Your weekly selection of international law and international relations headlines from around the world:

Africa

• The UN reports that Muslims are being “cleansed” from the west of the Central African Republic and thousands of civilians risk being killed ”right before our eyes.”
• Germain Katanga was convicted by the ICC of being an accessory to crimes including murder and pillage during an attack on a village in a diamond-rich region of Congo in 2003, in which about 200 civilians were killed (more from Kevin here).
• Libya threatened to bomb a North Korean-flagged tanker if it tried to ship oil from a rebel-controlled port, in a major escalation of a standoff over the country’s petroleum wealth.
• A Red Cross worker was killed in the north of the Central African Republic, amid escalating religious violence that peacekeepers have been powerless to stop.
• Escalating diplomatic tensions are evident as South Africa has expelled three Rwandan diplomats it linked to an attack on an exiled Rwandan general’s Johannesburg home, and Rwanda has retaliated by ordering out six South African diplomats.

Asia

• The world must increase its food production by 60 percent by mid-century or risk serious food shortages that could bring social unrest and civil wars, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.
• As Japan and the US start talks on how to respond to armed incidents that fall short of a full-scale attack on Japan, officials in Tokyo worry that their ally is reluctant to send China a strong message of deterrence.

Americas

• The US recently sent a small number of special forces soldiers to Jordan to train with counterparts from Iraq and Jordan, a new step in the Obama administration’s effort to help Baghdad stamp out a resurgent al Qaeda threat.
• Panama’s President Ricardo Martinelli has called on Venezuela not to use its decision to break ties with his country as an excuse not to pay back a debt that tops $1bn.

Middle East

• Al Qaeda militants shot dead a man in southeastern Yemen for allegedly giving the US information used to carry out drone strikes against militants, witnesses and the SITE monitoring service said.
• At least 42 African migrants drowned in the Arabian Sea off the southern coast of Yemen.
• Newborns freezing to death in hospital incubators, doctors cutting off limbs to stop patients from bleeding to death, surging cases of polio: a new report published by Save the Children paints a dire picture of Syria’s collapsing healthcare system.
• A group of Israeli teenagers have told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that they will refuse to serve in the military because of its role in the occupation of Palestinian land.

Europe

• The Ukraine city of Sevastopol has declared itself a subject of the Russian Federation. For more on the Ukraine crisis, see our insta-symposium here.
• Russia has made what may be a move towards taking part in talks over the Ukraine crisis, but is standing firm in its insistence that Crimea has a right to break away from Kiev’s rule.
• Germany’s Angela Merkel delivered a rebuke to President Vladimir Putin, telling him that a planned Moscow-backed referendum on whether Crimea should join Russia was illegal and violated Ukraine’s constitution.
• The EU has reiterated its earlier pledge to ink a trade deal with Kiev, as international tensions over Ukraine’s future escalated further over the weekend following the incursion of Russian military forces into the Crimean peninsula.
• Over a dozen EU ministers have joined together to call for a rapid agreement on the trading bloc’s 2030 climate and energy goals, either at a leaders’ summit later this month or in June.

Calls for Papers

• The Center of Excellence “PluriCourts” at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Law, is organizing an international symposium on the Legitimate Role(s) of Human Rights Courts and Tribunals in Adjudicating Environmental Disputes in Oslo, 8 and 9 September 2014. Please send your abstract (word limit 500 words) to christina [dot] voigt [at] jus [dot] uio [dot] no. Deadline is 1 May 2014. Notification of acceptance will be given in the beginning of June 2014. The aim is to publish 5-6 selected papers in the Journal of Human Rights and the Environment. Contact: Professor Christina Voigt, coordinator for the environmental sector of PluriCourts (christina [dot] voigt [at] jus [dot] uio [dot] no or: 0047-228-50246 (office)).
• The University of Amsterdam has issued a call for papers for a workshop on “Transnational Standards in the Domestic Legal Order: Authority and Legitimacy”, to be held on 24 October 2014. The workshop explores the evolving interactions between transnational standards and the domestic legal order from the perspectives of authority and legitimacy. The workshop is organized by the research project “Architecture of Postnational Rulemaking” at the University of Amsterdam. The deadline for the submission of proposal of max. 500 words is 18 May 2014. The sponsoring organizations will cover the speakers’ travelling and accommodation expenses. More information is available here (pdf). 

