Sudan PM's resignation, US def secy contracts Covid and more Frequent protests against military rule, increasingly fuelled by economic grievances, bring life to a halt in Khartoum and other cities. "The burden of all this political mayhem falls on the citizen," said Ghareeballah Dafallah, an agricultural engineer in Alhalfaya who struggles to afford food and electricity. "People used to be ashamed to say they were hungry, but now it's clear." Watch | Sudan plunges deeper into political chaos, at least 7 protesters killed

Rising hunger looms in Sudan, with little aid in sight

Greek authorities have been accused of prompting a hunger crisis in refugee camps, leaving people with no access to food. Martha Roussou of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), in a report by The Guardian said, "It is unthinkable that people are going hungry in Greece. Through no fault of their own they have fallen through the cracks and all because of a problem created by gaps in legislation and policy.”

As per IRC estimates 40 per cent of camp residents have been denied things of basic need. This is because of the administration’s decision to halt food provisions.&nbsp;

“Teachers in local primary schools have reported children turning up to school without having eaten, without even a snack to see them through the day,” IRC said.&nbsp;

In an open letter written to Greek and EU officials, a total of 33 humanitarian groups have demanded that food should be provided to all camp residents irrespective of their legal status.&nbsp;

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Earlier in October, the Greek authorities were accused of the same. "Though practices differ from region to region, it is roughly estimated that 60 per cent of people living in camps do not receive food in the mainland," the 26 organisations, including the Greek Council of Refugees and the International Rescue Committee, said in a statement.

"Among those left hungry, 25 per cent are women (including pregnant women), single-headed families, 40 per cent are children, chronic patients, and patients with special medical and nutritional conditions. In some places, food is not even provided to those put in quarantine due to COVID 19," they added.

Athens’ migration ministry has rejected claims of a hunger crisis. Manos Logothetis, who oversees refugee reception, described the allegation as “nonsense."

“If a hunger crisis really existed there’d be riots and protests. We are in discussion with the EU commissioner every week and have reassured her that there is no issue with food, that everyone who is supposed to receive it, including the vulnerable and incapacitated, is getting support," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Greek authorities have been accused of prompting a hunger crisis in refugee camps, leaving people with no access to food. Martha Roussou of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), in a report by The Guardian said, "It is unthinkable that people are going hungry in Greece.

Greek authorities have been accused of prompting a hunger crisis in refugee camps, leaving people with no access to food. Martha Roussou of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), in a report by The Guardian said, "It is unthinkable that people are going hungry in Greece. Through no fault of their own they have fallen through the cracks and all because of a problem created by gaps in legislation and policy.” As per IRC estimates 40 per cent of camp residents have been denied things of basic need. This is because of the administration’s decision to halt food provisions. “Teachers in local primary schools have reported children turning up to school without having eaten, without even a snack to see them through the day,” IRC said. In an open letter written to Greek and EU officials, a total of 33 humanitarian groups have demanded that food should be provided to all camp residents irrespective of their legal status. Also read | Burkina Faso unrest: Blood stained, bullet-riddled vehicles of President seen near his residence Earlier in October, the Greek authorities were accused of the same. "Though practices differ from region to region, it is roughly estimated that 60 per cent of people living in camps do not receive food in the mainland," the 26 organisations, including the Greek Council of Refugees and the International Rescue Committee, said in a statement. "Among those left hungry, 25 per cent are women (including pregnant women), single-headed families, 40 per cent are children, chronic patients, and patients with special medical and nutritional conditions. In some places, food is not even provided to those put in quarantine due to COVID 19," they added. Athens’ migration ministry has rejected claims of a hunger crisis. Manos Logothetis, who oversees refugee reception, described the allegation as “nonsense." “If a hunger crisis really existed there’d be riots and protests. We are in discussion with the EU commissioner every week and have reassured her that there is no issue with food, that everyone who is supposed to receive it, including the vulnerable and incapacitated, is getting support," he said. (With inputs from agencies)

Greek government accused of causing hunger crisis in refugee camps

As the first flakes of snow fall over Kabul, Afghans are bracing for a season of hardship and hunger. Millions of people are living in near-zero temperatures without proper food or clothes. Marriam Wardak tells you more.

South Asia Diary | Afghanistan's first snow brings hunger & misery

After immense conflict, a drought is now battering Somalia. More than two million people have been affected and the situation continues to get worse. UN has said that one in four Somalis faces acute hunger.

UN: Somalia drought affects 2.3 million people, one in four Somalis face acute hunger

One by one, women poured into the mud brick clinic, the frames of famished children peeking out beneath the folds of their pale gray, blue and pink burqas.

Many had walked for more than an hour across this drab stretch of southern Afghanistan, desperate for medicine to pump life back into their children’s shrunken veins. For months, their once-daily meals had grown more sparse as harvests failed, wells ran dry and credit for flour from shopkeepers ran out.

Nearly four months since the Taliban seized power, Afghanistan is on the brink of a mass starvation that aid groups say threatens to kill 1 million children this winter.

The country’s hunger crisis has drastically worsened in recent months. This winter, an estimated 22.8 million people — more than half the population — are expected to face potentially life-threatening levels of food insecurity, according to an analysis by the UN&nbsp;World Food Program and Food and Agriculture Organization. Of those, 8.7 million people are nearing famine — the worst stage of a food crisis.

Since the Taliban seized power, the United States and other Western donors have grappled with questions over how to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan without granting the new regime legitimacy by removing sanctions or putting money directly into the Taliban’s hands.

But as the humanitarian situation has worsened, aid organizations have called on the United States to move more quickly.

US&nbsp;officials showed some flexibility around loosening the economic chokehold on Afghanistan last week when the World Bank’s board — which includes the United States — moved to free up $280 million in frozen donor funding for the World Food Program and UNICEF. Still, the sum is just a portion of the $1.5 billion frozen by the World Bank amid pressure from the U.S. Treasury Department after the Taliban took control.

The Taliban government has repeatedly called on the Biden administration to ease economic restrictions and has worked with international organizations to deliver some assistance. But already, millions of Afghans have been pushed over the edge.

One by one, women poured into the mud brick clinic, the frames of famished children peeking out beneath the folds of their pale gray, blue and pink burqas. Many had walked for more than an hour across this drab stretch of southern Afghanistan, desperate for medicine to pump life back into their children’s shrunken veins.

One by one, women poured into the mud brick clinic, the frames of famished children peeking out beneath the folds of their pale gray, blue and pink burqas. Many had walked for more than an hour across this drab stretch of southern Afghanistan, desperate for medicine to pump life back into their children’s shrunken veins. For months, their once-daily meals had grown more sparse as harvests failed, wells ran dry and credit for flour from shopkeepers ran out. Nearly four months since the Taliban seized power, Afghanistan is on the brink of a mass starvation that aid groups say threatens to kill 1 million children this winter. The country’s hunger crisis has drastically worsened in recent months. This winter, an estimated 22.8 million people — more than half the population — are expected to face potentially life-threatening levels of food insecurity, according to an analysis by the UN World Food Program and Food and Agriculture Organization. Of those, 8.7 million people are nearing famine — the worst stage of a food crisis. Since the Taliban seized power, the United States and other Western donors have grappled with questions over how to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan without granting the new regime legitimacy by removing sanctions or putting money directly into the Taliban’s hands. But as the humanitarian situation has worsened, aid organizations have called on the United States to move more quickly. US officials showed some flexibility around loosening the economic chokehold on Afghanistan last week when the World Bank’s board — which includes the United States — moved to free up $280 million in frozen donor funding for the World Food Program and UNICEF. Still, the sum is just a portion of the $1.5 billion frozen by the World Bank amid pressure from the U.S. Treasury Department after the Taliban took control. The Taliban government has repeatedly called on the Biden administration to ease economic restrictions and has worked with international organizations to deliver some assistance. But already, millions of Afghans have been pushed over the edge.

Facing economic collapse, Afghanistan is gripped by starvation

Georgia's ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili has finally ended his hunger strike after he was moved to a military hospital from a prison clinic. The jailed leader has been on a hunger strike for 50 days after his return from exile in Ukraine on October 1.

There have been reports of him being in critical condition as a result of the hunger strike. The authorities have been urged to move him to a regular clinic after he fainted. Initially, the medical recommendations were rejected. However, Justice Minister Rati Bregadze recently told that they were open to moving Saakashvili to a military hospital to ensure that "his health and security will be protected at most by the state."

The pro-Western reformer president refused food for 37 days to protest his imprisonment, which he says is politically motivated.&nbsp; 
Saakashvili's lawyer, while speaking to AFP said, "He still is in a life-threatening condition and was placed in an intensive care ward," Kipshidze told AFP."&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/jailed-saakashvili-critical-after-being-on-hunger-strike-for-weeks-430262">Also read |&nbsp;Jailed Saakashvili ‘critical’ after being on hunger strike for weeks</a>

The US State Department has urged the Georgian government to "treat Mr Saakashvili fairly and with dignity". Several opposition lawmakers had been on hunger strike for days, demanding proper medical care for Saakashvili.

Georgia must take steps "to inform the Court about the applicant's current state of health, to ensure his safety in prison, and to provide him with appropriate medical care for the post-hunger-strike recovery period," the European Court of Human Rights said last week. It also urged Saakashvili to "call off his hunger strike."

