The U.N. urged Nigeria on Friday to clean up polluted villages and limit ore-processing after hundreds of children died last year from mass acute lead poisoning linked to illegal mining for gold by residents. High levels of lead pollution were found in soil and mercury levels in the air were nearly 500 times the acceptable…

The United States reiterated on Friday that it was committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 even though the Senate has failed to pass legislation. “I am in no sense writing off legislation over time. And I’m quite sure the president isn’t,” U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern told a news conference during two days…