Food Shortages Herald "New Era Of Hunger"

As More Countries Suffer Riots Over Rising Prices And Shortages Of Staples, Aid Groups Call For Relief

(CBS/AP)  A third day of riots in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, had by Friday paralyzed the city with looting and violence.

The toll includes a U.N. soldier who has been shot and killed in the capital while delivering food to his unit.

U.N. Mission spokeswoman Sophie Boutaud de la Combe said the soldier was shot Saturday afternoon and that he was a member of a 1,000-strong unit that deals with riots.

She said U.N. troops did not exchange fire, but had no further details.

The demonstrations began earlier in the week, in protest against rising food prices, and turned into riots.

The looting has made access to food even more difficult, doing little to ease widespread hunger among Haitians.

Port-au-Prince hospitals were filled with people injured in the riots, being treated by volunteers from the organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).

Wagner Pierre, who works for Medecins Sans Frontieres, said many of the wounds they were seeing were a result of bullets.

"In the last 4 days we have received 160 wounded, 40 of which were from gun bullet wounds," said Wagner.

Many of the injured were bystanders caught in crossfire, like David Saint Felix, who was wounded in the leg during the protests.

"I was passing through the Haitian marine base looking for my brother who was in the protests, when I was hit with a bullet in my leg," said Saint Felix.

The fighting across the capital was punctuated with calls for the Haitian president's resignation.

This afternoon, a Haitian senator said that parliament has voted to dismiss Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis.

President Rene Preval announced a drop in the price of rice Saturday in a bid to defuse anger over rising food prices.

After meeting with food importers in the national palace, Preval said the price of a 50-pound bag of rice will drop from US$51 to US$43 - a reduction of 15.7 percent.

The Haitian president said the government will use international aid money to subsidize the price of rice and that the private sector has agreed to knock US$3 off the price of each bag. Preval did not say when the price reduction would go into effect.

Preval also said he would ask Venezuela for help, especially about providing fertilizer for struggling farmers.

The announcements come in the wake of looting and clashes between hundreds of protesters and U.N. peacekeepers earlier this week. Protesters blame the government for failing to create jobs and control soaring food prices and some demonstrators called for Preval's resignation. The violence left at least five people dead.

On Saturday, U.N. military commander Maj. Gen. Carlos Alberto Dos Santos Cruz told The Associated Press that calm was returning across the country, with some transportation resuming and people going back to work.

The U.N. commander said that several social, economic and political changes are still needed in Haiti to maintain the present calm and address the increased cost of living. Cruz did not provide specifics.

"It is important for the people to have a peaceful life in Haiti," Santos Cruz said.

The U.S.-backed president has pledged to build up Haitian agriculture and make the country more self-sufficient.

But food prices have risen 40 percent globally since mid-2007.

Haiti, the poorest country in the northern hemisphere, has been hit especially hard because it imports nearly all of its food, and most people live on less than two U.S. dollars a day.

Haiti's food problems are, sadly, not isolated to the Caribbean nation.

A Growing Worldwide Problem

There have been riots in Bangladesh, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal. Rising prices have hit poor countries like Peru (and even developed countries like Italy and the United States).

A confluence of problems are driving the problem. They include soaring petroleum prices, which increase the cost of fertilizers, transport and food processing; rising demand for meat and dairy in China and India, resulting in increased costs for grain, used for cattle feed; and the ever-rising demand for raw materials to make biofuels.

As of December, 37 countries faced food crises, and 20 had imposed some sort of food-price controls. The U.N.'s World Food Program says it's facing a $500 million shortfall in funding this year to feed 89 million needy people.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned that prices could continue to rise for several years.

"This is not a this-year phenomenon," Zoellick said.

The World Food Program blames soaring food prices on a convergence of rising energy costs, natural disasters linked to climate change, and competition for grain used to make bio-fuels like ethanol.

Program spokesperson Benita Luescher told CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller, "What we're seeing is a perfect storm."

On Friday, the Group of 24 Developing Countries urged advanced nations to step up financial aid to help them deal with the severe impact of higher food and energy prices and the turmoil in global financial markets.

The G-24 said that coordinated international action is needed to prevent the emergence of a larger crisis, and agreed the International Monetary Fund has an important role in responding to the current crisis. They also urged the IMF's sister institution, the World Bank, to increase advice and financial support.

Jean-Claude Masangu-Mulongo, chairman of the G-24 and governor of Congo's central bank, said the world was facing "an unprecedented financial crisis that began ... in the heart of the system, the United States, and is spreading."