(With inputs from agencies)

Georgia's ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili has finally ended his hunger strike after he was moved to a military hospital from a prison clinic. The jailed leader has been on a hunger strike for 50 days after his return from exile in Ukraine on October 1.

Georgia's ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili has finally ended his hunger strike after he was moved to a military hospital from a prison clinic. The jailed leader has been on a hunger strike for 50 days after his return from exile in Ukraine on October 1. There have been reports of him being in critical condition as a result of the hunger strike. The authorities have been urged to move him to a regular clinic after he fainted. Initially, the medical recommendations were rejected. However, Justice Minister Rati Bregadze recently told that they were open to moving Saakashvili to a military hospital to ensure that "his health and security will be protected at most by the state." The pro-Western reformer president refused food for 37 days to protest his imprisonment, which he says is politically motivated. Saakashvili's lawyer, while speaking to AFP said, "He still is in a life-threatening condition and was placed in an intensive care ward," Kipshidze told AFP." Also read | Jailed Saakashvili ‘critical’ after being on hunger strike for weeks The US State Department has urged the Georgian government to "treat Mr Saakashvili fairly and with dignity". Several opposition lawmakers had been on hunger strike for days, demanding proper medical care for Saakashvili. Georgia must take steps "to inform the Court about the applicant's current state of health, to ensure his safety in prison, and to provide him with appropriate medical care for the post-hunger-strike recovery period," the European Court of Human Rights said last week. It also urged Saakashvili to "call off his hunger strike." (With inputs from agencies)

Georgia: Jailed Saakashvili ends hunger strike after 50 days; moved to military hospital

Georgia's ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili has been on a hunger strike for weeks and is now in critical condition. The opposition leader is in jail and thus lacks proper care.

The government has refused to move him from prison hospital to a civilian clinic against the advice of doctors. They have further warned of the risk to Saakashvili's life.

A council of medics has said that his "current status is assessed as critical" and that he faced a risk of fatal complications in the "immediate future".

The pro-Western reformer president from 2004-2013 was arrested on October 1 on his return from exile in Ukraine. He then refused food for 37 days to protest his imprisonment, which he says is politically motivated.

The jailing of the country's foremost opposition leader fuelled a protracted political crisis that gripped Georgia last year after the opposition denounced fraud in parliamentary elections won narrowly by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/thousands-protest-to-support-georgias-jailed-ex-leader-saakashvili-427299">Also read |&nbsp;Thousands protest to support Georgia's jailed ex-leader Saakashvili</a>

The US State Department has urged the Georgian government to "treat Mr Saakashvili fairly and with dignity". Also, several opposition lawmakers have been on hunger strike for days, demanding proper medical care for Saakashvili.

Georgia must take steps "to inform the Court about the applicant's current state of health, to ensure his safety in prison, and to provide him with appropriate medical care for the post-hunger-strike recovery period," the European Court of Human Rights said last week. It also urged Saakashvili to "call off his hunger strike."

Thousands in Georgia rallied to show support for country's jailed ex-president amid growing fears over his health.

The protesters waved Georgian flags and chanted Saakashvili's name. The protests were carried out outside the prison in Rustavi city.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-parliament-passes-bill-for-chemical-castration-of-habitual-rapists-430233">Also read |&nbsp;Pakistan parliament passes bill for chemical castration of habitual rapists&nbsp;</a>

One of the demonstrators, actor Bachi Valishvili, 26, said: "The Georgian government is leading us into an abyss of tyranny. We demand our democracy back."

"We demand Georgia's third president be transferred to a proper clinic and treated adequately, so that his life is saved," he added.

With inputs from agencies

Georgia's ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili has been on a hunger strike for weeks and is now in critical condition. The opposition leader is in jail and thus lacks proper care.

Georgia's ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili has been on a hunger strike for weeks and is now in critical condition. The opposition leader is in jail and thus lacks proper care. The government has refused to move him from prison hospital to a civilian clinic against the advice of doctors. They have further warned of the risk to Saakashvili's life. A council of medics has said that his "current status is assessed as critical" and that he faced a risk of fatal complications in the "immediate future". The pro-Western reformer president from 2004-2013 was arrested on October 1 on his return from exile in Ukraine. He then refused food for 37 days to protest his imprisonment, which he says is politically motivated. The jailing of the country's foremost opposition leader fuelled a protracted political crisis that gripped Georgia last year after the opposition denounced fraud in parliamentary elections won narrowly by the ruling Georgian Dream party. Also read | Thousands protest to support Georgia's jailed ex-leader Saakashvili The US State Department has urged the Georgian government to "treat Mr Saakashvili fairly and with dignity". Also, several opposition lawmakers have been on hunger strike for days, demanding proper medical care for Saakashvili. Georgia must take steps "to inform the Court about the applicant's current state of health, to ensure his safety in prison, and to provide him with appropriate medical care for the post-hunger-strike recovery period," the European Court of Human Rights said last week. It also urged Saakashvili to "call off his hunger strike." Thousands in Georgia rallied to show support for country's jailed ex-president amid growing fears over his health. The protesters waved Georgian flags and chanted Saakashvili's name. The protests were carried out outside the prison in Rustavi city. Also read | Pakistan parliament passes bill for chemical castration of habitual rapists One of the demonstrators, actor Bachi Valishvili, 26, said: "The Georgian government is leading us into an abyss of tyranny. We demand our democracy back." "We demand Georgia's third president be transferred to a proper clinic and treated adequately, so that his life is saved," he added. With inputs from agencies

Jailed Saakashvili ‘critical’ after being on hunger strike for weeks

Twitter war between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and World Food Programme (WFP) chief David Beasley does not seem to end. WFP chief has now said that he is ready to meet the billionaire on 'Earth or space' in order to show him how a one-time contribution from Musk may prove to be decisive in alleviating global hunger.

Musk and Beasley have been trading tweets on this issue for past few days. In his latest tweet, Beasley appears to have nudged Musk by saying 'Instead of tweets' they could meet in person and discuss the issue.

"Instead of tweets, allow me to show you. We can meet anywhere—Earth or space—but I suggest in the field where you can see @WFP’s people, processes and yes, technology, at work. I will bring the plan, and open books," Beasley tweeted.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/on-a-roll-hertzs-100000-vehicle-order-helps-tesla-elon-musk-scale-new-heights-424106">On a roll: Hertz’s 100,000-vehicle order helps Tesla, Elon Musk scale new heights</a>

The Twitter feud has been going on since October 31 when Elon Musk, based on a headline in CNN Business tweeted that if USD 6 billion could solve world hunger, he was ready to sell Tesla shares and donate the amount to UN food agency. However, he appeared pointed in his Twitter by asking WFP to explain how USD 6 billion would solve world hunger.

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.<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> Instead of tweets, allow me to show you. We can meet anywhere—Earth or space—but I suggest in the field where you can see <a href="https://twitter.com/WFP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WFP</a>’s people, processes and yes, technology, at work. I will bring the plan, and open books.
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) <a href="https://twitter.com/WFPChief/status/1455191851829497861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2021</a></blockquote>
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In next two tweets, WFP chief appeared to explain his side by calling the CNN headline 'not accurate'.

"Headline not accurate. $6B will not solve world hunger, but it WILL prevent geopolitical instability, mass migration and save 42 million people on the brink of starvation. An unprecedented crisis and a perfect storm due to Covid/conflict/climate crises," he tweted.

"With your help we can bring hope, build stability and change the future. Let’s talk: It isn’t as complicated as Falcon Heavy, but too much at stake to not at least have a conversation. I can be on the next flight to you. Throw me out if you don’t like what you hear!" he said in the next tweet.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/tesla-reports-record-profits-amid-production-surge-422745">Tesla reports record profits amid production surge</a>

On this, Musk requested Beasley to publish WFP spendings in order to "see exactly where money goes" to which the WFP chief responded indicating his readiness to meet Musk on Earth or in space.

All eyes are on the next chapter of this Twitter war.

Twitter war between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and World Food Programme (WFP) chief David Beasley does not seem to end. WFP chief has now said that he is ready to meet the billionaire on 'Earth or space' in order to show him how a one-time contribution from Musk may prove to be decisive in alleviating global hunger.

