‘Fighting poverty ensures peace’

Business Mirror

2008 - the International Year of the Potato: Potato Can Provide Food Security

UN Says Potato Can Provide Food Security, Eradicate Poverty
By Lisa Schlein  Geneva 06 November 2008

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As the International Year of the Potato 2008 winds down, the United Nations is appealing for continued global attention on the role the potato can play in providing food security and eradicating poverty in helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. It said the potato is a staple, nutritious food that can provide poor people with an inexpensive food that can stop hunger and keep people healthy.  Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva. 

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Sweet potatoes, 23 Oct. 2008

To many people, the potato is an object of fun. Couch potato comes immediately to mind. But, the United Nations thinks the spud is a stud as far as it's ability to feed and preserve the planet. It goes so far as to say that the potato can help save the lives of many of the world's poor and hungry.  

Paolo Garonna is Officer in Charge of the U.N. Economic Commission for Europe. He noted the U.N. General Assembly resolution that launched 2008 as the International Year of the Potato stressed the link between the potato and the Millennium Development Goals.  more

Kol and Mawasi tribes of Satna die of hunger

Food and Agriculture

Campaign to End Child Poverty March in London

• News
• Society
• Children

Hundreds demand an end to child poverty

• Caroline Davies
• The Observer, 
• Sunday October 5 2008
• Article history

Hundreds marched through central London yesterday calling on the government to end child poverty.

The 'Keep the Promise' march, was organised by the Campaign to End Child Poverty, a coalition of 120 organisations, and included many children who gathered at Millbank before marching to Trafalgar Square for a rally.

Before the march, representatives from the group met Gordon Brown at Downing Street. After the meeting he repeated a pledge to impose a legal duty on government to eradicate child poverty by 2020.

The coalition's report last week said more than one third of UK children live in low-income families or in poverty. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, who attended the rally, said that was 'shameful'. The campaign defines poverty as when a family has £10 per person per day or less to live on.  read 

Campaign to End Child Poverty March in London

• News
• Society
• Children

Hundreds demand an end to child poverty

• Caroline Davies
• The Observer, 
• Sunday October 5 2008
• Article history

Hundreds marched through central London yesterday calling on the government to end child poverty.

The 'Keep the Promise' march, was organised by the Campaign to End Child Poverty, a coalition of 120 organisations, and included many children who gathered at Millbank before marching to Trafalgar Square for a rally.

Before the march, representatives from the group met Gordon Brown at Downing Street. After the meeting he repeated a pledge to impose a legal duty on government to eradicate child poverty by 2020.

The coalition's report last week said more than one third of UK children live in low-income families or in poverty. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, who attended the rally, said that was 'shameful'. The campaign defines poverty as when a family has £10 per person per day or less to live on.  read 

THE POVERTY PROMISE BREAKERS

This week world leaders gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Here, all focus is on a multi billion dollar bailouts of financial institutions and the real untold scandal -- global poverty -- risks being forgotten. France, Canada, and Italy are threatening to slash their development aid budgets and break their promise to assign a mere 0.7 % of national income to the world's poorest. If these countries retract on commitments, others may follow -- it’s time to raise the alarm.  To sign a petition to these world leaders click here

Chandrayaan -1 : India's moon mission to launch in October 2008

The ambitious moon mission is slated for second half of October. An ISRO official said on condition of anonymity that the first available date is October 22, and the launch window has been fixed between October 22 and 26. 

ISRO officials said it's an "exceptional example" of international collaboration towards exploring the moon. 

The nearly 1,400 kg Chandrayaan-I satellite would be launched by the 316-tonne Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-XL) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at the spaceport of Sriharikota. 

There are six scientific payloads from NASA, ESA and Bulgaria in addition to the five Indian instruments onboard Chandrayaan-I. Read