Opinio Juris » weekday news wrap w40/12

Weekday News Wrap: Friday, October 5, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

Russia is considering offering Western companies oil licenses in its Arctic waters.
Reuters has an exclusive that the European Union is ready to ban imports of Iranian gas as a part of new sanctions in order to increase the pressure over the nuclear program in the Islamic Republic.
A UN representative has told the Security Council there is little time to deal with rebels in the north of Mali and international assistance is needed.
The European Union and several banks will stage a DDoS cyber-attack exercise in order to find ways to improve cooperation.
Jim Yong Kim, the head of the World Bank, has said that he is prepared to make broad reforms and that he will outline changes to come at next week’s summit in Tokyo.
Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame has staunchly denied any Rwandan government involvement in supporting rebels across the border in the Congo and said Western countries accusing Rwanda of doing so were “dead wrong.”
After starting peace talks on October 15 in Oslo, members of FARC and the government of Colombia will hold a joint press conference on October 17 as the two sides attempt to end a five-decades-long conflict.
The ECHR Blog points to a new tutorial from the European Court of Human Rights about using the revamped HUDOC database.

October 5th, 2012 - 8:00 AM EDT | Comments Off http://opiniojuris.org/2012/10/05/weekday-news-wrap-friday-october-5-2012/ |

Weekday News Wrap: Thursday, October 4, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

Turkey has struck back at Syria, after a mortar attack killed five Turkish civilians in a city close to the Syrian border. In an urgent meeting, NATO has urged Syria to respect international law. Turkey has also requested a response by the UN Security Council, but Russia asked for a day delay.
Four UN Peacekeepers were killed in an ambush in West Darfur.
At their next meeting in mid-October, Europe’s Foreign Affairs Ministers will reportedly consider tighter sanctions on Iran, including stricter limits on Iranian Central Bank assets in European jurisdictions. This move would make it harder for the Iranian Central Bank to defend the plummeting rial, which has been a cause of protests in Tehran yesterday.
The Constitutional Chamber of Honduras’ Supreme Court has decided in a 4-1 judgment that the plan to create “private cities” is unconstitutional. The matter will now be considered by the full Court.
Tokyo’s governor, whose decision to buy the Senkaku/Diaoyu Island triggered the tension between China and Japan, has poured oil on the fire with plans for infrastructure projects on the rocky islands.
There is cautious optimism about renewed momentum in WTO negotiations.
Negotiations on Laos’ WTO accession have reached the final stages.
Foreign Policy posits that the reports of Al-Qaeda death have been exaggerated and that though the organization may be headless, its tentacles still pack a mean punch.
ECHR Blog reports on the four new judges at the European Court of Human Rights, representing Bosnia, Croatia, Moldova and Russia.
The UN is likely to hold a debate in November about the status of Palestine and whether to upgrade its current observer entity status to observer state status.
In Tehran, Iranian police have clashed with protestors upset with the fall of the rial more than 40% in a week due to Western sanctions. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that these sanctions could be eased quickly with atomic cooperation.

October 4th, 2012 - 8:00 AM EDT | 1 Comment » http://opiniojuris.org/2012/10/04/weekday-news-wrap-thursday-october-4-2012/ |

Weekday News Wrap: Wednesday, October 3, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

Georgia’s President Mikhal Saakashvili has conceded defeated in Monday’s parliamentary elections.
Benjamin Netanyahu appears to have softened his stance on military action against Iran, allowing more space for sanctions to take effect until at least mid-2013.
The territorial dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands is blamed for the decision of major Chinese banks to pull out of the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings that are scheduled to take place in Tokyo next week.
Ralls Corp, a company owned by two Chinese nationals, has sued President Obama after he invoked national security reasons to block their purchase of four wind farm projects near a US naval base in Oregon.
Syria’s President Bashir al-Assad rejected demands for a peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria from many of his staff after some of his top aides were killed in July.
JP Morgan has been sued by the New York Attorney General for its involvement in the global financial crisis, a lawsuit the US Government supports.
Amnesty International reports that in South Sudan, police forces are shooting and raping civilians.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has said his country will not discontinue its nuclear program, despite recent sanctions and currency devaluation.

October 3rd, 2012 - 8:00 AM EDT | 1 Comment » http://opiniojuris.org/2012/10/03/weekday-news-wrap-wednesday-october-3-2012/ |

Weekday News Wrap: Tuesday, October 2, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

Oral arguments were heard yesterday for the second time before the US Supreme Court in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum; the transcript can be found here. You can already read the preliminary thoughts from a few of our regulars Roger, Deborah and Peter, and as Julian mentioned, starting today, we will have a roundtable discussion from a variety of guest contributors about their thoughts on the re-argumentation.
Amid sanctions from Western nations, Iran’s rial currency plunged more than 25% in the last week.
Geopolitics and resources have put maritime disputes, such as those between China and Japan over the contested Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, front-and-center once again.
British terrorism suspect Babar Ahmad is trying to halt his extradition to the United States.
Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr, who was recently transferred to a prison in his Canadian homeland, is having a difficult time adapting to his new circumstances, according to his lawyer.
Professor Charles C. Jalloh offers commentary about why the Special Court of Sierra Leone should establish an independent commission to investigate the allegations of Alternate Judge Sow in the Charles Taylor case.
The White House is downplaying reports that its computer systems have been the target of a Chinese cyberattack.
Saudi Arabia has ordered its airline not to participate in the EU Emissions Trading System for its flights to and from European airports.
At the UN General Assembly, the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs has accused the US and its allies of promoting terrorism for their support to the opposition.
According to a leaked memo, the US has warned European states not to support Palestinian moves for “non-member” status at the UN General Assembly.
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has warned the US and the EU that they have not yet fully implemented the Basel III standards on capital adequacy rules for banks.

October 2nd, 2012 - 8:00 AM EDT | Comments Off http://opiniojuris.org/2012/10/02/weekday-news-wrap-tuesday-october-2-2012/ |

Weekday News Wrap: Monday, October 1, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

The US Supreme Court begins its new term today and will hear re-argumentation in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum. SCOTUS Blog offers insight into what is at stake and for whom in this case.
After 10 years’ imprisonment at Guantanamo Bay, Omar Khadr was repatriated to Canada, where he will serve the rest of his sentence.
At the UN General Assembly, several leaders of the Muslim world questioned the Western notion of freedom of speech in light of the recent film sparking protests and violence across the Middle East.
Also at the UN, New Zealand called on the five permanent members of the Security Council to give up their use of veto power on issues of mass atrocities in light of inaction most recently involving Syria.
The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Prince Addulaziz bin Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, urged United Nations Member States to spread a culture of tolerance and understanding and deepen the dialogue among cultures and religions to prevent conflicts,
Yemen’s President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi warned that his country risks a descent into a civil war “worse than Afghanistan” should an upcoming dialogue fail to resolve the deep political and societal rifts facing his country.
A Russian Court was about to hear the appeal in the Pussy Riot case, but the hearing was delayed after one of the band members fired her defence counsel.
A bomb attack in Khost, Afghanistan, has taken 14 lives, including 3 NATO troops.
Tension is high in Tblisi, Georgia, with parliamentary elections taking place that are considered a major test of the pro-Western government of incumbent President Saakashvili who took power during the 2003 Rose Revolution.

October 1st, 2012 - 8:00 AM EDT | Comments Off http://opiniojuris.org/2012/10/01/weekday-news-wrap-monday-october-1-2012/ |