Events

• The ABA Section of International Law is Proud to Present: The 4th Annual ”Live from L” The Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State. Monday, March 10th, 2014 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM US EST, with the theme of The Geneva Framework for the Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons: The Role of the Office of the Legal Adviser. The Section of International Law is pleased to announce the fourth non-CLE webcast with the Office of the Legal Adviser from the Jacob Burns Moot Courtroom of the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. Speakers include Mary E. McLeod, Acting Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State; Newell Highsmith, Deputy Legal Adviser; Todd Buchwald, Assistant Legal Adviser, Office of United Nations Affairs; Mallory Stewart, Attorney Adviser, Office of Nonproliferation and Verification. It will be moderated by Sean D. Murphy, Member, U.N. International Law Commission, Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School. You can attend the program in person at George Washington University Law School or from the convenience of your desk, by webcast or teleconference. Registration ($15 and law students can sign up for the webcast at no charge) information is here. If you have any questions, please email Jonathan Lewis at jonathan [dot] lewis [at] americanbar [dot] org or call the Section at 202-662-1660.

Last week’s events and announcements can be found here. If you would like to post an announcement on Opinio Juris, please contact us.

Your weekly selection of international law and international relations headlines from around the world:

Africa

• The World Bank has suspended a planned $90m loan to Uganda meant to strengthen its health care system after its president signed into law a bill prescribing harsh jail terms for homosexual offenses. 
  
• More than 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe have stormed over a fence into Spain’s north African territory Melilla, causing a fracas that left 35 injured in one of the biggest such crossings in years.

Asia

• A prominent Chinese dissident, Xia Yeliang, who moved to the United States after being fired by Peking University last year warned of the dangers of academic exchanges with China, saying Beijing sent spies as visiting scholars.
• China accused the United States of widespread human rights abuses, including cyber-surveillance and child labor, in Beijing’s annual rebuttal of Washington’s criticism of its rights record.
• North Korea has fired two short-range missiles into the sea off the east coast of the Korean peninsula, South Korea’s defense ministry has said, after launching similar rockets last week.

Americas

• Venezuela said its foreign minister will meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Geneva on Tuesday amid growing international calls for dialogue between political players to ease the OPEC nation’s worst unrest in a decade.
• The co-chairs of a UN group tasked with drafting a blueprint for sustainable development goals (SDGs) released a list of 19 focus areas, following a year of discussions.

Middle East

• Fighting in the Damascus district of Yarmouk have interrupted aid distribution to thousands of besieged Palestinian refugees, according to the UN.
• US President Barack Obama, issuing a veiled warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the eve of talks, said in an interview it would be harder for Washington to defend Israel against efforts to isolate it internationally if U.S.-led Middle East peace talks fail.
• Veteran Spanish journalist Marc Marginedas, kidnapped in Syria in early September last year, has been freed, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said.

Europe

• British spies are stealing screenshots from hundreds of thousands of innocent Yahoo users’ webcam videos, which state that the years-long operation has swept up a huge haul of intimate photographs.
• The Faroe Islands’ dispute with the EU over restrictions on the archipelago’s fishing fleets advanced to the WTO panel stage.
• David Cameron, UK’s prime minister, has announced an independent inquiry into secret letters sent to Irish Republican Army suspects which promised them protection from arrest.
• Russia has started a build-up of armored vehicles on the Russian side of a narrow stretch of water between Russia and the Ukrainian region of Crimea, Ukrainian border guards said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi in Geneva on Monday at a human rights council session.
• Russia said that the United States abruptly withdrew an invitation for Russian veterinary officials to attend talks this week and accused Washington of “sabotage”, an apparent sign of tension over Ukraine.

