News

The 15th March marked the beginning of the 10th year of the Syrian war. The conflict has caused so many deaths on all sides but none more remembered than that of Alan Kurdi- the boy on the beach – who’s death came to symbolise the plight of all the Syrian refugees and the cost of human suffering. The picture of the two-year-old boy’s drowned body washed up on the beach … Read more →

On 12 March 2020, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released a list of the 20 worst “digital predators” in 2020. The RSF list is made up of companies and governments that use digital technology to spy and harass journalists and which pose “a clear danger for freedom of opinion and expression, which is guaranteed by article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” The list was released to coincide with … Read more →

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has characterised the Covid-19 outbreak as a pandemic in a media briefing on Wednesday 19 March, 2020. The latest data indicates that there have now been more than 118 cases of infection in 114 countries, and 4,291 deaths – a 13 fold increase outside of China in the past two weeks, and a three fold rise in the number of affected countries. Speaking at the … Read more →

President Erdogan of Turkey is travelling to Brussels today (March 9, 2020) for showdown talks with the EU over the current migrant crisis. Ankara is expected to demand hundreds of millions of euros from the EU in exchange for stopping the flood of migrants and refugees attempting to enter the EU from Turkey. President Erdogan may also pursue looser visa restrictions and lower barriers to trade in his meeting with … Read more →

A Specialised Criminal Court court controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthis sentenced 35 pro-government MPs, in their absence, to death and confiscated their properties early last week (Tuesday 3 March, 2020). The group of MPs were charged with treason for supporting the internationally recognised government and military operations led by the Saudi-led coalition seeking to restore the administration of President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi. The Yemen conflict, which began in late 2014, … Read more →

This Sunday (March 8, 2020) will mark the 109th International Women’s Day. Progression towards gender equality has been uneven, in some respects the lives of women have improved markedly since the first celebration of this day back in 1911. However, a report released by UN Women on Friday, 6th March 2020 titled: Gender equality: Women’s rights in review 25 years after Beijing shows that progress towards true gender equality remains … Read more →