A Syrian airstrike has killed at least 54 amid heavy fighting in northern Syria. At a UN Security Council meeting, Iran was attacked about the aid it is providing to Syria's government forces. At the IAEA's meeting in Geneva, Iran and Israel squared off about nuclear proliferation in the Middle East region. The US has lifted a ban on New Zealand naval ships...
Amnesty International reports that Syrian civilians are under "relentless" and "indiscriminate" attacks from Syrian forces. In news about the anti-Islam flim, The Innocence of Muslims, Saudi Arabia has demanded that YouTube shut down access to the film within its borders; an actress in the film is suing the director and YouTube for fraud, slander, and intentional infliction of emotional distress; UN Secretary...
Syrian rebel forces clash with government troops near the Turkish border as UN envoy says the Syrian crisis is worsening. According to diplomats, Sudan and South Sudan have made progress on reaching a border deal. Iraq has re-opened its border to refugees from Syria, but is excluding young men from entry for security reasons. The European Court of Human Rights ruled yesterday that UK...
The group claiming responsibility for a suicide bomb that killed 12 near Kabul, Afghanistan, including nine foreigners, said the attack was revenge for the anti-Islam film, Innocence of Muslims. Other protests throughout Asia and the Middle East were carried out in response to the film in multiple cities in Pakistan, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Azerbaijan--and as far as Britain and Australia. NATO has ordered a suspension...
The UN's High Commissioner on Human Rights, Navi Pillay, urged an end to the violence brought about by the anti-Islam film released last week, while Hezbollah's leader called for a week of protests. Myanmar's Aung Sun Suu Kyi has begun her visit to the United States and is slated to receive the highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, and meet...
Upcoming Events On October 1-2, 2012, Leiden University and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam will host the Second Annual Expert Seminar on Foreign Investment Law, entitled: Foreign investment in the energy sector: Balancing private and public interests at Leiden University in The Netherlands. Registration is free, but space is limited. Friday, October 12, 2012, St. John's Law Review, St. John's Center for International and Comparative Law and St. John's...
As turmoil continues to spread in the Middle East, Google has temporarily blocked access in Libya and Egypt to the inflammatory anti-Muslim video, invoking exceptional circumstances but not relying on its guidelines prohibiting hate speech. It will not come as a surprise to frequent readers of our blog that our own Peter Spiro is quoted as approving of Google's decision, even though it raises questions...
Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi has begun his first European tour as president and will visit Brussels to discuss economic support, agriculture, job creation and investment in the Egyptian private sector, among other topics. Despite President Mursi’s call for calm, dozens are still protesting the film “Innocence of Muslims” outside the US Embassy in Cairo. Turmoil has reportedly spread to the US...
Syrian government forces shelled a rebel stronghold in Damascus today killing four and wounding dozens. Foreign Policy points out that Syria is more violent than Iraq was at its worst. Darfur rebels have killed at least 11 in an attack on a market and a mine in North Darfur. Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army rebels ambushed an army convoy in the Central African...
China has dispatched patrol ships after Japan has said it will nationalize two disputed islands in the East China Sea. The Afghan Taliban have now denied a report that they would enter into peace talks with authorities. Saeed al-Shihri, second-in-command of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, has been killed, according to Yemini authorities. Foreign Policy has more here. The United States has transferred...
Violence in Syria continues, with reports stating that scores of government forces have been killed by bombing in Aleppo. The UN has called for an increase in humanitarian aid for Syria amidst the ongoing violence while the European Union has agreed to increase sanctions. Leaders from Japan and China have met amid tensions regarding disputed islands in the East China Sea. Japan has...
The International Economic Law and Policy Blog is reporting on a case filed against the WTO in a US District Court seeking a declaration that the "ruling of the Appellate Body of the WTO concerning the Country of Origin Labeling Act is null and void in the United States and throughout the world" on the basis that US law prevails over the WTO...
