UN to start major Haiti food distribution programme

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Haitians queue up at a food distribution point.

The UN is to begin a major programme of food distribution in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, almost three weeks after the deadly earthquake, reports BBC.
Sixteen sites have been set up across the city with the aim of reaching two million people over two weeks.
The move came as doctors voiced concern that the US had halted the evacuation of the critically injured to the US.
And at least nine Americans were held on suspicion of trying to take children out of the country unauthorised.
A Haiti government spokesman, Yves Christallin, said the Americans were caught with more than 30 children on the border with the Dominican Republic, where they said they had an orphanage.
This new system will allow us to provide food assistance to more people, more quickly through a robust network of fixed distribution sites
Only women will be allowed to collect earthquake relief supplies, because - the WFP says - this has proved that is the best way to get food to the people who need it.
Men will be encouraged to wait outside the distribution centres to accompany women after they have been given rations, because lone women would be more vulnerable to attack.
The WFP would work with the local authorities to ensure that men in need of assistance were not excluded, it said.
On Saturday, the UN body started to hand out food coupons for the distribution sites.
Each family will be entitled to collect 25kg (55lb) of rice rations, designed to last two weeks.
"Up until now the nature of this emergency has forced us to work in a 'quick and dirty' way simply to get food out," said Executive Director Josette Sheeran.
"This new system will allow us to provide food assistance to more people, more quickly through a robust network of fixed distribution sites."
The WFP says it has reached 600,000 people with over 16 million meals since the earthquake, amid huge logistical problems caused by damage to local infrastructure.
A senior US medic told the BBC that scores of people injured in the earthquake could die if the US did not resume emergency evacuations soon.