Jamie McCourt – Picture credit by  Jamie Enterprises LP. Thursday, 22 June 2017, Washington D.C., USA: US President Donald Trump has nominated Maryland-born businesswoman and investor Ms  Jamie McCourt (née Luskin) for the position of US American Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium. Ms McCourt must still received the Senate’s approval as well as security clearance before the State Department demands Belgium for an agrément on her appointment.  She is the founder and CEO of Jamie Enterprises, an investment firm focusing in high-value real estate, biotechnologies and tech start ups. Investments include ZipCar, Kite Pharma and Heal amongst others. As a philanthropist her core issues have been promoting business education, contemporary art as well as Jewish charities worldwide.  —- For further information: http://www.jamieenterprises.net/bio.html http://hauteliving.com/2016/05/jamie-mccourt-talks-new-beginnings-and-self-sufficiency/611557/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_McCourt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Ambassador_to_Belgium    

After three days of discussions and exchanges the ICTY today concluded its final Legacy Conference, which took place from 22 to 24 June 2017 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The Tribunal’s Principals, President Carmel Agius, Prosecutor Serge Brammertz and Registrar John Hocking, delivered welcoming remarks, after which His Excellency Dragan Èoviæ, Member of the BiH Presidency, spoke on behalf of the Presidency and the host country. In his opening speech, President Agius emphasised that the aim of the Conference was “to ‘pass on the baton’ to stakeholders in the region, because it is [they] who will, in many ways, be responsible for carrying the Tribunal’s legacy on beyond 2017.” Prosecutor Brammertz highlighted the crucial role played by national jurisdictions in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, stressing that: “Ensuring that national courts have the capacity to prosecute international crimes is therefore of paramount importance.” Registrar John Hocking stated that: “In our courtrooms, the shields that protected Heads of State, Ministers, or Generals were pierced by the humble truth of their often powerless victims”, and explained how the Tribunal’s legacy will live on through efforts inside and outside courtrooms in the region and across the world. During the Conference, regional and international participants discussed key areas of the Tribunal’s legacy, engaging in an active dialogue. In addition to eight main panel sessions, the Conference hosted ten side events, including book launches, a documentary premiere, the opening of an exhibition, and discussions of various regional transitional justice initiatives.

The situation in Qatar right after the blockage is developing rapidly and new avenues on everyday issues are hurting the economy of the entire region including Saudi Arabia, the biggest supplier of goods and services to Qatar. Case in point, on the very first morning after the restricted measure, milk was nowhere to be found in Doha. Generally, about 80% of dairy products come from Saudi Arabia; same day Qataris imported fresh milk and 4,000 cows arriving by air freight from Turkey and the Netherlands to fill it up the demand. Another 32, 000 cows came by sea in an unprecedented cow operation that greatly benefited the Dutch, and Australian producers among a couple of others suppliers in an effort from Qatar Government to ensure normal life in the country. To prevent an escalade of incertitude in the general population, imported milk from Turkey is subsidised and cost now ¼ of the price. Some banks are retaining funds to owners going to withdraw large quantities to change it in US dollars. Travelling to Egypt usually a 3hours 45 minutes direct flight is becoming a long journey of 21 hours or more while people forced to travel via Turkey, Lebanon, Kuwait or Jordan. Diplomats had 48 hours to leave from Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain, also Qataris nationals from every field, notably many working in the oil and gas industry, business, students named. In no time families have been separated from each other, mix marriages, and visiting relatives are now in third countries waiting for news while the crisis is giving the blockage to a major human rights connotation. The situation remains quite dangerous despite the efforts from Turkey and Kuwait to mediate a diplomatic solution helping to reduce tension in the Gulf. In the meantime, neighbours are translating the etiquettes from turkey for others to know what they are buying on the market.

OPCW Director-General Urges Continued Support for Norm against Chemical Weapons during Visit to United States​ The Hague, the Netherlands — 21 June 2017 — The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), H.E. Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, delivered a keynote address at an event hosted by the US Department of State marking the 20th anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and met with senior officials during his visit to the United States from 19 to 20 June. The Director-General met US National Security Advisor, Mr Herbert Raymond McMaster; US Deputy Secretary of State, Mr John Sullivan; and US Acting Assistant Secretary of State, Ms Anita E. Friedt. During these meetings, the Director-General shared information about the Organisation’s priority activities, including the investigation into the 4 April 2017 chemical weapons incident in Syria, and efforts to clarify elements of Syria’s chemical weapons declaration. They also discussed OPCW’s global role in preventing the use of chemical weapons by non-State actors. US officials reaffirmed their country’s resolute support of the goals of the CWC and the work of the OPCW. The day-long forum on 20 June focused on the Chemical Weapons Convention 1997-2017: Progress, Challenges, and Reinforcing the Global Norm against Chemical Weapons. The Director-General took stock of achievements and lessons learned from the last 20 years of OPCW’s work, and highlighted challenges still facing the CWC. While referring to investigations of alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria by the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission and the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism, Ambassador Üzümcü concluded: “This is work of historic importance in our collective quest to uphold fundamental norms and values as an enlightened and humane civilisation and to bring to book those who choose to violate them. I am confident that the United States will continue with its tradition of strong support for the Organisation.” Mr Herbert Raymond McMaster provided a keynote address and the forum featured discussions about strategies to meet on-going and future challenges by a number of senior officials and experts including Ms Izumi Nakamitsu, the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.