Death by amusement
Hiranmay Karlekar It is more likely for water to be turned into wine than for soaring petrol and diesel prices, which threaten to hobble the world's economy, to plummet. The global food shortage may end, but not in a hurry. It may also continue, given the vagaries of climate change following failure to contain global warming. While welcoming the economic strength that India and China have acquired, US President George W Bush, who always has at least one foot close to his mouth, has ascribed the food crisis to the rise in purchasing power and demand in the two Asian giants.