Your weekly selection of international law and international relations headlines from around the world:

Africa

• Nigeria has closed its northern border with Cameroon to block the movement of Boko Haram members who use the area as a launch-pad for attacks.
• French troops may stay much longer than originally planned in the Central African Republic.
• Civilians in South Sudan have been the main target of recent ethnic violence that is likely to have killed thousands, and thousands more have been raped, arrested and tortured, according to the UN.
• Al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabab has attacked the heavily-fortified Somali presidential palace compound, blasting through a gate with a car bomb and engaging palace guards in a fierce gun battle that left 14 people dead.

Asia

• India’s government will proceed with stringent actions against Italian marines charged with the killing of two Indian fishermen, an incident that soured diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Rome.
• Reuters has an insight about reforming the bloated steel sector in northern China’s Hebei province as a key part of Beijing’s efforts to cut air pollution.

Americas

• Talks between the US and EU for a comprehensive trade and investment pact are set to kick into higher gear, following a highly-anticipated “political stocktaking” meeting between the two sides’ top trade officials.
• US prosecutors plan to seek the extradition of Mexico’s most wanted man, drug cartel kingpin Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman, to face trial in the United States after he was captured in Mexico.

Middle East

• The UN Security Council achieved rare unity to act on Syria’s civil war when Russia and China supported adoption of a resolution to boost aid access in Syria that threatens to take “further steps” in the case of non-compliance.
• Additionally, the UN Security Council is considering a draft resolution to impose travel bans and asset freezes on people in Yemen who obstruct or undermine the country’s political transition and those who commit human rights violations.
• At least 80 people have been executed in Iran so far this year, marking a rise in its use of capital punishment, the UN’s human rights office has said. Jurist has more here.

Europe

• The British government has said it will introduce measures to increase the economic benefits from North Sea gas and oil, as it tries to persuade Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom. Polls show that Scots are becoming more skeptical about the idea of Scotland becoming independent of the United Kingdom.
• Ukraine’s interim leadership pledged to put the country back on course for European integration now that Viktor Yanukovich has been ousted from the presidency.
• Leaders from 46 countries pledged last week to act together to combat a growing illegal wildlife industry, following a high-level meeting convened by the UK government and the British royal family.

Your weekly selection of international law and international relations headlines from around the world:

Africa

• At least 90 people have been killed in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state by suspected members of Boko Haram.
• The EU and West Africa have reached a compromise on an Economic Partnership Agreement, following over a decade of negotiations.

Asia

• North and South Korea have agreed in a rare high-level meeting to stop insulting each other and to go ahead with planned reunions of Korean War-divided families.
• A UN Commission of Inquiry has found that crimes against humanity have been committed in North Korea and will call for an investigation by the International Criminal Court.
• Policy coordination in response to the recent turmoil in some emerging markets will likely be among the main topics for discussion at this week’s meetings of G20 policymakers.
• China said it was keen on a meeting between President Xi Jinping and Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, but signaled it was in no rush to set a venue or timeframe for what would be a historic get-together.

Americas

• US Secretary of State John Kerry has stressed the importance of tackling climate change in a speech in Indonesia, saying that it may be the world’s “most fearsome” weapon of mass destruction.
• John Kerry also said that the future stability of the Asia-Pacific region depends on the success of negotiating an ASEAN code of conduct on maritime claims.
• US officials unveiled the “Global Health Security Agenda,” described as a 30-nation effort to strengthen disease response capabilities around the world.
• Leaders from the Pacific Alliance announced a major regional trade pact, agreeing to slash tariffs on 92 percent of products, with the remaining eight percent – including sensitive products such as bananas and coffee – to be phased out over a longer period.

Middle East

• International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi apologized to the Syrian people for the lack of progress at peace talks in Geneva after their second round ended with little more than an agreement to meet again.
• Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called for Arab political forces to “stop the war on Syria,” promising that if they left the country alone, his Lebanese Shi’ite group would also withdraw.