Twitter war between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and World Food Programme (WFP) chief David Beasley does not seem to end. WFP chief has now said that he is ready to meet the billionaire on 'Earth or space' in order to show him how a one-time contribution from Musk may prove to be decisive in alleviating global hunger. Musk and Beasley have been trading tweets on this issue for past few days. In his latest tweet, Beasley appears to have nudged Musk by saying 'Instead of tweets' they could meet in person and discuss the issue. "Instead of tweets, allow me to show you. We can meet anywhere—Earth or space—but I suggest in the field where you can see @WFP’s people, processes and yes, technology, at work. I will bring the plan, and open books," Beasley tweeted. Also Read | On a roll: Hertz’s 100,000-vehicle order helps Tesla, Elon Musk scale new heights The Twitter feud has been going on since October 31 when Elon Musk, based on a headline in CNN Business tweeted that if USD 6 billion could solve world hunger, he was ready to sell Tesla shares and donate the amount to UN food agency. However, he appeared pointed in his Twitter by asking WFP to explain how USD 6 billion would solve world hunger. .@elonmusk Instead of tweets, allow me to show you. We can meet anywhere—Earth or space—but I suggest in the field where you can see @WFP’s people, processes and yes, technology, at work. I will bring the plan, and open books. — David Beasley (@WFPChief) November 1, 2021 × In next two tweets, WFP chief appeared to explain his side by calling the CNN headline 'not accurate'. "Headline not accurate. $6B will not solve world hunger, but it WILL prevent geopolitical instability, mass migration and save 42 million people on the brink of starvation. An unprecedented crisis and a perfect storm due to Covid/conflict/climate crises," he tweted. "With your help we can bring hope, build stability and change the future. Let’s talk: It isn’t as complicated as Falcon Heavy, but too much at stake to not at least have a conversation. I can be on the next flight to you. Throw me out if you don’t like what you hear!" he said in the next tweet. Also Read | Tesla reports record profits amid production surge On this, Musk requested Beasley to publish WFP spendings in order to "see exactly where money goes" to which the WFP chief responded indicating his readiness to meet Musk on Earth or in space. All eyes are on the next chapter of this Twitter war.

Meet me on Earth or in space: WFP chief fires new tweet at Elon Musk

Elon Musk, the tech entrepreneur extraordinaire, declared on Twitter that he would be prepared to sell some of his Tesla shares to help fight world hunger, but with one condition.

Musk's comment was in reaction to a tweet citing a CNN Business report quoting a UN World Food Programme head suggesting that billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk - the world's two richest men – could help end world hunger by donating a percentage of their wealth.&nbsp; 
 
Watch | Gravitas: The story of Elon Musk

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David Beasley, director of the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) had said that just 2 per cent of the entrepreneur's income could help solve world hunger.

Beasley said in his tweet that Musk's net fortune increased by $36 billion when Hertz bought 100,000 Teslas.

He went on to say that one-sixth of this amount, or $6 billion, might assist save 42 million people who are starving.&nbsp; 
 
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After that Musk tweeted that 'If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it. 
 
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'But it must be open source accounting, so the public sees precisely how the money is spent,' Musk added. 
 
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The Tesla and SpaceX CEO added, however, that the World Food Programme (WFP) must publicly disclose how they are utilizing their funds.

Musk's response garnered a mixed response from his social media followers; some commended him for it, while others questioned if the world hunger crisis could be handled in this manner.&nbsp;

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I love you for this. Thank you for caring about people❤️
— Johnna Crider (@JohnnaCrider1) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnnaCrider1/status/1454809516579696642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2021</a></blockquote>
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(With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk, the tech entrepreneur extraordinaire, declared on Twitter that he would be prepared to sell some of his Tesla shares to help fight world hunger, but with one condition.

Elon Musk, the tech entrepreneur extraordinaire, declared on Twitter that he would be prepared to sell some of his Tesla shares to help fight world hunger, but with one condition. Musk's comment was in reaction to a tweet citing a CNN Business report quoting a UN World Food Programme head suggesting that billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk - the world's two richest men – could help end world hunger by donating a percentage of their wealth. Watch | Gravitas: The story of Elon Musk David Beasley, director of the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) had said that just 2 per cent of the entrepreneur's income could help solve world hunger. Beasley said in his tweet that Musk's net fortune increased by $36 billion when Hertz bought 100,000 Teslas. He went on to say that one-sixth of this amount, or $6 billion, might assist save 42 million people who are starving. After that Musk tweeted that 'If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it. 'But it must be open source accounting, so the public sees precisely how the money is spent,' Musk added. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO added, however, that the World Food Programme (WFP) must publicly disclose how they are utilizing their funds. Musk's response garnered a mixed response from his social media followers; some commended him for it, while others questioned if the world hunger crisis could be handled in this manner. I love you for this. Thank you for caring about people❤️ — Johnna Crider (@JohnnaCrider1) October 31, 2021 × (With inputs from agencies)

I'll donate $6 billion if the UN can prove how it will solve world hunger: Elon Musk

As per the latest research published on Wednesday, more than 75% of Venezuelans are now living in extreme poverty.

Reuters reports that the number of Venezuelans living in extreme poverty increased by about ten percentage points from last year, from 67.7% to 76.6 percent this year, according to the 2020-2021 National Survey of Living Conditions.

According to the study, which was conducted by researchers from Andres Bello Catholic University and surveyed 14,000 homes in 21 of the country's 23 states between February and April, around 95 percent of the population lives in poverty.&nbsp;

Fuel shortages, COVID-19, and a lack of job possibilities are all issues that contribute to such extreme poverty.

The research comes as the country is in the midst of a political and economic crisis that includes shortages of key goods such as medication and food, hyperinflation, and a lack of electricity.

According to Reuters, others claim that the country's economy has been mismanaged, which is to blame for the current situation.

President Nicolás Maduro's administration has blamed U.S. sanctions for the country's problems.&nbsp;

However, the United States has continued to provide financial aid to the country, including a recent $336 million investment in humanitarian and economic aid.

Since 2017, the US has provided more than $1.9 billion in financial aid to the country, according to the State Department.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

As per the latest research published on Wednesday, more than 75% of Venezuelans are now living in extreme poverty. Reuters reports that the number of Venezuelans living in extreme poverty increased by about ten percentage points from last year, from 67.

As per the latest research published on Wednesday, more than 75% of Venezuelans are now living in extreme poverty. Reuters reports that the number of Venezuelans living in extreme poverty increased by about ten percentage points from last year, from 67.7% to 76.6 percent this year, according to the 2020-2021 National Survey of Living Conditions. According to the study, which was conducted by researchers from Andres Bello Catholic University and surveyed 14,000 homes in 21 of the country's 23 states between February and April, around 95 percent of the population lives in poverty. Fuel shortages, COVID-19, and a lack of job possibilities are all issues that contribute to such extreme poverty. The research comes as the country is in the midst of a political and economic crisis that includes shortages of key goods such as medication and food, hyperinflation, and a lack of electricity. According to Reuters, others claim that the country's economy has been mismanaged, which is to blame for the current situation. President Nicolás Maduro's administration has blamed U.S. sanctions for the country's problems. However, the United States has continued to provide financial aid to the country, including a recent $336 million investment in humanitarian and economic aid. Since 2017, the US has provided more than $1.9 billion in financial aid to the country, according to the State Department. (With inputs from agencies)

Venezuela economic crisis: Over three-quarters live in extreme poverty

The United Nations said Friday it urgently needed funds to feed people in Myanmar amid fears that up to 6.2 million could be plunged into hunger by October.

The UN's World Food Programme said it was 70 per cent short of the $86 million needed over the next six months, as the country goes through multiple crises.

A major wave of Covid-19 infections is surging through Myanmar, compounding hunger, rising food and fuel prices, political unrest, violence and displacement, the WFP said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-envoy-alerts-un-to-alleged-massacre-403073" hreflang="en">Myanmar envoy alerts UN to alleged 'massacre'</a>

"We have seen hunger spreading further and deeper in Myanmar," said the WFP's Myanmar country director Stephen Anderson.

"Nearly 90 percent of households living in slum-like settlements around Yangon say they have to borrow money to buy food; incomes have been badly affected for many."

Myanmar has been in chaos and its economy paralysed since the military seized power from civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.

The country has experienced mass protests and a brutal military response since the coup.

The WFP launched an urban food response in May, targeting two million people in Yangon and Mandalay, Myanmar's two biggest cities.

So far this year, 1.25 million people in Myanmar have received WFP food, cash and nutrition assistance.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva via video-link from the capital Naypyidaw, Anderson said the third wave of Covid-19 hitting the country was "practically like a tsunami", creating "major havoc" and having a severe impact on people's lives.

"The people of Myanmar are facing their most difficult moment in living memory. It is critically important for us to be able to access to all those in need and receive the funding to provide them with humanitarian assistance," he said.

The United Nations said Friday it urgently needed funds to feed people in Myanmar amid fears that up to 6.2 million could be plunged into hunger by October. The UN's World Food Programme said it was 70 per cent short of the $86 million needed over the next six months, as the country goes through multiple crises.

The United Nations said Friday it urgently needed funds to feed people in Myanmar amid fears that up to 6.2 million could be plunged into hunger by October. The UN's World Food Programme said it was 70 per cent short of the $86 million needed over the next six months, as the country goes through multiple crises. A major wave of Covid-19 infections is surging through Myanmar, compounding hunger, rising food and fuel prices, political unrest, violence and displacement, the WFP said. Also read | Myanmar envoy alerts UN to alleged 'massacre' "We have seen hunger spreading further and deeper in Myanmar," said the WFP's Myanmar country director Stephen Anderson. "Nearly 90 percent of households living in slum-like settlements around Yangon say they have to borrow money to buy food; incomes have been badly affected for many." Myanmar has been in chaos and its economy paralysed since the military seized power from civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. The country has experienced mass protests and a brutal military response since the coup. The WFP launched an urban food response in May, targeting two million people in Yangon and Mandalay, Myanmar's two biggest cities. So far this year, 1.25 million people in Myanmar have received WFP food, cash and nutrition assistance. Speaking to reporters in Geneva via video-link from the capital Naypyidaw, Anderson said the third wave of Covid-19 hitting the country was "practically like a tsunami", creating "major havoc" and having a severe impact on people's lives. "The people of Myanmar are facing their most difficult moment in living memory. It is critically important for us to be able to access to all those in need and receive the funding to provide them with humanitarian assistance," he said.

