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World Food Programme

UN ramps up appeal for South Sudan refugees

Geneva - Arab Today

UN agencies increased their 2017 appeal for South Sudan’s refugees on Monday, saying they needed at least $1.4 billion to help alleviate “unimaginable” levels of suffering. The UN refugee agency and the World Food Programme had earlier asked for $1.2 billion to support more than 1.8 million people fleeing fighting. But even that was only 14 percent funded, the agenciesRead more

UN issues ultimatum as millions face starvation

Rome - Arab Today

The UN issued a blunt ultimatum Friday — if donors fail to pour more money into Africa and Yemen then aid workers might have to choose which of the starving millions live or die. “We are going to have to make life-challenging decisions as to who will receive food and who will not,” said David Beasley, head of the WorldRead more

4 countries face famine threat as global food crisis deepens

Washington/London - Arab Today

Global food crises worsened significantly in 2016 and conditions look set to deteriorate further this year in some areas with an increasing risk of famine, a report said on Friday. “There is a high risk of famine in some areas of north-eastern Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen because of armed conflict, drought and macro-economic collapse,” the Food Security InformationRead more

900,000 face hunger in Sri Lanka as drought slashes rice harvest

Colombo - Arab Today

The worst drought in five years has pushed 900,000 people in Sri Lanka into "acute food insecurity”, the World Food Programme (WFP) says. An unpublished survey conducted by government agencies and relief organisations in February found that both food insecurity and debt were rising sharply among families hit by drought, the WFP office in Sri Lanka confirmed to the ThomsonRead more

Currency rout pushes poorest Arab nation to brink of starvation

Dubai - Arab Today

Anwar Abdullah goes to work every day but he hasn’t been paid in five months. When prices for wheat, sugar and other staple foods spiked earlier this month, the Yemeni school teacher feared for his three children. A civil war that flared into a regional conflict has devastated Yemen’s economy and pushed millions to the brink of starvation. The localRead more

Four famines mean 20 million may starve in the next six months

Geneva - Arab Today

More than 20 million people - greater than the population of Romania or Florida - risk dying from starvation within six months in four separate famines, U.N. World Food Programme chief economist Arif Husain says. Wars in Yemen, northeastern Nigeria and South Sudan have devastated households and driven up prices, while a drought in east Africa has ruined the agriculturalRead more

Daesh assault halts food aid drops in Syria's Deir Ezzor

Beirut - Arab Today

The World Food Programme said Tuesday it has suspended aid drops to the Syrian city of Deir Ezzor because of heavy fighting after a fierce assault by the Islamic State group. IS has besieged Deir Ezzor's 100,000 residents since 2015 and already controls large parts of the city, but on Saturday advanced further inside remaining government-held territory. The clashes, whichRead more

Tom Hiddleston sorry for Globes speech gaffe

Beverly Hills , California - Arab Today

Tom Hiddleston is apologizing for his Golden Globes acceptance speech in which he said he was proud his show could provide “relief and entertainment” for humanitarian aid workers in South Sudan. Hiddleston won a Globe on Sunday for best actor in a miniseries or TV movie for his performance in the BBC arms dealing drama, “The Night Manager.” He describedRead more