On Thursday 8 June 2017 the United Kingdom went to the polls for the third time in as many years. Read more...
Senator Derryn Hinch came to the Senate following the 2016 election, with a dedication to act on what he termed “human vermin”: Australia’s child sex offenders. In his first speech, Senator Hinch said that he wanted ‘to do something tangible to end Australia’s paedophiles’ involvement in the repugnant sex trade in Asia’. The Law, Crime and Community Safety Council (consisting of justice, policing and emergency management Ministers across all jurisdictions, including New Zealand) agreed in October 2016 to form a Working Group to consider gaps in the existing legislation and in May 2017 agreed to continue to work together on proposals to implemen... Read more...
Since the bulk of NATO military forces withdrew from Afghanistan in late 2014, the security situation has steadily worsened. The absence of critical foreign enabling support and constant intense warfare has left the Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) depleted and worn out. The 23,712 security incidents reported in 2016 were the highest number on record for a single year. The first quarter of 2017 resulted in 2,181 civilian casualties (715 killed and 1,466 injured). Other challenges include the reportedly ‘paralysed’ National Unity Government (NUG), stalled peace talks with the Taliban, and the ongoing high levels of internally displaced people. Read more...
The Turkish Government’s current approach to international NGOs raises some questions about Australia’s possible partners in the region—international and local NGOs alike—and how they are approaching what appears to be an increasingly difficult relationship with the Turkish Government. Read more...
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