G8 leaders condemn us to poverty

by Sadie Robinson An enormous economic crisis is gripping the world. In the Global South millions of people are being reduced to levels barely above starvation, as rising food and fuel prices help drive back years of slow improvements to health. In Cambodia, the Irin news agency reports that farmers are abandoning tractors and other farm equipment because they can no longer afford petrol. This in turn is drastically cutting the amount of food produced. In Djibouti, US Aid says the crisis means that half the population is now suffering acute food shortages. In Pakistan there is evidence that the children of the poor are getting smaller for their age compared to a few years ago as a result of malnutrition. Nasreen Bibi is a domestic servant in Pakistan. She says, “I know my children are not growing well. My employer, who can... [read full story]