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On Thursday, the Security Council looked at the key role played by women in the UN’s peacekeeping operations. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange could be exposed to “serious human rights violations”, following his arrest in the United Kingdom, according a UN independent human rights expert. Fighting continues to escalate in Tripoli, Libya, and in Idlib, Syria, and 10,000 conflict-affected people were forcibly relocated in Nigeria and are in dire need of humanitarian aid.
Women’s rights, voices and participation must be at “the centre of peacekeeping decision-making”, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday, describing them as “central to sustainable solutions” to challenges facing the Organization worldwide.
Through its landmark resolution 1325 on women and peace and security, the Council reaffirmed the participation and involvement of women, which the UN chief hailed as “a key element in the maintenance of international peace and security”. He also noted the UN’s “essential system-wide effort” to enhance women’s representation at all levels and in all arenas, through his Strategy on Gender Parity.
The whole story here.
UN chief António Guterres said on Thursday that the “democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people” needed to be realized through “an appropriate and inclusive transition process”, following the arrest of President Omar al-Bashir by order of the country’s new military governing council.
In a statement issued in New York by his Spokesperson, the Secretary-General said he would continue to follow development “very closely” and reiterated his call for calm and “utmost restraint by all”.
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Independent UN rights experts on Thursday said the arrest of Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange by police in the United Kingdom, after the Ecuadorian Government decided to stop granting him asylum in their London embassy, exposed him to “the risk of serious human rights violations”, if extradited to the United States.
Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial executions, Agnes Callamard, tweeted that in “expelling Assange from the Embassy” and allowing his arrest, it had taken Mr. Assange “one step closer to extradition”. She added that the UK had now arbitrarily-detained the controversial anti-secrecy journalist and campaigner, “possibly endangering his life”.
More on this here.
Clashes have reportedly further intensified in southern parts of the Libyan capital, with fighting in the past 24 hours the heaviest since hostilities began in and around Tripoli.
According to humanitarian partners in the country, families who have become stranded in conflict areas, not only fear for their safety but are also starting to run out of supplies, said the UN Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, briefing reporters on Thursday. He stressed that “emergency service providers are operating with great personal risk, with three medical staff reportedly killed and four first responders reportedly injured.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has deployed emergency medical teams to help hospitals cope with the casualties, and support surgical staff, in collaboration with the country’s Ministry of Health.
 “WHO plans to deploy additional emergency teams and supplies, to support first-line responders and has activated contingency stocks which were strategically pre-positioned before the fighting began. The agency is also working with partners to support the medical needs of the displaced and migrants,” said Mr. Dujarric.
According to humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, multiple civilian shelters have been set up in various areas of Tripoli, but at least two have already been evacuated, due to intensifying fighting.
The UN continues to call for an immediate humanitarian truce to allow access for emergency services and the voluntary passage of civilians, away from conflict areas.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, has called on the Government of Nigeria to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to 10,000 women, men and children who were forced to relocate to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, from a town 40 kilometers away.
The civilians were ordered to leave their homes in Jakana town, in the middle of Monday night by the Nigerian military, without any prior warning.
According to the military, the civilians have been relocated to the Bakassi camp for internally displaced people for security reasons, ahead of planned operations in the area.
“The entire town of Jakana was emptied, and people were forced to move to Maiduguri with very little time to collect personal belongings,” said Mr, Kallon. Some had arrived without even the shoes on their feet, he added. 
He said the UN was “urging the government to urgently provide safety, shelter, food, water and medical care to the displaced civilians”, in addition to information about when they will be allowed to return home. 
And finally, an update on Syria: amid reports of intensifying clashes, and increased civilian casualties, the UN’s newly appointed humanitarian advisor for the country called for an immediate de-escalation of the ongoing violence on Thursday. 
Najat Rochdi took office as the Senior Humanitarian Advisor to the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, only last month. 
In her first media briefing in Geneva, she said immediate action was required in order to facilitate access for humanitarian aid and offer protection to its civilians.
“The conflict in Syria is now in its ninth year, and massive humanitarian needs persist,” she told journalists, while noting that “active conflict continues in some areas as does the risk of further escalation in Idlib with potentially catastrophic humanitarian consequences.” 
