Speculators have beendriving up the price of staples foods such as rice, wheat, soya or coffee -- despite adequate supplies - Je 07.07.2008 10

Welcome back. Leaders of the world's biggest industrialized countries are holding their annual summit in the Japanese resort of Toyako. They've got three days to address some of the world's most pressing economic and financial problems, at a time of great turbulence on energy and commodities markets. The price of staple foodstuffs is rising rapidly: due to growing demand caused by population growth and the increased use of biofuels, supply shortfalls caused by natural disasters, and last but not least, financial speculators. The high prices are already causing much suffering in the developing world: and there are fears that if the price bubble bursts, the effects could be even more devastating. Here's the scenario.