UN warns of growing hunger in Myanmar

In a recent development, two UN agencies on Friday warned that hunger is expected to rise in 23 global hotspots in the next three months with the highest alerts for “catastrophic" situations in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region, southern Madagascar, Yemen, South Sudan and northern Nigeria.

The Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program, in a new report on “Hunger Hotspots” between August and November said that “acute food insecurity is likely to further deteriorate.”

They have put Ethiopia at the top of the list as they say that the number of people facing starvation and death is expected to rise to 401,000. This is the highest number since the 2011 famine in Somalia, if humanitarian aid is not provided quickly.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-pandemic-has-pushed-100-million-more-people-into-poverty-un-report-reveals-389031">Also read |&nbsp;Covid pandemic has pushed 100 million more people into poverty, UN report reveals</a>

In southern Madagascar, which has been hit by the worst drought in the past 40 years, 14,000 people are expected to be pushed into “catastrophic” acute food insecurity. This will be further marked by starvation and death by September.&nbsp;

Also, this number is expected to double by the end of the year with 28,000 people needing urgent help, the two agencies said. 
FAO and WFP in the report said, "Acute hunger is increasing not only in scale but also severity".&nbsp;

The report further added, "Overall, over 41 million people worldwide are now at risk of falling into famine or famine-like conditions, unless they receive immediate life and livelihood-saving assistance".

In a recent development, two UN agencies on Friday warned that hunger is expected to rise in 23 global hotspots in the next three months with the highest alerts for “catastrophic" situations in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region, southern Madagascar, Yemen, South Sudan and northern Nigeria.

In a recent development, two UN agencies on Friday warned that hunger is expected to rise in 23 global hotspots in the next three months with the highest alerts for “catastrophic" situations in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region, southern Madagascar, Yemen, South Sudan and northern Nigeria. The Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program, in a new report on “Hunger Hotspots” between August and November said that “acute food insecurity is likely to further deteriorate.” They have put Ethiopia at the top of the list as they say that the number of people facing starvation and death is expected to rise to 401,000. This is the highest number since the 2011 famine in Somalia, if humanitarian aid is not provided quickly. Also read | Covid pandemic has pushed 100 million more people into poverty, UN report reveals In southern Madagascar, which has been hit by the worst drought in the past 40 years, 14,000 people are expected to be pushed into “catastrophic” acute food insecurity. This will be further marked by starvation and death by September. Also, this number is expected to double by the end of the year with 28,000 people needing urgent help, the two agencies said. FAO and WFP in the report said, "Acute hunger is increasing not only in scale but also severity". The report further added, "Overall, over 41 million people worldwide are now at risk of falling into famine or famine-like conditions, unless they receive immediate life and livelihood-saving assistance".

New report warns hunger is expected to rise in 23 global hotspots

Acute food insecurity has soared 40% this year as recent food price hikes have exacerbated existing pressures from conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said.

Defined as any lack of food that threatens lives, livelihoods or both, acute food insecurity is impacting, or is at high risk of impacting, a record 270 million people this year, the UN agency said.

"High food prices are hunger's new best friend," said WFP Chief Economist Arif Husain.

"We already have conflict, climate and COVID-19 working together. Now food prices have joined the deadly trio," he added.

The WFP said average wheat flour prices in Lebanon have risen 219% year-on-year amid accelerating economic turmoil, while cooking oil prices have soared 440% versus a year ago in war-devastated Syria.

On internationally traded markets, world food prices were up 33.9% year-on-year in June, according to the U.N food agency`s price index, which measures a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar.

However, they did fall in June versus May, the first such decrease in 12 months.

After declining for several decades, world hunger has been on the rise since 2016.

The WFP, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, says around 690 million people or 9 percent of the world`s population go to bed hungry each night.

It is targeting 139 million people for assistance this year, the biggest operation in its history.

Acute food insecurity has soared 40% this year as recent food price hikes have exacerbated existing pressures from conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said.

Acute food insecurity has soared 40% this year as recent food price hikes have exacerbated existing pressures from conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said. Defined as any lack of food that threatens lives, livelihoods or both, acute food insecurity is impacting, or is at high risk of impacting, a record 270 million people this year, the UN agency said. "High food prices are hunger's new best friend," said WFP Chief Economist Arif Husain. "We already have conflict, climate and COVID-19 working together. Now food prices have joined the deadly trio," he added. The WFP said average wheat flour prices in Lebanon have risen 219% year-on-year amid accelerating economic turmoil, while cooking oil prices have soared 440% versus a year ago in war-devastated Syria. On internationally traded markets, world food prices were up 33.9% year-on-year in June, according to the U.N food agency`s price index, which measures a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar. However, they did fall in June versus May, the first such decrease in 12 months. After declining for several decades, world hunger has been on the rise since 2016. The WFP, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, says around 690 million people or 9 percent of the world`s population go to bed hungry each night. It is targeting 139 million people for assistance this year, the biggest operation in its history.

Surging food prices fuel 40 per cent jump in global hunger: UN

The economic cost of the global pandemic as well as conflict and climate change are fueling food security fears that in 2020 reached their highest level in five years, according to a report published Wednesday.

Last year, 155 million people in 55 countries faced acute food shortages -- 20 million more than in 2019, according to a report by the EU, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme, which see the problem as getting steadily worse.

"We must act together to prevent an additional deterioration of the situation," FAO director general Qu Dongyu told a video-conference, describing the New Global Report on Food Crises as a call to "urgent humanitarian action".&nbsp;

He added in a tweet: "We must address the root causes and make agri-food systems more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable."

Last year saw the Global Network Against Food Crises, which groups together the three international organisations, identify 28 million people in 28 countries as suffering emergency levels of acute hunger with DR Congo, Yemen and Afghanistan worst affected.

A further 133,000 people were judged to be living in the most severe, "catastrophic" phase of food insecurity in Burkina Faso, South Sudan and Yemen.

Africa remains the continent worst hit by food shortages with 98 million people affected, or 63 percent of global cases -- up from 54 percent in 2019.

"For 100 million people confronted by acute food crisis in 2020, the main cause was linked to conflicts and insecurity," compared with 77 million in 2019, Dominique Burgeon, FAO emergencies director, told AFP.

Economic crisis was the prime reason for hunger for 40 million, compared with 24 million in 2019.

Burgeon said that "the pandemic has exacerbated vulnerabilities," singling out Sudan, Zimbabwe and Haiti -- the latter also hit by climate issues affecting the food security of some 15 million people.

With Covid restrictions still in place across much of the world, Burgeon said the coming year would be very difficult, exacerbating food security in already fragile economies.

He estimated at 142 million the number of people who would be affected in 40 of the worst-hit countries.

And with the global population on its way to hitting 8.5 billion by 2030, the report concluded that Covid-19 had underlined the need to make food distribution more equitable as the number of mouths to feed grows.

The economic cost of the global pandemic as well as conflict and climate change are fueling food security fears that in 2020 reached their highest level in five years, according to a report published Wednesday.

The economic cost of the global pandemic as well as conflict and climate change are fueling food security fears that in 2020 reached their highest level in five years, according to a report published Wednesday. Last year, 155 million people in 55 countries faced acute food shortages -- 20 million more than in 2019, according to a report by the EU, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme, which see the problem as getting steadily worse. "We must act together to prevent an additional deterioration of the situation," FAO director general Qu Dongyu told a video-conference, describing the New Global Report on Food Crises as a call to "urgent humanitarian action". He added in a tweet: "We must address the root causes and make agri-food systems more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable." Last year saw the Global Network Against Food Crises, which groups together the three international organisations, identify 28 million people in 28 countries as suffering emergency levels of acute hunger with DR Congo, Yemen and Afghanistan worst affected. A further 133,000 people were judged to be living in the most severe, "catastrophic" phase of food insecurity in Burkina Faso, South Sudan and Yemen. Africa remains the continent worst hit by food shortages with 98 million people affected, or 63 percent of global cases -- up from 54 percent in 2019. "For 100 million people confronted by acute food crisis in 2020, the main cause was linked to conflicts and insecurity," compared with 77 million in 2019, Dominique Burgeon, FAO emergencies director, told AFP. Economic crisis was the prime reason for hunger for 40 million, compared with 24 million in 2019. Burgeon said that "the pandemic has exacerbated vulnerabilities," singling out Sudan, Zimbabwe and Haiti -- the latter also hit by climate issues affecting the food security of some 15 million people. With Covid restrictions still in place across much of the world, Burgeon said the coming year would be very difficult, exacerbating food security in already fragile economies. He estimated at 142 million the number of people who would be affected in 40 of the worst-hit countries. And with the global population on its way to hitting 8.5 billion by 2030, the report concluded that Covid-19 had underlined the need to make food distribution more equitable as the number of mouths to feed grows.

Pandemic, war, climate change fuel fears of global hunger, food scarcity

If you think you are hungry all the time and are wondering the reason behind it, scientists have an answer for you.

A recent study has established a link between appetite and blood sugar, helping people figure out why they keep getting hungry throughout the day.

Researchers used data collected from 1,070 participants in the UK and the US, sourced from the Personalised Responses to Dietary Composition Trial (PREDICT) nutrition research project.

