The world faces the largest humanitarian crisis since the United Nations was founded in 1945 with more than 20 million people in four countries facing starvation and famine, the UN humanitarian chief said yesterday. He urged an immediate injection of funds for Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia and northeast Nigeria plus safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid "to avert a catastrophe." "Already at the beginning of the year we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations," O'Brien said. He warned that close to one million children under the age of five will be "acutely malnourished" this year. "To be clear, we can avert a famine," O'Brien said.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 10, 2017 22:33 UTC