David Cameron has confirmed he would be ready if a number of planned changes to Britain’s human rights laws are rejected by Strasbourg to withdraw in the European convention on human rights. No 10 after verified that Cameron remained committed to some policy file, outlined last year by former justice secretary Chris Grayling, to pull… Continue reading »
Ireland becomes first country to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote. There was a 62% yes vote for the reform which is seen as a tipping point in the gradual changing of the world towards the legalisation of same sex marriage. The booming Yes is really a declaration that Ireland has left its conservative past… Continue reading »
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations System intergovernmental body whose 47 member states are in charge of encouraging and protecting human rights around the world. The council works closely together with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and engages the United Nations’ special procedures. The UNHRC… Continue reading »
The April 2015 Nepal earthquake (also known as the Gorkha quake) killed more than 8,000 people and injured more than 19,000. Its epicenter was the hamlet of Barpak, Gorkha district, and its hypocenter was at a depth of about 15 km (9.3 mi). It was the worst natural disaster to strike against Nepal since the… Continue reading »
The theory of intergenerational equity and sustainability is a principle that is deeply embedded in international law. Amongst others, The United Nations Charter, the Preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights contain a notion of a fundamental belief in the dignity of all members of… Continue reading »
Controversy has arisen in Australia under its obligations to rescue refugees stranded at seas in its coastal waters given the string of incidents which have arisen recently. This is issue is by no means new to the courts and has been litigated on a number of occasions. Under the law of the sea, mainly based… Continue reading »
Arguably, the failure to include the right to food in the human rights review of a country is an important omission which cannot be overlooked. At international law, there is also the recognition of the right to food, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes, in the context of an adequate standard of living, that:… Continue reading »
A United Nations report has supplied new evidence of what it calls a staggering list of human rights abuses by Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq. It revealed systematic violations completed since IS began its advance in July across Iraq. The report, based on 500 interviews, supplies evidence of mass executions, the utilization of child… Continue reading »
Numerous activists decked out in wetsuits and life jackets took off Seattle in other vessels and kayaks, canoes, paddleboards to the water to send the message that Royal Dutch Shell should cancel its plan to drill in the Arctic Ocean. The “Shell No” protest was held close to where Shell’s Polar Pioneer drilling rig is… Continue reading »
The Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the fifth in a string of such reports. The Fifth Assessment Report was finalized in 2014. The outline of the AR5 was created through a scoping process which required climate change specialists from all relevant areas and users of… Continue reading »