Goldman Environmental Prize

Mr. Brownell was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for exposing alleged abuse by the company and helping to prevent it from converting about 50 km2 of forest that is home to elephants, pygmy hippopotamuses and chimpanzees.

For his work saving forest lands, Mr. Brownell won the Goldman prize along with five others for grassroots environmental activism. The prize was created in 1989 by philanthropists Richard and Rhoda Goldman. Winners are selected from nominations made by environmental organisations and others. The prize carries a $200,000 award.

Loya Jirga

Thousands of politicians and officials from across Afghanistan gathered amid tight security in Kabul on Monday to discuss the war and U.S. efforts to forge a peace deal with the Taliban.

More than 3,000 people have been invited to the rare “loya jirga”, which is being billed as the largest in modern Afghan history, in a bid to set possible conditions under which they might accept a peace settlement.

The loya jirga — literally “grand assembly” in Pashto — is being held as the U.S. and Taliban are discussing a possible foreign troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and various Taliban pledges.