Weekday News Wrap: Thursday, July 19, 2012

19 Jul Weekday News Wrap: Thursday, July 19, 2012

• Fighting is still raging in Damascus, where yesterday many officials were killed by bombing attacks in Syria’s capital city. Meanwhile, China remains silent  on its position ahead of a UN Security Council vote threatening with non-military sanctions.
• Al Jazeera offers the profiles of the slain ministers as well as an analysis of how these deaths will affect the regime. Foreign Policy outlines “Assad’s death spiral,” suggesting this may be the beginning of the end for Syria’s current regime.
• Laszlo Csatary, the “most-wanted” accused Nazi war criminal still at large was arrested this morning in Hungary.
• The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights have filed a lawsuit against the US Government regarding the deaths of Anwar al-Awlaki, Samir Khan and Abdulrahman Al-Awlaki, three American citizens killed in Yemen drone strikes last fall.
• As Kevin Jon Heller has pointed out and analyzed on Opinio Juris, Mali has asked the ICC to investigate atrocities that have been going on there since January 2012.
• China has strengthened its ties to Africa by promising $20 billion in loans over the next three years.
• ASEAN countries are working to find common ground on the wording of a statement regarding controversial activities in the South China Sea.
• Following the earlier example of Honduras and Ukraine, the Dominican Republic has now also requested WTO consultations with Australia about the latter’s plain packaging policy of tobacco products.
• A suicide bomber has killed 7 tourists, of whom 6 were Israeli, in a terrorist attack outside the airport close to the Black Sea in Bulgaria. Israel has blamed Hezbollah and Iran, but the latter has denied any involvement.
• The EU has accused Romania for failing to respect the rule of law following moves by the Prime Minister to impeach the President.
• The European Commission has proposed starting free trade talks with Japan.

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