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

Africa

• Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 60 people in an attack on a village in northeast Nigeria, while a separate attack killed eight people at a teacher training college. 
• Nigeria will mount a massive security operation to protect a World Economic Forum on Africa planned in Abuja next month, following the bomb attack by suspected Islamist militants on the capital’s outskirts on Monday.
• A militia leader accused of kidnap, rape and cannibalism has surrendered alongside around 40 of his followers in Democratic Republic of Congo.
• EU and African leaders meeting in Brussels last week pledged to deepen trade and investment ties between their two continents, with both sides calling for a “fundamental shift” in cooperation.

Asia

• India’s highest court has recognized the existence of a third gender that is neither male nor female in a landmark judgement hailed by the transgender community.
• China condemned Britain for interfering in its domestic affairs, in response to a human rights report, a day after the British government said Beijing had called off human rights talks.
• Japan and Australia have clinched a bilateral trade deal.

Middle East and Northern Africa

• The trials have begun in Tripoli against Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and his younger brother, Saadi, on charges including murder and plundering state coffers. Their co-accused include the former intelligence chief, Abdullah al-Senussi and former prime ministers, al-Baghdadi al-Mahmudi and Bouzid Dorda.
• Israel is holding secret talks with some Arab states that do not recognize it, looking to establish diplomatic ties based on a common fear of Iran according Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
• Israel described as “unacceptable” remarks by US Secretary of State John Kerry suggesting cautious openness to negotiating a nuclear deal that would keep Iran six to 12 months away from bomb-making capability.
• Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said the “grave news” that President Bashar al-Assad’s forces had carried out two poison gas attacks last week was a challenge to “international will”.

Europe

• Britain’s aerospace and defense industries warned that the sector could lose its global competitive edge as a result of Scotland’s bid for independence.
• Ukraine has said an “anti-terrorist operation” against pro-Moscow separatists is under way, as Russia declared Ukraine on the brink of a civil war.

Americas

• A Russian fighter jet has made close-range passes for more than 90 minutes near a US warship in the Black Sea amid diplomatic tensions over Ukraine, the US reports.
• Iran requested a special meeting of a UN committee on the United States’ refusal to grant a visa to Tehran’s new U.N. ambassador appointee, describing the decision as a dangerous precedent that could harm international diplomacy.

UN/Other

• Nepal would weaken the foundations of “genuine and lasting” peace after a decade-long civil war if it gave amnesties for serious crimes committed during the conflict, according to Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Event

• The British Institute of International and Comparative Law and Cambridge University Press invite you to the International and Comparative Law Quarterly Annual Lecture 2014, to be held at Charles Clore House at 5.30-7.30pm on Tuesday 20^th May. Professor Mindy Chen-Wishart of Merton College, Oxford will deliver a lecture entitled: ‘Legal Transplant and Undue Influence: Lost in Translation or a Working Misunderstanding’, followed by a question and answer session. The event is free to attend, but please register here. The lecture will discuss an increasing awareness of the unquestioned assumptions of one’s own legal system as a means of understanding how a transplanted doctrine has been applied in a particular context, with a focus on Singaporean courts ‘borrowing’ undue influence in family guarantee cases from the English legal system. Through exploring hierarchy versus equality, the positional versus the personal, and collectivism versus individualism, it will conclude on whether a ‘Western’ legal transplant can be successful in a very different Singaporean cultural context. The Young Scholar Prize 2013 will also be awarded at the event, to Bharat Malkani, University of Birmingham, for his paper: The Obligation to Refrain from Assisting the Use of the Death Penalty. This Prize is awarded annually to a scholar aged 35 or under at the time of the publication of their article. The welcome address for the event will be given by the General Editor of the ICLQ, Professor Malcolm Evans OBE. The Lecture will be followed by a drinks reception, and is generously sponsored by Cambridge University Press, who publish and distribute the ICLQ.

