France urges joint effort to combat rising food and oil prices

FRANCE’S finance minister has urged Europe and Asia to work together to ease the effects of soaring fuel and food prices.

Christine Lagarde made the comments as South Korea,, hostings talks between finance ministers from the two continents, grappled with a crippling strike by truck drivers over high oil prices.

Lagarde told ministers at the Asia-Europe Meeting that there are concerns “about prices of food and prices of fuel and social unrest that result from such movements.