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SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
News Item One (For Questions 11—12)
The UN Agency, the World Food Program, says Iraq is facing a food crisis, which is causing enormous damage to its population, especially its children. The agency said more and more Iraqis were spending their whole day struggling to find food for survival and the social fabric of the nation was disintegrating. It said that an entire generation of children was being harmed irreparably and the country was at a point of no return.
WFP says that 60% of Iraq's population, that's 12 million people, are struggling to survive because of food shortages. Food for the average family cost the equivalent of $26 a month. The devaluation of the Iraqi dinar means that few can afford this. Levels of severe malnutrition among children under five now can compare with the Sub-Sahara in Africa. The infant mortality rate has risen by more than 700% compared with before the Gulf War. Many donor states say the Baghdad government should take the blame for this because it refuses to raise money for food by selling oil through the UN as the sanction rules allow. WFP is asking for $122 million dollars to help feed 2 million people, mostly those under five or over seventy. That's double the size of last year's program, although the agency says it's still a fraction of the real need. WFP also acknowledges that it's unlikely that governments around the world will respond fully to this appeal.
News Item Two (For Question 13)
France and US have signed an accord to share sensitive information on nuclear weapons. US and French officials say the agreement is aimed at maintaining the reliability and safety of the two countries' nuclear stockpiles. As part of the accord, the US will share with France its computer data on simulated nuclear explosions. Until now, the US data was shared only with Britain. Officials say the agreement will help the two countries maintain their arsenals after they sign a global treaty expected later this year that bans all nuclear testing.
News Item Three (For Questions 14—15)
The University of Michigan carries out a survey of the drug habits among young people every year. And this year it's concluded that the teenage drug use is rapidly getting worse. 25% of the teenagers surveyed said they'd used an illegal drug at sometime in their lives, an increased of 3% from the figures for 1993. Marijuana use is climbing back towards levels not seen since the late 197O's. And today's Marijuana is up to ten times more potent than in the past. Cocaine use, which leveled off in the early 1990's, is also making a comeback among 13 to 15-year-olds. And LSD, which had dropped considerably in the 1980's, is also on the rise. Officials involved in the survey say the results indicate that young people no longer see drugs as dangerous; instead, the researchers say, they are viewed as glamorous or trendy. The health secretary said it was time to sound the alarm and the secretary calls for a powerful anti-drug message to be sent to children, with parents leading the way.
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