Archive for November, 2007
November 13th, 2007 at 06:24am
At the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment Special Session, Brazil and Peru proposed that biofuels and organic food products be considered environmental goods subject to tariff cuts or elimination in the Doha Round. The proposed interpretation stems from a desire for developing countries to leverage their competitive edge. Peru claims such classification would help combat poverty and drug trafficking in the Andean region. While many delegations supported the proposal, developed countries remain reserved about including agricultural products in trade-and-environment negotiations.
For the full story click here.
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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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November 6th, 2007 at 10:04pm
The UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries will report to the General Assembly on November 7 that a number of private security firms operating in conflict zones, particularly Afghanistan and Iraq, are engaging in new forms of mercenary activity. The Group’s report characterizes the personnel employed by such companies as a new form of mercenaries, similar to “irregular combatants.”
The report also warns that States employing such private companies could be liable for human rights violations committed by them, especially if governments are directing the companies or have authorized them to exercise elements of governmental authority. The report further discourages States from granting immunity to such companies and their personnel.
The full story on the report is available here.
More on the Working Group can be found here.
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November 6th, 2007 at 09:45pm
Juan Miguel Petit, UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography, called for a full investigation into the alleged attempt by a French NGO to abduct 103 children from Chad and fly them to France. Mr. Petit has urged the Chadian and French authorities to investigate the attempted abduction, insisting that those responsible must be brought to justice and “tried in accordance with international fair trial standards.”
Mr. Petit’s statement comes in the wake of the October 25 arrest of some members of an NGO called “Arche de Zoé/Child Rescue.” The full press release is available here.
Other UN officials have condemned the act as well.
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November 4th, 2007 at 11:52pm
The UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has upheld a 15-year prison sentence for Dragan Zelenović, a former Bosnian Serb soldier. In January 2007, Zelenović pleaded guilty to multiple counts of torture and rape of Bosnian Muslim women and girls during the Balkan wars of the 1990s. On October 31, the ICTY’s Appeals Chamber unanimously dismissed all grounds for appeal filed by Zelenović. He will serve his prison term in one of the States that have made agreements with the ICTY regarding the enforcement of sentences.
The full story can be found here.
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