Europe

• Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced a decree banning gay couples or single people from countries that legally allow same-sex marriage from adopting Russian children.
• The European Union said it has postponed negotiations with Switzerland on its participation in multibillion-dollar research and educational schemes in the latest fallout from a shock Swiss vote in favor of immigration curbs.
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she will talk to French President Francois Hollande about creating a European communication network to avoid emails and other data passing through the US.
• European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said states breaking away from existing EU countries would struggle to gain EU membership, further complicating Scottish nationalists’ already uncertain plans for independence.

Calls for Papers

• The University of Cagliari (Italy), Department of Public Law and Social Studies has issued a call for papers with the theme of Conceptualising Accountability in International Economic Law. The University welcomes ”submissions that describe new (previously unpublished) cutting-edge research in the following focus areas : Accountability and Law of International Development Banks; Accountability and WTO Law; Accountability and International Environmental and Energy Law; Accountability and Investment Law; Accountability and International Development Aid Law;Accountability and Multinational Enterprises; Accountability and Non-governmental Organisations; Accountability and UN Agencies; Accountability and Regional Intergovernmental Organisations; Accountability and Law-makers.” Interested candidates are invited to submit to federico [dot] esu [at] gmail [dot] com a 500-word abstract in English, with indication of the author(s), their affiliation and full contact information. Closing date for abstracts’ submission: 31/03/2014. Acceptance of abstracts: 15/04/2014 Deadline for draft papers’ submission: 15/07/2014. Deadline for selected final drafts’ submission: 31/07/2014 .More information can be found here.
• In anticipation of International Law Weekend 2014 – to be held on October 23-25, 2014, in New York City – the sponsors would like to invite submissions of proposals for panels, roundtables, and lectures at International Law Weekend (ILW) 2014. The overall theme of ILW 2014 is International Law in a Time of Chaos. The role of international law in conflict mitigation is  a focus  – whether by building commercial links between states, fighting corruption, improving democratic governance, providing methods for resolving international and ethnic disputes, or regulating the use of force.  International Law Weekend 2014 will seek to address the role of public and private international lawyers in each of these tasks. More information can be found here.

Events

• The Federalist Society is hosting an event entitled: The NSA, Security, Privacy, and Intelligence on February 24th. From the description: “In the 12 years since 9/11, as the national security threat matrix has become increasingly complex, technological advances have expanded intelligence gathering capabilities significantly. Recently, public concern about government monitoring of individuals has come to the forefront of the discussion. To address the intersection of security, privacy, and intelligence, the President has proposed several reforms, and is studying others in consultation with Congress. This Symposium will analyze and offer observations on those proposals.” Speakers include: Steven G. Bradbury, Michael Chertoff, Harley Geiger, Jim Harper, Peter S. Margulies, Nathan A. Sales, Julian Sanchez, Vincent J. Vitkowsky, Kenneth L. Wainstein, Benjamin Wittes. More information can be found here.
• NYU Law School will host a symposium from February 27-28, on the topic of New Approaches to International Regulatory Cooperation. The symposium kicks off with a keynote address by C. Boyden Gray on the topic of the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership, and altogether gathers leading practitioners, government officials, and
  scholars from different fields and regions of the world, to address the timely and important questions implicated by the growing need for effective regulatory cooperation.
  The full schedule is available here and registration information is here.
• The University of Virginia School of Law’s Human Rights Program and the American Red Cross are hosting our 5th Annual International Humanitarian Law Student Workshop on March 22-23 (Saturday & Sunday) at the Law School in Charlottesville. The two day workshop consists of presentations and small group exercises that will guide participants through an extensive examination of international humanitarian law, with a focus on its application to combatants and civilians. Faculty includes international legal scholars and experts from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), American Red Cross, military Judge Advocates, and UVA School of Law. We are delighted to have Professor John Cerone and Justice Richard Goldstone join us again this year. This workshop attendance is free for participants. Applications are available on the UVA Law Human Rights Program website. The application deadline is February 24, 2014. Selected participants will be notified by March 1, and we will endeavor to find student hosts for those who need housing (though can’t promise that all will be accommodated). Contact Sadie Gardner, slg2cw [at] virginia [dot] edu, with questions.

