Author: Colin Tait

Same-Sex Relationships Decriminalized in India

Same-sex relationships were decriminalized in India today. In a landmark ruling, India’s Supreme Court struck down an archaic Colonial-era law that has ostracized the LGBTQ+ community for 158-years. According to the Times of India, Activists, supporters, and members of the LGBTQ+ community were celebrating the verdict, which also added that

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Peaceful Protesters Arrested in Iran

According to the Human Rights Watch, more than 50 peaceful activists have been detained in a series of protests starting in early August this year. Iran has historically handled peaceful protests poorly, with this year alone since January roughly 30 demonstrators have been killed by authorities. Reports from families claim

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Rebel Held Idlib Province Under Attack from Assad and Putin

Russian and Syrian jets have begun raiding the last rebel held province of Syria, Idlib. Reports on the ground from Al Jazeera correspondents, members of the White Helmets, who are a group of rescue workers, and civilians have claimed that the recent air strikes have been targeting non-combatants. According to

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Renewed Intense Fighting Throughout Libya

On August 27, intense clashes between rival armed groups in Libya were renewed following a surprise attack from one armed group, the Seventh Brigade, launched against their rivals. According to Al Jazeera, after roughly a week of fighting 39 Libyan’s were killed, including 18 civilians, with hundreds more wounded. The

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UN Investigation of the Rohingya Crisis

The United Nations called on Myanmar officials to face genocide charges for heinous actions taken against the Rohingya people for the first time. According to Al Jazeera, a UN investigation uncovered that since August 2017, the armed forces of Myanmar forced roughly 700,000 Rohingya to flee the country breaking international

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Pope Francis Changes Catechism To Oppose Capital Punishment

From the Vatican City, Pope Francis has declared that the death penalty is inadmissible and contradicts the teachings of the gospel. This declaration follows an international trend of banning the death penalty. According to Al Jazeera, at the end of 2017 there were 106 countries where the death penalty was

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Torture In Iraq Ignored By Judges

According to the Human Rights Watch, judges in Iraq have been routinely dismissing allegations of torture and convict terrorism suspects on confessions that are supposedly coerced. As thousands of alleged ISIS members have been arrested, concerns for torture have risen in Iraq as trials continue. Although the Iraqi Constitution prohibits

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Nicaraguan Protests Continue to Intensify

The government crackdown on protests continues to intensify in Nicaragua as roughly 450 demonstrators have been killed with thousands more injured as of August 2, 2018 as reported by the Human Rights Watch. President Daniel Ortega has carried out a bloodbath since April against protests of his social security reforms,

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Protests In the Southern Region Of Iraq

Protests in southern Iraq have entered the second week despite the government promising to work towards meeting the protestors’ demands. Starting in the oil-rich province of Basra and now spreading to several other cities, protestors have gathered demanding the government increase the quality of basic services and to address unemployment.

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Rising Tension Between Israel And Syria As Syrian Plane Shot Down

Israel shot down a Syrian plane after the pilot flew close by the Golan Heights. While Syrian authorities claim that the plane was attacking rebel insurgents in their own territory,  Israel claims the plane flew into Israeli airspace. According to the Los Angeles Times, this latest strike adds on to

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Chinese Poet Liu Xia Released From House Arrest

Chinese poet Liu Xia was finally released from house arrest and left China after spending almost of 8 years locked in her small apartment in Beijing. Although not charged with a crime, Liu was watched by the government after her husband, Liu Xiaoba, was sentenced to 11-years in prison for

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Daraa Offensive Leads To Another Humanitarian Crisis

On June 19th, the Syrian Army, supported by Russia, began an offensive on the South-Western province Daraa. The offensive undermined a de-escalation agreement, negotiated in July 2017, between the US, Russia, and Jordan which kept the peace in the region for a year. Despite attempts at negotiating with rebel groups,

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Anti-Loitering Campaign Targets The Filipino Poor

The police in the Philippines have been targeting poverty-stricken communities through mass incarcerations for petty crime charges. A new anti-loitering campaign has imprisoned 8000 people since June 13th, 2018, further crowding jails following mass arrests in President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW), Philippine’s

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Dozens Killed In Nigeria’s Plateau

A reported number of 86 farmers were killed in the Middle Belt of Nigeria on June 25th, 2018. Throughout agricultural areas in Nigeria, the predominantly Christian farmers, the Berom, and the predominantly Muslim herders, the Fulani, have been clashing in parallel with rising tensions between the two. Monday’s attack is

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Politically Motivated Violence In Cambodia

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a 213-page report which laid out vast human rights abuses that have been committed Cambodia. The report identified 12 generals in Cambodia’s security forces who have been accused of working for Prime Minister Hun Sen to eliminate those who oppose the government. Among the

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13,000 Migrants Forced Across The Sahara Desert

According to the Associated Press, roughly 13,000 migrants were forcefully expelled from Algeria over the past 14 months and sent into the Sahara Desert. Although Algeria does not provide figures, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) began counting the number of people crossing into neighbouring Niger in 2017 and determined

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