News

Each year 6 February marks the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). This year to highlight the on going FGM crisis the UN have released new modelling which expose the immense costs of treating the health impacts of FGM – amounting to US$1.4 billion globally per year. Female genital mutilation, also called ‘cutting’, involves the removal of some or all of the external parts of a … Read more →

In a speech on 3 February, Boris Johnson declared that Britain does not need a deal with the EU as he began trade negotiations by seeking to turn Brussels’s own demands against it. The prime minister said the UK would emerge as a “campaigner for global free trade” at the same time as warning that he would rather accept tariffs than EU law. Last week, Human Rights Watch wrote an … Read more →

The World Health Organisation declared the new coronavirus a global emergency on 30 January as the outbreak has continued to spread outside China. At least 213 people in China have died from the virus, mostly in Wuhan and the Hubei province, with almost 10,000 cases confirmed nationally. The WHO said there had been 98 cases in 18 other countries, but no deaths. On 31 January, the first two coronavirus cases … Read more →

A surge in violence in the central Sahel region in Africa means nearly five million children will need humanitarian assistance this year, UNICEF warned on Tuesday 28 January. The Sahel has long been one of the most vulnerable regions in Africa but the surge in armed violence across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger is having a devastating impact on children’s survival, education, protection and development. “When we look at the … Read more →

On 23 January, the International Court of Justice, the United Nations’ highest court, ordered Myanmar to prevent genocidal violence. The decision comes despite de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi personally defending her country against the accusations last month. Thousands of Rohingya died and more than 700,000 fled to Bangladesh during an army crackdown in 2017. Professor Philippe Sands QC, who acted as counsel for the Gambia who filed the … Read more →

Iraqi police have fired live rounds and tear gas at protesters who are calling for the government to resign and to reform the sect-based political system. According to the country’s authorities, three demonstrators were killed in Baghdad on Sunday night, as well as one death in the holy Shia city or Karbala. Two policemen were also killed when they were run over in Basra by a driver attempting to escape … Read more →