WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Twenty of the world’s most troubled countries have made progress in efforts that range from reducing poverty to improving the education of girls and cutting down on the deaths of women in childbirth, the World Bank said yesterday. The improvement is a big shift from just a few years ago for the 20 fragile and conflict-hit states. Data shows these 20 countries have met at least one of a series of targets adopted by the United Nations in 2000 that aim to slash poverty, hunger and disease in poor countries by 2015, known as the Millennium Development Goals, according to the World Bank’s analysis.