World hunger rises at its fastest pace since the start of the century, says UN
London — The number of people suffering from hunger last year rose at the fastest pace since at least the beginning of this century as conflicts and climate-related issues curbed access to food. Those categorised as hungry increased by about 38-million to 815-million in 2016, accounting for 11% of the global population, according to a report from the UN. The findings also show that food security has worsened in some peaceful places amid economic slowdowns, while 13% of adults are battling obesity. "These recent estimates are a warning signal that achieving the goal of a world without hunger and malnutrition by 2030 will be challenging," the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation and four other agencies said in the report published Friday. "Deteriorations have been observed most notably in situations of conflict, often compounded by droughts or floods, linked in part to the El Niño phenomenon." More than half of those hungry live in areas affected by violent conflicts that have cripp...
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