He said a coordinated and collective international response led by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund is needed.

The G-24 communique was unusual in the amount of advice it offered advanced countries. Usually the communiques speak of how the G-24 will deal with recommendations it receives from the rich countries and the international financial institutions such as the IMF and World Bank. Ministers in several developing countries have noted smugly in recent months that the current crisis did not originate in one of their countries, as happened in the late 1990s, but in the United States, which enjoys the world's largest economy.

The G-24 welcomed a proposal made last month by the World Bank's Zoellick for a "New Deal for a Global Food Policy" to combat hunger and malnutrition through a combination of emergency aid and long-term efforts to boost agricultural productivity.

[wardoglrs]

This isnt a result of higher prices its a result of INFLATION created by the central banks. The banks are the worst kind of cancer to a people like none other.
Americans are blind to this invisable hand of death.
Inflation kills its like the rest of the poor around the world they always get hammerd by the banks.

[mcv57]

Correction: when is went.

[mcv57]

Posted by ibsteve2u

I am not a Lib, I am righteous, God fearing man. I agree with you. The super rich elite when to Hilter to save their wealth. Who said that Republicans are Christians are a *** LIAR! Republicans are conservatives only to the end of keeping the Rich, RICH!

[missingamerica]

..to think past your the typical liberal "I" priority..if your future is threatened, FIGHT so the future for your children would be bright..

these bleeding heart liberals had and is still trying to save africa following the "I" mindset since the 1970s..well how did we progress with that?? in deeper sh*t than ever??

Posted by libsrweak at 03:00 PM : Apr 12, 2008

That is the most asinine thing I''ve seen a neocon say on CBS yet.

Liberals think "we" and "us" - it is the greedy, self-serving neocons and far-right Republicans who cannot see beyond "I" and "me".

That is why they don''t join the service - they don''t believe anybody would risk taking one to save them, because they surely wouldn''t run any risk to save anybody else.

lollll....that is also why the term "chickenhawk" is applied exclusively to neocons and far-right Republicans.

[mcv57]

Prices are getting so high, people aren''''t buying the foods they used to buy, they are economizing. There is no food shortage in America. Millions of Tons of the expensive food is thrown in the dumpsters behind the Supermarkets, EVERY SINGLE DAY!!

Posted by oledakota

Government''s term of "food storage" is not the same as what you assume it to be. The government fails to include their definition: Food Storage due to political and financial disrruption and imbalance (this involves political corruption, greed, and murdereous lust for power).

[hypnotoad72]

"fast food" should be a misnomer and that idiot clown wearing that pukey red and yellow prison outfit dragged into the streets for all to cheer. Everyone happy now?

[mediapreachr]

Blame the policy being pushed by the politicians-using corn to be processed for fuel instead of going on the market to feed people or cattle.
All this from people who did not spend a day on the bench of a university,who got their law degree online or their only prior experience was used car salesmen.

[newsterl]

"There is no food shortage in America. Millions of Tons of the expensive food is thrown in the dumpsters behind the Supermarkets, EVERY SINGLE DAY!!"

I find THAT difficult to believe, supermarkets are a fringe profit business, if they are discarding food its because its stale, fell on the floor, was contaminated somehow, went past its expiration date or the freezer/fridge failed.

Fast food and restaurants on the other hand waste enormous amounts to keep hot food ready for customers, if the burgers etc sit too long they get soggy or dry and no one wants that, so those get thrown out. The routinely put things on burgers and food that people discard- pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, garnishes, and then too much food on the plate means the remaining gets tossed- again that goes back to too many people!

[newsterl]

"How about allowing drilling in Anwar and off the coast of Florida?? That would help."
Xlib"

Not much, it wouldnt amount to a few percent of the whole, and that production would be eaten up and negated in a few years by the increasing POPULATION. The answer is eliminating all tax credits for breeding babies, then taxing the parents for the full costs for the kids they decide to have, that will discourage the ''oh it would be NICE to have 5 kids!'' types.
Cars got around 12 mpg in the 70''s, today they go 300% further on a gallon of gas but we import more oil than ever because in 1950 the US had 150 million and now its 305 million!
Every abortion or choice NOT to have a kid will go MUCH father towards solving all the problems than replacing your bulbs to save 15 watts, taking the bus one day a week to save a gallon of gas, recycling your silly plastic bags, or turning your heat down to 62

[newsterl]

" grain, used for cattle feed"

We squander about 9 pounds of food grade grain and thousands of gallons of water which is short in many areas already- to produce ONE pound of beef, we are stuffing the faces of millions of cattle to produce a product no one need- beef which as we see in the news more and more is causing increased outbreaks of ecoli and other illnesses from factory production for profit.

