World Watch: Court-ing Kenyatta

* Kenya: African leaders called on the International Criminal Court to transfer charges of human rights abuses against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to that country’s legal system.

* Australia: Cardinal George Pell, Australia’s top Catholic Church official, publicly apologized for the cover up decades of sexual abuse by priests against children.

* Syria: European Union nations are reportedly undecided over whether or not to sell weapons to Syrian rebels.

* Iraq: At least fifty people were killed when a series of bombs exploded in several areas of the capital city of Baghdad.

Video Source– YouTube via Al Jazeera English 

Online Sources – ABC News; BBC News; The Guardian; Al Jazeera English

World Watch: Lubanga Behind Bars

* Congo: The International Criminal Court sentenced Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga to fourteen years in prison for recruiting child soldiers in his rebel army a decade ago.

* U.S.: A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that President Barack Obama has a six-point lead over likely Republican candidate Mitt Romney while both candidates are tied according to a separate Washington Post-ABC News poll.

* Syria: United Nations special envoy Kofi Annan is seeking global consensus on a peace plan aimed at ending widespread violence in Syria.

* Spain: The European Union backed a “soft bailout” of Spain that could include pushing for pension reform, cuts in public spending and a sales tax increase.

Video Source– YouTube via International Criminal Court

Online Sources – The Guardian, Voice of America, ABC News, Reuters, Christian Science Monitor

World Watch: Fickle Finger-pointing

* Cambodia: Nuon Chea, a deputy to the late despot Pol Pot, alleged that the Vietnamese and not the brutal Khmer Rouge regime committed “crimes against humanity” in Cambodia.

* Space: Researchers at NASA discovered Kepler-22b, a planet 600 light years away and a “possible Earth twin” that could support life.

* Ivory Coast: At his first appearance in front of the International Criminal Court, ex-President Laurent Gbagbo claimed that he would “challenge” the evidence against him.

* World: According to a new study published in the journal “Nature Climate Change” global carbon dioxide emissions spiked in 2010 and reached a record 9.1 billion tons.

Image Source – Flickr via Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. (“Nuon Chea during a Trial Chamber hearing on 31 Jan 2011.”) (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources – BBC News, National Geographic, CBC News, UPI

World Watch: The Long Arm of the Law

* Ivory Coast: Ex-president Laurent Gbagbo was arrested and flown to the Netherlands where he awaits trial in front of the International Criminal Court.

* Britain: Hundreds of thousands of public employees took to the streets to protest against government-backed austerity measures.

* Pakistan: The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff “publicly and categorically” rejected accusations that NATO purposely killed 24 Pakistani soldiers over the weekend.

* Palestine: Iceland became the first western European country to recognize Palestine as an independent state.

Image Source – Flickr via Alkan de Beaumont Chaglar (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources- Reuters, USA TODAY, MSNBC, Herald Sun

Daily Headlines: November 25, 2011

* Peru: Activity in the Cajamarca region is slowly returning to normal after thousands of demonstrators marched in protest against the proposed Conga gold mine.

* Mexico: A group of Mexican human rights lawyers have filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court against several senior officials including President Felipe Calderon.

* Uruguay: World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan blasted tobacco firms that "harass" countries that have strong anti-smoking laws like Uruguay.

* Venezuela: China and Venezuela signed a series of pacts this week in areas such as energy, telecommunications and agriculture.

Image Source – Flickr user Participatory Learning (The Yanacocha gold mine seen here is owned by the same firm that is behind the proposed Conga mine in Peru’s Cajamarca region). (CC BY 2.0).

Online Sources- Fox News, BBC News, MSNBC, BusinessWeek

World Watch: Smoke screen

* World: A recently released study found that tobacco companies knew for decades that cigarette smoke contains radioactive and possible carcinogenic particles.

* Saudi Arabia: King Abdullah reportedly overturned a sentence against a woman who was convicted of breaking the country’s law banning female drivers.

* U.S.: According to new government data unemployment claims hit its lowest point in five months and second quarter growth was larger than initially anticipated.

* Kenya: Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta rejected charges of crimes against humanity at a preliminary hearing at the International Criminal Court.

Image – Flickr via user eschipul (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources- USA TODAY, CBS News, CBC News, BBC News

World Watch: It's element-ary

* World: Sorry for the corny post title, but it’s worth noting that two new elements discovered by scientists in Russia and the U.S. will be added to the periodic table.