Last week’s events and announcements can be found here. If you would like to post an announcement on Opinio Juris, please contact us.

Your weekly selection of international law and international relations headlines from around the world:

Africa

• A Red Cross spokesman says a vehicle carrying five people has gone missing in northern Mali and an official from the group known as the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa said that an al-Qaeda-linked group in Mali has kidnapped them.
• The Office of the Prosecutor for the ICC alleged that Congolese war crimes suspect Bosco Ntaganda was instrumental in organizing and ordering militias of “child soldiers” to attack civilians. The Court’s press release from the opening of the confirmation of the charges hearing can be found here.
• Additionally, the ICC will open a preliminary examination into violence in the Central African Republic to determine whether atrocities committed there constitute possible war crimes.

Asia

• A Pakistani anti-drone campaigner, Kareem Khan, who was due to testify before European parliaments, has gone missing in the city of Rawalpindi. More from human rights organization Reprieve here.
• China and Taiwan held their first government-to-government talks since they split 65 years ago after a brutal civil war.
• War took an increasing toll on Afghanistan’s civilians in 2013 as fighting intensified between the government and insurgents, the United Nations said in a report, with total casualties rising 14 percent.

Americas

• Colombia’s FARC rebels accused former President Alvaro Uribe of involvement in alleged spying on government negotiators at peace talks in Cuba, and said their delegation’s communications were also intercepted.
• For more on spying in the Americas: Brazilian security forces are using undercover agents, intercepting e-mails, and rigorously monitoring social media to try to ensure that violent anti-government protesters do not ruin soccer’s World Cup this year, officials told Reuters.
• And for the complete spying in the Americas trifecta, Glenn Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill report that the National Security Agency is using complex analysis of electronic surveillance, rather than human intelligence, as the primary method to locate targets for lethal drone strikes, as Obama officials weigh launching a drone attack on another US citizen, this time allegedly in Pakistan.

Middle East

• Iran’s military has successfully test-fired two new domestically made missiles, ahead of talks with world powers to try to reach an agreement on curbing Tehran’s nuclear program.
• Israel’s Jerusalem municipality approved building plans on Wednesday for 558 new homes in the occupied West Bank, land that the Palestinians want for a future state.
• Turkey and Israel are getting closer to normalizing relations, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Negotiators from the two countries have been holding talks to resume diplomatic ties that were severed after an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship in 2010 left nine dead.

Europe

• The Vatican was denounced by a UN human rights committee for failing to prevent priests raping and molesting tens of thousands of children over decades and for adopting policies that allowed abuse to continue once detected.
• The European Union must be ready to impose sanctions on Ukraine if it persists in using violence against protesters, the Czech foreign minister said, warning against what he saw as Soviet-style authoritarianism.
• European partners have threatened to review their relations with Switzerland after voters narrowly backed a proposal to curtail immigration into Switzerland from the EU in a referendum.

Your weekly selection of international law and international relations headlines from around the world:

Africa

• Sudan’s government has suspended the activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the country.
• The African Union has urged its members to “speak with one voice” against criminal proceedings at the International Criminal Court against sitting presidents.
• International forces in the Central African Republic have retaken the strategic town of Sibut, occupied for days by Muslim Seleka fighters.

Asia

• China does not feel threatened by countries in Southeast Asia and is optimistic about the situation in the disputed South China Sea, the Foreign Ministry said, warning Japan not to “spread rumors” it plans a new air defense identification zone.

Americas

• In Olympics news, U.S. officials say the first of two American warships heading into the Black Sea in advance of the Olympic Games has sailed from Italy.
• A 30-foot (9 meter) sailboat with about 30 Cuban refugees aboard docked in the Cayman Islands and passengers said they were hoping to reach Honduras.
• US President Obama released a certification memorandum that any US armed forces personnel involved in the international stabilization mission in Mali would be immune from prosecution at the ICC.

