"The world's anti-poverty gains achieved over the past years are being eroded by the presence of multiple crises, including an unprecedented economic and financial crisis, increased food [in]security, oil prices volatility and climate change," according to a report released Monday by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the opening of an annual high-level segment of the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Bernama reports. "Multiple crises have created numerous obstacles for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)," the report said, according to the news service (6/29). The ECOSOC meeting opened in New York "with speakers calling for women and girls to be placed at the centre of the global struggle...