International rice and wheat prices have doubled or tripled in the last two years, but world grain production will reach a record high this year. So how come millions are falling into poverty and starting food riots across the world? The answer lies not in any outsized surge in world demand or fall in world supply, but in the fact that several countries, including China, have imposed duties, quotas and outright bans on agricultural exports. This has reduced the amount of grain available for world trade. The terrible irony is that world grain production will be at a record high in 2008. People are hungry, and it’s not because there isn’t enough food to go around.

Palestinian suffering is, of course, real and heart-wrenching, but what the Arab narrative deliberately distorts is the cause of its own tragedy: the folly of its own fanatical leadership—from Haj Amin al-Husseini, the grand mufti of Jerusalem (Nazi collaborator, who spent World War II in Berlin), to Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser to Yasser Arafat to Hamas of today—that repeatedly chose war rather than compromise and conciliation. Palestinian dispossession is a direct result of the Arab rejection, then and now, of a Jewish state of any size on any part of the vast lands the Arabs claim as their exclusive patrimony. That was the cause of the war 60 years ago that, in turn, caused the refugee problem. And it remains the cause of war today. One constantly hears about the disabling complexity of the Arab-Israeli dispute. Complex it is, but the root cause is not. Israel’s crime is not its …

This is no one-off blip: its a genuine change in priorities. As the economy heads for trouble, there has been a remarkable shift in the public priorities. Issues like the environment have moved down the agenda and people have started worrying about tax and inflation. Less regular trackers from other companies have shown immigration as the big issues for a couple of years now - so to see it knocked off the top spot indicates a major change in public opinion.

Obesity contributes to global warming, too. Obese and overweight people require more fuel to transport them and the food they eat, and the problem will worsen as the population literally swells in size, a team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine says. This adds to food shortages and higher energy prices, the school’s researchers Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts wrote in the journal Lancet on Friday. Because thinner people eat less and are more likely to walk than rely on cars, a slimmer population would lower demand for fuel for transportation and for agriculture, Edwards said.

Unknown assailants detonated a bomb outside a Christian school in Gaza City before dawn Friday, causing no injuries. The powerful explosion was heard in surrounding neighborhoods at around 4 a.m. Damage was visible at the entrance to the Zahwa Rosary School, which is run by Catholic nuns but caters mainly to Muslim students. Police officials from Hamas said they were looking into the incident. A school official declined to comment. The bombing was the latest in a string of attacks on Christian institutions in the overwhelmingly Muslim territory. In the most serious attack, a local Christian activist was murdered in October. His killers have not been found. Friday’s bombing was not the first attack on the school run by the Rosary Sisters. The school was ransacked in June, 2007, along with the nuns’ adjacent convent, during a week of intense fighting that ended with Hamas’ …

A Japanese lingerie firm today unveiled the perfect gadget for eco-friendly sun worshippers – the solar-powered bra. The bra comes with a detachable solar panel, worn around the stomach, which can produce enough energy to power an iPod or mobile phone as the wearer lazes on the beach, the makers claim. It is also equipped with plastic pouches that can be filled with water, allowing wearers to quench their thirst without having to buy and then throw away hard-to-recycle drinks bottles. But the fetching “Photovoltaic-Powered Bra” won’t be on shelves any time soon. It is still at the “concept” stage and has several problems that need to be ironed out. For one, it is damaged by rain – a big drawback for those used to the vagaries of English summers. The makers, Triumph International Japan, concede that that the bra will not become popular in its current form, as outer …

The Iraqi parliament is angry over reports that an organization in the capital has been sending Iraqi children for medical treatment in Israel.

Gestern wurden sechs führende Bahá’í im Iran durch den Geheimdienst festgenommen und in das berüchtigte Evin-Gefängnis gebracht. Durch diesen Schlag der iranischen Regierung verliert die iranische Bahá’í-Gemeinde ihre nationale Koordinierungsgruppe. Der Nationale Geistige Rat der Bahá’í in Deutschland protestiert aufs schärfste gegen diesen Akt staatlicher Willkür, der an die wiederholte Verschleppung und Hinrichtung der Bahá’í-Führungsebene in den Jahren 1980/81 erinnert. Die sechs Mitglieder der landesweiten Koordinierungsgruppe wurden während einer Razzia in den frühen Morgenstunden des 14. Mai 2008 festgenommen. Angehörige des Geheimdienstes drangen zeitgleich in die Wohnungen und Häuser der Bahá‘í ein, um umfangreiche Durchsuchungen vorzunehmen. In deren Folge wurden die sechs in das berüchtigte Teheraner Evin Gefängnis gebracht. Die sechs Männer und Frauen waren - mit Kenntnis der iranischen Regierung - seit Jahren mit der Aufgabe befasst, eine Art “Notverwaltung” der über 300.000 iranischen Bahá’í zu ermöglichen. Dies war erforderlich geworden, nachdem die gewählten Mitglieder des Nationalen Geistigen Rates …