Middle East

• The UN has said that at least 733 Iraqis were killed during violence in January, even when leaving out casualties from an embattled western province of Anbar.
• Israel’s finance minister halted the transfer of government funds to West Bank Jewish settlements and ordered a probe into allegations that money meant to support municipalities had been funneled to a pro-settler political group.
• Jabhat al-Nusra in Lebanon, a group named after al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, has said it carried out a suicide car bombing in a stronghold of the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah that has killed at least four people.
• Fighters linked to al-Qaeda have killed two rebel leaders in bombings in Syria, in an apparent shift of tactics to target the command structures of their rivals.

Europe

• The European Union is “seriously concerned” about China’s treatment of human rights campaigners after a spate of trials and detentions.
• Ahead of the Olympic Winter Games, Russian opposition figure and anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny, who is restricted from travelling outside Moscow, has requested permission to visit Sochi.
• France will have “significant commercial opportunities” in Iran if sanctions are lifted, but Tehran first has to prove its good faith in abiding by nuclear undertakings, Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said.

Oceania

• Australia has approved a plan to dump millions of tons of sediment near the Great Barrier Reef as part of a major coal port expansion – a decision that environmentalists say will endanger one of the world’s most fragile eco-systems.

Calls for Papers

• The Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at the University of London is organizing a workshop on National Security and Public Health as exceptions to Human Rights’ on 29th May 2014 and is now calling for papers. The Institute is honoured to announce that the keynote speaker will be Professor Malcolm Dando who will speak on “Threats of dual use biomedical research – when nation security and public health collide”. Please note the deadline for submissions is 14th February 2014. All the information and the call for papers can be found here.

Events

• On Monday, February 10, 2014 at the American University Washington College of Law, the ICRC presents: “Targeting The Sleeping Fighter and Other Hard Legal Issues: A Discussion on the Use of Force in Non-International Armed Conflict.” Should government forces be obligated to capture a rebel fighter located away from zones of active hostilities, or may they use lethal force as a first resort?  Can a soldier automatically fire on a car barrelling through the check-point in a conflict zone, or on fighters who mingle with civilians during a riot? How should government forces respond to criminal gangs that support rebel fighters, or to fighters who are escaping from detention centers? In response to these types of questions that frequently arise in modern warfare, the ICRC convened an expert meeting on the use of force in non-international armed conflict, and published a report summarizing the findings of this meeting in late 2013 .  The report highlights challenges militaries face when both human rights law and international humanitarian law may apply, thereby creating situations in which the relevant actors face difficulties identifying and applying the adequate legal framework. Speakers include: Brigadier General Richard Gross, US Army, Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gabor Rona, International Legal Director, Human Rights First; Daniel Cahen, Legal Advisor, ICRC Regional Delegation to the United States; Moderated by Professor Robert Goldman, Washington College of Law. For further information, please contact: Office of Special Events & Continuing Legal Education. To register (no charge), please click here.

Announcements

• The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Freie Universität Berlin announce two new Post-Doctoral Fellowships (one at each location) for the 2014-2015 Academic Year in the framework of the Joint Interdisciplinary Program “Human Rights under Pressure” (HR-UP). The Fellow will participate in the full HR-UP program curriculum, including interdisciplinary colloquia and annual summer schools. The Fellowship is open to researchers who received their doctorate no earlier than September 2010 – or who will submit their dissertation no later than March 2014 – in any discipline related to human rights. The research plan must deal with the current challenges confronting human rights, relevant to the HR-UP research program. The application deadline is 20^th February 2014. For further information please click here.  
• The Centre of Excellence for International Courts (iCourts) and PluriCourts – Centre for the Study of the Legitimate Roles of the Judiciary in the Global Order is hosting a high-level summer school for PhD students and junior scholars working on international law and with a special interest in interdisciplinary studies of international law and its social and political context. We particularly welcome students and scholars who are writing up a PhD thesis or a post-doc project that involves an interdisciplinary study of one or more international courts. The summer school will take place on June 23-27 2014 in the center of Copenhagen and is offered free of charge (excluding expenses relating to travel and accommodation). Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis until 1 May 2014. To learn more please visit the website.

