world news

July 13, 2010 (New York) - The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant on July 12, 2010, for President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan for genocide committed in Darfur. An earlier arrest warrant for al-Bashir was issued in March 2009 by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

July 13, 2010(Kabul) - Ongoing Taliban attacks on women in Afghanistan show why women's rights should be a priority in any political agreement with insurgent forces, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The Afghan government and its international supporters have ignored the need to protect women in programs to reintegrate insurgent fighters and have not guaranteed that women's rights will be included in potential talks with the Taliban, Human Rights Watch said.

12 July 2010 - Amnesty International has condemned the bomb blasts that last night hit the Ugandan capital Kampala, leaving at least 64 people dead.

The bombs exploded in an Ethiopian restaurant and a rugby club in the capital Kampala, injuring dozens of football fans that had gathered to watch the World Cup final.

"This tragic loss of life is completely inexcusable and we condemn it whole-heartedly," said Michelle Kagari, Deputy Africa Director at Amnesty International.

7 July 2010 - Women and girls in Nairobi’s slums live under the constant threat of sexual violence, leaving them often too scared to leave their houses to use communal toilet and bathroom facilities, Amnesty International said in a report released on Wednesday.

Insecurity and Indignity: Women’s experiences in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya details how the failure of the government to incorporate the slums in urban plans and budgets has resulted in poor access to services like sanitation, which hits women in slums and informal settlements especially hard.

July 7, 2010 - The foreign secretary William Hague said last week that human rights should be the "irreducible core" of the UK's foreign policy. But he did not spell out why, or what that would mean in practice.

Ethical arguments aside, there are three practical reasons for having a human rights-friendly foreign policy. irst, promoting human rights and the rule of law is a good way of securing some of the UK's most important foreign policy objectives, including preventing armed conflict, political extremism and radicalisation, and fostering economic development and political stability.

6 July 2010 - Amnesty International has urged the Libyan authorities not to forcibly return around 200 Eritreans held in detention amid allegations that several prisoners were beaten by security officials after an escape attempt last week.

The Eritreans, who include refugees and asylum seekers as well as migrants, are currently held at al-Birak, a detention centre in Sabha, where they are reported to be subject to beatings and other ill-treatment.

June 28, 2010(New York) - This week's high-level ministerial meeting about gender equality in international development assistance should promote the rights and needs of women with disabilities, Human Rights Watch said today. Specifically, governments should address the marginalization of women with disabilities in the declaration to be adopted on July 1, 2010.

2 July 2010 - The acquittal of a group of Mexican protestors jailed for an alleged kidnapping exposes the grave misuse of the justice system to secure convictions, Amnesty International has said.

Mexico's Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that the 12 activists, who were convicted of kidnapping government officials and police during a protest in the town of San Salvador Atenco in 2006, should be freed because they had been denied a fair trial. The last of the activists was released late on Thursday night.