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11 July 2014
On 9 July, the United Kingdom stated that is was probable that chemicals that were legally exported to Syria by British firms in the 1980s had been used for Syria’s chemical weapons programme. In a written statement to parliament, Foreign Secretary William Hague said that ‘from the information we hold, we judge it likely that these chemical exports by UK companies were subsequently used by Syria in their programs to produce nerve agents, including sarin’. (more…)
Source: The New York Times | UK Says Likely That Syria Used British Chemicals to Make Sarin Gas
10 July 2014
In a meeting with EU interior ministers in Milan on 8 July, Italy and other European Union states discussed sharing responsibility for rescuing migrants from North Africa, who cross the Mediterranean Sea in packed boats. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), this year over 63,000 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea, and more than 500 have died in their attempt to make the dangerous sea crossing. (more…)
Source: Reuters | Italy in talks with EU to share responsibility for boat migrants
8 July 2014
On 3 July, at a two-day conference in Accra, the capital of Ghana, West African countries and international health organizations adopted a new common strategy to fight the Ebola epidemic. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus has killed at least 467 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia since February 2014. (more…)
Source: Reuters | West African authorities adopt common strategy to fight Ebola
3 July 2014
Human rights groups have revealed previously undisclosed evidence that more planes than had been admitted were involved in the extraordinary rendition of terrorist suspects around the world. This has raised new questions about the alleged use of the British overseas territory Diego Garcia as a United States secret prison. According to human rights groups, the atoll in the Indian Ocean that is leased to the US has been used to detain suspects in conflict with basic human rights. (more…)
Source: The Guardian | UK urged to tell all on US rendition flights
2 July 2014
On 20 June 2014, the UK High Court of Justice issued a preliminary ruling holding that Shell Nigeria could be held responsible under Nigerian law with regards to major oil spills which occurred in the region of Bodo in 2008 and 2009 and resulted in severe pollution in the Niger Delta. The case is been brought by more than 15000 Nigerian claimants. (more…)
Source: The Bodo Community and others v. The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited | [2014] EWHC 1973 (TCC) | 20 June 2014
Source: The Guardian | Shell faces payouts in Nigerian oil spill case
Source: Leigh Day | London High Court rules that Shell Nigeria could be legally liable for bunkering