Last week’s events and announcements can be found here. If you would like to post an announcement on Opinio Juris, please contact us.

It is hard for many of us to believe it is already February, but as things go, the world keeps turning we keep blogging! Here’s a look at what happened this week on Opinio Juris:

We had posts from Julian on the media’s coverage of the Amanda Knox trial (and his prolific media presence!) and a reminder for the extended deadline to register for the ASIL/ILA Conference in April.

Chris shared some thoughts about the ongoing protests in Ukraine where two crises are at play: the future of the country and President Yanukovich’s crackdown on protesters; a recent TED Talk by Benjamin Bratton that got him thinking that we international lawyers can learn a lot from technologists (and vice versa); and China’s crackdown of Uighurs, by highlighting the case of Ilham Tohti. Duncan brought our attention to the unveiling of AJIL’s new blog: AJIL Unbound (a heartfelt welcome to the blogosphere!).

We had four guest posts this week, two covering some of Roger’s posted thoughts on extraterritoriality in Kiobel  and two on the effectivity of international criminal courts. In the former category, Anthony Colangelo talked about Kiobel and conflicts of law and William Dodge posited that the presumption against extraterritoriality does not apply to jurisdictional statutes. In the latter category, Stuart Ford showcased the topic of his recent article on complexity and effectivity of international criminal trials and Jonathan Hafetz offered some commentary on Stuart’s post and article.

I recapped the news here and offered events and announcements here. Thanks, as usual, to our guest contributors and have a great weekend!

Your weekly selection of international law and international relations headlines from around the world:

Africa

• The International Criminal Court  has scrapped a planned February 5 start date for the trial of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta after prosecutors asked for more time to strengthen their case (ICC press release here).
• At least eight people were killed in mob violence in Central African Republic’s capital, Bangui, as senior officers from the Seleka rebel movement fled the city.

Asia

• India and Japan’s talks on nuclear cooperation have gained momentum over the past few months and the two hope for an agreement on civilian nuclear energy soon.
• The head of Japan’s influential public broadcaster has used his first public comments to say that Japan’s World War Two policy of forcing conquered foreign women into sex slavery was “common in any country at war.”
• In Thailand, an anti-government protest leader was killed in Bangkok, shot in the head while speaking during a protest rally.
• The Philippine military has launched a major offensive against a splinter rebel group, two days after negotiations with the country’s main Muslim rebel group to end a decades-long insurgency that has killed tens of thousands successfully ended.
• North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the execution of his uncle’s entire family, including his children and relatives serving as ambassadors to Cuba and Malaysia, according to South Korea’s state news agency, Yonhap.

Americas

• The U.S. military carried out a missile strike in Somalia targeting a suspected militant leader with ties to al Qaeda and al Shabaab.
• The U.S. National Security Agency is involved in industrial espionage and will grab any intelligence it can get its hands on regardless of its value to national security, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden told a German TV network.

Middle East

• Women and children in the besieged districts of the city of Homs can leave “immediately,” the Syrian government has said as peace talks between it and the country’s opposition continues.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly will insist that Jewish settlers in the West Bank have a right to remain under Palestinian rule in any future peace deal.
• Iraqi government forces battling al Qaeda-linked militants intensified air strikes and artillery fire on the rebel-held city of Falluja.

Europe

• Thousands of people in the Ukrainian capital Kiev have mourned a protester shot dead during clashes, as demonstrations against President Viktor Yanukovich continued despite sweeping concessions offered by the embattled leader.
• In London supporters of a far-right Hungarian politician have been labeled “Nazi scum” as he arrived in the British capital for a rally.
• German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble dismissed fears that too many immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria were moving to Germany, saying his country had benefited from European Union integration more than any other.

