The Transitional Justice Institute, in conjunction with the School of Law, offers an LLM in Human Rights Law. The LLM in Human Rights Law covers both core human rights law but also has an emphasis on transitional justice issues. This new and innovative programme commenced in September 2005 and has attracted a broad range of students, both international and local.

The General Assembly today (4 December 2006) passed a resolution Open Document backing the Kimberley Process, a global initiative involving governments, the international diamond industry and civil society aimed at preventing so-called “conflict diamonds” from funding warfare and civil unrest.

Diabetes is striking growing numbers of children around the world as parents and doctors fail to diagnose a disease that until recently was associated mostly with middle-aged and elderly people, experts said on Tuesday (5 December 2006). "Diabetes has become a chronic and common disease among children ... and often these children die."

The Italian Government has decided to support a range of media related activities for the WSF2007 event in Nairobi. Representatives of the Italian Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, representatives of the WSF Secretariat and IPS Director General, met in Rome on November 16th, 2006.

The activity registration deadline for the WSF has been extended till December 13, 2006. All organizations that want to register activities for the WSF2007 event in Nairobi should do this at the World Social Forum Process website. An announcement will be made on the modalities and deadlines for payment within the next few days. Please note that there is no deadline for registration of organizations or individuals.

The objectives of the Chronic Diseases Prevention and Management unit are to reduce overall risk in high-risk individuals and to provide appropriate care by facilitating early case finding through affordable strategies and technologies, as well as equitable and good quality health care for major chronic diseases.

The University of York intends to establish a new interdisciplinary Centre for Applied Human Rights and seeks to appoint a founding Professor who will be the Centre's first Director. Both the Centre and the Professorial post are made possible through a generous benefaction from the Sigrid Rausing Trust.

Moscow recently played host to the seventh meeting of the Africa Partnership Forum (APF) signalling growing relations between Russia and Africa. The APF is a unique interface of relations between Africa and external partners.

At United Nations headquarters today (30 November 2006), Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched the Humanitarian Appeal 2007 -- thirteen consolidated appeals for specific emergencies -- seeking $3.9 billion to help 27 million people in 29 countries. Some 140 non-governmental organisations, United Nations agencies, and other international and local organizations are appealing for funds through the Humanitarian Appeal this year.

Ethiopian consulate officials in Yemen said they had been concerned for the welfare of 122 Ethiopian migrants after Yemeni authorities had detained them for nearly a week before deporting them. "We were worried about why they were arrested and what condition they might be in, but then the authorities told us it was because they entered the country illegally, and were not political refugees, and that they were being well looked after," Abebe Biazen, Consul of the Ethiopian Embassy, said.

This report provides highlights of the Annual Consultations with NGOs, which this year brought together some 329 representatives of 166 national and international NGOs, UN, and international organizations from 72 countries. Structured around four broad themes – Durable Solutions; the UN Reform; ExCom Conclusions; and the Asylum-Migration Nexus – the forum featured twelve Working Sessions and five Regional Sessions with the active involvement of some 83 resource persons from NGOs, academia, member states, and international and UN organizations.

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Microsoft will announce availability of business versions of its long-awaited Vista operating system on Thursday (30 November 2006), according to analysts invited to a release event in New York City. The final version of Microsoft's Office 2007 business applications software is to be available along with Vista.

It is the world's most sought-after seafood commodity: some 3.5 million tons of the many-legged delicacy are pulled from the ocean's waters each year, with another 2.4 million tons raised on aquatic farms. The popular seafood is a gold mine for poor countries feeding avid consumers in northern markets.

On November 22 Cabinet met in Kampala to discuss the White Paper on the findings and recommendations of the Ogoola Commission of Inquiry into allegations of mismanagement of the Global Fund to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria in Uganda. Cabinet adopted the paper and assigned roles to various sub committees for further investigations.

Twenty-five years after AIDS was first identified, programs to fight the disease continue to be undermined by conservative ideologies and moralistic approaches, Human Rights Watch said ahead of World AIDS Day. “The most effective approaches for preventing HIV/AIDS are not being used,” said Joe Amon, director of the HIV/AIDS program at Human Rights Watch.

At a conference on the subject in the Egyptian capital Cairo, the scholars said governments should enforce existing laws against the practice. Earlier, the top religious authorities in Egypt said religion offered no justification for the procedure.

I am writing to you in advance of the meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) on 29 November in Nigeria, to urge the AUPSC to do the utmost to protect civilians in Darfur. As negotiations proceed along the possibility of establishing a “hybrid operation” of United Nations (UN) and AU peacekeepers in Darfur, Amnesty International urges member states to ensure that the effective protection and human rights of the civilian population are at the centre of any peacekeeping operation in Darfur.

Judges in Botswana’s High Court will rule on 13 December on the landmark case brought by the Kalahari Bushmen against the Botswana government. The court will be open to journalists and members of the public. The Bushmen are fighting for their right to live on their land in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, and to hunt and gather freely there.

Since 1988, the Fogarty International Center, part of the National Institutes of Health, has published the Directory of International Grants and Fellowships in the Health Sciences. This current volume (NIH Publication 06-3027, February 2006), a comprehensive compilation of international funding opportunities in biomedical and behavioral research prepared by Ms. Hannah Leslie, should serve the individual or institution who seeks financial support.