15 July 2014

SHARES News Items Overview: 16 June 2014-15 July 2014

This is our News Items Overview of 16 June 2014-15 July 2014, a summary of recent news relating to shared responsibility.

• A report from Freedom From Torture has raised concern that British aid money may be funding police who are employing rape as a means of state-sanctioned torture against women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• The Shi’ite-led government of Iraq accused Saudi Arabia of promoting ‘genocide’ in Iraq by assisting Sunni militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
• The two recent drone attacks conducted by the CIA in North Waziristan, resulting in the death of at least 13 people, were reportedly deployed ‘with the express approval of the Pakistan government and army’.
• The US denied the existence of any agreement with Sri Lanka that allows its oil refinery near Colombo to import crude oil from Iran via several states, including Malaysia, avoiding sanctions intended to constrain Iran’s nuclear programme.
• The UK reportedly approved the export of in total GBP 2bn worth of weapons to oppressive governments in 2013 (e.g. to Saudia Arabia and Egypt).
• The European Commission published a proposal to amend Article 8(4) of the Dublin III Regulation, which determines the member state responsible for examining the asylum application of an unaccompanied child.
• According to a report by the UN Security Council’s Panel of Experts, a cargo of arms that was intercepted by Israel in March 2014 came from Iran and was destined for Sudan, constituting a breach of the UN arms embargo on Iran.
• 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 that occurred in the region of Bodo in 2008-2009, resulting in severe pollution.
• Reportedly 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 US secret prison.
• At a conference in Accra, West African countries and international health organisations adopted a new common strategy to fight the Ebola epidemic.
• Italy and other EU states discussed sharing responsibility for rescuing migrants from North Africa, who cross the Mediterranean Sea in boats.
• The UK 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.