German minister calls for war on poverty

Declaring that “pre-emptive wars” are against international law, Germany’s development minister has demanded to know why the world can find billions of dollars for military battles and not millions to fight poverty – “the biggest enemy”.

“If there is a just war to be fought, it is the war on poverty and hunger, illness and disease, illiteracy and environmental degradation, exclusion and injustice,” economic cooperation and development minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul said yesterday.