Deforestation has soared under incumbent Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been rolling back environmental protections and emboldening illegal loggers. More fires are ravaging the Amazon rain forest right now than in over than a decade.

The new digital platform catalogs objects that were stolen from Benin Kingdom during the colonial era: Over 5,000 items across in 20 countries have been identified.

London's Horniman Museum signed over ownership of 72 artefacts, looted by British soldiers in 1897, to the Nigerian government on Monday.

A "historic" repatriation ceremony in the Nigerian capital attended by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock saw 22 stolen Benin Bronzes transferred to their original owners.

46 Ivorian troops appear at a court of appeal in Bamako as West African leaders decide not to sanction Mali following the arrest of the soldiers back in July. Also, in Benin, fresh faces have emerged on the political scene and a youthful electorate is looking to keep elected officials in check in the upcoming legislative elections.

On Benin's national voodoo holiday, performers dressed as guardians of the night swirled in their costumes like technicolour haystacks, delighting worshippers and tourists alike.

Earlier this week, the French government announced a plan to improve hunting safety and reduce the number of sometimes fatal accidents. Opponents of hunting denounce insufficient measures and underline the lack of debate around biodiversity. France has nearly one million hunters, who say they are acting to protect the environment. But anti-hunting campaigners are not buying that argument. Our team reports.

Maize husks, cassava peelings, coconut shells and other organic waste are the untraditional raw materials of Roland Adjovi's charcoal business that he hopes will help slow the destruction of Benin's trees for cooking fuel.

Off the coast of Benin, Bienvenue Djossou has converted his pub into a safe zone for sea turtles. He is part of a group called eco-guards, who protect vulnerable turtle eggs and fight to ensure that the species does not go extinct.

France's Macron promises $53 mln to new global forest protection scheme.

Many of the famous Benin Bronzes pillaged by British colonial officers in 1897 are made of brass manillas from the German Rhineland, new research shows.

“To be awarded the Polar Music Prize is humbling,” Kidjo says in the release. “I have no words to say how important this is for me. It comes with a sense of responsibility that is bestowed upon me as an artist to continue to do great work.