GLOBAL-WATCH

AFGHANISTAN

Despite previous assurances, the Taliban reneged on a deal to allow teenage girls to attend secondary school. The move derailed a plan by the USA that would have put the Taliban on the path towards diplomatic recognition.

SRI LANKA

The island of 22 million people is facing its worst economic crisis in decades. The government doesn’t have enough foreign exchange for fuel imports, leading to rolling blackouts for up to 13 hours a day. Officials have been instructed to shut off street lights around the country to help conserve power.

MADAGASCAR

Thirty-six hectares of dunes along Madagascar’s southern coastline have been stabilised following years of planting efforts by local people. Long lines of lalanda plants now trap moisture in the ground and stop the wind from blowing the sand further inland.

ANTARCTICA

The Conger ice shelf in East Antarctica, a huge mass about the size of Rome, completely collapsed within days of recent record-high temperatures. The region saw unusually high temperatures in March, with Concordia Station hitting a record temperature of –11.8°C on 18 March, more than 40°C warmer than seasonal norms.

ETHIOPIA

At the end of March, the Ethiopian government declared a unilateral truce, following 17 months of conflict with forces aligned to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. The latter agreed to comply with the immediate ceasefire. The conflict erupted in November 2020 and war spilled over into the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar, killing thousands of civilians and displacing millions.