A tragedy on an "unimaginable scale” will occur in Myanmar unless there is a massive and fast infusion of aid, experts and supplies into areas hardest-hit by the cyclone, said a spokesperson for the International Rescue Committee. + Up to 1.5 million in danger + Supplies running low + Forty per cent of dead or missing are children

British government ministers have scrapped radical plans to test a carbon rationing scheme that would have forced citizens to carry a carbon card to swipe every time they bought petrol or paid an electricity bill. They claim the idea was too expensive and would be unpopular. From: The Guardian

NEW YORK, May 9 (OneWorld) - A human rights watchdog has launched a unique nationwide campaign to pressure the Bush administration to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay.

The UN should establish an agency to regulate international transport emissions, notably from highly polluting activities like aviation and shipping, said a climate change watchdog.

The disastrous aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in Burma is a severe reminder of the overwhelming destruction environmental catastrophes cause in poor communities, writes a development researcher, calling for resolute action against climate change.

Namibian primary school students are reading books that they authored and local artists illustrated as part of an education campaign that also provides professional development for teachers.

Global production of solar photovoltaic cells increased 51 percent in 2007, to 3,733 megawatts.

South Africa will host the World Cup in 2010 so construction – and corruption – is booming. But almost none of the building or the money can be accessed by the poor who live in shantytowns without proper water, sanitation or electricity. These inequalities could be a major issue in the 2009 presidential election, says Philippe Rivière.

South Africa will host the World Cup in 2010 so construction – and corruption – is booming. But almost none of the building or the money can be accessed by the poor who live in shantytowns without proper water, sanitation or electricity. These inequalities could be a major issue in the 2009 presidential election, says Philippe Rivière.

More than 500 women representing over 40 countries began last week a 12-day bicycle tour of the Middle East to campaign for peace.

The global food crisis is unraveling economic advances made in recent years by large sections of the poor working classes of Latin America, reports a U.S.-based ethnic media organization.

Unwanted childbearing contributes more to population growth than the desire for large families, writes Robert Engelman in his new book More: Population, Nature, and What Women Want.

WASHINGTON, May 8 (OneWorld) - More than 800 development and human rights activists are gathering here this week, developing and calling on Congress to implement new strategies to tackle world poverty and hunger.

Innovative local initiatives are strengthening rural regions throughout Mexico, which have been losing both people and their competitive edge in agriculture since Mexico opened its markets to free trade.

Climate change is happening faster than predicted and the world could be as much as seven degrees hotter by the end of the century, an Australian scientist says. From: Sydney Morning Herald

Hundreds of members of the remote Dongria Kondh tribe held a protest in India yesterday against plans by a British company, Vedanta, to mine their sacred mountain.

Exile-run media outlets and their undercover, in-country reporters have managed to keep independent news and information flowing on Myanmar politics, policies and natural disasters such as the May 2-3 cyclone. + Burma Regime Must Be Forced to Allow In Aid

A study by the world's leading experts has revealed that airlines are pumping 20 per cent more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than estimates suggest. From: The Independent

UNITED NATIONS, May 7 (OneWorld) - A major U.S.-based humanitarian aid group is urging the Bush administration to revise its aid policy toward Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) and provide immediate assistance to the cyclone victims in that country.

President Bush asked last week that the United States give $770 million in emergency food aid to afflicted regions, but this only amounts to an imperfect first step to confront the global food crisis, says economist Arvind Subramanian.