A couple is seen inside an artistic light installation as part of the Christmas "Winter Wonders" festivities in central Brussels, Belgium December 19, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

Infamous New York island jail could have new, green life

A number of green infrastructure projects could replace New York's notoriously overcrowded jail on Rikers Island, set to close by 2026

Global recognition 'opens doors' for peasant groups, right to land

Rights groups are marking the one-year anniversary of a U.N. agreement, which for the first time recognised the rights of rural groups at an international level

Room for the night: Lagos priced-out residents seek shelter in abandoned buildings

Professional Nigerians living in the capital are bedding down in abandoned and often unfinished buildings due to a lack of affordable housing

U.S. government study finds racial bias in facial recognition tools

Many facial recognition systems misidentify people of color more often than white people, according to a U.S. government study, likely to increase skepticism of the technology

New York rents in the Sahara? Living in Africa's most expensive city

The city of N'Djamena on the edge of the Sahara was ranked the most expensive in Africa and 11th in the world this year, with residents saying the city is prohibitively expensive

S. Africa's Boris the BabyBot opens children's eyes to digital privacy

'It is not meant to teach a particular lesson to children about data collection, but rather start the conversation rooted in joy, play and delight, rather than a sense of dread'

Airbnb wins fight to remain exempt from European property rules

Airbnb has in recent years dueled with hoteliers and authorities in cities from New York to Amsterdam, accused of worsening housing shortages and pushing out lower income residents

Deforestation on Brazilian tribal lands highest in 11 years

Land grabbers, illegal loggers and miners are the main drivers of deforestation on indigenous reservations, according to study

Uganda's refugee farmers sow seeds of change

In Uganda, a developing country where land is still relatively plentiful, refugees are encouraged to build their own houses and use their gardens to grow food to supplement their rations