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...
Upcoming Events On October 1-2, 2012, Leiden University and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam will host the Second Annual Expert Seminar on Foreign Investment Law, entitled: Foreign investment in the energy sector: Balancing private and public interests at Leiden University in The Netherlands. Registration is free, but space is limited. Friday, October 12, 2012, St. John's Law Review, St. John's Center for International and Comparative Law and St. John's...
As turmoil continues to spread in the Middle East, Google has temporarily blocked access in Libya and Egypt to the inflammatory anti-Muslim video, invoking exceptional circumstances but not relying on its guidelines prohibiting hate speech. It will not come as a surprise to frequent readers of our blog that our own Peter Spiro is quoted as approving of Google's decision, even though it raises questions...
Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi has begun his first European tour as president and will visit Brussels to discuss economic support, agriculture, job creation and investment in the Egyptian private sector, among other topics. Despite President Mursi’s call for calm, dozens are still protesting the film “Innocence of Muslims” outside the US Embassy in Cairo. Turmoil has reportedly spread to the US...
Syrian government forces shelled a rebel stronghold in Damascus today killing four and wounding dozens. Foreign Policy points out that Syria is more violent than Iraq was at its worst. Darfur rebels have killed at least 11 in an attack on a market and a mine in North Darfur. Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army rebels ambushed an army convoy in the Central African...
China has dispatched patrol ships after Japan has said it will nationalize two disputed islands in the East China Sea. The Afghan Taliban have now denied a report that they would enter into peace talks with authorities. Saeed al-Shihri, second-in-command of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, has been killed, according to Yemini authorities. Foreign Policy has more here. The United States has transferred...
Violence in Syria continues, with reports stating that scores of government forces have been killed by bombing in Aleppo. The UN has called for an increase in humanitarian aid for Syria amidst the ongoing violence while the European Union has agreed to increase sanctions. Leaders from Japan and China have met amid tensions regarding disputed islands in the East China Sea. Japan has...
The International Economic Law and Policy Blog is reporting on a case filed against the WTO in a US District Court seeking a declaration that the "ruling of the Appellate Body of the WTO concerning the Country of Origin Labeling Act is null and void in the United States and throughout the world" on the basis that US law prevails over the WTO...
The Liberian Daily Observer has reported that Judge Sow of the Special Court for Sierra Leone has been called by the defense team of Charles Taylor and will testify in his appeal. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has accused both the government and the rebel forces in Syria of human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law. Mahmoud Abbas, the leader...
According to state media, Mauritania has extradited Ex-Libyan spy chief Al-Senussi to the Libyan authorities instead of to the International Criminal Court. A court in London found Britain responsible for the 1948 killing of 24 unarmed Malayan civilians who were shot dead by British troops during a campaign against Communist insurgents. In the next nine months, Scotland will introduce a bill to...
The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah has said that Iran can strike US bases in the Middle East if Israel were to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. In other Hezbollah news, the group ponders an uncertain future if one of its two closest allies, President Assad of Syria, is defeated in the current uprising. Syrian refugees fleeing the country's turmoil have started arriving in European...
Rebels have hit army headquarters in Damascus planting bombs targeting high-level officers. More US drone strikes in Yemen kill at least eight, including five suspected of having al-Qaeda ties, while a Yemeni warplane missed its intended target and killed 10 civilians. Sudan and South Sudan have agreed to resume flights between capital cities for the first time in almost five months. Archbishop Desmond...
