Opinio Juris » weekday news wrap w38/12

Weekday News Wrap: Friday, September 21, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

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 visiting US ports or bases in place since 1986, after New Zealand’s decision to ban any nuclear powered ships or nuclear armed ships from its ports, as part of its nuclear free policy.
According to a top Cuban official, ending the US’ embargo on Cuba would help both countries.
Japan will try to broker a deal at the upcoming IMF meeting in order to bring debt relief to Myanmar.
Japanese exporters are reporting severe delays clearing customs in China, as part of the dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the Appeals Court hearing the ACLU’s challenge of the Obama Administration’s secrecy about the US drone program was skeptical of the government’s position on the first day of oral arguments.
A German court has ruled in favor of Microsoft on a patent case involving the sale of several Motorola products in Germany and the US.
ASIL has posted an Insight entitled The UN Arms Trade Treaty: Temporarily Holstered (.pdf).
As the US Supreme Court readies for new rounds of oral argument in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum on October 1, International Law Grrls offers a post discussing the assorted viewpoints in the case.
And for those looking for something to watch perhaps over the weekend, Foreign Policy has highly recommended Frontline‘s new documentary entitled “The Battle for Syria,” available online.

September 21st, 2012 - 8:00 AM EDT | Comments Off http://opiniojuris.org/2012/09/21/weekday-news-wrap-friday-september-21-2012/ |

Weekday News Wrap: Thursday, September 20, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

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 General Ban Ki-Moon has said that the filmmaker has abused his freedom of expression; Foreign Policy analyzes just what it is about the film that has caused riots and protests across the world and Pakistan has declared Friday a national day of peaceful protests against the anti-Islam video.
France is closing schools and embassies around the world, fearing retribution attacks after the publication of Mohammed cartoons in a satirical magazine.
Jurist reports that Italy has upheld the sentencing of 23 former CIA officers for the 2003 kidnapping and rendition of Egyptian terror suspect Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr.
Various Japanese websites have been the subject of cyber-attacks originating from China.
The World Bank has warned of a deepening Palestinian fiscal crisis if foreign aid is not restored and if Israel does not ease its restrictions in the occupied West Bank.
In other Palestine-related news, William Schabas points to the letter by several prominent international (criminal) law scholars addressed to the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) of the International Criminal Court urging the ASP to consider the Palestinian statehood question at its upcoming meeting in November.
The African Union-led force has assumed command over troops hunting Joseph Kony and other rebel leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, but issues about the lack of resources and internal disagreements pose obstacles to the success of the troops.
Foreign Policy dissects the document signed by 11 European nations urging more federalism and points to the possibility of a pan-European army in the future.

September 20th, 2012 - 4:24 AM EDT | Comments Off http://opiniojuris.org/2012/09/20/weekday-news-wrap-thursday-september-20-2012/ |

Weekday News Wrap: Wednesday, September 19, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

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 provisions about indefinite detention could result in arbitrary detention in the case of James, Wells and Lee v. UK (.pdf).
The US State Department announced yesterday that it is shutting its USAID office in Russia, an office that has been open since the fall of the Soviet Union and which has pumped approximately $2.7 billion into the country, likely part of a larger crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs in Russia.
Lieber Code offers a post about the on-going saga of the Charles Taylor trial and the role of alternate judges in international tribunals.
If you’re wondering whether Interpol has to help Egypt carry out its recent arrest warrant against Pastor Terry Jones, the promotor of the anti-Islam film blamed for much of the protesting sweeping across the Middle East this past week, Foreign Policy analyzes this question.
Eleven EU foreign ministers have issued a blueprint for a closer union, particularly on economic and monetary affairs.
In Beijing, US Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, has met Xi Jinping, the expected next party chief who has been out of the public eye for the past two weeks, to discuss closer ties between the US and China.
On her visit to the US, during which she will receive a Congressional Gold Medal, Aung San Suu Kyi has urged for an end of US sanctions against Myanmar.
The IMF’s Executive Board has issued an ultimatum to Argentina to clarify its economic data, which could lead to a censure, a procedure never used in IMF history.
Although tensions remain high, the Chinese authorities are trying to suppress anti-Japanese protests.

September 19th, 2012 - 8:00 AM EDT | Comments Off http://opiniojuris.org/2012/09/19/weekday-news-wrap-wednesday-september-19-2012/ |

Weekday News Wrap: Tuesday, September 18, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

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 of certain joint patrols in Afghanistan in an effort to curb “green on blue” insider attacks.
The Nigerian military claims to have killed two high-ranking members of Boko Haram, the sect accused of killing over 1400 in the insurgency in Northern and Central Nigeria.
The commander of Iran’s elite Quds forces has confirmed that some members of the Quds Forces are in Syria assisting the regime of President Al-Assad, but they are not involved in a military way.
Pakistan has blocked YouTube because of the anti-Islam film. Foreign Policy has a piece detailing First Amendment protection in the United States, and why President Obama couldn’t block the film, even if he wanted to.
ECOWAS is gearing up for a tough fight in Mali against Islamist militants in the north of the country.
The UN has urged Libya to institute a transitional justice strategy to rebuild and reshape a country influenced by decades of dictatorial rule under Muammar Gaddafi.
After the recent meeting with President Morsy of Egypt, Foreign Policy showcases Sudan’s President, Omar Al-Bashir, as the most mobile accused war criminal in the world.

September 18th, 2012 - 8:00 AM EDT | Comments Off http://opiniojuris.org/2012/09/18/weekday-news-wrap-tuesday-september-18-2012/ |

Weekday News Wrap: Monday, September 17, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

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 with officials and US-based groups.
Protesters in Spain and Portugal marched against austerity measures put in place by their respective governments in order to avoid financial bailouts.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has demanded that the United States draw a “red line” regarding Iran and its development of nuclear technology, insisting that Tehran is approximately 90% complete with developing a nuclear weapon. The former US ambassador to Israel has described Netanyahu’s demands as unreasonable, although he predicted that the US would face a military confrontation with Iran in 2013 over the latter’s nuclear program.
For those interested, ILSA has released the 2013 Jessup Compromis.
William Schabas has an insightful post about alternate judge Sow in the Charles Taylor trial and appeal.
Foreign Policy offers a guide to what we need to know about the recent protests in the West Bank, in A Palestinian Spring.
Protests over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands have forced temporary closures of Japanese factories in China.
The US and Japan have reached an agreement to place a missile defense system in Japan to protect both states against the threat of ballistic missiles from North Korea.
China has requested WTO consultations over US countervailing duties on imported tires from China, while the Obama administration is planning a broad case against China, arguing that it unfairly subsidizes cars and car parts.

September 17th, 2012 - 8:00 AM EDT | Comments Off http://opiniojuris.org/2012/09/17/weekday-news-wrap-monday-september-17-2012/ |