http://www.oneworld.net/article/archive/14 en_US http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/160207/1/14 WASHINGTON, Apr 28 (OneWorld) - Far away and close to home the growing world food crisis is taking a toll. While Americans are increasingly shocked at their rising grocery bills, hunger threatens lives and stability in several developing countries. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/83563 The significant shifts driven by climate change in the polar regions present new opportunities and pressures for development. These are challenges which demand holistic, integrated responses (PDF briefing). http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/83583 A majority of leading oil and gas companies are far from transparent when it comes to the payments they make to resource-rich countries, leaving the door open to corruption and hampering efforts to fight poverty, according to Transparency International. http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/160150/1/14 A World Bank-backed carbon-reduction programme in which concessional loans would be offered to developing country governments was compared to a "protection racket" by Friends of the Earth director Tony Juniper at a meeting in London at the weekend. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/83551 Certification alone cannot guarantee that agrofuels are being produced sustainably. 'Sustainability' is being used as a smokescreen, shows a new report (PDF). From: Friends of the Earth Europe