Amidst strict quarantine procedures in the Philippines, in which police have been accused of committing abuses, President Rodrigo Duterte on July 3 fast-tracked the widely controversial Anti-Terrorism Law. The new law, which is intentionally broad, grants security forces far-reaching powers to arrest and detain suspected individuals without a warrant in
In the build-up to the 50th anniversary of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Donald Trump has reached out to Moscow aspiring to create a three-way arms control pact with Russia and China – three nations with some of the largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons. Trump will hold
On Friday, 17 January, the non-violent environmental group Greenpeace was controversially added to a U.K. anti-extremism policy document. A few days later, Extinction Rebellion—a similar environmental group—was labelled as a ‘key threat’ by a different counter-terrorism assessment. The document classifying both groups in anti-terror rhetoric was distributed across the U.K.
On the 22nd November 2019, the Commissioner for the UNHCR – Filippo Grandi, urged the EU Member States for an immediate response to the migration crisis affecting Europe as a whole, though predominately Greece. Only one month later, the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis proclaimed that his country had “reached
In a conflict where new ceasefires are broken within minutes, recent peace talks between Ukraine and Russia – one of the many – seemed overly pessimistic. However, since initiating these peace talks in August 2019, both parties have made significant efforts in reducing conflict in the Donbass region of Eastern
On Monday 14 October, Spain’s Supreme Court announced the sentencing of several Catalan separatist leaders. Together, they received a total of 100 years in prison, with the former vice-president of Catalonia, Oriol Junqueras, receiving 13 years alone. The long-awaited verdict has sparked outrage amongst the Catalan population, and many have
Pedro Sanchez has been acting as Spain’s Prime Minister for nearly four months after being elected in a general election largely dictated by the issue of Catalonian independence. Despite this period, however, Sanchez to date has been unable to form a new government, suffering initially from his failure to win
On July 12th, the United Nations Human Rights Council voted to investigate the ongoing ‘War on Drugs’ spearheaded by President Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines. Proposed by Iceland, the resolution to investigate the alleged deaths of 12 000 Filipinos was approved with 18 nations voting in favour and with 14
Only two months ago, Mali witnessed one of the deadliest acts of bloodshed in the country’s history, as over 150 people were killed by rival gangs. Two days ago, on June 18th, over 40 people were killed by the same type of attack. The ongoing situation in Mali has resulted
Amid increasing anti-immigration rhetoric in Europe, a recent case submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) argues that the European Union (EU) is collectively responsible for the countless number of migrant deaths crossing the Mediterranean. The submission, which contains over 240 pages, attacks the EU’s deterrence-based policy that seeks to
On Friday, May 10th, over 65 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea as their boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia. In a statement, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) stressed that the deaths highlighted the ongoing surge of migrant deaths at sea, amounting to nearly 900 people in
Only last month, U.S President Donald Trump invoked the first veto of his presidency to override an attempt by Congress to prevent the construction of ‘the wall’ across the U.S-Mexico border. This week saw Trump use his second veto, this time to prevent Congress from ending U.S involvement in the
Tensions around the South China Sea reached a new peak this week as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned of aggressive confrontation via military “suicide missions”. Duterte’s comments are in response to the mass fleet of Chinese ships seemingly surrounding the Filipino Island Pag-asa. Various islands within the South China Sea
In a statement issued on Friday, President Trump utilised the “law and the legislative process designed by our [U.S] founders” to invoke the first official veto of his presidency. Justifying the decision as part of his “duty”, President Trump vetoed the “dangerous” attempt from Congress to revoke the declaration of
Sudan President Omar al-Bashir declared this week a state of national emergency following continuous unrest in the country. Popular protests in Sudan have attacked Bashir’s overextended 30-year rule which has seen countless conflicts and deaths, the most notable example involving Darfur. Another major factor behind the demonstrations has been the
United States’ (US) President Donald Trump signed a deal last month formally ending the longest government shutdown in the country’s history. In order to prevent a second shutdown, Congress this week reluctantly approved Trump’s decision to declare a state of national emergency over the funding of his proposed wall across
The requirements for sustainable peace and the motives of conflict fluctuate intensively and differ sporadically throughout the world. The link between hunger and conflict, however, is one that remains all too persistent, according to a joint report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
Within the past week, dozens of civilians in Zimbabwe have been targeted, detained, and even killed by the country’s military amid protests over the proposed increase in fuel prices. The military, which has played a pivotal role in the country’s leadership since its independence from British rule in 1980, has
Shocked members of the Colombian population witnessed a devastating explosion in Bogotá on January 18th which saw over 20 people killed. Describing the explosion as a “crazy terrorist act”, President Duque held the National Liberation Army (ELN) responsible for the attacks. In response to this, Duque issued arrest warrants
On January 12th, the United States Secretary of Defence Mike Pompeo reiterated his strong belief that a deal could be struck between the U.S. and Turkey regarding the protection of Syrian Kurdish groups. The comments arrived at the backdrop of Trump’s decision to withdraw large amounts of its troops from
