No let-up for rich nations as trade talks flounder

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Rich nations came under fresh attack for refusing to give ground on farm protection at world trade talks on Thursday as nations grouping more than half of the world's population warned of an "impasse well into the future".

A top U.N. food aid official also criticised Europe and the United States for arguing at the Hong Kong trade meeting over whether humanitarian aid should be in kind or in cash.

"What is disgraceful and outrageous is that 18,000 children die of hunger every day, every one of them a preventable death. That's what the controversy should be about," John Powell, deputy executive director of the World Food Programme, told reporters. "We need more food and more cash."

As day four of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks got under way, more than 100 South Korean farmers gathered in a Hong Kong island park, singing and chanting ahead of big marches later in the day to the U.S. and Korean consulates.

full story: http://asia.news.yahoo.com/051216/3/2civv.html