Poverty 'worsening' in Asia-Pacific

A United Nations reports says poverty is worsening in the Asia-Pacific region due to the global economic crisis.Unstable food prices and climate change are contributory factors, the report by the UN Economic Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Espac) says.The report, entitled Addressing Triple Threats to Development, was released on Thursday in over 20 cities across the region.Among other things, Espac said that food and fuel prices rose dramatically in 2008.It also said that record high oil prices last year contributed to an increase in the price of rice up by 150 per cent.Rice is the region's staple, so price increases have hit the poor the hardest.That triggered an increase in the number of undernourished people to 583 million.