When the clock strikes midnight tonight, on 22 October 2019, same-sex marriage and abortion will become legal in Northern Ireland for the first time despite a last ditch attempt by the Stormont assembly to stop the changes. Monday’s sitting was the first time the assembly had sat for nearly three years and was triggered by … Read more →
On 17 October, four pilots to encourage refugees to establish businesses were launched across the UK. The pilots are part of a one year programme jointly funded by the Home Office and The National Lottery Community Fund, which will be overseen by the Centre for Entrepreneurs (CFE). The four programmes will be based in Bristol, … Read more →
The UN said on Tuesday 15 October that Turkey could be deemed responsible for summary executions of captured Kurdish fighters and a politician carried out by an affiliated armed group, acts that may amount to war crimes. The UN human rights office also said it had documented civilian casualties caused by air strikes, ground-based strikes … Read more →
Nearly 800 women and children affiliated with ISIS escaped from Ain Issa camp in northern Syria on Sunday 13 October, Kurdish officials said, when many in the severely depleted Kurdish militias were forced to leave their posts to join the fighting. The 249 women and 700 children formerly part of the “caliphate” were held in … Read more →
Casualties are increasing as Turkey presses on with its cross-border offensive on Kurdish-held areas of northern Syria. At least eleven civilians have died and dozens of fighters from the Kurdish-led SDF and pro-Turkish factions have been killed. Tens of thousands of civilians have been forced to flee from the northern areas amid growing international criticism … Read more →
The latest wave of unrest, which has reportedly left over 100 people dead and an estimated 6,000 more injured in the last six days. The United Nations has pleaded for an end to the, “senseless loss of life” on the streets. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Assistance Mission for … Read more →
During an official visit to Greece with EU officials, Germany’s interior minister warned on 6 October that the region could soon face a refugee influx bigger than the one it dealt with in 2015, as he sought support for his plans for an EU quota system for rescued migrants. Traveling with incoming European Commission President … Read more →
Half the athletes participating in the women’s marathon in the IAAF World Athletics pulled out of the race due to soaring heat On 29 September, a couple of days after the opening of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, the women’s marathon took place, yet nearly half the athletes participating pulled out of the … Read more →
The Trump administration has today announced it will expand the collection of DNA from migrants crossing US borders. The information gathered will be provided to the FBI and added to a vast criminal database. In August 2019 63,989 migrants had been apprehended and detained at the US-Mexico border of which nearly 40% were minors. DNA … Read more →
The families of imprisoned and formerly imprisoned dual and foreign nationals called for international action to free their family members last week. The family members gathered close to the 74th U.N General Assembly as it took place in New York last week and announced via press conference the launch of the Alliance of Families Against … Read more →
