Oba of Benin allegedly places curse, banishes Chief Dr Ogiugo.

The gold mining village.

The newly signed African free trade agreement is hailed as a huge step forward by some, but criticized as a mammoth project with little chance of ever coming true by others.

The soldiers died from toxic fumes while trying to blow up an illegal gold mining installation underground. France has deployed hundreds of troops to French Guiana's remote jungle to clamp down on the criminal activity.

Dangerous dams: Laos and the curse of hydroelectric gold

As the UN COP25 climate change conference opens in Madrid, we focus on the issue of deforestation. The Amazon rainforest - a major climate regulator - is under immense strain from logging, mining and farming activities. We take you to France's part of the Amazon, in French Guiana. Gold mining - by big companies and small extractors but also thousands of illegal miners - is accused of playing a role in destroying the forest there. Our colleagues from France 2 report, with FRANCE 24's Malcolm Surer.

Social media influencer Esther Jimenez underwent a difficult survival process following a 'devil's acid' attack that was thrown at her face before social networks changed her life helping her become an influencer and motivator for thousands of followers.

The illegal activity has caused major environmental damage in Colombia, one of the world's most biodiverse countries. Officials say the spike in mining is also deeply concerning "because it has ties to organized crime."

Ghana is the largest gold producer in Africa. Its extraction poses serious threats to the environment, but one organization is training small-scale miners to engage in safer, eco-friendly mining methods.

The Dominican Republic markets itself as a tropical vacation paradise. But behind the scenes lie heaps of trash from mass tourism. People like Eddy Rosado and the UN environment program are trying to shrink the Caribbean nation's garbage dumps.

The wall will cover almost half of the border between the two countries. Many Haitians cross the border in search of work in the fields or in the construction industry in the Dominican Republic.

Oil from the Niger Delta region has brought Nigeria great wealth as well as devastating pollution. Spills from oil pipelines have damaged the environment, the livelihoods and the health of the residents. DW’s Fred Muvunyi reports from Ogoniland.