Announcements

• The Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law sponsors the Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law which runs from May 27th to June 13th 2014. The program offers 19 courses taught by more than 43 prominent scholars in the field of human rights in both English and Spanish, with experience in the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Court of Justice (ICJ), United Nations, Inter-American Commission and Court on Human Rights, recognized international NGOs and think tanks. Last year, the program welcomed more than 165 participants from over 24 countries with differing backgrounds and levels of experience for an intensive three weeks in Washington, D.C. The Program is offered in three categories which include the modality of Certificate of Attendance, ABA Credits for students currently studying in a U.S. law school and finally, the Diploma Course that is offered to a select group of 35 law professionals who fulfill the admission requirements. Additionally during the Program, the Academy hosts Human Rights Month, which features several special events such as panels, a film series, and site visits to international organizations. The May 1st deadline is less than a month away. The organizers encourage you to apply as soon as possible. You can access more information here
• International scholars and practitioners of transitional justice are invited to apply for a 1-week workshop and training program on transitional justice organized and led by the Hague Institute for Global Justice from 23-27 June 2014 in The Hague. This week-long training is part of the Transitional Justice in Africa Fellowship Program, a joint initiative by the Hague Institute and the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) in South Africa, that brings together senior and mid-level expert scholars and practitioners with extensive experience working to advance transitional justice in their community. For more information about the application process and the fellowship program, please visit our website at: Hague 1-week fellowship program.
• The Grotius Center for International Law at Leiden University has announced several summer schools:

  International Criminal Law (23 June – 4 July 2014, The Hague) From Theory to Practice
  This summer school offers a unique opportunity to gain expertise in international criminal law in the International City of Peace and Justice. The course, which welcomes around 50 participants from all over the world, combines theory with practice: academics from Leiden University and experts from the international courts and tribunals lecture on topics as genocide, crimes against humanity, the crime of aggression and modes of liability, while students develop their skills through a cross-examination session and a challenging moot court exercise. (Law) Students and young professionals are invited to apply. Application deadline: May 1, 2014.

  Columbia Summer Program (June 30 – July 25, Leiden) In American Law
  The Columbia Summer Program is organized by the Law Faculties of Leiden University, the University of Amsterdam and Columbia University in the City of New York. Since 1963 these summer courses are held alternately at the Leiden Law School and at the Amsterdam Law School. The program is entirely taught by Columbia professors, and is designed to provide a general introduction to the American legal system for lawyers and other (legal) professionals, or (graduate) students interested in the program. Besides the excellent educational aspects, the Columbia Summer Program is also known for its exceptional fine atmosphere amongst participants and professors from Columbia University. Take a look at the website and apply before May 1, 2014!

  International Children’s Rights (7 – 11 July 2014, Leiden/The Hague) Frontiers of Children’s Rights
  Frontiers of Children’s Rights provides a comprehensive children’s rights course, which takes a close look at contemporary children’s rights issues from a legal perspective accompanied by reflections from other academic disciplines, legal systems, local perceptions and realities. Leading academic and professional experts in the field of children’s rights, international law and other relevant disciplines offer inspiring and interactive lectures, seminars and excursions in and around the historical university town of Leiden. Professionals and advanced students are welcome to apply. A limited amount of scholarships are available for this course. Application deadline: May 1, 2014.

  Human Rights and Transitional Justice (14 – 18 July 2014, The Hague) Transitional Justice and Regional Responses to Conflict
  Past decades have witnessed new approaches and tensions in the interplay between international justice, regional approaches and local responses to conflict. International Courts and Tribunals have sought to develop policies and mechanisms to engage with domestic constituencies and actors. But practice has also shown weaknesses and constraints of international criminal justice institutions. The ICC has faced challenges in its engagements in regional conflicts and new regional initiatives are emerging. At the same time, regional human rights have had to deal with dilemmas of historical justice and transitions. The Summer School explores these developments, including practice and underlying accountability strategies. Professionals and advanced students are kindly invited to apply before May 1, 2014.

  Women, Peace and Security (9 – 20 June 2014, The Hague) Challenges and Achievements
  In 2000 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, affirming the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace building, and calling on all parties to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence in situations of armed conflict. The 15th anniversary of Resolution 1325 in 2015 has been set as a marker for the achievements and goals on this core issue of international peace and security. This course, a joint initiative of Oxfam Novib and Leiden University, takes a close look at the WPS agenda and enables the participants to increase their knowledge, skills and networks in this field. Professionals and advanced students with a demonstrated interest in the theme are invited to apply before 1 May 2014.

