From Argentina to Egypt to Indonesia, soaring food prices have sparked a 'silent tsunami' that threatens to push 100 million people into poverty, and increase unrest around the globe, according to the World Food Programme. Nor is the situation likely to improve anytime soon. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the prices of wheat and rice have doubled in the last year, and that of corn is more than a third higher. In some nations, says World Bank president Robert Zoellick, the cost of staples has increased by up to 80 percent. Behind the price rises: a complex set of factors including rising inflation, the use of crops for biofuels, inclement weather and increasing fuel costs. The protests have claimed their share of fatalities. In Egypt at least one person was killed during rioting; in Haiti (pictured here) demonstrators in Port-au-Prince threw rocks at the presidential palace and demanded immediate action to solve the nation’s food crisis. U.N. peacekeeping troops held protesters at bay, but after two weeks of violent confrontations, at least six people have been killed.
Photo: Ariana Cubillos / AP
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