Posts filed under 'Americas'
April 7th, 2008 at 11:07pm
On March 31, Ecuador filed an application against Colombia in the UN’s International Court of Justice in The Hague regarding the aerial spraying of toxic herbicides by Colombia along the border the two countries share.
Ecuador asserts that the spraying by Colombia has “caused serious damage to people, to crops, to animals, and to the natural environment on the Ecuadorian side of the frontier, and poses a grave risk of further damage over time.”
The application comes after Ecuador’s claim that efforts at negotiation with Colombia were unsuccessful. Ecuador asks the ICJ to declare that Colombia is in violation of international law, that it take steps to prevent the depositing of toxic herbicides on Ecuador’s territory, and that it indemnify Ecuador for any damages. Ecuador believes that the 1948 Pact of Bogotá the 1988 UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances should apply to the case. Colombia has not yet formally responded to the application.
See here for more information.
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March 8th, 2008 at 01:46am
Members of the International Chamber of Commerce’s Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) Committee have asked US Trade Representative Susan Schwab to speed the development of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). CEOs of member companies gathered on March 3 to unveil recommendations for the ACTA and a set of in-country strategies aimed at fighting counterfeiting in Russia, China, the United States, the UK, Canada and Germany. BASCAP also announced a consumer education campaign which will inform the public of the damage caused by trade in counterfeit goods. The group also agreed to work with the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The ACTA is currently being developed by the US, Canada, the EU, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand and Switzerland. ICC Secretary General Guy Sebban hopes that ACTA will become the new “gold standard” in IP enforcement. The meeting of BASCAP included top executives from GE, Microsoft, Pfizer, Unilever and other corporations. The ICC announcement is available here.
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March 6th, 2008 at 04:25am
The OECD report, “Going for Growth 2008″, is an annual study that measures the extent to which the world’s developed countries follow the OECD’s recommended strategies for promoting growth. The study confirms the generally held notion that Americans work longer hours than Europeans. This disparity, however, is almost entirely attributable to differences in women’s habits, with men tending to work similar hours on both sides of the Atlantic but European women working fewer hours than their American counterparts. In attempting to explain this finding, the report points to differences in the regulatory environment, specifically emphasizing the role of Europe’s higher marginal tax rates.
For the whole story, click here.
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January 17th, 2008 at 11:38am
On January 16, Peru asked the UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) to adjudicate its ongoing maritime dispute with Chile. Peru claims that the zones in dispute have never been delimited by a treaty or other type of agreement, and thus should be determined by the ICJ in accordance with customary international law.
Two principal areas are disputed. The first is the maritime boundary between the two countries in the Pacific Ocean. The second is a zone within 200 miles of the Peruvian coast, over which Peru claims sovereign rights but which Chile considers part of the high seas.
More on the story is available here.
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December 17th, 2007 at 11:41am
On December 13 the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that three islands in the Caribbean Sea disputed between Colombia and Nicaragua in fact belong to Colombia. Nicaragua had brought action at the ICJ, arguing that it should be granted sovereignty over the islands of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina. Colombia raised preliminary objections that a 1928 treaty and the 1948 Pact of Bogotá settled the issue, and thus the ICJ does not have jurisdiction over the dispute. A 13-4 majority found that the 1928 treaty indeed settled the matter, noting that Nicaragua had not contested the treaty for over 50 years after its signing.
The judges also ruled unanimously that the treaty does not, however, cover the three other disputed cays of Roncador, Quitasueño, and Serrana, nor does it cover the delimitation of the maritime border between the two countries. The ICJ thus has the authority to adjudicate on those matters.
More on the story is available here.
The Court’s press release and judicial opinion can be downloaded here.
The International Criminal Court (also known as the World Court) hears disputes between States and its decisions are binding.
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November 12th, 2007 at 06:41am
Basing its decision on the domestic law of Belize as well as international law in Cal v. Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Belize has held that the national government must recognize and respect the land ownership claims of indigenous Mayan peoples and therefore refrain from any act that might affect the value, use, or enjoyment of this property.
The full text of the decision is available here.
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November 12th, 2007 at 06:29am
In an October 8, 2007, judgment, the International Court of Justice unanimously ruled that Honduras rather than Nicaragua has sovereignty over four disputed islands in the Caribbean Sea. In addition, the Court fixed the maritime boundary line between the two countries in the Caribbean Sea. First brought in December 1999 by Nicaragua, the case followed decades of diplomatic wrangling and occasional maritime incidents, straining the relations between these Central American neighbors.
For the full story, click here
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May 1st, 2007 at 09:40am
Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela, announced yesterday that the nation is withdrawing from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Venezuela recently paid off its debt to the World Bank, five years ahead of schedule. Its IMF debt has been paid off since 1999, and that institution has already closed its offices in the country. The withdrawals are considered a symbolic measure on the part of Chavez, who has been vocal in his opposition to Latin American reliance on Washington.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/04/30/chavez.venezuela.money.ap/
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April 30th, 2007 at 03:41pm
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in the case of Medellin v. Texas. Jose Medellin, along with other Mexican nationals, is currently awaiting capital punishment in the state of Texas. The International Court of Justice has ruled that the convictions violate the Vienna Convention, on the grounds that the prisoners had been denied their rights to have consular assistance. The Texas Attorney General has argued that the the prisoners had waived their rights. President Bush, who joined in the call for the Supreme Court to hear the case, had stated that the United States would abide by the ICJ’s decision. However, the State of Texas has argued that neither Bush nor the ICJ may trump the state’s rules of criminal procedure.
The International Herald Tribune covers the story.
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April 27th, 2007 at 11:13am
The Mercosur Parliament, which was created in December 2006, will hold its inaugural session in Montevideo, Uruguay, beginning May 7. Paraguayan senator Alfonso Gonzalez Acuña will preside over 18 representatives from the five Mercosur member nations—Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Venezuela. The Parliament will have an operational monthly budget of US $30,000 for its first year.
For more information, see here.
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