Critical minerals

What does the term ‘critical’ mean, and where will we find these minerals?

Rising demand; Where from?; Big dirty business; Real needs?

The government of Dina Boluarte is determined to inflict a hated copper mining project on the people of the Peru’s Tambo Valley. Why, asks Vanessa Baird?

Oasis of life – or zone of sacrifice? The fate of Chile’s culturally and environmentally rich salt flats may be decided by a lithium rush to double output. Vanessa Baird reports from the Salar de Atacama.

Corruption, pollution and child labour have long blighted the DRC’s cobalt industry. But is there any way of turning the country’s critical mineral wealth into a blessing rather than a burden? Cat Rainsford investigates.

There are better ways than digging ourselves deeper into a mining hole.

Ramped-up demand for critical raw materials will cost the earth rather than save the world, concludes Vanessa Baird. And how much do we really need?

Action, and further reading on critical minerals.

Successive governments have failed to tackle police brutality, corruption and unlawful detention in Nigeria. Promise Eze hears from those who’ve experienced the sharp end of the country’s legal system.

A growing movement of Christian feminists are making their voice heard as they oppose threats to tighten the country’s abortion laws. Alice McCool reports from inside their fight.

Jaclynn Ashly explores how the haunting legacy of Britain’s internment camps has shaped Kenya, and why it’s important to keep the fading memories alive.

When did we stop fighting for press freedom? By Nilanjana Bhowmick.

We must build on Kenya’s intersex win, by Rosebell Kagumire.

Lula’s two-faced climate policy, by Leonardo Sakamoto.

Could the sudden cancellation of US aid give the continent the push it needs to develop home-grown systems to address its challenges? By Obiora Ikoku.

Grassroots consumer boycotts spread across the Balkans as citizens challenge profiteering and demand economic justice, by Nikola Teodosić.

After years of impunity, victims of Duterte’s brutal drug war glimpse accountability as the former president faces charges at the Hague, by Iris Gonzales.

Cheap, deadly, and out of control: new report exposes the civilian toll of drone warfare as foreign-made weapons flood African skies, by Paula Lacey.

Hanging by a thread; Spain’s spycops; Cycles of conflict; Crytobros; Crime wave.

As Erdoğan tightens his grip, LGBTQI+ activists and journalists face arrest, surveillance and a wave of repressive laws in Turkey’s ‘Year of the Family’, by Rohan Stevenson.

Myanmar’s military cements its rule online with sweeping VPN bans and surveillance powers, silencing dissent and tightening control, by Laura O'Connor.

Five years on, the world pays the price for forgetting Covid-19’s legacy of inequality, denial, and a global health system still unprepared for what’s next, by Nick Dowson.

As US aid vanishes overnight, Ecuador’s migrant communities are left stranded—caught between political posturing abroad and collapsing support at home, by Cameron Baillie.

Abdul-Malik’s recent efforts to interfere with Israel’s war machine that has got the world suddenly talking about the Houthis, writes Richard Swift.

Tenants score a rare win in Barcelona’s housing crisis as public buyout halts evictions—but at a steep price that still rewards the speculators, by Richard Matoušek.

After years of deadly conflict, Manipur’s fragile calm masks deep divisions—resignation and repression offer no clear path to peace without real reconciliation, writes Manu Moudgil.

Bank Backs Down; Cruelty Curbed; Justice In The Aegean; Paula Lacey.

Praise, blame and all points in between? Give us your feedback.

As Addis changes rapidly beneath her feet, Maya Misikir discovers a community of artists working to document its disappearing history.

‘Orphanhood’ by José Alberto Rodríguez Avila (Cuba).

A protester waves a flag with an image of Atatürk, the founding father of Turkey, at a protest in Istanbul, 25 March. Millions have taken to the streets since the anti-democratic arrest of Istanbul's mayor.

Pride and plunder, by Vanessa Baird.

The graphic novel by Glenn Hustler.

The photos, facts, and politics of India.

Highlighting the work of artists and photographers from the Majority World.

Singer, songwriter and activist Thandiswa Mazwai discusses growing up in apartheid South Africa and her political awakening with Subi Shah.

Free speech, by P J Polyp.

USAID, illustrated by Kate Evans.

Telling a better story. Climate activists are taking a direct stand against the far right. Words by Danny Chivers.

Trump, by Marc Roberts.

Struggling with an ethical dilemma? New Internationalist’s Agony Uncle can help you find answers in our troubled political times.

Renters Unite!; Bountiful Empire; Conflicted Copy; Sanctuary.

Two to One; Julie Keeps Quiet.

Uli Costa e Sandália de Prata; Evil Plan.

Poet and polemicist Mohammed El-Kurd chronicles the erasure of Palestinians – in voice as well as body. By Hamza Yusuf.

Experimental film and new media artist. Words by Jelena Sofronijevic