Seventy years after the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide came into force, its effectiveness is still hotly debated. In fact, since 1948, only three have been legally recognised – and led to trials – under the convention: Rwanda in 1994, Bosnia (and the 1995 Srebrenica massacre), and Cambodia under the 1975-9 Pol Pot regime. Rachael Burns argues that all nations must now do better to keep the promise set out in the convention.

Fears are mounting about the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Only a few months ago there was optimism that the latest outbreaks could be brought under control, particularly given previous successes in limiting the spread of the disease. But this hasn’t happened as new cases are being diagnosed in urban areas. Connor Bamford explains why controlling the outbreak in the DRC is particularly hard.

Europe’s Cold War-era Iron Curtain is now dense forest, teeming with wolves and bears. In fact, human conflict can have surprising consequences for biodiversity, says Antonio Uzal, as regions left vacant by upheaval become wildlife havens. From rare mammals in the Korean Demilitarised Zone to flourishing coral reefs in nuclear test sites, nature’s return to war-torn places can help reconcile the ugly legacy of violence and provide poignant monuments to peace.

Bolivia has been fighting Chile to gain sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean for over a century. It’s a potent political issue for the country’s president, Evo Morales, but it would also bring big benefits to Bolivia’s economy. Belén Olmos Giupponi and Homagni Choudhury explain why.

We’ll be taking a break from today until 7 January 2019. We wish all our readers, contributors and republishers a happy, restful and safe holiday. We look forward to publishing more fresh, interesting and relevant research from across the world in the coming year.