| DRC-CONGO: New wave of refugees flees fresh fighting |
BRAZZAVILLE, 20 November 2009 (IRIN Africa) - Renewed clashes in northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have led to a further wave of refugees, leaving corpse-littered villages in the affected area deserted, say humanitarian officials. full report
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GLOBAL: Food aid that gets you two for the price of one | JOHANNESBURG, 18 November 2009 (IRIN Global) - Good quality food aid can save billions of dollars that would otherwise be spent on saving lives, says a major report from the World Bank, one of two new studies that uncover some unsettling facts about food aid and malnutrition. full report
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In Brief: Israel transfers calves to Gaza as a ‘humanitarian gesture’ | TEL AVIV, 15 November 2009 (IRIN Global) - Israel’s Ministry of Defence has accepted agriculture minister Shalom Simchon’s request to transfer some 7,500 calves into Gaza for Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday on around 27 November this year and symbolised by the slaughtering of animals to distribute meat to the poor. full report
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In Brief: World hunger increases despite growth in food production | DUSHANBE, 12 November 2009 (IRIN Global) - Even as world food production grows, hunger is on the rise in many poor countries, according to the Global Crop Prospects and Food Situation report for November, published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on 12 November. full report
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GLOBAL: We can have food security, say two new reports | JOHANNESBURG, 12 November 2009 (IRIN Global) - Did you know that agriculture contributed 42 percent of Nigeria's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2008, more than double the 20 percent of revenue that oil brought into the national coffers? full report
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GLOBAL: Making peanut butter gets stickier | JOHANNESBURG, 11 November 2009 (IRIN Global) - Plumpy'nut, a widely distributed ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), has revolutionized the treatment of acute malnutrition, but its 12-year dominance is being challenged by a newcomer.
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ZIMBABWE: Farm labour shortage threatens food production | HARARE, 11 November 2009 (IRIN Africa) - An acute shortage of labourers on Zimbabwe's newly resettled farms, combined with the farmers' inability to raise loans from financial institutions to purchase agricultural inputs, and money owed to them by the Grain Marketing Board (GMB), do not bode well for food security. full report
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GLOBAL: Fortified flour and chewing gum - new approaches to malnutrition | NAIROBI, 9 November 2009 (IRIN Global) - Some of the most widespread forms of malnutrition can best be reduced by delivering micronutrients and fortifying food in new, cost-effective ways, in combination with community outreach work, experts have said. full report
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SOMALIA: Donor caution alarms aid workers | NAIROBI, 6 November 2009 (IRIN Africa) - Aid agencies operating in Somalia say they need more money but that some donors are holding back, concerned at where resources might end up in areas too dangerous for international staff. full report
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GUINEA: Political crisis only sharpens daily hardship | DAKAR, 6 November 2009 (IRIN Africa) - Even when Guinea is not facing political crisis and reeling from a massacre, daily life is gruelling for many and instability is never far away. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in a September 2009 report says Guinea is “volatile” due to a combination of sharp economic decline; widespread and chronic poverty; limited access to basic services like health, water and sanitation; and persistent political instability. full report
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