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

• French and African soldiers serving in Central African Republic are “overwhelmed” by the “state of anarchy” in the country, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said a day after Chadian troops began withdrawing from the peacekeeping mission. 
• Nigeria has overtaken South Africa as Africa’s largest economy after a rebasing calculation almost doubled its gross domestic product to more than $500bn, data from the statistics office showed.
• West African leaders endorsed “in principle” their Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU.

Asia

• U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will visit China’s sole aircraft carrier when he arrives in the country, in an unprecedented opening by Beijing to a potent symbol of its military buildup.
• Japan and Australia clinched a basic trade deal to cut import tariffs, Australian media reported, as U.S. and Japanese officials stepped up efforts to reach a parallel agreement that would re-energize stalled talks on a broader regional pact.

Middle East

• At least 29 people were killed, most or all of them believed to be rebels, in the besieged Old City of Homs when a car bomb exploded.
• The navies of Iran and Pakistan plan to hold joint military exercises in the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, Iran’s state news agency said on Sunday.
• Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has threatened to take unilateral action against Palestinians, if they press ahead with moves towards statehood.
• Iran hopes enough progress will be made at talks with major powers this week to let negotiators start drafting an accord to settle a dispute over its nuclear program.

Europe

• A Dutch law firm has filed a criminal complaint in the Netherlands against Rwandan president Paul Kagame for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, among others. The complaint can be found here.
• In related news, France said on Saturday it had canceled plans to attend a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide following accusations of French involvement in the massacre by Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Rwanda responded by barring the French ambassador to Rwanda from attending any events marking the genocide.
• Police in the Philippines have filed a complaint for child trafficking and child abuse against a holidaying Italian diplomat arrested at a resort south of the capital Manila in the company of three boys.
• Protests in eastern Ukraine in which pro-Russian activists seized public buildings in three cities are part of a plan to destabilize Ukraine and bring in Russian troops, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said.

Americas

• Cuba said the United States continues to use social media to “subvert” the island’s government and that the revelation this week of a U.S.-created, Twitter-like service for Cuba was just one of several examples.
• A leading ally of Angela Merkel has criticized the United States for failing to provide sufficient assurances on its spying tactics and said bilateral talks were unlikely to make much progress before the German leader visits Washington next month.

UN/Other

• The American Society of International Law/International Law Association meeting kicks off today in Washington, D.C. ASIL Cables will be blogging about the event and you can also follow the Twitter hashtag #ASILILA14.

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

Africa

• More than one million people in South Sudan have been forced from their homes during more than three months of ongoing fighting, with conditions continuing to worsen, the UN has warned.
• Senegal closed its land border with Guinea on Saturday to try to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus, which Guinean authorities say is suspected of killing 70 people in what would be the deadliest outbreak in seven years. Liberia has confirmed ebola’s arrival from Guinea as well.

Asia

• Tens of thousands of Taiwanese protesters have taken to the streets in Taipei in a bid to pressure President Ma Ying-jeou to retract a controversial trade pact with China.
• A Philippine government vessel made a dash for shallow waters around the disputed reef in the South China Sea, evading two Chinese coastguard ships trying to block its path to deliver food, water and fresh troops to a military outpost on the shoal.
• North Korea fired artillery close to a disputed maritime border with the South, prompting the South to fire back, although the military exercise appeared to be yet more saber rattling from Pyongyang rather than a prelude to a sharp rise in tensions.

Americas

• In one week, 370 immigrant children, most of them from Central America, were found abandoned in Mexico, after traffickers promised to take them to the United States but left them to their own devices after being paid thousands of dollars.
• Cuban politicians have approved a law to make it more attractive for foreign investors to do business in and with the country, a measure seen as vital if the island’s struggling economy is to improve.

Middle East

• Israel has handed the Palestinians a proposal aimed at extending peace talks beyond an April 29 deadline in efforts to salvage negotiations.
• Egypt has reopened its land border with the Gaza Strip after a 50-day closure, but only for three days and then just for special cases, Gaza’s governing group Hamas has said.
• Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has selected a new ambassador to represent Tehran at the United Nations, Hamid Abutalebi, a veteran diplomat who has held key European postings in the past.

