A senior U.N. official says rising food prices and frequent natural disasters are making it harder to ease hunger and malnutrition in the Asia-Pacific region. Hiroyuki Konuma, an assistant director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization, made the remark Monday to representatives and observers from 38 countries at a conference in Vietnam. He said […]
44 Nations Attend Food Conference in Vietnam
UN’s Annan Leaves Syria Empty-Handed
U.N. Security Council foreign ministers meet in New York Monday, a day after an envoy’s peace mission to Syria ended in failure. Britain called the meeting to talk about the Middle East a year after the Arab Spring uprisings. But diplomats expect the violence and killings in Syria to dominate the talks. U.S. Secretary of […]
Asia-Pacific Called Grossly Unprepared for Climate Change
A senior development official says Asia-Pacific nations must undergo “transformational change” if they are to meet the challenges posed by climate change. Bindu Lohani, a vice president of the Asian Development Bank, said at a conference in Bangkok Monday that resources now available to make roads, sewers, bridges and pipelines safe from climate change are […]
Poll: 60 Percent Say Afghan War is Not Worth Costs
An ABC News – Washington Post poll indicates that 60 percent of U.S. citizens believe the war in Afghanistan is not worth its costs. The survey found that only 35 percent of Americans believe the decade-long effort has warranted its expense and loss of life. For the first time in five years, Republicans polled are […]
44 Nations Attend Food Conference in Vietnam
Ministers and senior officials from 44 countries are in Hanoi Monday at the start of a five-day conference organized by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. The FAO says the agenda calls for in-depth discussions on policy and regulatory issues, including the state of food and agriculture in the Asia-Pacific region, and an initiative to […]
Reports Say Obama May Visit Korean DMZ
South Korean media say U.S. President Barack Obama is considering a visit to the tense demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea during a scheduled visit to Seoul later this month. The Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported Monday that details of the DMZ visit were discussed during a recent visit to Washington by South Korean Foreign […]
Opposition Rallies Support Ahead of Senegal Runoff Vote
Thousands of opposition supporters have rallied in Senegal’s capital in support of presidential candidate Macky Sall, but President Abdoulaye Wade’s campaign says he has the right strategy to win a runoff vote later this month. The crowd in Dakar Sunday chanted and held up signs, and the 12 candidates who lost in the first round […]