Despite comprehensive regulations, around 60 percent of Europe’s surface water and a quarter of its groundwater do not meet “good” standards. Agriculture bears most of the responsibility. First part of an in-depth investigation on our most precious resource. From the beaches in Brittany, France, to the groundwater of Aragon, Spain;…

A new international study has found that deforestation has caused the premature deaths of around 500,000 people over the past two decades. Researchers in Brazil, Ghana and the UK compared non-accidental mortality rates with temperature rises in regions where tropical forests have been cleared. While earlier studies highlighted the role…

China’s underground financiers have specialized in international money laundering. Three separate police investigations in Italy recently uncovered around 1 billion euros  in proceeds from drug trafficking of the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, Colombian drug cartels, and Albanian organized criminal groups. The more important finding may have been who it was determined had laundered…

Recognizing Afghanistan’s extremist leaders will fuel radicalism. Nearly four years after the Taliban’s reconquest of Afghanistan, Moscow has formally recognized the Taliban regime as the legitimate government of Afghanistan—a move that has been welcomed by China. Moscow’s decision is an invitation for other states in the region, from China to…

To set up their investment funds, asset-management companies such as Eurizon (a subsidiary of Intesa SanPaolo), are using indexes that regularly include fossil-fuel companies. Exploiting loopholes in European regulations, they can thus sell “green” funds that in reality are anything but. The solution? Tougher rules. When creating their funds, asset-management…