• New IRA claims responsibility for UK letter bombs

    <p>A militant organisation based in West Belfast has claimed responsibility for recent letter bombs sent to buildings in London and the University of Glasgow. British police have reported the group claimed to be operating on behalf of the IRA.&nbsp;</p> <p>The incident comes as the Brexit debate on the Irish backstop has fuelled calls for Irish reunification.&nbsp;</p>
  • Advances in UN prosecution of Syrian war criminals

    There has been some progression is charging perpetrators of war crimes in Syria, Catherine Marchi-Uhel, head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) told reporters this week. 

  • Resignation calls continue for Northern Ireland Secretary

    Calls for the current Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Karen Bradley, to resign have continued today following her remarks this week stating that killings by British soldiers during the Troubles were not a real crime, but were the actions of people “fulfilling their duties in a dignified and appropriate way”.

  • US sanctions Venezuelan officials for obstructing humanitarian aid

    The US State Department has imposed sanctions on six security officials within Nichola Maduro’s government who were associated with obstructing “the entry of international aid” and threatening “violence against those who attempted to deliver this assistance”.

    The State Department further maintained its support for Juan Guaido, the partially recognised interim president of Venezuela.

    Maduro's supporters have condemned US offer of humanitarian aid however, as a cover for regime change.

  • US maintains PKK’s Foreign Terrorist Organisation designation
    <p>The US State Department this month issued a statement maintaining the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK’s) designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).</p>
  • UN report says Israel may have committed war crimes

    The United Nations Independent Commission of Inquiry concluded Israeli troops may have committed war crimes during the Gaza protests dubbed as the “Great March of Return”. 

  • Namibian lawmakers seek an apology from Germany for genocide
    <p>A delegation of Namibian lawmakers are currently in Berlin pushing the German government to reconcile with a genocide it committed against the Nama and Herero people (also known as Ovaherero) people of Namibia over a 100 years ago.&nbsp;</p> <p>The lawmakers hope to reach a resolution with the German government based on the 1989 parliament resolution which stated it would accept historical and political responsibility for Namibia.&nbsp;</p>
  • Thousands protest in France against anti-Semitic attacks

    Tens of thousands took to the streets of France last week to protest recent anti-Semitic attacks, denouncing hate crimes with placards “fraternity” and “exit hatred”. 

    France which is home to the biggest Jewish population in Europe has recently seen a rise in anti-Jewish attacks. The French government said that anti-Semitism is “spreading like poison” in France.

  • Pakistan shoots down two Indian air force jets
    <p>Pakistan has claimed responsibility for shooting down two Indian air force jets and is holding an Indian pilot in custody.</p> <p>The attack follows escalating tensions between the two nations. On February 14, the Pakistan based militant organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) conducted a suicide attack which killed 40 Indian security personnel in the Indian controlled region of Kashmir. In response, the Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted a targeted air strike on a militant camp near Balakot in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.</p> <p>India’s external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj has stated that the objective of the attack “was to act decisively against the terrorist infrastructure of the JeM in order to pre-empt another terrorist attack in India”.</p>
  • UK adds Hezbollah’s political wing to terrorist list
    <p>The United Kingdom last week added the political wing of Hezbollah to its list of terrorist organisations, meaning that those found to either be a member of or&nbsp;supporter of Hezbollah will face criminal prosecution with&nbsp;up to ten years in prison.</p> <p>The move&nbsp;is a shift from Britain’s previous policy, under which the military wing was criminalised following a ban on the military wing which came into force in 2008, but diplomats would negotiate with political members.</p>
  • UN court rules British occupation of Chagos Islands illegal

    The United Nations’ highest court has ruled the British occupation of the Chagos Islands is illegal, in what has been described as a humiliating blow to the UK’s prestige on the world stage.

  • UN demands inquiry into Indonesian police’s torture of West Papua boy with a snake
    <p>A UN panel of experts is demanding an inquiry into allegations of police violence, unlawful arrests and torture in Indonesia after a video was released showing&nbsp;police interrogating a young West Papua boy with a snake.</p>
  • Amnesty International India is accused of caste-based discrimination and harassment
    <p>A number of prominent Indian rights activists have withdrawn support from Amnesty International over allegations of caste-based discrimination and harassment. These include Dalit rights activists, Radhika Vemula and Chandrasekhar Azad, as well as women’s rights campaigner Mariya Salim who had worked for Amnesty.</p>
  • Warring parties in Yemen agree to pullback from Hodeidah

    After two days of talks, the warring parties in Yemen have finalised a deal on the first phase of the pullback of forces from the city of Hodeidah.

  • Lords committee report finds UK’s arms causing 'significant civilian casualties' in Yemen

    Britain’s international relations select committee has published a damning report concluding that the UK’s arms sales to Saudi Arabia are unlawful and called for some sales to be halted. 

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