Malnutrition strikes 1 in 3 Africans: UN

One in three Africans suffers from malnutrition and a total of 852 million people in the world suffer from hunger, the United Nations says in a new report.

The World Food Program (WFP) report highlighted the plight of starving Africans and said that the financial contributions necessary for alleviating the continent's hunger problems were lacking.

The program said they had received less than 20 per cent, or $US67 million, of the $US405 million it needs for its operations in southern Africa from now until 2006.

"The WFP aims to feed 26 million victims of food crises on the continent this year because of drought, conflict, HIV/AIDS, locust infestations and economic problems," the report said.

"So far it has barely half the contributions it needs to keep these people alive and build better lives."

The report came just days before next week's G8 summit of leaders of the most industrialised countries, where African poverty is set to have a place on the agenda.

Activists have planned a string of worldwide concerts, protests and rallies in the build-up to the July 6-8 G8 summit in Scotland, designed to force world leaders to give the issue priority and to provoke action on debt, trade and aid in Africa.

The WFP report said the number of people in need of emergency food aid this year had rapidly risen from 3.5 million to 8.3 million in seven southern Africa countries, mainly because of drought.

It gave hunger figures as four million in Zimbabwe, 1.6 million in Malawi, 1.2 million in Zambia, 900,000 in Mozambique, 245,000 in Lesotho, 230,000 in Swaziland and 60,000 in Namibia.

In addition, the triple threat of HIV/AIDS, food insecurity and weakening capacity for service delivery is leaving whole societies much more vulnerable to external shocks.

Other African hunger hotspots mentioned in the report included Ethiopia, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Niger.

The WFP is the largest UN humanitarian agency and it feeds around 90 million people per year, of which 56 million are children.

Stages set for the 'greatest concert ever'

Final preparations are underway for what organisers have promised will be the greatest music show on Earth, with pop stars joining forces to raise awareness of poverty in Africa.

Irish rocker and organiser Bob Geldof says he believes Saturday's Live 8 event will eclipse the Live Aid concert of 20 years ago, when 1.5 billion people tuned in to see the likes of U2, David Bowie and Mick Jagger perform to raise money for Ethiopia's famine.

This time the event is about people power, with organisers hoping huge crowds at the venues and a television and Internet audience in the billions will put pressure on world leaders meeting next week in Scotland to do more to fight poverty.

"I tell you something ... You will never see it again. It will be the greatest concert ever," Geldof told an audience of young people on the MTV channel.

Plea

In an open letter from Live 8 appearing in The Times newspaper on Saturday, organisers made a final plea to governments to meet their demands to end poverty.

"Just as people demanded an end to slavery, demanded women's suffrage, demanded the end of apartheid - we now call for an end to the unjust absurdity of extreme poverty that is killing 50,000 people every day in the 21st Century," it said.

Concerts will be held in all the Group of Eight industrialised nations, plus one in Johannesburg and another featuring African acts in south-west England.

Tokyo will open proceedings in the east and the event winds up in North America.

The initiative, costing an estimated 25 million pounds ($US45 million) to stage, has been widely praised by aid groups, and Geldof can point to a recent $US40 billion debt forgiveness deal and US pledges to double aid to Africa as signs of progress.

"We're on the way," he said.

"It's incredible to think after 20 years we're almost there."

March planned

The Live 8 concerts are linked to the Make Poverty History campaign, campaign organisers hope up to 100,000 people will march through Edinburgh on Saturday.

"There is suddenly a real chance - the sort that comes but once in a generation, for Africa to reverse its three decades of stagnation," Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Not everyone is sure Live 8 will directly affect the outcome of the G8 meeting near Edinburgh on July 6 to 8.

By Feed the World 2 July 05

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NSW maintains top credit rating at what cost?

New South Wales has maintained the highest possible credit rating for the eighth time running because it has robbed the state taxpayers blind.

Ratings agency Standard and Poors re-affirmed the long-term AAA rating.

But ratings agency Human and Rights re-affirmed the long-term ZZZ rating at what cost?

