Lots of hot air at the conference on Millennium Development goals but not one single person spoke the truth behind the miserable conditions of the world poor. There was the usual moaning about the rich countries not keeping their word on providing more aid, corruption in poor countries which prevented aid reaching the poor, climate change, sexual abuse of women, regional conflict where women and children are easy targets, blah, blah, blah. All stuff we have been hearing about for decades and is an opportunity for some people to fly off to some foreign city and have nice expenses paid holiday. Meanwhile there was an emergency meeting in Rome to discuss the rising prices of cereals which are staple food for the world's poor. The conclusion was that there is no shortage of food in the world because of bumper crops in the US and, possibly, Australia and speculators were blamed for the rise in prices. Niger in Africa is in the grip of devastating famine. Officials in Pakistan are saying that the country's growth will decline from 4.5% to 2.5% and it will take many years to recover from the recent floods. What binds all these disparate items of news? It is uncontrolled population growth. While the rich and educated people are cutting down on children the poor keep on breeding without control. Unless leaders are honest and confront the truth there can never be any reduction in poverty and the ills it brings. Some religions encourage fertility and some point to countries like Japan which has a problem with an aging population. Unless aid is tied to less birth rate nothing will change. First people have to have courage to confront the truth.