Opinio Juris » weekday news wrap w45/12

Weekday News Wrap: Friday, November 9, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

The International Court of Justice will deliver its judgment in Territorial and Maritime Dispute (Nicaragua v. Colombia) on Monday, November 19, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. (Hague time).
The European Court of Human Rights upheld the German judgment that placed a ban on the use of holocaust images in a PETA animal-rights campaign poster.
Human Rights Watch published a report on migrant women living in Belgium who fear deportation if they report domestic abuse.
Despite warnings from the US and Israel, the Palestinian Authority has circulated a draft of a UN General Assembly resolution calling for upgraded observer status to be awarded to Palestine.
According to the Pentagon, Iran fired on US drone aircraft in international airspace last week, though it did not hit the intended target.
Newly re-elected US President Obama will make history by visiting Myanmar later this month, being the first sitting US president to do so.
The EU and 10 Latin-American states have concluded a historic agreement ending the two decades long dispute on the EU’s bananas regime.
Australia has indicated that it will sign up to the next phase of commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, whereas its neighbor New Zealand has decided not to.
China has proposed a four point plan for a political solution to the Syrian conflict, overcoming its traditional apprehension to interfere in other states’ affairs. The plan is however vague on details, and is seen as motivated by a desire to improve China’s reputation in the Middle East.
An Argentinian judge has frozen some of Chevron’s Argentinian assets to enforce the Ecuadorian judgment awarding $19 billion in damages for environmental pollution in the Amazon.
US regulators are making progress towards a deal with their Chinese counterparts on the regulation of auditors working for US corporations overseas.

November 9th, 2012 - 8:00 AM EDT | Comments Off http://opiniojuris.org/2012/11/09/weekday-news-wrap-friday-november-9-2012/ |

Weekday News Wrap: Thursday, November 8, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

The Atlantic has a piece on the foreign policy priorities of Obama’s second term.
Shortly after Obama’s re-election, the US has supported a call in the UNGA’s Disarmament Committee to revive talks on an Arms Trade Treaty.
Other reactions to Obama’s re-election: it may be the right time to reopen negotiations with Iran and it may spell trouble for Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Puerto Rico voted to become the US’ fifty-first state in a non-binding referendum in Tuesday’s elections.
The EU-China dispute on solar panels runs even hotter with the EU now investigating alleged subsidies to Chinese manufacturers.
Germany, France and the UK have condemned the approval of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank as an obstacle to realizing a two-state solution.
Reuters and the BBC analyse outgoing Chinese President Hu Jintao’s speech at the opening of the 18th Party Congress.
The Prosecutor of the ICC, Fatou Bensouda, has urged Libya not to grant amnesty for war crimes committed during last year’s uprising against the Gaddafi regime.
Bahrain has revoked the citizenship of 31 activists that have been calling for more democracy, accusing them of damaging national security interests.
Germany’s Angela Merkel warned Great Britain against an exit of the EU.
The UN has extended the Somali peacekeeping force’s mandate.
At Justice in Conflict, Mark Kersten has an insight into the possibilities of US engagement with the ICC; his advice: don’t hold your breath.
And on a lighter note, there is now proof that Barack Obama was born in Kenya! As is his twin brother Mitt Romney… Barack also won the race through the birth canal.

November 8th, 2012 - 8:00 AM EDT | Comments Off http://opiniojuris.org/2012/11/08/weekday-news-wrap-thursday-november-8-2012/ |

Weekday News Wrap: Wednesday, November 7, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

In a roundup of some of the big news coming out of the US elections, President Barack Obama was elected to serve a second term, the Republicans have kept control of the House of Representatives and the Democrats still control the Senate, Maine and Maryland have legalized same-sex marriage and Washington state and Colorado voted to legalize marijuana for all uses.The world markets react to the news of Obama’s reelection.
Same-sex marriage legislation, which included the right to adoption, has been upheld by the Spanish constitutional court.
Senior members of Israel’s cabinet discussed punitive steps that they could take against Palestinians if they pursue a campaign to upgrade their status to “observer state” at the United Nations.
In other news of regions pushing for more recognition, Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has dismissed Catalan’s drive for independence.
Military experts from Africa, the UN and Europe have drafted plans to recapture northern Mali, with some 4,000 personnel—mainly from West African countries—involved.
Iran said it would take part in a proposed international conference in December on creating a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East.
David Cameron, the British prime minister, has said he will support granting President Bashar al-Assad a safe passage out of Syria to help end the civil war. Britain will also take steps to help the various opposition forces unite in their battle against al-Assad.
Bloomberg discusses the legacy of outgoing Chinese President Hu Jintao.

November 7th, 2012 - 8:00 AM EDT | 1 Comment » http://opiniojuris.org/2012/11/07/weekday-news-wrap-wednesday-november-7-2012/ |

Weekday News Wrap: Tuesday, November 6, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

The United States heads to the polls today to choose a second term for President Obama or to put Mitt Romney in the Oval Office.
It may be election day in the US, but Bloomberg has a profile of Xi Jinping, who will most likely be chosen to replace Chinese President Hu Jintao later this month.
Amnesty has reported that Malawi’s Justice minister has suspended the country’s controversial laws against homosexuality until Parliament has had a chance to vote on their repeal.
China has filed a request for WTO consultations with the EU over Italy and Greece’s policies to offer higher prices for solar power generated using locally sources components.
Brazil has asked the WTO to take action countering the distortive effects of exchange rate movements on trade commitments.
Human rights organizations have criticized the ASEAN proposals for human rights protections.
The hearing for a US Army sergeant accused of murdering 16 Afghan civilians in March began yesterday and will continue through the rest of the week.
Russia’s foreign minister says that his country is supplying arms to Syria under Soviet-era commitments that were meant for defense against external threats, not to support President Bashar al-Assad.
Palestinians have rejected demands from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to drop their bid for an elevated status at the UN.
Sweden has indicted a suspect for genocide in Rwanda, the first such case in the Nordic country.

November 6th, 2012 - 8:00 AM EDT | Comments Off http://opiniojuris.org/2012/11/06/weekday-news-wrap-tuesday-november-6-2012/ |

Weekday News Wrap: Monday, November 5, 2012

by Jessica Dorsey

European and Asian leaders are meeting in Laos for the biennial Asia-Europe meeting.
Violence between rival militias in Libya underscores the security challenges facing the new government.
A grenade attack on a church in Kenya on Sunday is believed to have been the work of a Somali group protesting against Kenya’s involvement in the UN-backed force in Somalia.
A new cabinet has been formed in Somalia, includes the country’s first female foreign minister.
A federal court in Australia has found S&P liable for misleading and deceptive ratings in a case brought by Australian municipal councils.
The US and Japan have started an 11-day military exercise.
The UN Commissioner on Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has urged China to address long-standing issues involving Tibet.
Iran has stated it will strengthen its presence around three disputed islands in the Persian Gulf. The United Arab Emirates claims the islands are its territory.
The Greek Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, warns of a euro exit if parliament fails to approve a new round of austerity measures.
South Korea’s Park Guen-hye, in a bid to become the country’s first female prime minister, has pledged engagement with Pyongyang in order to restore ties between the neighboring countries.
Israel has announced it will boost its Iron Dome missile interceptor system, citing a “variety of unprecedented threats.”

November 5th, 2012 - 8:00 AM EDT | Comments Off http://opiniojuris.org/2012/11/05/weekday-news-wrap-monday-november-5-2012/ |