UN agencies sound alarm over renewed clashes in eastern DR Congo

World News in Brief: DR Congo conflict could spell catastrophe, plastics treaty progress, enforced disappearances rise ahead of Venezuela poll

adminApril 30, 2024September 20, 202408 mins

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) called for greater international support for the Congolese people to avoid a potential catastrophe for the country and the region. Current conflicts have escalated levels of gender-based violence, displacement and hunger in the restive eastern region where multiple armed groups are battling the national army and each other for control….

Polluting rivers, beaches and the ocean: How can Trinidad solve its plastics problem?

adminApril 24, 2024September 20, 2024013 mins

The Maraval river winds its way through Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad & Tobago, reaching the sea at Invaders Bay, the evocative name of the site where British troops landed in the late 18th Century. Today, the area is heavily built up, and construction has begun on a large-scale project that is expected…

New round of plastics pollution treaty talks underway in Nairobi

adminNovember 13, 2023September 17, 202403 mins

The urgency of this effort is underscored by the ongoing global plastic pollution crisis, where approximately 430 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually. Around two-thirds of it is just thrown away, harming both the environment and the food chain. Convening for its third session, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-3) will focus on the so-called zero draft…