20 Dec Weekday News Wrap: Thursday, December 20, 2012
20.12.12
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- Al Qaeda has staged a comeback in Syria, posing a dilemma for the opposition fighting to remove President Bashar al-Assad and making the West balk at military backing for the revolt.
- The United Nations Security Council members, except for the United States, have condemned Israel’s latest plans to construct thousands of settlement homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
- The UN Security Council also strongly condemned the ongoing attacks and atrocities carried out by the Lord’s Resistance Army and urged that the UN regional strategy designed to tackle the threat be carried out as soon as possible.
- The WTO has released its Panel Reports on Canada’s renewable energy measures. As expected, Canada’s measures were found inconsistent with various WTO obligations.
- Two women have been nominated to succeed Pascal Lamy as Costa Rica has nominated its Minister Anabel Gonzalez and Indonesia nominated former trade minister Mari Pangestu.
- Sudan and South Sudan have agreed to discuss rebel support next month.
- Glenn Greenwald posted his thoughts in the Guardian on why Americans respond so differently to the killings in Newtown than the way they respond to the deaths of children killed in drone strikes.
- Senegal has passed a law to create a special African Union tribunal to try Hissene Habre.
- Russian MPs overwhelmingly voted in favor of a bill banning adoptions by US citizens.
My country’s refusal to go along with the UN Security Council members’ condemnation of Israel’s latest plans to construct thousands of settlement homes in the West Bank and Jerusalem is not surprising: saying one thing and doing another is a tired refrain on this score for the State Department. Alas, it is as helpful and revealing as Israel’s policy of “nuclear ambiguity/opacity” (amimut).