Former Metropolitan Police officer, Wayne Couzens, has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to the murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021.

The GERD project is one that is essential to Ethiopia’s rise from poverty and general development, yet its consequences may be disastrous to Egypt’s water access.

Many words can be employed to fit the description of Donald Trump’s last days in office. The contempt he had demonstrated for national institutions, the electoral process and Joe Biden, his lack of grace in defeat, his inflammatory rhetoric… We equally observed his ruthless step-up of federal executions.

This article will examine the issue of widespread unlawful discrimination in the use of Covid-19 Fixed Penalty Notices in breach of Articles 7, 8, and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and some of the damaging findings before then exploring some of the suggested solutions advanced by the Committee.

On 17th March 2021, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation website reported that the Chinese Communist Party was suing Dr Zenz “in its latest attempt to cover up its crimes against Uyghur Muslims and other religious minorities in Xinjiang”.

On 25th March 2021 the Wall Street Journal reported that the major Swedish company H & M, one of the world’s largest clothing retailers, had effectively ceased to exist online after being erased from the majority of China’s leading e-commerce, ride-hailing, daily deals and map applications.

An investigation into a death at an immigration detention centre has led to a landmark ruling that the current policy is ‘legally deficient’ and should no longer be enforced. [1]From the controversy surrounding the Windrush scandal to the new points-based immigration system, the UK’s immigration policies have long been under public scrutiny. The new policies and firm line with regards to deportation is part of the government’s new strategy to curb illegal migration and attract the best EU and non-EU citizens, who can make a contribution to this country’s economic growth

Due to the pandemic, female prisoners are limited to spending their time confined to their cells. The number of self-harm incidents in the women’s prison estate in England and Wales increased by 8% to 12,443 in the year to September, differentiated with the last 12 months, while on a trimestral basis the number of incidents rose by 24%. [1]

Asda shop workers have won the latest key stage in their fight for equal pay in a lengthy court battle with the employer, receiving a ruling that could lead to a £500m compensation claim. The GMB union, which is backing the case, called the supreme court ruling a “massive victory”.

Shamima Begum’s case has been unsettling to say the least. The British born girl has caused an uproar in debate as to whether it was acceptable for her to have her citizenship retracted and now, whether she should or should not be able to return to the UK to plea her case.

Protests in Russia broke out on 23rd January 2021 supporting Alexei Navalny after he was arrested following the release of the film “Putin’s Palace”, uncovering a connection between President Vladimir Putin and a palace that is allegedly being built for him. [1] With more than 5,000 individuals detained, Moscow police had to block off the city centre as well as metro stations. Navalny was arrested when he returned to Russia after his recovery from a recent attempt on his life.

On 27 January 2021 the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman concluded an investigation into a Nottinghamshire County Council pursuant to the Local Government Act 1974, sections 26(1) and s26A(1). [1] [2] [3] It produced a damning report concluding that Nottinghamshire County Council had failed to have any regard for even the most basic human rights of a man living in a care home miles away for his family for 5 months.

On 16 March 2021 the Huffington Post published a leaked recording in which Dominic Raab, the holder of one of the Great Offices of State the Foreign Secretary, told officials that Britain will seek trade deals with countries around the world that violate international standards on human rights.

Since 2014 Yemen has been steeped in a complex and brutal civil war that has involved many of its Gulf neighbours. Since 2015 the UK government has been sanctioning arms exports to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi coalition partners. The war has been widely decried as a humanitarian disaster with there being credible reports of war crimes and human rights abuses from all sides of the conflict.

Alexei Navalny is an opposition politician and anti-corruption campaigner in Russia, who was arrested on returning to Russia following treatment in Germany after being poisoned. Navalny has been sentenced to serve two years and eight months prison term as a result of his suspended sentence for a fraud conviction being made custodial.

For many generations, tea has been a symbol of relaxation, tradition, and pleasure. ‘Tea culture’ has been adopted in all parts of the world and is associated with different customs and rituals. Our future enjoyment of this herbal drink might be impacted by a recent decision of Kenyan tea farmworkers, to take legal action against a Scottish tea giant.

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PC Wayne Couzens, a MET police officer, has been charged with the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard after her disappearance on the 3rd March. Sarah’s death has since brought women’s rights back to the forefront of political discourse in Britain.

The topic of abortion has for many decades sparked controversy in Northern Ireland. In more recent years the laws have changed and now the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is attempting to reamend them. Simultaneously, the Northern Ireland (NI) Human Rights Commission is taking legal action against the Northern Ireland secretary, the Stormont Executive and Northern Ireland’s Department of Health over the delay in commissioning abortion services.

In the wake of the vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common, on Tuesday the parliament voted on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. Its contents have been widely criticised as “draconian”. Despite opposition on both sides of the House, the Bill passed by 359 votes to 263 on Tuesday night.

On 16th March 2021, the Upper House of Parliament in India passed the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020. Unfortunately the Bill does not give women the right to have ‘abortion on demand’. This article compares and analyses the abortion laws in India and England.

Arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi followed by military coup in Myanmar set in motion protests against the arrest of the leader and for restoration of democracy. Peaceful protests were met with violent retaliation by the Myanmar military.

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Cambridge University has introduced a new foundation year scheme, designed to give disadvantaged young people a more realistic and obtainable avenue to the university. The scheme reduces the usual entry requirement of A*AA to BBB for students who had their education ‘disadvantaged or disrupted’ and are from lower-income households.

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The recent statement from the European Commission has thrown the UK rehabilitation system into the spotlight. Illuminated in a recent study on detainees’ experience of incarceration, interviews with inmates informed of an emerging culture of “learned deception”,[1] where participation in classes arises not out of a want for learning or for change, but simply out of an understanding that these present “a possibility of getting out quicker”.

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Women from the Global South who excel as athletes deliver economic stability for themselves and their families. They open up a world full of opportunities; from scholarships to purchasing property and buying food. They uphold their family’s wealth and aid the economy.

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On the 26th January 2021 the Biden administration suspended some of the sanctions levied by the Trump administration on the Houthi group of Yemen. The U.S Treasury authorized almost all financial transactions with the Houthi group for the next month until 26th February 2021.1

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Despite the desperate need for inclusion and striving towards a gender equal society, many female athletes are still subjected to intense ‘sex testing’ prior to competing. This violation of an individual’s rights has led to the mental and physical decline of female athletes as well as economic hardship.

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A proposal to ban trade agreements with countries violating the Genocide Convention was defeated in Parliament last week. The proposal would have allowed for trade agreements to be withdrawn if a determination by the High Court finds a party has or is committing genocide.

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On January 13th, 2021, the government released a White Paper in response Sir Simon Wessely’s proposed recommendations made in a 2018 report on reforming the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA). This will be followed by 12-weeks of public consultation, with a draft of a revised Mental Health Bill to be introduced when government time allows.