Calls for Papers

• This serves as a reminder that the deadline for submissions for the 2014 Cambridge Journal of International and Comparative Law Conference is fast-approaching. The original deadline has been extended to 29 January 2014. Please also note that the keynote address will be given by Judge Kenneth Keith of the International Court of Justice. For more information, please click here (.pdf).
• Transnational Legal Theory publishes theoretical scholarship that addresses transnational dimensions of law and legal dimensions of transnational fields, regulatory regimes and evolving normative-institutional arenas. The journal is currently accepting submissions for a special symposium issue that addresses the potential and substance of Transnational Criminal Law (TCL), an evolving and still largely under-explored field of law. TCL is at the intersection of domestic, international and comparative criminal law and reaches deep into contemporary debates over conceptions of crime and illegality, social values and regulatory politics. Abstracts outlining the direction of the planned submission are invited by Monday 17 February 2014 and final papers are due by Monday 28 April 2014. Abstracts and/or submissions as well as any inquiries should be directed to tlteditorial [at] hartpub [dot] co [dot] uk or PZumbansen [at] osgoode [dot] yorku [dot] ca. For more information, click here (.doc).

Events

• ASIL has announced an event entitled: “Careers in International Organizations,” scheduled for this Wednesday, January 29, 5:30pm-7:30pm in Washington, D.C. This event will also be livestreamed. Please register/get more info here. A quick description: “Working at an international organization offers unique insight into how international law is made through the convergence of national interests, personal dynamics, global realities, and constantly evolving norms.  But how does a lawyer enter these labyrinths?  What is it like to work in them?  How do you get the assignments that advance your career once inside?  And where do you go from there? Panelists at this event sponsored by ASIL’s New Professionals Interest Group will share the perspectives they have gained from the United Nations, the World Bank, the Organization of American States, and other international organizations, answering these questions and ones posed by the audience. Panelists include: Simone Schwartz-Delgado, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; Grace Menck, Inter-American Development Bank; Heidi Jimenez, Pan-American Health Organization; and Steve Koh, ASIL (former attorney at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and International Criminal Court).”
• Students for the Promotion of International Law (SPIL), Mumbai is proud to present its flagship event to you “Reliance Industries Limited presents 5th Government Law College International Law Summit, Government Law College, Mumbai.” SPIL, Mumbai  has endeavored for the past four years to promote International Law among the students and legal fraternity alike through its flagship event, the “International Law Summit”. In line with its past tradition, SPIL, Mumbai will be hosting the “5^thGovernment Law College International Law Summit” with its theme “International Investment Law”,  from 31^st January to 2^nd February, 2014.
• On February 7-8, 2014, the Brigham Young University Law School and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will host a Workshop on Teaching International Humanitarian Law (IHL) at BYU Law School in Provo, Utah. The Workshop is targeted at law professors interested in teaching an IHL course for the first time (otherwise known as the Law of Armed Conflict), integrating IHL modules into their current courses and/or rethinking their current teaching of this important subject. Topics covered will include: Building a Course Structure; Integrating IHL into non-IHL Courses; Using Problems, Scenarios and Hot Topics in Teaching IHL; Experiential Learning in IHL Instruction; and Internships, Jobs, and Other Opportunities in IHL. The Workshop provides an opportunity for law faculty to think creatively about teaching IHL, network with others, exchange ideas, and expand teaching of these topics. The cost of the two-day seminar is $250 per person and includes breakfast and lunch both days, dinner the first day, and all workshop materials.  For further information and to register, please click here.

Announcements

• Transnational Dispute Management announces another journal issue: TDM 1 (2014) – Reform of Investor-State Dispute Settlement: In Search of a Roadmap. From TDM:
  “Edited by Jean E. Kalicki (Arnold & Porter LLP and Georgetown University Law Center) and Anna Joubin-Bret (Cabinet Joubin-Bret) this TDM special issue on the “Reform of Investor-State Dispute Settlement: In Search of a Roadmap” has close to 70 papers making it the largest TDM Special Issue to date. The interest in this topic, and the breadth of proposals offered by our contributors, demonstrates both the importance of holding this dialogue and the creativity of astute users and observers of the present system. This Special Issue is particularly timely in light of the European Union public consultation on investor-state dispute settlement and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership just begun by EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht.”

Last week’s events and announcements can be found here. If you would like to post an announcement on Opinio Juris, please contact us.