Ghana is Africa’s largest gold producer, but it has an illegal mining issue: 5 essential reads: Ghana is one of the world’s gold hotspots. It is Africa’s largest producer of gold and it ranks sixth globally. In 2023, 4 million ounces were produced. It is essential to Ghana’s economy, contributing around 7% of gross domestic …
Ukraine war: Russian-held elections seek to normalise illegal occupation and reveal reality of a long war ahead: Russia has recently held local elections, including – for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine last February – counting votes in the four territories annexed to Russia after a series of illegal and illegitimate referendums last …
Cannabis is illegal in Nigeria but provides a living for families – study calls for rethink of drug laws: Arriving at the tranquil village health facility in southwestern Nigeria, we were met by a small gathering of men – young and old – with thinly veiled excitement. These rural farmers were visibly intrigued by our …
Understanding why burning the Qur’an isn’t illegal in Sweden means looking at the country’s long-held commitment to freedom of expression: To people outside Sweden it may seem surprising that police have, on several recent occasions, granted people express permission to burn copies of the Qur’an in public. The incidents have caused upset and triggered a …
Lion farming in South Africa: fresh evidence adds weight to fears of link with illegal bone trade: GettyImages In South Africa an estimated 8,000 lions are bred and kept in captivity for commercial purposes in more than 350 facilities. This is far more than the country’s wild population, estimated at 3,500 individuals. These big cats …
Illegal migration bill to become law: what you need to know: The UK government has succeeded in passing its illegal migration bill. After a series of late-night votes and months of controversy, the bill is now set to receive royal assent and become the Illegal Migration Act 2023. The following round-up will give you the …
Protecting Congo’s forests: new timber parks will help fight illegal logging: Jan Sochor/Getty Images The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) joined the East African Community in 2022. This will offer the country, which has immense natural wealth, a huge market in neighbouring countries and direct access to new roads, railways and ports – and therefore …
Illegal organ trade is more sophisticated than one might think – who’s behind it and how it could be controlled: A Sudanese man who testified to selling a kidney to traffickers in 2017. Oliver Weiken/picture alliance via Getty Images Every now and then the trade in human organs makes national, even international, news. In March …
Illegal migration bill: the concern for children’s rights keeping the House of Lords up all night: Sean Aidan Calderbank/Shutterstock The illegal migration bill passed through the House of Commons earlier this year, but is being fiercely contested in the House of Lords. The bill is currently at the committee stage which allows the members to …
Illegal migration bill: can the government ignore the European court of human rights?: The illegal migration bill has been approved by MPs and now moves to the House of Lords. The controversial bill would make it so that anyone who arrives in the UK irregularly (for example, by small boat) can be removed to their …
Illegal logging in Africa is a threat to security: View of an endangered indigenous tree felled by illegal loggers in the Nakuru forest area of Kenya. James Wakibia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images African countries are estimated to lose US$ 17 billion each year to illegal logging. High-value timber species are in global demand. Illegal logging …
Illegal immigration: cracking down on smuggling makes gangs more organised – and costs migrant lives: The illegal migration bill is the government’s latest proposal to tackle the rise in small boat Channel crossings, by detaining and removing anyone who arrives in the UK without valid permission to enter. The government hopes the bill, currently in …
Illegal immigration bill does more than ‘push the boundaries’ of international law: The UK government has introduced its latest effort to deter small boat migration, by vowing to remove all those who arrive in the UK illegally by any route. The illegal migration bill, if enacted, will apply retrospectively, meaning that those who arrived even …
Dakar’s clandestine taxis are essential for daily travel – but they’re illegal: A clando taxi stand in downtown Rufisque, Dakar metropolitan area. G. Lesteven, 2021, CC BY-NC-ND Africa’s major cities are growing at a rapid pace. In Dakar, Senegal’s capital, for instance, the population has almost doubled in 20 years, reaching 4 million inhabitants today. …
Waste crime: how online advertising platforms are facilitating illegal dumping: Maksim Safaniuk The new BBC podcast, Buried, by investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor, is a compelling look at how criminals are infiltrating the UK waste disposal system. It opens with a tape recording by a trucker, on his deathbed. He tells the story …
Ghana’s illegal mining continues because the rules and reality are disconnected: Illegal gold mining is spreading rapidly in Ghana Wikimedia Commons/Flickr Artisanal and small-scale mining – a low-tech, indigenous mining subsector – is taking on increasing economic importance in many developing countries. Over 150 million people worldwide are estimated to derive their livelihoods from this …
How money and technology are militarising the fight against the illegal wildlife trade: Thousands of animals and plants are bought and sold each year globally as food, medicine, clothing and furniture – even in the form of musical instruments. Wildlife, it seems, is big business. The illegal wildlife trade, which has an estimated value of …
Energy charter treaty makes climate action nearly illegal in 52 countries – so how can countries leave it?: ZoranOrcik/Shutterstock Five young people whose resolve was hardened by floods and wildfires recently took their governments to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Their claim concerns each country’s membership of an obscure treaty they argue makes …