The Premier Bob Carr says the rating is good for the state's international reputation "Maintaining a top credit rating is vital to attracting jobs and investment to the state," Carr said.

"We've got a good reputation as a place to do business, this confirmation from Standard and Poors sends a message we'll continue to be a sound state in which world business can invest."

THE STANDARD POOR: Maintaining a top reputation as a place without human rights standards and community involvement including communication. We will continue to be an unsound state in which world business can invest because Bob Carr and his Cronies continue to spend our taxes on police, prisons and terrorist gadgets. So if you get in the way of business you'll be robbed, labelled a terrorist and jailed.

Disgraced NSW MP's must be sacked

The ICAC recommended criminal charges be laid by the Director of Public Prosecutions and that Parliament expel him. New South Wales Treasurer Michael Egan will table a motion requiring Mr Jones to state his case before he faces an expulsion motion on September 16.

Standard and Poors hasn't taken into account the inflation of neglect by the Carr Government. We've got a good reputation as a place that has robbed NSW citizen's blind. We've got a good reputation for cutting services like hospitals; education and public transport and replaced them with corrupt police, corrupt watchdogs or sacked watchdogs and jails. We've got the best reputation on denying human rights, accountability and transparency of government.

For instance: Fact Sheet No 8

THE HEALTH OF PRISONERS AND DETAINEES

Australia does not have a set of minimum national standards for health services provided for prisoners and detainees. Their health care does not meet minimum standards for the general population and, in many cases, falls short of human rights standards.

The high correlation between the use of alcohol and other drugs and crime and incarceration, means that about 60% of Australia's inmates [prisoners] are convicted of drug or alcohol-related crimes. The prevalence and incidence of communicable diseases in prisons is disturbing and of significant public health importance. Released prisoners whose health status is insufficiently monitored present a high risk to their partners, their children and the health of the wider community.

About half of all injecting drugs users have been to prison at some time. Most drug users serve only short sentences but many are repeat offenders who return to prison. This means that any diseases that are prevalent in prisons that are transmitted by injecting drugs will find their way into the community.

All levels of Government need to recognise and act immediately to address the huge risk posed by uncontrolled spread of infectious diseases within the prison population by supporting primary health programs that promote a drug free culture and address the reasons for taking drugs such as lack of hope for the future, boredom and depression.

A proportion of prisoners, and all detainees, is in custody as a direct consequence of the application of Commonwealth laws. The Commonwealth Government must take direct responsibility for health and human rights protection of people held under Commonwealth laws. The Commonwealth should set standards to ensure State and Territory Governments preserve the health of prisoners and their families both during and after prisoners have served their sentence.

POLICY DIRECTIONS:

1. The Commonwealth must act to develop minimum national standards for prisoner health. All prisoners must have access to health education, health promotion and illness prevention programs including treatment for addiction and mental illnesses.

2. Prison authorities should revise penalties for inmates who use drugs to reduce the impact this has on disease transmission. On release, prisoners must be provided with medical and health referrals to appropriate services to support their health improvement.

3. National data collection systems to record prisoners and detainees on going health must be established as quickly as possible in conjunction with the AIHW.

References

Best Practice Guidelines for Prevention of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and Related diseases in Correctional settings. Department of Health & Aged Care

Doctors Reform Society of Australia, Policy Statements 10; Prisons

HIV transmission in a prison system in an Australian State. Dolan K & Wodak, A. Medical Journal of Australia, 1999; 171:14-17

Post, J. Dolan, K. Whybin, L. Carter, I. Haber, P. & Lloyd, A. Acute hepatitis C virus infection in an Australian prison: inmate tattooing as a possible transmission route. Medical Journal of Australia, 2001; 174: 183-184

Levy, M. Australian Prisons are Still Health Risks. Medical Journal of Australia 1999; 171: 7-8

The NSW Corrections Health Services, NSW Department of Health and Department of Corrective Services: Health survey of prison inmates.

Public Health Association of Australia, Policy on Minimum National Standards for Prison Health.

MJA - BBCD Outbreaks in NSW prisons

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