July 14, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

 The Russian and Chinese United Nations Security Council delegations vetoed a proposed sanctions resolution against Zimbabwe on 11 July 2008. Although the resolution secured the nine votes necessary to pass, the proposal failed because of the Russian and Chinese vetoes. The vetoes have been met with sharp criticism from the United States, which accuses the two countries of “standing with Mugabe against the people of Zimbabwe.” Russia and China deny these accusations, instead stating that the situation in Zimbabwe remains a domestic affair and has not escalated to a point where it requires international intervention.

President Robert Mugabe and his administration expressed thanks to Russia and China for vetoing the resolution, praising them for not “yielding to international pressure and to the machinations of the West led by Britain and the United States.” The proposed resolution would have imposed an arms embargo on the regime, along with a total asset freeze and travel ban on Mugabe and 13 of his top aides.

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July 14, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

 On 14 July 2008 the International Criminal Court (ICC) called for an arrest warrant to be issued for President Omar al-Bashir and other Sudanese officials for crimes against humanity. There have been protests against the ICC in Sudan in the days leading up to 14 July. Thousands of protesters demonstrated close to the Cabinet office where emergency talks were being held on 13 July in anticipation of the issuance of the arrest warrant. Traffic was disrupted as protesters associated with President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s National Congress Party (NCP) and the NCP’s Sudanese Student Union marched through the streets.

In anticipation of the ICC’s issuance of the warrant, the United Nations raised the security level for staff members working in the Darfur region on 12 July and had previously ordered the departure of dependent family members. According to a spokesman, the security level is at phase four, which means that “all internationally recruited staff who are not directly concerned with emergency or humanitarian relief operations or security matters are relocated.”

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July 14, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

 On 14 July 2008 a Molotov cocktail was thrown into the garden of the U.S. Consulate General in Okinawa. The device burned itself out almost immediately after hitting the ground and caused no injuries or damage. Witnesses saw a person on a black motorbike flee the area after the attack.

Meanwhile, on 13 July approximately 13,000 protesters rallied against the stationing of the nuclear-powered USS George Washington aircraft carrier near Tokyo, which is set to occur in the coming months. The demonstration was held at a park close to the port of Yokosuka, located south of Tokyo. The protesters claim that the stationing of the warship is dangerous in light of a May 2008 fire onboard the vessel. Several residents have even filed lawsuits in hopes of keeping the vessel from being stationed in Japan.

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July 14, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

On 14 July 2008 Brazilian oil workers began a five-day strike to protest offshore working conditions. The strike will affect 42 oilfields in the Campos Basin off the coast of Sao Paulo. Reports indicate that production at 33 out of the 42 oilfields has stopped due to the protests, but management of the Petrobras oil company stated that they will nevertheless strive to maintain output. The strikes are expected to put more pressure on the already increasing price of oil.

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