Europe

• The commander of a planned European Union peacekeeping force for Central African Republic has decided he now has enough soldiers and equipment to launch the delayed mission after governments came forward with new offers of help.
• Germany is considering offering military support to some eastern European members of the NATO defense alliance in response to Russia’s seizure of Crimea and the US has pledged $10 million to bolster border security in Moldova.
• Greece’s government secured enough votes in parliament to pass a key reform bill demanded by its international lenders, in exchange for further bailout loans to avoid default.

UN/Other

• As Julian has been covering, the International Court of Justice is about to rule on whether Japan has the right to hunt whales in the Antarctic (Australia v. Japan), in an emotive case activists say is make-or-break for the giant mammal’s future. For those of you around now (10:00 a.m. Hague time), the streaming video can be found here.
• This year’s UN climate negotiations kicked off again last week in Bonn, Germany.
• For those of you following armed groups or non-international armed conflict, the blog Armed Groups in International Law has posted its latest legal roundup.

Events

• The Cardozo School of Law is hosting a panel on Privacy, Security, and Secrecy after Snowden on April 2, 2014 - 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., moderated by our own Deborah Pearlstein. From the website: Edward Snowden’s recent disclosures about the NSA’s surveillance activities have raised important national security and civil liberty questions: How effective is the NSA’s surveillance? What are its costs and benefits? Should individuals care if the government stores metadata even if they think they have nothing to hide? What role should courts play in potentially constraining the NSA’s surveillance activities? Who might have standing to raise constitutional challenges to the NSA’s activities? Come hear a fantastic panel of national security, cybersecurity, and privacy law experts discuss these important questions about the future of our democracy. Seating is limited for this event. RSVP to floersheimercenter [at] gmail [dot] com.
• The 2014 World Investment Forum is scheduled to take place from 13 to 16 October 2014 in the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. The provisional program has been released. The list of participants is also available, and it includes UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The website is here and you can register here.

Announcements

• The world’s first comprehensive training course on international weapons law will take place at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law 4-29 August 2014. The aim of the course is to instil participants with a detailed understanding of international weapons law: police use of force, use of weapons as a means or method of warfare, disarmament, and small arms control. Application deadlines are 15 May 2014 for applicants requiring visas to enter Switzerland and 30 June 2014 for applicants who do not require visas. Costs are 1,500 CHF per module or 5,000 CHF for all four modules. More information and the application can be found here.
• A summer school on Transitional Justice, Conflict and Human Rights will take place in Geneva from 7-11 July 2014, hosted by The Antonio Cassese Initiative for Justice, Peace and Humanity and the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. The application deadline is 29 May 2014 and the tuition fees are 1,500 CHF.
• The program for the upcoming ASIL/ILA meeting (7-12 April) in Washington, D.C., with the theme of The Effectiveness of International Law is now available online.

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 Pentagon has reported that the Obama administration is sending about 150 Special Operations troops along with military aircraft to Uganda to help in the search for warlord Joseph Kony.
• Suspected Boko Haram fighters have detonated a bomb in a crowded marketplace in northeastern Nigeria killing at least 20 people.

Asia

• A Chinese court has handed an 18-month jail term to a man who applied to hold a protest on the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square killings.
• North Korea has launched short-range rockets into the sea off its east coast for a second straight day, in what is believed to be Pyongyang’s way of protesting US-South Korean military drills.
• The US National Security Agency has secretly tapped into the networks of Chinese telecom and internet giant Huawei and China has demanded an explanation.

Americas

• The leaders of 15 Caribbean countries are calling for reparations from European countries relating to the slave trade that took place 200 years ago.
• The US embassy in Venezuela said it is suspending appointments for new tourist visas due to a lack of personnel following the expulsion of consular staff last month.

Middle East

• Israeli diplomats launched an unprecedented strike on Sunday, forcing the complete closure of embassies around the world as they escalated a dispute over pay, officials said.
• The UN accused Syria’s government and rebels of hindering aid access, suggesting both sides could be violating UN Security Council demands that emergency relief reach civilians caught in the crossfire of the three-year civil war.

