International Legal News - 20 October 2025
- Ned Vucijak
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
The following media round up on international and foreign policy issues from around the world for the period of 20 October to 25 October 2025. Guernica 37 will provide weekly media updates from the International Criminal Court, European Court of Human Rights, United Nations, European Union and other sources. Should you wish to contribute or submit a media summary, opinion piece or blog, please send to Ned Vucijak at nenadv@guernica37.com for consideration.
24 October 2025
Huawei threatens Poland following cybersecurity law
The Chinese telecommunications entity Huawei has been reported to have threated investor-state proceedings under the Energy Charter Treaty against Poland.
The reports follow a new domestic Polish law, which makes possible the restrictions of “high-risk” telecoms suppliers under grounds of national security.
For more on this story, see here.
23 October 2025
NGO criticises EU partnership deal with Uzbekistan
It has been reported that the EU signed an enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement with Uzbekistan, with the latter’s president, visiting Brussels for high-level talks.
This agreement requires respect for democratic principles, human rights, and fundamental freedoms as an essential element of the agreement.
Concerns have been raised about Uzbekistan’s human rights record, which has been reported by the NGO Human Rights Watch to have worsened in the six years since negotiations began.
For more on this story, see here.
22 October 2025
International Court of Justice issues new Advisory Opinion on Israel’s obligations to allow UN aid
The International Court of Justice (“ICJ”) has found that the State of Israel has a legal obligation to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Further, Israel has not substantiated its claims that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (“Unrwa”) lacked neutrality or that a significant portion of its members of staff were members of Hamas or other armed groups.
The Opinion was read out by the ICJ’s President, Yuji Iwasawa at the Hague on Wednesday.
It has been reported by the BBC that Israel has rejected the opinion as “political” and insisted that it would not cooperate with Unrwa.
For more on this story, see here.
For the Advisory Opinion, see here.
For a summary of the Advisory Opinion, see here.
21 October 2025
Blog Corner: “The Resurgence of Large-scale Deprivation of Nationality: The Case of Kuwait”
An article on Opinio Juris, by Eric Fripp, Barrister at the 36 Group, will be of interest to both immigration and international legal practioners as well as academics with a focus on statelessness.
It explores the resurgence of deprivation of nationality and statelessness, through the lens of Kuwait, with reference to the position at international law.
In particular, is the example of the biddon or bidoon jinsyya (i.e., without nationality), a stateless Arab minority in Kuwait who were not included as citizens when independence was established.
To read this article, see here.
20 October 2025
Australia and US sign rare earth minerals agreement
It has been reported that negotiations between Australia and the United States over the last four to five months have culminated in a deal on rare earth metals.
The deal is cited as a response following a move by China to tighten global control over supply.
Both countries have agreed to invest $1bn over the next six months into mining and processing projects, as well as a minimum price floor for critical minerals.
For more on this story, see here.