Production of enough plastic to cover Argentina causes havoc - study
More than 9 billion tons of plastic has been produced since 1950, with most of it discarded in landfills or the environment
Congo Republic violence leaves more than 150,000 people in need of aid - U.N.
Insecurity in the region has restricted access to schools, markets and health centres, and malnutrition rates are high as the violence has uprooted many farmers and disrupted planting
INTERVIEW - Sexual violence in Haiti is a public health problem
"We would like sexual violence to be recognised as a public health problem because there is not a lot of health services and care available for patients," says Medecins Sans Frontieres
Crop-eating caterpillar to worsen South Sudan's hunger woes - U.N.
"We are already in a very fragile situation in South Sudan... this new pest is coming on top of the rest"
Sex change prompts Singapore to annul couple's marriage
The unidentified couple were married as man and woman before the husband had a sex change surgery to become a female
Japan, China, S. Korea bankroll Indonesia's coal despite Paris pledge
Expanding Indonesia's use of coal - a major driver of climate change - would not be possible without the foreign money, an analysis says
Countries need more than money to cope with shocks - global report
"The countries that tend to be doing better are the ones who have a more inclusive approach to growth"
Opium numbs the pain for Indian pickers exploited on Italian farms
"In summer it is very hot, your back hurts. A bit of opium helps you not to get tired...Too much puts you to sleep, I took just a little, only to work"
More girls at risk of genital mutilation in Germany - report
"It's due to an increased influx from various countries in which FGM is practised, especially Somalia, Eritrea and Iraq"
Central African Republic could plunge back into full-blown crisis - U.N. aid chief
Surge in fighting between militias in several hotspots has uprooted more than 100,000 people since April