World Bank to Poor- Suffer

Robert Zoellick, head of the World Bank and cheerleader of free trade, laid down the gauntlet for the world's poor at a meeting of the World Bank's policy-setting committee this weekend while discussing the current economic crisis.

As a result of the downturn, developed countries are not expected to help 28 countries facing twin shocks of rising food and fuel prices, said the bank's president, Robert Zoellick. "For the poor, the costs of the crisis could be lifelong," he said.