Africa: Groups say UK-US aid falls woefully short

A US promise to disperse 674 million dollars for famine relief in Africa has disappointed independent development groups, who decried the proposal as a sham that offers too little in face of the continent's mounting crises. President George W. Bush announced the funding Tuesday in response to humanitarian emergencies in Africa. Some 414 million dollars of this sum will be provided immediately to avert famine in the Horn of Africa. The White House says that the aid will help 14 million people at risk in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti.