We have report from Lagos in Nigeria on how the city's spiralling population has increased the numbers living in slums. Formerly the capital of Nigeria, Lagos's uncontrolled population growth has made one of the world's largest cities one of the world's largest slums.
CLICK ON Watch the report
Water information by country
Link to Water profile of Sierra Leone - Encyclopedia of Earth
A World Land Trust initiative is putting a webcam in the Ecuadorian rainforest to keep an eye on the many endangered species, using the internet as a tool for conservation.
The project has been set up in the Fundación Jocotoco Buenaventura Reserve in south-west Ecuador, and it has taken six months to install the equipment and establish a satellite connection for the feed.
The trust wants to plant half a million trees on the reserve in the next three years. It employs 20 local people full-time to work in the reserve, which has won recognition from the national government and is run entirely by Ecuadorian nationals. Altogether, the WLT has bought up eight reserves in the Ecuadorian region in partnership with the Fundación Jocotoco.
Fundación Jocotoco is an Ecuadorian organisation established to protect areas of critical importance to the conservation of Ecuador's 1,600 birds species - about 17% of the world's total, and almost as many as neighbouring Colombia and Peru, both of which are countries about five times as large.
Ken Livingstone yesterday announced the most wide-ranging shake-up of the London congestion charge in its controversial history. The capital's Mayor is proposing that the daily fee, which next week marks its fifth anniversary, would more than triple to £25 for gas-guzzling vehicles. Meanwhile, the levy could be scrapped altogether for the most environment-friendly vehicles.
Statistics paint a picture of who we are, where we live, and what we do. They help people, firms and government make choices which shape our lives.
stats4schools is about helping teachers and pupils to get more from statistics. For pupils, we have datasets you can download and include in your own projects, free of charge. For teachers, we have lesson plans and worksheets, which you are free to download and use in class.
stats4schools is managed by the independent Office for National Statistics, and includes data from across government.
Britons are being asked to "leave it off" later this month, to show that cutting home energy use can have an impact on climate change.During E-Day, which begins on 27 February, people will be asked to switch off electrical items not in use.
Maurice and Katia Kraft site... some excellent images and short film clips
CLICK on a label to find out how to survive the various hazards
The NHS is spending £350m a year to provide maternity services for foreign-born mothers, £200m more than a decade ago, the BBC has found.Immigration has raised the birth rate so fast that some units have closed, so that midwives could be moved to areas of urgent need.
The heaviest snow in decades is continuing to cause transport chaos throughout China ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. BBC News website readers have described their experiences of travelling across southern China.
The last Saturday of every month has been designated "Cleaning Saturday" by Sierra Leone's new government.The capital, Freetown has gained a reputation for filthy living conditions and overcrowding following the brutal 1991-2002 civil war when tens of thousands fled their villages to shelter in the city.But now once a month men and women, old and young, can be seen tidying up their country.
10 pictures available here
Hundreds of village schools across Britain are being closed, despite a long-term pledge by the government to maintain education in the countryside. The policy U-turn will affect 30,000 children in up to 300 schools in its first stage, The Observer has learnt. Campaigners warned last night that the 'nightmare scenario' would see more than 1,000 small schools in England and Wales at risk. The closures are taking place despite a promise by education minister Stephen Byers in 1998 that village schools would be protected.
"Load shedding" is suddenly South Africa's most commonly used phrase.The state's power utility, Eskom, says load shedding occurs when it becomes necessary to interrupt the electricity supply because demand cannot be met. More simply, load shedding is a euphemism for the blackouts that have beset the nation for the past two to three weeks. The traffic in Johannesburg is at a standstill more than usual at the moment. With the lights out, there is chaos at intersections as frustrated motorists find their journey to and from work taking twice as long.
Britain is likely to face a shortfall in electricity generation within five to seven years, a report concludes.Energy and environment consultancy firm Inenco says that the number of nuclear and coal plants coming out of service over the period makes shortages likely. Old coal plants, whose operating hours are limited under European legislation, have been running more than expected because of higher gas prices.
The Brazilian government has announced a huge rise in the rate of Amazon deforestation, months after celebrating its success in achieving a reduction.In the last five months of 2007, 3,235 sq km (1,250 sq miles) were lost.