For the study, the volunteers were given a standardised breakfast but were given the choice to pick out their remaining meals and the times at which they wanted to consume their food. However, volunteers were asked to fast for three hours after consuming breakfast.

During the period of two weeks of the study, the volunteers continuously wore blood glucose monitors and were asked to note everything they ate and at the time on a given mobile app. They were also asked to report their hunger levels.

The results revealed that people with blood sugar dips experiences an almost ten per cent increase in appetite and consumed their second meal of the day an hour before the rest. These participants also observed an overall average consumption of nearly 300 calories a day.

This has established a direct link between the sugar dip levels and one’s appetite. It will also help people understand the process of weight loss and gain.

The research has shown “great potential for helping people understand and control their weight and long-term health,” senior author and genetic epidemiologist Ana Valdes from the University of Nottingham said. “Many people struggle to lose weight and keep it off, and just a few hundred extra calories every day can add up to several pounds of weight gain over a year.”

If you think you are hungry all the time and are wondering the reason behind it, scientists have an answer for you. A recent study has established a link between appetite and blood sugar, helping people figure out why they keep getting hungry throughout the day.

If you think you are hungry all the time and are wondering the reason behind it, scientists have an answer for you. A recent study has established a link between appetite and blood sugar, helping people figure out why they keep getting hungry throughout the day. Researchers used data collected from 1,070 participants in the UK and the US, sourced from the Personalised Responses to Dietary Composition Trial (PREDICT) nutrition research project. For the study, the volunteers were given a standardised breakfast but were given the choice to pick out their remaining meals and the times at which they wanted to consume their food. However, volunteers were asked to fast for three hours after consuming breakfast. During the period of two weeks of the study, the volunteers continuously wore blood glucose monitors and were asked to note everything they ate and at the time on a given mobile app. They were also asked to report their hunger levels. The results revealed that people with blood sugar dips experiences an almost ten per cent increase in appetite and consumed their second meal of the day an hour before the rest. These participants also observed an overall average consumption of nearly 300 calories a day. This has established a direct link between the sugar dip levels and one’s appetite. It will also help people understand the process of weight loss and gain. The research has shown “great potential for helping people understand and control their weight and long-term health,” senior author and genetic epidemiologist Ana Valdes from the University of Nottingham said. “Many people struggle to lose weight and keep it off, and just a few hundred extra calories every day can add up to several pounds of weight gain over a year.”

Scientists reveal why some people are always hungry

Almost one million people are facing severe hunger in northern Mozambique where hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee a jihadist insurgency, the UN&nbsp;food agency said on Tuesday.

"As the security situation continues to deteriorate, more than 950,000 people in the north of Mozambique are now facing severe hunger," Tomson Phiri, a spokesman for the World Food Programme, told a briefing in Geneva.

Islamic State-linked militants have escalated attacks in Mozambique's northernmost province Cabo Delgado in the past year, murdering villagers, fighting the army and seizing towns.

Almost one million people are facing severe hunger in northern Mozambique where hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee a jihadist insurgency, the UN food agency said on Tuesday.

Almost one million people are facing severe hunger in northern Mozambique where hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee a jihadist insurgency, the UN food agency said on Tuesday. "As the security situation continues to deteriorate, more than 950,000 people in the north of Mozambique are now facing severe hunger," Tomson Phiri, a spokesman for the World Food Programme, told a briefing in Geneva. Islamic State-linked militants have escalated attacks in Mozambique's northernmost province Cabo Delgado in the past year, murdering villagers, fighting the army and seizing towns.

UN food agency says nearly 1 million going hungry in Mozambique

WASHINGTON — With more than 1 in 10 households reporting that they lack enough to eat, the Biden administration is accelerating a vast campaign of hunger relief that will temporarily increase assistance by tens of billions of dollars and set the stage for what officials envision as lasting expansions of aid.

The effort to rush more food assistance to more people is notable both for the scale of its ambition and the variety of its legislative and administrative actions. The campaign has increased food stamps by more than $1 billion a month, provided needy children a dollar a day for snacks, expanded a produce allowance for pregnant women and children, and authorized the largest children’s summer feeding program in history.

“We haven’t seen an expansion of food assistance of this magnitude since the founding of the modern food stamp program in 1977,” said James P. Ziliak, an economist at the University of Kentucky who studies nutrition programs. “It’s a profound change.”

While dollars and decisions are flowing from the Agriculture Department, the tone has been set by President Joe Biden, who issued an executive order in January telling aides to “address the growing hunger crisis” and later lamented the car lines “half a mile each, just to get a box of food.”

The push reflects an extraordinary shift in the politics of poverty — driven, paradoxically, both by the spread of hardship to more working-class and white families and the growing recognition of poverty’s disproportionate toll on minorities. With hunger especially pronounced among Black and Latino households, vital to the Democrats’ coalition, the administration is framing its efforts not just as a response to pandemic needs but as part of a campaign for racial justice.

“This crisis has revealed how fragile many Americans’ economic lives are and also the inequities of who is struggling the most,” said Stacy Dean, who is leading the effort as a senior official at the Agriculture Department after a prominent career as an anti-hunger advocate. “It’s an incredibly painful picture, and it is even more so for communities of color.”

Like other policies being pursued by the White House — including a temporary child allowance that is expected to cut child poverty nearly in half — the effort to reduce hunger reflects a new willingness among Democrats to embrace an identity as poverty fighters that they once feared would alienate the middle class.

To understand what the new policies mean at the kitchen table, consider the experience of Dakota Kirby, 29, a single mother in Indianapolis who lost her job as a caregiver for an elderly woman at the start of the pandemic. Having recently started the job, Kirby assumed she could not get unemployment benefits and did not apply.

That left her relying on nutritional aid and a trickle of child support to feed a 6-year-old daughter and a year-old son.

“It got a little rough there,” said Kirby, adding that she hesitates to complain since “there’s families that have it way worse.”

Even when she budgeted carefully, her $509 a month in food stamps ran out within three weeks. She trimmed her portions and skipped meals so the children could eat. She got help from a food bank until her children rebelled at butter beans and tuna. She pawned her television set, but still came up short at the checkout line.

“It was humiliating,” she said, to jettison frozen pizzas in line as strangers looked on. “I’ve never had that kind of problem. It makes you really sad and angry as a mom. Especially when it’s through no fault of your own.”

Kirby recently received a 15% increase in food stamps, mandated by Congress in December, which was so unexpected she refused to spend it, for fear she would get in trouble.

In addition, both children will now qualify for a program called Pandemic-EBT, which offers electronic vouchers for groceries to replace meals lost during school closings. (Previously only her older child qualified.) And she will receive more money for produce under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC.

Combined, monthly aid from the three programs will rise to $930 from $665. Put differently, each person in the home will now receive $10 a day to eat, an increase of 40%.

“That’s a big old jump!” she said, surprised at the news. “It will help tremendously.”

The Biden effort marks a sharp change from the philosophy of the Trump administration, which sought to narrow eligibility for food stamps and expand work rules.

So far, the expansion of aid has brought only modest conservative complaint. But what supporters called “nutritional assistance,” critics often call “welfare.” Past expansions of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, as the food stamp program is formally known, brought counterattacks from conservatives who argued that the program undercut work and marriage.

Angela Rachidi of the conservative American Enterprise Institute said the Biden administration had overstated the need for additional assistance and understated the risks. She noted that the government had spent vast sums to expand other programs and that Congress had substantially raised SNAP benefits for many families at the start of the pandemic. (In addition to increased SNAP, Kirby received $8,200 in stimulus payments and will get a $6,600 child allowance.)

Rachidi credited strict welfare rules for pre-pandemic reductions in poverty — child poverty fell to a record low — and warned that a lasting aid expansion would put that progress at risk.

“This has been on the agenda of Democrats and left-leaning advocacy groups for a long time — they’re expanding programs that discourage work and encourage dependency,” she said. “There’s a clear intention to make these changes permanent, and I think many Republicans have been asleep at the wheel.”

Scenes of crowded food banks have provided some of the most arresting images of the pandemic and brought hunger issues a rare spotlight. A recent Census Bureau survey found that, over the previous week alone, 8.4% of adults said their households “sometimes” lacked enough to eat and 2.3% said they “often” did. That translates into 23 million hungry adults, plus millions of children.

Differences in data collection complicate pre-pandemic comparisons, though multiple estimates suggest hunger levels higher than those of the Great Recession.

At the John Boner Neighborhood Center in Indianapolis, requests for emergency food have become so common that the agency has started to stock food boxes.

“We have people who’ve never needed assistance before, and we have that population that needed it before but need it more now,” said Carla James, a staff member.

Interviews with neighborhood residents suggest the aid expansions have done much to reduce hardship, but with their reach varying greatly from household to household.

While Kirby got no unemployment aid, Sonya Radford quickly received jobless benefits, which more than replaced the income she lost when her job as a nursing assistant ended, and she enrolled in SNAP. That combination left her better able to feed her three children than before the pandemic, when she often relied on food pantries.

“With the benefits, we’re pretty well off,” she said.

