Gabriel Helou

“A federal appeals court on Tuesday invalidated a U.S. law that was designed to allow American citizens born in Jerusalem to choose to have Israel listed as their birthplace on passports contrary to long-standing U.S. foreign policy. A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the president - and not lawmakers - had sole authority to say who controls the historic holy city claimed by Israelis and Palestinians. In the U.S. government, the president "exclusively holds the power to determine whether to recognize a foreign sovereign," wrote Judge Karen Henderson for the panel. Since the founding of Israel in 1948, U.S. presidents have declined to state a position on the status of Jerusalem, leaving it as one of the thorniest issues to be resolved in possible future peace talks .”

“ Belgium swore in Philippe as its new king on Sunday after the abdication of his 79-year-old father Albert. Philippe, 53, became the seventh king of the 183-year-old country which is split between a Dutch-speaking north, where some want to break free from Belgium, and a more pro-royal and pro-Belgian French-speaking south. Philippe took his oath in Belgium's three official languages - Dutch, French and German - in parliament after Albert signed a legislative act to step down, becoming the second Belgian monarch to do so . ”

“ On Sunday King Albert of the Belgians will abdicate in favour of his son, Crown Prince Filip, who will become the seventh King of the Belgians. It's a day on which history is being made. flandersnews will be reporting on all the key events and you will also be able to watch uninterrupted coverage of the events as they unfold in Brussels on this rather special National Holiday. King Albert has chosen to abdicate on 21 July, the National Holiday. Events kick off with a Roman Catholic Te Deum mass in Brussels Cathedral at 9am. At 10:30am all eyes will be on the royal palace of Brussels where King Albert will sign the abdication act. Barely an hour and a half later at noon our new monarch King Filip will swear his oath of allegiance to the Belgian Constitution and become King of the Belgians. At 1pm the new king and queen are expected on the balcony of the royal palace of Brussels. King Filip will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Brussels at 2:10pm. At 4:05 Ki...

“ A day before he steps down as the King of the Belgians, King Albert II has made his final televised address. The King praised politicians' will to compromise and called on Belgians to stay united. The King also called for further measures towards greater European integration .”

Instead of sanctioning Israel for persistently violating international law, namely UN Charter, US wants to help it obtain a seat on the Security Council.

Bon 14 juillet, la France ! Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité ... n’existent nulle part dans ce monde fou et déséquilibré ! 

“ The Appeals Chamber, composed of Judges Theodor Meron, presiding, Patrick Robinson, Liu Daqun, Khalida Rachid Khan, and Bakhtiyar Tuzmukhamedov, today unanimously reversed Radovan Karadžić’s acquittal for genocide in the municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was entered at the close of the Prosecution case. The Appeals Chamber remanded the matter to the Trial Chamber for further action consistent with the Appeal Judgement . ”

The Hague: ICTY Judges reinstate genocide count to former Bosnian Serb leader   Radovan Karadžic’s indictment. ICTY judgment summary (PDF).

Nine years ago, day to day, International Court of Justice rendered an Advisory Opinion on the illegality of the Israeli-built Separation Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Egyptian interim President Adly Mansour issued a Constitutional Declaration   (Arabic   text ). الرئيس المصري الانتقالي أصدر اعلان دستوري ( النص ).

“ L'armée égyptienne a renversé mercredi soir le président islamiste Mohamed Morsi. La Constitution est en outre suspendue, a annoncé le chef de l'armée, le général Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, dans une allocution télévisée. Un comité chargé d'examiner les propositions d'amendements constitutionnels sera formé", a poursuivi le général Sissi. De même, un gouvernement regroupant "toutes les forces nationales" et "doté des pleins pouvoirs" sera chargé de "gérer la période actuelle ". ”

“Egypt’s military on Wednesday ousted Mohamed Morsi, the nation’s first freely elected president, suspending the Constitution, installing an interim government and insisting it was responding to the millions of Egyptians who had opposed the Islamist agenda of Mr. Morsi and his allies in the Muslim Brotherhood . ”

“Egypt's military ousts Morsi, takes control of Cairo:   The head of Egypt's armed forces issued a declaration on Wednesday suspending the constitution and appointing the head of the constitutional court as interim head of state.   In a televised broadcast, flanked by military leaders, religious authorities and political figures, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi effectively declared the removal of elected Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.   Sisi called for presidential and parliamentary elections, a panel to review the constitution and a national reconciliation committee that would include youth movements. He said the roadmap had been agreed by a range of political groups .”  

“ Le roi Albert II va s'adresser "à la population" mercredi à 18H00 sur les principales chaînes de télévision et de radio, a annoncé le palais dans un communiqué, alors que des rumeurs persistantes font état depuis plusieurs mois d'une possible abdication . ”

“King Albert II of the Belgians will address the nation at 6 p.m. His address will be broadcast live by Belgium's 4 big TV and radio channels. This was announced after a meeting of key ministers with King Albert. According to reliable sources, the king is to announce that he is to abdicate from the throne. It has not been officially announced what the king's speech will be about. However, the general expectation is that King Albert will provide more details about the succession to the throne. 79-year-old Albert said on different occasions that he is tired. At the same time, his son Filip suggested that he is ready to take over. Next month, Albert will have been on the throne for 20 years .”

"In TV statement, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi calls mass protests against Egypt's president 'unprecedented,' says military ready to offer own 'road map for the future'; Morsi meets with Sisi and PM. Egypt's powerful armed forces issued a virtual ultimatum to Islamist President Mohammed Morsi on Monday, calling on the nation's feuding politicians to agree on an inclusive roadmap for the country's future within 48  hours ."

Lithuania takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Croatia has become the 28th Member State of the European Union.