The Philippines News agency:; West Asia still struggling to reduce extreme poverty

TEHRAN, June 24 (PNA/IRNA) -- Western Asia continues to face enormous challenges in reducing poverty, improving health and empowering women, according to a UN progress report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) released Wednesday. The proportion of people living in extreme poverty - on less than $ 1.25 a day - increased steadily between 1990 and 2005, from 2 to 6 per cent, making Western Asia one of only three regions worldwide that are not on track to meet the UN target of halving extreme poverty by 2015, a press release issued by the UN Information Center (UNIC)...