Meltdown hits poorest of global poor

The economic meltdown is hurting the poorest of the world in the worst of ways. The UN agency, the World Food Program, has warned that millions of families in dozens of developing countries are coping with the economic crisis by going hungry, withdrawing their children from school, and cutting back on meals and health care. So after decades of progress, the scourge of global hunger is suddenly on the rise again.

The number of hungry people in the world, defined as those getting fewer than 1,800 calories per day, is projected to rise by 104 million people this year, pushing the world total to a record number of more than a billion, according to the United Nations Food.