In association with the International Commission of Jurists

General

04 Jan

The Senkaku / Diaoyu islands, a series of rocky, uninhabited outcrops, are being claimed by Japan, China, and Taiwan, amongst others, both for historical reasons, and because of their potential value in anchoring sovereignty over natural resources like oil.   Some have predicted the dispute may be a military “flash point” in 2013. As Duncan noted last month, China made a partial submission...

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04 Jan

A "senior Al-Qaeda figure" was killed in Yemen via a US drone strike yesterday, along with two others. For more on the SDNY's decision granting summary judgement to the US government about the FOIA suit we covered yesterday, Bloomberg covers it here, Politico has a story here, the ACLU has a press release here, the New York Times has a story here and an op-ed here, the Washington Post weighs...

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03 Jan

According to the UN, the death toll of the Syrian conflict now exceeds 60,000. A US drone strike has killed Mullah Nazir, a Pakistani Taliban commander. The IMF has stated that the US "fiscal cliff" deal is not enough to bring the economy back on a sustainable path. Judge McMahon of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York has granted summary judgment to the government...

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02 Jan

Thousands have protested in Hong Kong to demand the resignation of the China-backed chief executive and democratic leadership elections. Seven charity workers have been killed by gunmen in Pakistan when they visited a community centre that serves as a school and a clinic. According to South Korea's Finance Ministry, unification of the two Koreas could cost the South up to 7 percent of annual GDP for...

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01 Jan

The UN Security Council has placed sanctions on two rebel groups, Democratic Republic of the Congo's M23 and Rwanda's FDLR, for alleged war crimes in the DRC's eastern region. North Korea's Kim Jong-un, in a rare speech, has called for an end to the confrontation between his country and South Korea. Syria's PM has reportedly said that President Assad is willing to respond to any initiative to begin peace...

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31 Dec

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued a press release welcoming the National Congress of Argentina’s recent approval of legislation that creates the System for Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment. The Yemen-based branch of al Qaeda has offered a bounty for anyone who kills the U.S. ambassador to Yemen or an American soldier in the impoverished...

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28 Dec

The US and the UN have raised security alerts in the Central African Republic and the US has now decided to close its embassy in response to the security risks posed by the rebels advancing to the capital. A spokesperson for the new Japanese government has refused to confirm that the new PM would uphold the 1993 apology to women used as sex slaves...

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27 Dec

The Commander of Syria's Military Policy has announced his defection from the regime over YouTube. Meanwhile, Special Envoy Brahimi will travel to Russia on Saturday for talks on the situation in Syria, after Syrian representatives had discussions at the Russian Foreign Ministry earlier today. Russia's Upper House has unanimously approved the ban on adoptions to the US, in retaliation for the US Magnitsky Act....

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26 Dec

Israel has approved 1200 additional settlement units around Jerusalem, and with the election looming in less than a month, pressure is reportedly building on PM Netanyahu to drop the two state solution. Turkey is hopeful that progress will be made on its EU membership negotiations during the Ireland's turn at the helm of the Union in the first six months of 2013. The new Egyptian Constitution was...

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25 Dec

Human Rights Watch has accused Palestinian military units in Gaza of violating laws of war by firing rockets into populated areas of Israel. At least five people were killed in two drone strikes in south Yemen in what security and local officials said were attacks on suspected al Qaeda-linked insurgents. An Internet virus attacked computers at industrial sites in southern Iran in an apparent...

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