The top UN humanitarian official July 11 called for international assistance to help Lesotho which is facing its worst food crisis, with 400,000 people ? or a fifth of the population ? in need of emergency food aid. “The situation is critical for those already living on the edge, struggling to cope with the combined impact of successive crop failures, poverty and HIV/AIDS,” said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes. “The international community must respond rapidly to assist the Government in averting a crisis.” (UN News)