Chen Guangcheng says he felt pressure to take the deal to leave the US Embassy and now wants to leave China on Hillary Clinton's plane. The US has promised to do what it can once his wishes are clear. The FAO Food Index has indicated that global food prices were down in April, though fears about inflation remain. Security is tight in Barcelona as...
US President Obama makes a surprise visit to Kabul in order to sign a strategic pact setting out the US' strategic long-term role. Shortly after his visit, large blasts were heard and at least six were killed in the country's capital. Myanmar's Suu Kyi makes her historic debut in parliament. The UN peacekeeping chief has said that the Syrian army is still...
China and Russia are resisting calls for sanctions against Sudan and South Sudan being pushed by the United States and other Western nations within the UN Security Council. South Sudan has claimed that Sudan bombed oil fields yesterday in the latest clash between the two nations. The decision on Dominique Strauss-Kahn's immunity in the civil law suit brought against him by the Sofitel housekeeper is...
In Sudan/South Sudan news, the Sudanese army has arrested four Westerners on a de-mining mission in South Sudan. China is lending $8 billion to South Sudan to finance infrastructure projects. Sudan has declared an emergency in the border area with the South and the recent split between the two countries has brought about questions of nationality. The ICJ has issued a press release on the election of its newest judge, Dalveer...
This is the fourth installment of our new feature; last week’s announcements can be found here. If you are organizing a conference or other event and would like to see the call for papers or the program announced on Opinio Juris, please contact us. Calls for Papers: Transnational Dispute Management has issued a call for papers on "Aligning Human Rights and Investment Protection." Topics of...
Kevin Jon Heller kicked us off this week with posts about the ICC’s report regarding Gaddafi’s situation in Libya and the infighting at the ICC between the Prosecutor and Libyan authorities. He also added a post about the OPCD report outlining Saif Gaddafi’s attitude about the ICC. Peter Spiro previewed the Arizona SB-1070 immigration case before the Supreme Court, discussing why...
ECOWAS will dispatch troops to both Mali and Guinea-Bissau in order to swiftly reinstate civilian rule after recent coups. In a Reuters exclusive, the US Senate, after a three-year investigation, is expected to find that the "enhanced interrogation techniques" used failed to yield counterterrorism breakthroughs. As a result of ongoing clashes between Sudan and South Sudan, the United States has circulated a...
The Special Court for Sierra Leone gave its verdict today in the Charles Taylor case. The Court found Taylor criminally responsible for aiding and abetting on all 11 counts in the indictment. The Court found that the prosecution failed to prove individual criminal responsibility (no effective control over the RUF) and joint criminal enterprise. Sentencing is scheduled for May 30th. Our Kevin...
US authorities have arrested the first suspect in the BP oil spill case for allegedly destroying evidence linked to the 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Pakistan has successfully tested a nuclear-capable intermediate range ballistic missile, approximately a week after India did the same. The International Criminal Court is closely monitoring the situation in Mali, following the surge in violence since January. While...
South Sudan has recognized a market bombing allegedly carried out by Sudan as an "act of war." Meanwhile, Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir has ruled out peace talks that have been urged by the UN with its neigbor to the south, with plans to only recognize the language of "guns and bullets" instead. The ECHR Blog has a roundup of the outcomes from last weekend's Brighton Conference on...
Our own Peter Spiro has penned an op-ed in the NY Times about the upcoming arguments at the Supreme Court about Arizona's controversial immigration bill, SB-1070. Peter has posted on OJ about it here. Territorial disputes between China and Taiwan, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei may escalate based on Chinese development firms jockeying for position in the disputed islands. Despite tensions, China has lauded...
Anti-government protests (which forced the cancellation of last year's event) occurred at the start of the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix. The US Congress has communicated its intent to repatriate Canadian Guantanamo detainee, Omar Khadr, according to the NY Times. Abu Qatada has appealed the European Court of Human Rights' decision to allow his deportation to Yemen, but the UK Government claims that...
