World Bank, IMF Link Urbanisation with Development
Two of the world’s largest multilateral institutions have released new data linking greater urbanisation with higher levels of human development, and are announcing that they will place greater...
View ArticleU.S. Kiobel Decision Bucks 30 Years of Precedent
The U.S. Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit against the Royal Dutch Shell Petroleum Company brought by alleged human rights victims. The ruling, which was handed down Wednesday, is seen as a serious...
View ArticleBacking a Legal Rhino Horn Trade
In the face of rampant rhino poaching in South Africa, some conservationists and private rhino farmers are lobbying for removal of the international ban on rhino horn trading and the creation of a...
View ArticlePalestinian Expulsions Mapped in Hebrew
Fireworks went off over the Tel Aviv skyline this week as thousands of flag-waving Israelis marked the 65th anniversary of their country’s founding. At the same time, a smaller group of Israeli...
View ArticleMexico Lacks Water to Frack for Shale Gas
Mexico plans to expand shale gas exploration this year, but it could run into a shortage of water, which is essential to hydraulic fracturing or fracking, the method used to capture natural gas from...
View ArticleNew Zealand Legalises Gay Marriage
New Zealand has become the 13th country in the world and the first in the Asia-Pacific region to legalise same-sex marriage. Lawmakers voted 77 to 44 in favour of the gay-marriage bill on its third and...
View ArticleOP-ED: Ian Henderson and Repression in Bahrain: A Forty-Year Legacy
Ian Henderson’s death announcement Apr. 15 in Bahrain brings to an end the life of a British expatriate who was the architect and supervisor of the harsh internal security policies of the al-Khalifa...
View ArticleActivist Shareholders Slam Brazilian Mining Giant
Representatives of social movements and communities affected by Brazilian mining company Vale’s operations have bought shares in the company, to make their voices heard. The purchase of shares in...
View ArticleU.S. Immigration Reforms Prioritise Labour over Families
A long-awaited legislative proposal to reform the United States’ immigration system is sparking frustration on both the left and right here, but is widely being seen as a centrist compromise bill that...
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Major Trade Deal Between EU and Southern Africa Expected
There is growing optimism that the countries of Southern Africa are within months of concluding negotiations with the European Union on a major new trade deal, after years of hesitant progress and...
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Religious Youth Could Swing Pakistani Poll
From the local butcher, to the pavement fruit vendor, to the cobbler sitting beside his tools on Elphinstone Road, a busy street in the heart of Karachi, one question is on everyone’s lips: Who will...
View ArticleNew Dispute Dogs Philippines and Malaysia
With little sign of a meaningful diplomatic breakthrough on the South China Sea horizons, coupled with a dangerous escalation between Vietnam and China in the disputed waters, the Philippines has faced...
View ArticleKerry’s Mideast Trip Seen as “Going Through the Motions”
Despite repeated pledges of his determination and enthusiasm for resolving the long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian impasse, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent trip to the region has provoked more...
View ArticleThe Quest for the Autonomy of Mining DRC Province
The Mai-Mai Kata-Katanga rebel group operating in Katanga, in south eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, say that they are engaged in an armed campaign for the autonomy of the province because they...
View ArticleUNASUR Backs Venezuelan President-elect and Calls for Peace
Nicolás Maduro was recognised as president-elect of Venezuela by a Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) emergency summit held in Lima to discuss the situation in the highly polarised country, where...
View ArticleQ&A: Ecuador Guarantees Right to Free Emergency Contraception
The government of Ecuador is determined to curb the growing number of teen pregnancies, and has begun to knock down barriers that stand in the way of the right to a responsible sexual and reproductive...
View ArticleInsecurity the “Achilles’ Heel of Development” in Latin America
Development experts here are warning that widespread, unchecked violence against citizens in Latin America is posing a threat to the development of the entire region. According to a high-level panel of...
View ArticleLearn From the Children
“Recall the face of the poorest and weakest man you have seen, and ask yourself if this step you contemplate is going to be any use to him.” Gandhi’s challenge from 1948 should be uppermost in our...
View ArticleWorld Bank Urged to Include Human Rights in Safeguards Review
Backed by the German government and prominent civil society voices, United Nations experts are calling for the World Bank to explicitly incorporate international human right standards into its...
View ArticleGlobal Campaign to Ban Killer Robots Models Landmine Treaty
When international human rights groups launch a global campaign next week to ban “fully autonomous weapons”, they will follow in the footsteps of the highly-successful 1990s collective worldwide effort...
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