Despite being surrounded by petroleum-rich neighbors, Egypt is suffering the effects of record-high oil prices that have touched off deadly riots over the simplest of commodities: bread.
Since the beginning of April, at least 10 people have been stabbed to death while waiting in Cairo bread lines others have died from exhaustion. The crisis comes as the U.N.'s World Food Program appeals to member nations to contribute $750 million for aid to affected countries. But as FOX News reported last week, internal documents from the WFP show a failure by OPEC nations to help out their Arab neighbor. Saudi Arabia, for instance, has committed to give zero dollars for 2008, while the United Arab Emirates has pledged just $50,000 an amount several times less than impoverished nations like Bangladesh. The United States leads all donors at more than a $1 billion. Egypt, the world's largest importer of wheat, heavily subsidizes the sale of flour. Government flour sells for about $3 per 100 pounds. On the black market, however, that same bag can fetch $45. Unlike other Arab nations awash in petrodollars, almost half of Egypt's population gets by on less than $2 a day and for an estimated 30 million people, bread means everything. For now, the Army has been called out to bake and distribute the bread. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355736,00.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;192386516;25150098;k Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:260261 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
