Catholic bishops in Kenya told people to eat genetically modified foods to check starvation amidst a catastrophic drought in the Horn of Africa.

The African Union envoy to Somalia, Jerry Rawlings, has made an emotional appeal to the world to provide emergency aid to the famine-hit region.

Over eight million people are now facing severe food and water shortages in East and West Africa, a consortium of leading British aid agencies has warned.

In the heat and drought that has gripped Russia for two months, an Orthodox archbishop has condemned retailers for profiteering from extreme conditions.