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Biofuel: A crime against humanity?
The UN's Special Rapporteur on the right to food Jean Ziegler recently caused a stir by saying that the growing use of crops to produce biofuels as a replacement for petrol is a crime against humanity. We hear his reasons why.

Biofuel farmers in Brazil
On the other hand, there's no doubt that some people are benefiting immediately from the conversion from food crops to fuel crops. Brazil is a country that has led the way in biofuels. Tim Hirsh reports.

Followed by this week's Human Rights News

Conspicuous consumption in Beirut
Commentary from Cynthia Petrigh, an outsider grappling with the contradictions of the Lebanese 'Bling' culture, while the aftermath of the recent war means people struggle to get a regular supply of water and electricity.

Green consumers
We follow a Saturday shopping trip with the Dutch Zijlstra family, who use a "Green" credit card that compensates for the carbon dioxide released during the production of the goods they buy.

Freegans
70% of food is wasted between production and reaching its intended target - our mouths. Freegans, or dumpster divers, are a growing urban tribe who protest food wastage by taking the useable stuff thrown away by supermarkets. Are they saving the planet, or just saving themselves some money? Marnie Chesterton hits the skips of Brighton, on the south coast of England with freegan Guy Crawford. She also speaks to sandwich producer Pret a Manger, and charity FairShare about ways to cut down this surplus.

Champion hot dog eater
Pat Bertoletti is a 22 year old Chicago student and chef with a special talent for stuffing his face. Marnie Chesterton interviews the #2 world-ranked competitive eater, to find out what drives him and why he isn't the size of a truck.

On the road in South America
In 1999, The Zapp family took off in a 1928 Graham-Paige car (think Bonnie and Clyde) and spent the next 4 years driving from Argentina to Alaska. They had a son, Pampa, en route - and relied on the kindness of strangers to get them from A to B.  Such is their wanderlust that they have since embarked on another trip (and had another son, Tehwe, in the meantime) which aims to take them round Asia for the next three years. Reporter Jesse Hardman caught up with the intrepid family as they drove across Canada in preparation for the next leg of their trip - India.