Haiti: Child recruitment by armed groups surges 70 per cent
According to the latest estimates, children now comprise up to half of all armed group members, with recruitment driven by widespread poverty, lack of education and collapse of essential services. “Children in Haiti are trapped in a vicious cycle –…
Development, pollution threaten Papuan women’s mangrove forest in Indonesia
JAYAPURA, Indonesia — On the southeastern coast of the city of Jayapura, Petronela Merauje walked from house to house in her floating village inviting women to join her the next morning in the surrounding mangrove forests. Merauje and the women…
Small but mighty efforts are brewing to bring back native forests in India
UDHAGAMANDALAM, India — Scattered groves of native trees, flowers and the occasional prehistoric burial ground are squeezed between hundreds of thousands of tea shrubs in southern India’s Nilgiris region — a gateway to a time before colonization and the commercial…
As fast fashion’s waste pollutes environment, Ghana designers find a solution
ACCRA, Ghana — In a sprawling secondhand clothing market in Ghana’s capital, early morning shoppers jostle as they search through piles of garments, eager to pluck a bargain or a designer find from the stalls selling used and low-quality apparel…
People on breathing machines struggle without power after weather disasters
HOUSTON — Kimberly Rubit had one priority in mind as Hurricane Beryl ripped through Houston this summer: her severely disabled daughter. The 63-year-old worked nonstop to prevent Mary, 42, from overheating without air conditioning, water or lights after Beryl knocked…
$300B climate change deal sparks hope in some, outrage in others
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN — United Nations climate talks adopted a deal to inject at least $300 billion annually in humanity’s fight against climate change, aimed at helping poor nations cope with the ravages of global warming in tense negotiations in the…
Rich nations raise COP29 climate finance offer in bid to break deadlock
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN — Wealthy countries raised their offer of climate finance to $300 billion a year at COP29 on Saturday, raising hopes of a deal with developing nations that had dismissed an earlier proposal as insufficient to address the impacts…
Businesses in western Ukrainian city show appreciation for military
Business owners in the Ukrainian city of Khmelnytskyi wanted to find a way to say thank you to the thousands of members of the military who have spent years fighting Russia’s invasion. Over 60 businesses joined to start the “Khmelnytskyi…
Ukraine has lost 40% of Russia’s Kursk region, military source says
KYIV, UKRAINE — Ukraine has lost more than 40% of the territory in Russia’s Kursk region that it rapidly seized in a surprise incursion in August as Russian forces have mounted waves of counterassaults, a senior Ukrainian military source said….
Preparing for climate chaos in Timor-Leste, one of the world’s most vulnerable nations
In April 2021, catastrophic flash floods ravaged Timor-Leste, claiming the lives of more than 30 people and destroying over 4,000 homes. Among the worst-hit areas was Orlalan, a remote mountainous village with a population of nearly 6,000. Residents there had…