The International Court of Justice (ICJ) resolved a long-standing dispute between Ukraine and Romania Tuesday by drawing a new maritime border between the countries, giving Romania four-fifths of waters believed to sit atop a sizable crude oil reserve. At issue was whether Ukraine's claim to Serpent Island – a small, X-shaped limestone formation – gave [...]

Australia's Supreme Court of Victoria Tuesday sentenced Algerian cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika , also known as Abu Bakr, to at least 12 years in prison for his role in plotting large-scale terror attacks aimed at sporting venues and railway stations in Australia. Benrika received a prison sentence of 12 to 15 years after being convicted [...]

Six detainees from the Guantanamo Bay military prison, including three Uighurs, are seeking refugee status in Canada with the support of Canadian sponsors. The Uighurs were last year deemed not to be unlawful enemy combatants . Lawyers for the men have said that US authorities have admitted the men were mistakenly picked up, and are [...]

 Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) prosecutor Stephen Rapp  said Monday that a verdict in the war crimes case against former Liberian President Charles Taylor is expected in early 2010. Rapp said that the last of the prosecution's 91 witnesses was called last Friday and that the trial will likely remain in recess until April, when the [...]

The number of political prisoners in Cuba has declined from 234 in January 2008 to 205, while the number of brief detentions has increased, according to the Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN) Monday. The CCDHRN report attributed the decline in the number of political prisoners to the lack of extended prison [...]

The African Union (AU) agreed Monday to seek a postponement of the pending International Criminal Court (ICC) indictment against Sudan President Omar al-Bashir , citing concerns over a possible threat to the peace process in Sudan. Meeting at the 12th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopa, the AU's Peace and Security Council agreed to [...]

Canadian meat producer Maple Leaf Foods announced Monday that it had reached a proposed settlement agreement with class action plaintiffs who brought suit against the company in connection with sales of meat tainted with listeria monocytogenes , which sickened 56 Canadians and caused 20 deaths across the country in 2008. Under the proposed settlement, Maple [...]

Romania v. Ukraine, International Court of Justice, February 3, 2009 . Read the full text of the judgment . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The US Senate on Monday voted 75-21 to confirm Eric Holder to serve as Attorney General. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 17-2 to approve Holder's nomination. Monday's debate over Holder's confirmation was partisan at times with committee chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) denouncing Republican senators such as John Cornyn (R-TX) who have asked [...]

The US State Department  announced Monday that it has instituted sanctions against Chinese, Iranian, and North Korean arms companies for violating US rules against the spread of weapons and missile technology. Under the sanctions, the companies are banned from trading with the US or US companies. The sanctions were imposed under the Arms Export Control [...]