POPE Benedict XVI decried the worsening plight of the world’s one billion hungry yesterday as a United Nations food summit rallied around a strategy of more help to farmers in poor nations but rebuffed a UN appeal to commit billions to the plan.

Leaders of the G8 group of rich industrialised nations are expected to promise €15bn (€10bn) today to boost food security in the world’s poorest countries.

G8 leaders will enter crunch talks today with emerging economies including China and India over plans to halt global warming.

US President Barack Obama spoke with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday to discuss climate change and the global economic recovery.