* Libya: International Criminal Court lead prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said that Libyan security forces may have raped hundreds of women and that they were sanctioned by Muammar Gadhafi.

* Syria: The International Atomic Energy Agency will report Syria to the U.N. Security Council as a result previously running a secret nuclear reactor.

* Europe: The Spanish government is seeking compensation from Germany after vegetables from the Iberian country were initially suspected as causing a deadly E. coli outbreak.

Video Source – YouTube
Online Sources- Huffington Post, BBC News, The Guardian, Voice of America

World Watch: Scary science

* World: According to the World Health Organization tobacco use will kill six million people worldwide this year while cell phone use may be carcinogenic.

* Europe: Former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic was extradited to The Hague where he will face charges of genocide at a U.N. war crimes tribunal.

* Afghanistan: President Hamid Karzai issued a stern warning against NATO airstrikes that kill afghan civilians.

* U.S.: The Pentagon has reportedly considered that certain cyber attacks may be interpreted as “acts of war.”

Image – Franck Perevel/AP via The Guardian
Online Sources- MSNBC, AFP, Reuters, Voice of America

World Watch: Strings attached

* U.S.: Could the arrest of International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn serve as a prime opportunity for “increasingly rich developing countries” to seek greater power in the organization?

* Israel: Israeli officials are preparing for possible civilian uprisings similar to those that took place in nearby countries like Bahrain and Egypt.

* Libya: International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he was seeking arrest warrants against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and two others.

* Vatican: Catholic Church officials urged bishops to cooperate with police and report possible cases of child and sexual abuse.

Image – Reuters via The Guardian (“Dominique Strauss-Kahn sits behind court officers at Manhattan criminal court, New York.” The IMF head was arrested on Sunday night and was accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid.)
Online Sources- MSNBC, The Guardian, The Telegraph, AP

World Watch: Gbagbo give up?

* Ivory Coast: France and the U.N. have set out a conditions for embattled leader Laurent Gbagbo to hand over the presidency though that may not save him from possible prosecution by the International Criminal Court.

* Japan: India suspended food imports from Japan due to concerns over radiation while the U.S. and the E.U. are considering similar restrictions.

* Libya: Rebel commander Gen. Abdul Fattah Younis blasted NATO efforts as “not doing anything” to help civilians under attack by forces loyal to President Muammar Gaddafi.

* Italy: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is not expected to appear in court on Wednesday when trial proceedings being in the “bunga bunga” sex scandal.

Image – Rebecca Blackwell/AP via CSMonitor.com (“New Forces soldiers loyal to Alassane Ouattara drive at a checkpoint at one of the principal entrances to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Tuesday.”)
Online Sources- Xinhua, BBC News, Times of India, Reuters

World Watch: Long arm of the law

* Libya: While unrest continues in Libya International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said that he will investigate possible crimes against humanity perpetrated by the government.

* Japan: Designer John Galliano’s career may be over due to anti-Semitic remarks but it remains to be seen what repercussions await a Japanese boy band that appeared on TV wearing Nazi-like uniforms.

* Yemen: President Ali Abdullah Saleh is reportedly negotiating stepping down later this year amid pressure from the opposition and swelling protests against him.

* U.S.: According to researchers regular use of the painkiller ibuprofen could reduce the risk of getting Parkinson’s by over one-third.

Image – “Sean Smith for the Guardian” via The Guardian (“An injured Libyan rebel is treated at a clinic in Bregga, after pro-Gaddafi fighters attacked the town on Wednesday.”)
Online Sources- The Guardian, MSNBC, BBC News, Voice of America, CBC News

World Watch: Plugging Wikileaks?

* Switzerland: While Wikileaks continues to release documents a Swiss bank froze the assets of an account used by the website’s founder, Julian Assange.

* North Korea: International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo could charge North Korea with war crimes over a deadly military attack last month on a South Korean island.

* Ivory Coast: The E.U. could raise sanctions against the Ivory Coast due to the country’s heavily disputed presidential election.

* Iran: Representatives of Iran and “six world powers” met on Monday to discuss concerns about the controversial Iranian nuclear program.

Image – CTV (“Cable released by WikiLeaks reveals Canadian sites 'vital' to U.S.”)
Online Sources- MSNBC, CNN, BBC News, The Guardian

ICC investigates Honduras

While a Honduran truth commission writes up their report on alleged human rights abuses, other investigations are in the works.

