INDUSTRIALISED NATIONS(G8) PLEDGES $20BN FOR POOREST NATIONS

Leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised nations have pledged $20bn to help the world's poorest nations fight hunger.
The funding for agricultural investment, announced at the G8 meeting in L'Aquila, Italy, on Friday, was $5bn more than had been expected and is aimed at encouraging poor farmers to produce more of their own food.

• Staffan De Mistura, the vice-executive director of the World Food Programme, said Friday's deal was "greeted with great happiness by all of us in the conference room".
• "While we are rebuilding agriculture, we need to continue supporting food assistance because the financial crisis is pushing another 103 million people into hunger this year," De Mistura said.
• But Alan Fisher, Al Jazeera's correspondent in L'Aquila, said although the food security measure was an important step, the summit had achieved "little success" over the three days of meetings.
• According to the United Nations, the number of malnourished people in the world now exceeds one billion.
• Stephen Chan, a professor of African studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, told Al Jazeera that it was important for poor countries to have self sufficiency.
• Chan said open markets become meaningful "when there's competition that goes both ways, when African states for instance are also able to compete against Western producers. And we're a long way from that right now".
• Charity workers previously expressed disappointment at what they saw as broken promises from leaders, after Italy announced a 56 per cent cut in its aid budget this year.

Courtesy: Al Jazeera