"Here in the US it would be nice if the governments, both state and fed, rolled back the horrendous taxes on fuel"

Not much, cause that money goes into roads, bridges and as you can see both are in poor condition, and thousands of bridges are in dire need of repair/replacement like the one in Minn that collapsed, but IRAQ is more important so the $ goes there.

"Also, did anyone really think taking a basic food source like corn and turning it into fuel is the answer??"

Those making the $ off it dont care, its another scam to fleece investors, w/o the tax subsidy it would fall flat on its face as it costs more to produce as well as uses fossil fuels to produce, there is no gain here. Ethanol also produces a lower MPG- about 10% less, whichmeans you have to buy and buy 10% MORE to drive the same miles.

[inventagod]

Gee, if Bu$h hadn''t blown his wad on oil, he could help out...
Oil well...

[libsrweak]

reading most of these post, it seems like a few already had given up..

[sharncedar]

China and India, with 2.5 billion people between them, have begun to vastly upgrade the quality and quantity of food of their citizens. They can out-bid the rest oft he world for food supplies using their huge amounts of American dollars and investment capital which has been given them by the American traitors (still unpunished).

[aztecdakota]

Prices are getting so high, people aren''t buying the foods they used to buy, they are economizing. There is no food shortage in America. Millions of Tons of the expensive food is thrown in the dumpsters behind the Supermarkets, EVERY SINGLE DAY!!

[sumarongi]

The truckers strike will not work. The independents will go under. Companies like Swift, JB Hunt, Old Dominion, and other major haulers will be put on notice by the government. It is one industry which they can''t do without. They wouldn''t let air traffic controllers go on strike. The government will step in to guarantee the supply lines.

[radiob-2009]

Posted by Sumarongi

I am well aware of how the rich and corporate America feel towards its citizens, their achilles heel is their wallet. Supporting and expanding the truckers call for a nationwide strike will inflict financial pain upon them. The entire logistics system of our nation has the power to end this.

[sumarongi]

What we need to do is institute changes in the electoral college, election financing to level the playing field, and strict term limits. We need to do these things from the municipal level to Washington.
We need to curtail big business in our government. We need to put a muzzle and leash on lobbyists. Until these things happen government will be BUSINESS as usual in America. It''s a shame that only the rich can afford to run for President and succeed. We need some common sense in government instead of the same old thing.

[xlib]

Here in the US it would be nice if the governments, both state and fed, rolled back the horrendous taxes on fuel. That would help for a starter.
Also, did anyone really think taking a basic food source like corn and turning it into fuel is the answer??
My God,how dumb can we be.
How about allowing drilling in Anwar and off the coast of Florida?? That would help. How about allowing the building of refineries, that would help.
To think that we can rid our dependence on oil overnight is silly, it can''t and won''t happen. We have to be proactive and it appears niether side of the aisle are willing to do that.

[sumarongi]

radiob

First you must believe that Corporate America, the real powers behind our government, are in favor of ending our oil dependency. They are NOT! They actually love the present situation. Defense contractors and oil companies are raking in record profits every month. They could care less about lower and middle class America. The real estate market is booming for the rich. They are buying up properties and companies at pennies on the dollar. We are talking about people who can buy gas at ten dollars a gallon and milk at fifty dollars a gallon all day long and twice on Sundays. They could care less if you end up on the street and starving. It''s in their basic makeup. They consider life a Monopoly game that they are winning. We need to get money into the hands of the poor and give trickle up economics a chance. The wealth would be evenly distributed in businesses all over the nation. It''s kind of obvious that trickle down economics failed. Most of the cash got bottlenecked at the top.

[grumpas]

WE''''LL ALL BE HUNGRY IN THIS COUNTRY TOO IF OBAMA

IS ELECTED BECAUSE THE MAN HAS NO IDEA HOW TO

RUN A COUNTRY.


Posted by truth-hurts

You think the bunch that''s in there (Bush and Company) have any remote idea how to run a country?????? Why do you think we are in such a mess????? And just wait until McBush gets in there. McCain knows even less. The ''spend and deficit'' Republican''s are taking us over the cliff. No responsible country is run the way we have been for 7 years now.