Anna Chaney quit her job as a DoorDash driver to watch her daughter and two grandchildren when their schools closed. She has since seen both hardship and plenty. For seven months, surviving on SNAP was such a struggle that she cut portions and diluted the chicken soup. Then she suddenly got $16,000 in overdue unemployment benefits. She filled the freezer with meat and took the family on vacation.

“I wish that the lawmakers would have realized prior to us being in a pandemic that poor people needed more,” she said. “It took more of the middle class, and some of the upper class, to find that they needed help for people to act. For me to go in and tell the Indiana Legislature, ‘Hey, guys, $75 isn’t enough to eat for a week,’ that’s going to be a real hard sell. But when the whole world is suffering, that’s a different situation.”

The Biden administration shares the hope — that demonstrating the value of the aid expansions, most of them temporary, will lead to permanent change. “We can build a stronger, longer-lasting safety net,” Dean said.

Speaking at an anti-hunger conference last month, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack outlined a kaleidoscope of recent initiatives. They include new subsidies to food banks, an outreach campaign in WIC, food aid for homeless young adults, grants for Puerto Rico and the Mariana Islands, and efforts to deliver more nutritious food.

Perhaps the most important change since the start of the pandemic involves the temporary growth of SNAP benefits, which reach about 1 in 8 Americans and 1 in 4 children.

The Biden administration settled legal challenges last week that will further raise benefits beyond those Democrats twice pushed through Congress last year. A federal judge ruled last fall that the Trump administration had erred in denying the poorest 40% of households the initial increase; in agreeing to raise those benefits, Biden administration officials will expand assistance by more than a $1 billion a month.

With the new increase, average benefits will have grown temporarily by roughly three-quarters during the crisis.

Pandemic-EBT, the replacement for school meals, is a large temporary program that could lead to lasting change. Child hunger routinely rises when schools let out, and nutrition advocates have long called for a large summer feeding program. By extending Pandemic-EBT through the summer, Congress is essentially running a pilot program, at a cost of roughly $6 billion, and Biden officials have signaled an interest in making it permanent.

Less immediate but potentially of great importance is a process the Biden team has started to reexamine adequacy of SNAP benefits in normal times. The benefits are based on a budget called the Thrifty Food Plan, which experts have long argued underestimates the costs of feeding a family. Elaine Waxman of the Urban Institute and two colleagues found benefits would have to grow 27% (or $15 billion a year in pre-crisis terms) to meet minimal needs.

In 2018, Congress, then under Republican control, authorized the Agriculture Department to reevaluate the cost of a healthy diet, and Biden’s order urged officials to accelerate the work. While awaiting an internal study, officials have indicated they expect to raise benefits significantly.

“The Thrifty Food Plan is just too thrifty,” Dean recently said.

Speaking at the recent conference, Vilsack cast these efforts as part of a fight for racial justice. A former agriculture secretary under President Barack Obama, he called himself an “older white guy” and added, “I haven’t had the experience of being Black.” But he said an equity commission in the department would reevaluate policies to ensure racial fairness.

Reassured by a reporter that her benefit increase had not been a mistake, Kirby, the Indianapolis mother, recently returned to the grocery store where her shortage of funds had led to humiliation in the checkout line.

This time, she brought her children, no longer afraid they would ask for food she could not afford. She bought the frozen pizzas she had been forced to discard in the earlier visit and “some expensive stuff, like meat sauce for spaghetti.”

“I don’t even know how to explain it,” referring to her eased worries. “It’s like a physical relief. I just knew everything would be OK.”

WASHINGTON — With more than 1 in 10 households reporting that they lack enough to eat, the Biden administration is accelerating a vast campaign of hunger relief that will temporarily increase assistance by tens of billions of dollars and set the stage for what officials envision as lasting expansions of aid.

WASHINGTON — With more than 1 in 10 households reporting that they lack enough to eat, the Biden administration is accelerating a vast campaign of hunger relief that will temporarily increase assistance by tens of billions of dollars and set the stage for what officials envision as lasting expansions of aid. The effort to rush more food assistance to more people is notable both for the scale of its ambition and the variety of its legislative and administrative actions. The campaign has increased food stamps by more than $1 billion a month, provided needy children a dollar a day for snacks, expanded a produce allowance for pregnant women and children, and authorized the largest children’s summer feeding program in history. “We haven’t seen an expansion of food assistance of this magnitude since the founding of the modern food stamp program in 1977,” said James P. Ziliak, an economist at the University of Kentucky who studies nutrition programs. “It’s a profound change.” While dollars and decisions are flowing from the Agriculture Department, the tone has been set by President Joe Biden, who issued an executive order in January telling aides to “address the growing hunger crisis” and later lamented the car lines “half a mile each, just to get a box of food.” The push reflects an extraordinary shift in the politics of poverty — driven, paradoxically, both by the spread of hardship to more working-class and white families and the growing recognition of poverty’s disproportionate toll on minorities. With hunger especially pronounced among Black and Latino households, vital to the Democrats’ coalition, the administration is framing its efforts not just as a response to pandemic needs but as part of a campaign for racial justice. “This crisis has revealed how fragile many Americans’ economic lives are and also the inequities of who is struggling the most,” said Stacy Dean, who is leading the effort as a senior official at the Agriculture Department after a prominent career as an anti-hunger advocate. “It’s an incredibly painful picture, and it is even more so for communities of color.” Like other policies being pursued by the White House — including a temporary child allowance that is expected to cut child poverty nearly in half — the effort to reduce hunger reflects a new willingness among Democrats to embrace an identity as poverty fighters that they once feared would alienate the middle class. To understand what the new policies mean at the kitchen table, consider the experience of Dakota Kirby, 29, a single mother in Indianapolis who lost her job as a caregiver for an elderly woman at the start of the pandemic. Having recently started the job, Kirby assumed she could not get unemployment benefits and did not apply. That left her relying on nutritional aid and a trickle of child support to feed a 6-year-old daughter and a year-old son. “It got a little rough there,” said Kirby, adding that she hesitates to complain since “there’s families that have it way worse.” Even when she budgeted carefully, her $509 a month in food stamps ran out within three weeks. She trimmed her portions and skipped meals so the children could eat. She got help from a food bank until her children rebelled at butter beans and tuna. She pawned her television set, but still came up short at the checkout line. “It was humiliating,” she said, to jettison frozen pizzas in line as strangers looked on. “I’ve never had that kind of problem. It makes you really sad and angry as a mom. Especially when it’s through no fault of your own.” Kirby recently received a 15% increase in food stamps, mandated by Congress in December, which was so unexpected she refused to spend it, for fear she would get in trouble. In addition, both children will now qualify for a program called Pandemic-EBT, which offers electronic vouchers for groceries to replace meals lost during school closings. (Previously only her older child qualified.) And she will receive more money for produce under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC. Combined, monthly aid from the three programs will rise to $930 from $665. Put differently, each person in the home will now receive $10 a day to eat, an increase of 40%. “That’s a big old jump!” she said, surprised at the news. “It will help tremendously.” The Biden effort marks a sharp change from the philosophy of the Trump administration, which sought to narrow eligibility for food stamps and expand work rules. So far, the expansion of aid has brought only modest conservative complaint. But what supporters called “nutritional assistance,” critics often call “welfare.” Past expansions of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, as the food stamp program is formally known, brought counterattacks from conservatives who argued that the program undercut work and marriage. Angela Rachidi of the conservative American Enterprise Institute said the Biden administration had overstated the need for additional assistance and understated the risks. She noted that the government had spent vast sums to expand other programs and that Congress had substantially raised SNAP benefits for many families at the start of the pandemic. (In addition to increased SNAP, Kirby received $8,200 in stimulus payments and will get a $6,600 child allowance.) Rachidi credited strict welfare rules for pre-pandemic reductions in poverty — child poverty fell to a record low — and warned that a lasting aid expansion would put that progress at risk. “This has been on the agenda of Democrats and left-leaning advocacy groups for a long time — they’re expanding programs that discourage work and encourage dependency,” she said. “There’s a clear intention to make these changes permanent, and I think many Republicans have been asleep at the wheel.” Scenes of crowded food banks have provided some of the most arresting images of the pandemic and brought hunger issues a rare spotlight. A recent Census Bureau survey found that, over the previous week alone, 8.4% of adults said their households “sometimes” lacked enough to eat and 2.3% said they “often” did. That translates into 23 million hungry adults, plus millions of children. Differences in data collection complicate pre-pandemic comparisons, though multiple estimates suggest hunger levels higher than those of the Great Recession. At the John Boner Neighborhood Center in Indianapolis, requests for emergency food have become so common that the agency has started to stock food boxes. “We have people who’ve never needed assistance before, and we have that population that needed it before but need it more now,” said Carla James, a staff member. Interviews with neighborhood residents suggest the aid expansions have done much to reduce hardship, but with their reach varying greatly from household to household. While Kirby got no unemployment aid, Sonya Radford quickly received jobless benefits, which more than replaced the income she lost when her job as a nursing assistant ended, and she enrolled in SNAP. That combination left her better able to feed her three children than before the pandemic, when she often relied on food pantries. “With the benefits, we’re pretty well off,” she said. Anna Chaney quit her job as a DoorDash driver to watch her daughter and two grandchildren when their schools closed. She has since seen both hardship and plenty. For seven months, surviving on SNAP was such a struggle that she cut portions and diluted the chicken soup. Then she suddenly got $16,000 in overdue unemployment benefits. She filled the freezer with meat and took the family on vacation. “I wish that the lawmakers would have realized prior to us being in a pandemic that poor people needed more,” she said. “It took more of the middle class, and some of the upper class, to find that they needed help for people to act. For me to go in and tell the Indiana Legislature, ‘Hey, guys, $75 isn’t enough to eat for a week,’ that’s going to be a real hard sell. But when the whole world is suffering, that’s a different situation.” The Biden administration shares the hope — that demonstrating the value of the aid expansions, most of them temporary, will lead to permanent change. “We can build a stronger, longer-lasting safety net,” Dean said. Speaking at an anti-hunger conference last month, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack outlined a kaleidoscope of recent initiatives. They include new subsidies to food banks, an outreach campaign in WIC, food aid for homeless young adults, grants for Puerto Rico and the Mariana Islands, and efforts to deliver more nutritious food. Perhaps the most important change since the start of the pandemic involves the temporary growth of SNAP benefits, which reach about 1 in 8 Americans and 1 in 4 children. The Biden administration settled legal challenges last week that will further raise benefits beyond those Democrats twice pushed through Congress last year. A federal judge ruled last fall that the Trump administration had erred in denying the poorest 40% of households the initial increase; in agreeing to raise those benefits, Biden administration officials will expand assistance by more than a $1 billion a month. With the new increase, average benefits will have grown temporarily by roughly three-quarters during the crisis. Pandemic-EBT, the replacement for school meals, is a large temporary program that could lead to lasting change. Child hunger routinely rises when schools let out, and nutrition advocates have long called for a large summer feeding program. By extending Pandemic-EBT through the summer, Congress is essentially running a pilot program, at a cost of roughly $6 billion, and Biden officials have signaled an interest in making it permanent. Less immediate but potentially of great importance is a process the Biden team has started to reexamine adequacy of SNAP benefits in normal times. The benefits are based on a budget called the Thrifty Food Plan, which experts have long argued underestimates the costs of feeding a family. Elaine Waxman of the Urban Institute and two colleagues found benefits would have to grow 27% (or $15 billion a year in pre-crisis terms) to meet minimal needs. In 2018, Congress, then under Republican control, authorized the Agriculture Department to reevaluate the cost of a healthy diet, and Biden’s order urged officials to accelerate the work. While awaiting an internal study, officials have indicated they expect to raise benefits significantly. “The Thrifty Food Plan is just too thrifty,” Dean recently said. Speaking at the recent conference, Vilsack cast these efforts as part of a fight for racial justice. A former agriculture secretary under President Barack Obama, he called himself an “older white guy” and added, “I haven’t had the experience of being Black.” But he said an equity commission in the department would reevaluate policies to ensure racial fairness. Reassured by a reporter that her benefit increase had not been a mistake, Kirby, the Indianapolis mother, recently returned to the grocery store where her shortage of funds had led to humiliation in the checkout line. This time, she brought her children, no longer afraid they would ask for food she could not afford. She bought the frozen pizzas she had been forced to discard in the earlier visit and “some expensive stuff, like meat sauce for spaghetti.” “I don’t even know how to explain it,” referring to her eased worries. “It’s like a physical relief. I just knew everything would be OK.”