Europe

• Charles Ble Goude, wanted by the International Criminal Court in connection with a wave of violence after Ivory Coast’s 2010 elections, is now in the court’s custody.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law the treaty formally making Crimea part of the Russian Federation, after it was approved by the parliament, on the same day Ukraine capped a landmark alliance with the European Union.
• Russian troops used stun grenades to force their way into a Ukrainian marine base in Crimea, overrunning one of the last symbols of resistance.
• NATO’s top military commander said Russia had built up a “very sizeable” force on its border with Ukraine and Moscow may have a region in another ex-Soviet republic, Moldova, in its sights after annexing Crimea.

UN

• Countries have approved a United Nations document to promote equality for women that reaffirms the sexual and reproductive rights of all women and endorses sex education for adolescents.
• About 140 cases of missing or unauthorized use of nuclear and radioactive material were reported to the U.N. atomic agency in 2013, highlighting the challenges facing world leaders at a nuclear security summit taking place today and tomorrow in The Hague.

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

Africa

• US Navy SEALs have boarded and taken control of an oil tanker that escaped earlier this month from a rebel-held Libyan port with armed men at the helm.
• Nigerian security forces have committed human rights abuses as they fight a near five-year Islamist insurgency by the Boko Haram sect, according to the UNHCHR.
• Gunmen have killed at least 100 people in attacks on three villages in central Nigeria.

Asia

• China warned the Philippines to abandon a disputed shoal in the South China Sea after Manila said it planned to challenge a Chinese naval blockade of the area by sending supplies to its troops stationed there.
• The US and Japan made some progress on resolving a deadlock over tariffs on farm and industrial exports which is dragging on a wider Pacific trade deal, a senior Japanese official said on Wednesday.

Americas

• In the war zones of Colombia, discussions of peace talks raise new fears.
• An Indian diplomat charged in New York with visa fraud and making false statements about her domestic worker has won a dismissal of her federal indictment, in a move that could help smooth over a dispute that has frayed U.S.-India ties.

Middle East

• A suicide car bomb attack has killed at least four people in a Hezbollah-dominated area of the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, near the border with Syria.
• Israel is to allow the resumption of diesel deliveries into Gaza, a day after the territory’s sole power plant stopped working due to a lack of fuel, officials have said.
• Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip have fired more rockets at Israeli cities in a third day of a cross-border flare-up.
• The United Arab Emirates summoned Iraq’s ambassador to protest against his prime minister’s accusations that its ally Saudi Arabia was funding terrorism, state news agency WAM reported, while Bahrain called the comments “irresponsible.”

Europe

• Crimea’s regional assembly has declared independence from Ukraine and applied to join Russia, saying all Ukrainian state property on the peninsula would be nationalized. The West has threatened sanctions.
• Hackers brought down several public NATO websites, in what appeared to be the latest escalation in cyberspace over growing tensions over Crimea.
• US President Barack Obama and European Union leaders will promise to remove all tariffs on bilateral trade at a summit on March 26, an ambitious step towards the world’s largest free-trade deal, according to a draft statement seen by Reuters.
• EU environment ministers agreed last week to re-open discussions on a legislative proposal that would allow member states to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in all or part of their territory, even after they have been authorised at the EU level.

Events

• ALMA has recently published its invitation to the next session of the Joint IHL Forum that will take place on Wednesday, March 26, at the IDC – “Young Researchers Forum“
  This is the highlight of a few months process in which four students from four different local academic institutions worked on academic papers under the supervision of designated ALMA members.
• The Third Annual Conference of the Cambridge Journal of International and Comparative Law (CJICL) registration is now open, and can be accessed here.

Announcements

• TDM has just announced its publication of TDM 2 (2014) – The New Frontiers of Cultural Law: Intangible Heritage Disputes. Editors Dr. Valentina Vadi (Lancaster University) and Prof. Hildegard Schneider (Maastricht University) prepared and edited this issue. It follows and complements TDM 5 (2013) – Art and Heritage Disputes in International and Comparative Law. Taken together the two special issues adopt a holistic approach to cultural heritage, considering the dynamic link or dialectical relationship between the tangible and intangible heritage. As intangible heritage is made up of processes and practices-its fate depending on oral transmission and being closely related to its creators and context-it may need ad hoc safeguarding approaches and methodologies. In particular, this special issue aims to explore some examples of intangible heritage related disputes, highlight the main tenets of the Convention for the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and suggest avenues for ways forward and further research.

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 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.