Authorities in Portugal have launched raids after a tipoff that Portuguese troops may have smuggled contraband from the Central Afridan Republic. The country has 180 UN peacekeepers stationed in the African nation.

At least 18 people were killed on Sunday in an artisanal gold mine collapse in southern Niger, the local mayor said on Monday. The disaster took place in the southern Maradi region, near the border with Nigeria. The death toll is likely to rise, said the mayor of the commune of Dan Issa, Adamou Guero, . The Governor of the Maradi region, Aboubacar Chaibou, visited the site on Monday and promised better working conditions for people at the sire.

A black diamond on the plate: Sniffing out the secrets of French truffles. The truffle is a luxury fungus that's become a delicacy in French gastronomy. Being a truffle farmer requires years of patience and hunting for the "black diamond" cannot be done without the unrivalled sense of smell of man's best friend.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has called China a "savior." The people around the Bor copper mine, however, fear for their future, as Bor is part of the strategic investments around China's New Silk Road to Europe.

In a big day for LGBT residents of Botswana, an attempt to overturn the decriminalisation of homosexuality has failed in court. Also, South Africa's government says it is being punished as it tries to get countries to walk back some of their Covid-19 travel restrictions. And the China-Africa summit kicks off in Dakar, where participants are discussing trade, conflict and the coronavirus pandemic.

From accepting a transgender mayor in Bangladesh, restoring gay rights in the US to decriminalizing homosexuality in Botswana, several countries have offered glimmers of hope this year in advancing LGBTQ rights.

Fifty-one people have been killed in Russia's worst mining disaster in a decade, prompting three days of mourning in Siberia's Kemerovo region. Among the dead were five rescue workers, although a sixth was found alive and taken to hospital in a serious condition. The blast happened at the Listvyazhnaya mine when coal dust caught fire in a ventilation shaft on Thursday. Rescuers suffocated as they tried to reach dozens of missing miners.

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Traffic came to a standstill on major roads as activists demanded the scrapping of a planned lithium mine. Serbia is already suffering from a series of environmental problems.

Following weeks of major protests, the Serbian government has put an end to a planned lithium mine in Serbia. Protesters still want to push for a complete ban on lithium mines.

The prime ministers of Poland and the Czech Republic have reached an agreement to end a bitter battle over the Turow coal mine.

Sotheby's presents in New York a blue diamond valued at 48 million dollars