Rich, emerging nations discuss poverty reduction in Africa

Ministers from the richest nations and the fastest growing economies started talks Sunday on bolstering aid measures to reduce poverty in Africa and other areas under a 2000 UN agreement.

The talks are the second day of meetings between development ministers from the Group of Eight industrialised nations and emerging donor nations -- Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea and South Africa.

The ministers late Saturday pledged to further work together to meet the Millennium Development Goals which include halving extreme poverty and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS in impoverished areas by 2015.

"The ministers discussed development and Africa as one topic," said a Japanese foreign ministry official. continue reading here