Why foodbills are sky-rocketing

From Spiegel International OnLine:

"Financial speculators have discovered agricultural commodities, and the result has been skyrocketing prices for wheat, barley and other grains. SPIEGEL spoke with agricultural economist Joachim von Braun about how to curb such speculation and the dangers for the world's poor."

Joachim von Braun, 60, is one of the world's leading agricultural economists. He has been the director of the Center for Development Research at the University of Bonn since May. Before that, he spent seven years as head of the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, DC.

Read the Q & A here.

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Robert Fisk's predictions for the Middle East in 2013

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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