World

NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 12, 2016 – After Amira’s husband was killed in the Syrian war, she found herself adrift in Lebanon. Barred from working and with two young children to feed, she resorted to marrying off her nine-year-old daughter and putting her 12-year-old son to work. Amira is not a real person but her […]

Sept. 12, 2016 – The economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory could easily produce twice the gross domestic product (GDP) it generates now, while unemployment and poverty could recede significantly, according a new United Nations report. “Surveying a number of studies, the report reveals the channels through which occupation deprives the Palestinian people of their […]

Geneva, September 8, 2016 – Nations attending the annual meeting of the international treaty banning cluster munitions on September 7, 2016, condemned the continued use of these weapons in Syria, Human Rights Watch said today. During the three-day meeting in Geneva, first responders, local activists, and journalists reported at least eight cluster munition attacks in […]

September 8, 2016 – The European Parliament should give its consent to the ratification of the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change, recommended Environment Committee MEPs on Thursday. They also urged all EU member states to conclude the ratification process, to ensure its rapid entry into force. In a separate resolution, they also called on […]

September 8, 2016 – In a closely watched decision, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) today ruled that the mere act of linking to copyrighted content can in and of itself be a breach of copyright. Today’s decision went against the advice of the CJEU’s own Advocate General, who stated earlier this […]

September 7, 2016 – At least 28 unaccompanied children went missing each day from Italy’s reception centres for refugees and migrants in the first six months of 2016, said international agency Oxfam in a report released today. The children have run away from what are de-facto detention centres which are unsafe, offer inadequate accommodation and […]

Sept. 7, 2016 – At the G20 leaders summit held over the weekend in China, climate change and tax avoidance were centre stage. The United States and China ratified the Paris Climate agreement. However, as the treaty lacks concrete demands for action, more concrete measures are needed. Climate change and tax evasion are symptoms of […]

Sept. 5, 2016 – “Decision at 50” launched a campaign demanding a referendum on the future of the Territories and the future of Israel during the 50th year of Israel’s control over the West Bank and Gaza. Under the slogan “It’s time to decide,” the movement will promote a large scale media campaign, accompanied by public […]

Geneva/Malta, September 2, 2016 – A year to the day since images of little Alan Kurdi captured global attention, the need for search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea is increasing. Search and rescue capacity in the Mediterranean is set to double as the Responder rescue ship rejoins its sister ship, the Phoenix, in […]

New York, September 2, 2016 – Uzbekistan’s authoritarian president, Islam Karimov, whose death was reported on September 2, 2016, leaves a legacy of political and religious repression, Human Rights Watch said today. His death provides a moment for concerned governments to press for concrete human rights and democratic reforms, and accountability for past abuses. During […]

Aug. 31, 2016 – Today, a draft of the EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market has leaked and confirms that the EU Commission’s plans are far worse than advocates had previously feared. Contained in the documents are new powers for publishing giants, including the ability to charge fees when snippets of text […]

AUGUST 30, 2016 — A Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) search and rescue ship, the Dignity I, took part in operations yesterday that rescued approximately 3,000 people from about 20 rubber dinghies and several wooden boats adrift in the central Mediterranean. “This is one of the largest numbers of people we have assisted in […]

MISRATA, CATANIA, Aug. 29, 2016 – Kristy is IRIN Migration Editor. Tom is a freelance journalist based in Libya and a regular IRIN contributor “I was very scared in the sea. The boat was overcrowded. I could barely move. I was afraid of dying, but even more afraid of being caught by the Libyan police.” Ali*, a […]

Rome/Geneva, 24 August 2016: Search and rescue teams and sniffer dogs from the Italian Red Cross are on the ground following a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in the early hours of the morning today. The towns of Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto village in central Italy are the worst affected areas. The Red Cross has […]

Aug. 22, 2016 – The execution of 36 men in Iraq yesterday marks an alarming rise in the authorities’ use of the death penalty in response to the dramatic security threats the country is facing, said Amnesty International today. The men were convicted over the killing of 1,700 military cadets at Speicher military camp near […]

August 22, 2016 – The legacy of the Rio 2016 Olympics has been shattered with at least eight people killed in police operations in the city during the Games and peaceful protests heavily repressed, Amnesty International said. “Brazil has lost the most important medal at play during Rio 2016: the chance to become a champion […]

Geneva, 19 August 2016: Two Syrian children, eight months and five years old, were today confirmed to be amongst five people who drowned at sea yesterday after their boat capsized trying to cross the Mediterranean. The Red Cross search and rescue boat, the Responder, is assisting in the operation to transfer those who had died […]

LONDON, Aug. 18, 2016 – Ethnic conflict linked to tragic episodes of civil war, waves of refugees and even the collapse of nation states could be made more likely by climate-related disasters. A team of European scientists say they can demonstrate, “in a scientifically sound way”, a link between civil violence based on ethnic divisions, and […]