Tony Blair's plans to tackle poverty in Africa are being 'blocked' by Germany and Italy, with both countries refusing to increase aid packages ahead of the vital G8 talks, The Observer can reveal.
Around £15 billion extra aid - enough to lift half of the world's poorest people out of extreme poverty - is at risk this week because of the unwillingness of the two countries to back an ambitious upgrade in spending.
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The news follows a remarkable response from the British public after The Observer joined the Make Poverty History campaign. Within hours of last week's edition appearing, more than 27,000 people had joined the crusade to tackle global inequality.
Double the number of supporters joined compared to previous weeks, with hundreds of thousands acquiring white wristbands as the largest mobilisation against world poverty gains momentum.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/hearafrica05/story/0,15756,1489756,00.htmlIt's those Axis Powers again :eyes: