200,000 people have marched through Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh to demand that the leaders of the world's richest nations act to better the lives of the poorest.

The "Make Poverty History" marchers said the world must no longer tolerate the extreme poverty that blights the lives of millions in Africa and elsewhere. They planned to form a huge human bracelet around Edinburgh as part of the kickoff to a week of anti-poverty activism.

The marchers aimed a peaceful but powerful message at politicians gathering for the summit of the G8 group of rich countries at Gleneagles next week.

"We're not here to march for charity; we are here to march for justice," said Walden Bello, of the advocacy group Focus on the Global South.