International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno Ocampo told the press that "preliminary examinations" into Honduras and Nigeria are underway. He said that the ICC has received “many communications” about possible crimes in those two countries and that the tribunal was examining if they have sufficient jurisdiction to look into the allegations.

Moreno Ocampo refrained from providing to many details of the ICC’s work though he admitted that one of the court’s investigations pertains to the aftermath of the June 2009 coup/ouster of then-Honduran President Manuel Zelaya.

The probe could lead to indictments for crimes against humanity or war crimes. Honduras isn’t the only Latin American nation under the ICC’s scrutiny:

Honduras and Nigeria join a list of other countries where it is conducting preliminary examinations to determine whether it has the jurisdiction to open formal investigations. The list also includes Afghanistan, Colombia, Georgia, Guinea, Ivory Coast and the Palestinian territories.

In remarks made to Honduras’ Radio Globo, Zelaya claimed that government plans to bring him back from exile in the Dominican Republic are in reality a “smokescreen”. He accused the government of trying to “distract” attention from civil unrest over land distribution in the Bajo Aguan region.

Image- csmonitor.com (“Supporters of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya protest in front of the National Congress in Tegucigalpa” in July 2009.)
Online Sources- ElHeraldo.hn, LAHT, BusinessWeek, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, MSNBC

World Watch: Recognition

* China: Human rights activists worldwide celebrated the awarding of this year's Nobel Peace Prize to Chinese political dissident Liu Xiaobo.

* Hungary: At least seven people are dead after 184 million gallons of toxic sludge swept through several villages and reached the Danube River.

* Middle East: The Arab League gave its conditional support of stalled peace negotiations between leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

* Congo: The International Criminal Court will resume its trial against a Congolese militia leader accused of recruiting child soldiers.

Online Sources - The Guardian, MSNBC, BBC News, CNN
Image - BBC News (Protesters have called on the Chinese government to release imprisoned dissident and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Liu Xiaobo).

World Watch: Playing with fire

* Africa: Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir could be arrested over charges of genocide and crimes against humanity during to his visit to International Criminal Court member state Chad.

* U.S.: The White House apologized for hastily dismissing an Agriculture Department employee over her racial remarks that were lifted out of context by a political website.

* Romania: The body of former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was exhumed today and will be examined by doctors to ensure that the corpse is really his.

* China: Over 700 people are dead and hundreds are still missing as a result of massive flooding throughout China.

Image – The Guardian
Online Sources- Al Jazeera English, Houston Chronicle, CBC, CNN

Colombian gov’t under eye of ICC

This week’s visit of the chief prosecutor from the International Criminal Court (ICC) has placed additional attention on Colombia’s government.

Luis Moreno Ocampo’s three-day trip to Colombia concluded yesterday as he examined the alleged government links to paramilitary groups. After meeting with government officials and the victims of paramilitary violence, Moreno Ocampo vowed that he will “go after the people who may be considered among those most responsible.”

The ICC could subsequently open a formal investigation not only centering on Colombia’s “para-politics” scandal but also regarding ties between politicos and the FARC guerillas.

Despite having a 90% approval rating among his countrymen, Moreno Ocampo’s visit comes at a particularly sensible time for Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. In what has been a troubling trend for relatives of senior government officials, the brother of the country’s justice minister was accused of doing illicit favors for drug smugglers. Uribe, meanwhile, continued to reject allegations over a supposed 2006 vote-buying scheme in Congress that would lead to his reelection.

According to Colombia’s Cambio newsmagazine, the political climate is stormy as a result of the attacks between Uribe and who he perceives are his foes:

The (political) environment is hot…accusations and allegations come and go. There’s a feeling of an institutional crisis and the president, symbol of national unity…has acted as an agitator. Although he has enjoyed high levels of popularity, it does not justify that he risks the state of law by delegitimizing the Supreme Court and the opposition.

More so, it could be costly to his public image that he looks for fights with whoever gets in his way especially when the public wonders why the lawyers of paramilitaries were received by Cabinet officials. - [ed. personal translation]

Image- Al Jazeera English (“Santos, the Colombian vice-president, left, accompanies Moreno-Ocampo [AFP]”).

Sources (English)- Colombia Reports, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Inside Costa Rica, Al Jazeera English, The latin Americanist, Reuters

Sources (Spanish)- Cambio