Biden's effort to combat hunger marks ‘a profound change’

The coronavirus pandemic has adversely affected everyone around the world, but it has majorly hit the poorer sections of society all around the world.

So much so, the United Nations (UN) has warned that over 30 million people are one step away from dying due to acute hunger in more than 20 countries.

According to a report published by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP), which focuses on hunger hotspots, several families in areas of Yemen and South Sudan have already been targetted by acute hunger and starvation.

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/world/over-2-million-yemeni-children-may-starve-in-2021-un-says-363204" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/over-2-million-yemeni-children-may-starve-in-2021-un-says-363204&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjH1cbI8cjvAhUzzjgGHQi9AuIQFjAJegQIAhAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2VD0ALi6P6oek841mAPWZo" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/over-2-million-yemeni-children-may-starve-in-2021-un-says-363204" target="_blank">Over 2 million Yemeni children may starve in 2021, UN says</a>

As of now, nearly 34 million people are already struggling with high levels of acute hunger known as IPC 4 (Integrated food security Phase Classification), which indicates that people in these groups are just "one step away from starvation".

"The magnitude of suffering is alarming," FAO director-general Qu Dongyu said. "It is incumbent upon all of us to act now and to act fast to save lives, safeguard livelihoods and prevent the worst situation."

Such a situation of acute hunger has been driven by international conflicts, climate changes, and the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed millions of lives around the world and has forced several international governments and organisations to pull back funding for third-world countries.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-has-increased-social-inequality-in-uk-survey-369696">&nbsp;Coronavirus has increased social inequality in UK: Survey</a>

"In many regions, the planting season has just started or is about to start," Qu said. "We must run against the clock and not let this opportunity to protect, stabilise and even possibly increase local food production slip away."

While the majority of the identified hotspots are in Africa, areas such as Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Haiti, and the Caribbean have also been warned of the unfortunate situation.

"We are seeing a catastrophe unfold before our very eyes," WFP executive director David Beasley said. "Famine – driven by conflict, and fuelled by climate shocks and the Covid-19 pandemic – is knocking on the door for millions of families."

Beasley also added that increase in donations, access to vulnerable communities and an immediate decrease/halt in the violent conflicts are the three ways in which this disaster can be averted.

The coronavirus pandemic has adversely affected everyone around the world, but it has majorly hit the poorer sections of society all around the world. So much so, the United Nations (UN) has warned that over 30 million people are one step away from dying due to acute hunger in more than 20 countries.

The coronavirus pandemic has adversely affected everyone around the world, but it has majorly hit the poorer sections of society all around the world. So much so, the United Nations (UN) has warned that over 30 million people are one step away from dying due to acute hunger in more than 20 countries. According to a report published by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP), which focuses on hunger hotspots, several families in areas of Yemen and South Sudan have already been targetted by acute hunger and starvation. Also read | Over 2 million Yemeni children may starve in 2021, UN says As of now, nearly 34 million people are already struggling with high levels of acute hunger known as IPC 4 (Integrated food security Phase Classification), which indicates that people in these groups are just "one step away from starvation". "The magnitude of suffering is alarming," FAO director-general Qu Dongyu said. "It is incumbent upon all of us to act now and to act fast to save lives, safeguard livelihoods and prevent the worst situation." Such a situation of acute hunger has been driven by international conflicts, climate changes, and the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed millions of lives around the world and has forced several international governments and organisations to pull back funding for third-world countries. Also read | Coronavirus has increased social inequality in UK: Survey "In many regions, the planting season has just started or is about to start," Qu said. "We must run against the clock and not let this opportunity to protect, stabilise and even possibly increase local food production slip away." While the majority of the identified hotspots are in Africa, areas such as Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Haiti, and the Caribbean have also been warned of the unfortunate situation. "We are seeing a catastrophe unfold before our very eyes," WFP executive director David Beasley said. "Famine – driven by conflict, and fuelled by climate shocks and the Covid-19 pandemic – is knocking on the door for millions of families." Beasley also added that increase in donations, access to vulnerable communities and an immediate decrease/halt in the violent conflicts are the three ways in which this disaster can be averted.

'One step away from starvation': UN warns over 30 million could die of hunger

In a small impoverished mountain village in Eastern Guatemala residents find themselves in dire straits, sinking deeper into poverty. The families are struggling to survive, the lives of children have been lost and the crisis deepens. WION brings you a report.

Guatemalan mourn death of children as hunger spreads across La Palmilla

The World Food Programme, world’s largest humanitarian organisation addressing hunger and promoting food security wins the Nobel Peace Prize 2020.

World Food Programme wins Nobel Peace Prize 2020 for efforts to combat hunger

In a book published on Wednesday about,&nbsp;Pope Francis has been quoted saying that&nbsp;enjoying a well-cooked meal and sexual intercourse are not sinful activities and are simply "divine".

The book, titled "TerraFutura, conversations with Pope Francis on integral ecology" has been published by&nbsp;Italian writer and gourmet Carlo Petrini. the book is a collection of interviews with the Pope.

"Pleasure arrives directly from God, it is neither Catholic, nor Christian, nor anything else, it is simply divine," he has been quoted in the book.

"The Church has condemned inhuman, brutish, vulgar pleasure, but has on the other hand always accepted human, simple, moral pleasure," he added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/creation-is-groaning-pope-francis-urges-countries-to-follow-paris-climate-agreement-324509">Also read|&nbsp;'Creation is groaning': Pope Francis urges countries to follow Paris Climate Agreement</a>

He also used the eample of a 1987 Danish film called "Babette's Feast"&nbsp; saying that the movie is a "hymn to Christian charity, to love."

He goes on to say that while these thoughts have existed in the Church in the past, he believes that this is&nbsp;"a wrong interpretation of the Christian message".

He goes on to explain that eating and indulging in sexual intercourse is important to keep human bodies healthy and fit. "The pleasure of eating is there to keep you healthy by eating, just like sexual pleasure is there to make love more beautiful and guarantee the perpetuation of the species," the Pope said.

The Pope said there is no place for&nbsp;"overzealous morality" in the church now. He also feels that opposing views to this has often caused harm in this history, and its impact can be seen till date.

In a book published on Wednesday about, Pope Francis has been quoted saying that enjoying a well-cooked meal and sexual intercourse are not sinful activities and are simply "divine".

In a book published on Wednesday about, Pope Francis has been quoted saying that enjoying a well-cooked meal and sexual intercourse are not sinful activities and are simply "divine". The book, titled "TerraFutura, conversations with Pope Francis on integral ecology" has been published by Italian writer and gourmet Carlo Petrini. the book is a collection of interviews with the Pope. "Pleasure arrives directly from God, it is neither Catholic, nor Christian, nor anything else, it is simply divine," he has been quoted in the book. "The Church has condemned inhuman, brutish, vulgar pleasure, but has on the other hand always accepted human, simple, moral pleasure," he added. Also read| 'Creation is groaning': Pope Francis urges countries to follow Paris Climate Agreement He also used the eample of a 1987 Danish film called "Babette's Feast" saying that the movie is a "hymn to Christian charity, to love." He goes on to say that while these thoughts have existed in the Church in the past, he believes that this is "a wrong interpretation of the Christian message". He goes on to explain that eating and indulging in sexual intercourse is important to keep human bodies healthy and fit. "The pleasure of eating is there to keep you healthy by eating, just like sexual pleasure is there to make love more beautiful and guarantee the perpetuation of the species," the Pope said. The Pope said there is no place for "overzealous morality" in the church now. He also feels that opposing views to this has often caused harm in this history, and its impact can be seen till date.

People who like food and sexual intercourse are not sinners, says Pope Francis

Rapid population growth, lack of access to food and water, and increased exposure to natural disasters mean more than 1 billion people face being displaced by 2050

1 Billion people will have to forcefully migrate: New report predicts humanitarian crisis

Zakaria al-Omar was walking through Beirut when a stranger robbed him at knifepoint, a desperate crime of a kind that has become increasingly common in crisis-torn Lebanon.&nbsp; 
 
The small Mediterranean country is mired in an economic crisis marked by a steep currency fall and runaway inflation that have plunged nearly half of the population into poverty. 
 
Omar, a 37-year-old graphic designer, recalled the terrifying and tragic encounter that started when a man in his 40s crept up behind him as he walked alone at night through Beirut's Hamra commercial district.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/lebanon-protests-president-michel-aoun-urges-nation-to-unite-304030" hreflang="en">Lebanon protests: President Michel Aoun urges nation to unite</a> 
 
"He told me that he didn't want to hurt me. He asked me to give him money or take him to a grocery store to buy some food," Omar recounted. "He said his children back home were crying from hunger." 
 
The robber grabbed the money and darted toward his motorcycle, then stopped dead in his tracks and returned, explaining that he had lost his job and could no longer pay the rent.&nbsp; 
 
"He started crying and apologised to me," Omar told AFP. "He told me that he was not a thief but that he was hungry and so were his children." 
 
Omar said he refused to take back the cash. 
 
"I told him that I forgave him, and then he went away," Omar said. "I was scared but I also felt sad for that man breaking down in front of me." 
 
Lebanon's Internal Security Forces say crime rates have shot up this year amid Lebanon's worst economic turmoil since the 1975-1990 civil war. 
 
The ISF recorded 863 thefts and robberies in the first half of this year, up from 650 for all of 2019, according to a document seen by AFP.

Apologetic robbers 
A security official who asked not to be named told AFP that broader crime rates during the first half of 2020 reached a six-year peak, especially murders and robberies. 
 
The rise appeared to be driven by the deepening economic crisis, said the official, who was not authorised to speak on the issue.&nbsp; 
 
Police were noticing a "new kind of theft that involves mainly baby milk, food, and medicine", the source said.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/lebanon-spells-out-painful-steps-required-in-financial-rescue-plan-278183" hreflang="en">Lebanon spells out 'painful steps' required in financial rescue plan</a> 
 
In another trend that evoked Omar's encounter, the source added, "more than one victim has said the perpetrators apologised while robbing them". 
 
Tens of thousands of Lebanese have lost their jobs or part of their salaries, while a crippling dollar shortage has sparked rapid inflation. 
 
The Lebanese pound, though officially pegged to the dollar at 1,507, reached a peak of more than 9,000 to the greenback on the black market in early July. 
 
With Lebanon heavily reliant on imports, the price of medicine, baby milk and food has reached record highs.&nbsp; 
 
The price of a relatively cheap brand of diapers has shot up from 15,000 Lebanese pounds ($10 at the official rate) to 34,000 pounds ($23) per pack. 
 
And the cost of a tin of baby milk has climbed from 23,000 ($15) to 35,000 pounds ($23) on average, with some brands selling for as much as 45,000 pounds ($30).

'Deteriorating conditions' 
In a video widely shared on social media this month, three men were filmed walking away from a Beirut restaurant carrying a large and heavy-looking safe. 
 
Walid Ataya, the restaurant owner, said: "They took money from the cash register, even the spare change. Then they scoured the place until they spotted the safe, which they couldn't open." 
 
He did not reveal exactly how much was lost but said the robbers stole the proceeds from "two years' worth of work". 
 
Ataya, who owns a chain of upscale restaurants in Beirut, said the safe contained cash he did not want to deposit in a bank, now a common concern. 
 
Since the autumn, Lebanese banks have gradually forbidden depositors from withdrawing their dollar savings or transferring them abroad, prompting many to stash cash in their offices or at home. 
 
Apart from money, increasingly more cars are being stolen. 
 
The ISF has recorded 303 vehicle thefts so far this year -- more than the 273 in the second half of last year. 
 
The increase, the security source said, was clearly linked to "deteriorating economic conditions and rising youth unemployment".&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Zakaria al-Omar was walking through Beirut when a stranger robbed him at knifepoint, a desperate crime of a kind that has become increasingly common in crisis-torn Lebanon.

Zakaria al-Omar was walking through Beirut when a stranger robbed him at knifepoint, a desperate crime of a kind that has become increasingly common in crisis-torn Lebanon. The small Mediterranean country is mired in an economic crisis marked by a steep currency fall and runaway inflation that have plunged nearly half of the population into poverty. Omar, a 37-year-old graphic designer, recalled the terrifying and tragic encounter that started when a man in his 40s crept up behind him as he walked alone at night through Beirut's Hamra commercial district. Also read: Lebanon protests: President Michel Aoun urges nation to unite "He told me that he didn't want to hurt me. He asked me to give him money or take him to a grocery store to buy some food," Omar recounted. "He said his children back home were crying from hunger." The robber grabbed the money and darted toward his motorcycle, then stopped dead in his tracks and returned, explaining that he had lost his job and could no longer pay the rent. "He started crying and apologised to me," Omar told AFP. "He told me that he was not a thief but that he was hungry and so were his children." Omar said he refused to take back the cash. "I told him that I forgave him, and then he went away," Omar said. "I was scared but I also felt sad for that man breaking down in front of me." Lebanon's Internal Security Forces say crime rates have shot up this year amid Lebanon's worst economic turmoil since the 1975-1990 civil war. The ISF recorded 863 thefts and robberies in the first half of this year, up from 650 for all of 2019, according to a document seen by AFP. Apologetic robbers A security official who asked not to be named told AFP that broader crime rates during the first half of 2020 reached a six-year peak, especially murders and robberies. The rise appeared to be driven by the deepening economic crisis, said the official, who was not authorised to speak on the issue. Police were noticing a "new kind of theft that involves mainly baby milk, food, and medicine", the source said. Also read: Lebanon spells out 'painful steps' required in financial rescue plan In another trend that evoked Omar's encounter, the source added, "more than one victim has said the perpetrators apologised while robbing them". Tens of thousands of Lebanese have lost their jobs or part of their salaries, while a crippling dollar shortage has sparked rapid inflation. The Lebanese pound, though officially pegged to the dollar at 1,507, reached a peak of more than 9,000 to the greenback on the black market in early July. With Lebanon heavily reliant on imports, the price of medicine, baby milk and food has reached record highs. The price of a relatively cheap brand of diapers has shot up from 15,000 Lebanese pounds ($10 at the official rate) to 34,000 pounds ($23) per pack. And the cost of a tin of baby milk has climbed from 23,000 ($15) to 35,000 pounds ($23) on average, with some brands selling for as much as 45,000 pounds ($30). 'Deteriorating conditions' In a video widely shared on social media this month, three men were filmed walking away from a Beirut restaurant carrying a large and heavy-looking safe. Walid Ataya, the restaurant owner, said: "They took money from the cash register, even the spare change. Then they scoured the place until they spotted the safe, which they couldn't open." He did not reveal exactly how much was lost but said the robbers stole the proceeds from "two years' worth of work". Ataya, who owns a chain of upscale restaurants in Beirut, said the safe contained cash he did not want to deposit in a bank, now a common concern. Since the autumn, Lebanese banks have gradually forbidden depositors from withdrawing their dollar savings or transferring them abroad, prompting many to stash cash in their offices or at home. Apart from money, increasingly more cars are being stolen. The ISF has recorded 303 vehicle thefts so far this year -- more than the 273 in the second half of last year. The increase, the security source said, was clearly linked to "deteriorating economic conditions and rising youth unemployment".

'Hunger crimes' on the rise in crisis-hit Lebanon

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