Ms. Rochdi stressed that the UN needs around $27 million to sustain the humanitarian response “for the next several months.”
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CMHC to release update on Canada’s largest rental markets  Yahoo Finance
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By Marc H Simon and Rom Bar-Nissim, Fox Rothschild2020-06-02T09:05:00+01:00
The coronavirus pandemic has put the spotlight on the legal concept of force majeure, clauses in agreements that govern what happens when an event occurs beyond the control of the parties and, according to one side, makes it impossible to perform a contract. Guest columnists Marc H. Simon and Rom Bar-Nissim of American law firm Fox Rothschild LLP take a look at some implications for the entertainment industry.

Source: Fox Rothschild
Rom Bar-Nissim, Marc H Simon
The Covid-19 crisis has resulted in the issuance of force majeure notices across the entertainment and media industry. In one notable example, Warner Bros sent notices to many of its television writers suspending their agreements, but some writers objected, arguing that the pandemic does not prevent their ability to write.
Why is this legal concept, which is ubiquitous in industry contracts, causing disputes over its application in these trying times? This article provides basic legal and practical guidance to navigate issues relating to force majeure clauses during this unprecedented pandemic.
As a legal concept, force majeure, which means “superior force” in Latin, was first introduced in French jurisprudence and means something occurred outside the control of the contracting parties that seriously impacted the performance of the contract.
Generally, there are two types of force majeure events: (1) acts of god (e.g. earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes); and (2) man-made acts (e.g. war, riots, union stoppage).
Covid-19 certainly appears to represent a quintessential force majeure event. But the analysis is not so simple. Force majeure is a legal defense that may excuse performance of a contract. Whether the defense applies involves examining (1) the law governing the contract; and (2) how the purported force majeure event affects the purpose and terms of the agreement.
Determining the law governing the contract is critical to the force majeure analysis because states interpret the doctrine differently. New York takes a narrow approach, applying it only when the force majeure event destroys the entire subject matter of the agreement or makes performance of a condition objectively impossible. California takes a broader approach and examines whether, despite the parties’ good faith efforts, continued performance in light of the force majeure event would be unreasonably expensive.
Applying law to facts helps to illustrate. Let us begin by examining Warner Bros exercising its force majeure provisions to suspend its writers’ agreements due to the studio’s inability to produce television shows during the lockdown. New York courts could take a dim view of Warner Bros’ attempt to invoke force majeure because the pandemic is not rendering the agreed upon writing services impossible. California courts may take the view that, notwithstanding the ability to create virtual writing rooms, continuing writing services could be prohibitively expensive because there are no shows to produce, and no actor performances to affect story arcs (i.e. that writers’ services are speculative and prohibitively expensive in the absence of production). Of course, shows like Saturday Night Live, The Daily “Social Distancing” Show, and other late night shows demonstrate that writers can render services under Covid-19, but it is not one size fits all.
Production considerations also illustrate the complexities. Suppose a sitcom set and shot in New York City is scheduled to film in the summer of 2020. New York’s stay at home order is likely to prevent filming during this period. However, other jurisdictions, like Georgia, may allow filming. If the show primarily films on sets and in interiors, under New York law the ability to shift filming to Georgia could preclude the application of the force majeure doctrine. However, under California law, the cost and expense of moving the production to Georgia might warrant applying the force majeure doctrine. If the show requires extensive exterior filming in New York City, Covid-19 might constitute a force majeure under New York law because a prohibition on exterior filming serves to destroy the subject matter of the production agreements.
The force majeure analysis also requires determining whether one aspect of the agreement is affected by the force majeure event, while another is not. For example, let’s take a two year model endorsement contract with services and usage provisions through July 31, 2020. Neither a New York nor California court will likely agree that a suspension of the services provision (which may be appropriate in light of Covid-19), should result in suspending the usage provision, if the brand was not prevented from utilising previously photographed material through July 31, 2020.
When a force majeure event applies, the right of suspension should be used in good faith to bridge the force majeure event – particularly before the right of termination is invoked. The parties should consider, “Does the force majeure event truly affect performance of the agreement?”, “Do easing restrictions allow performance of the agreement in alternative ways, even at added cost?”, and “Does the force majeure event prevent performance of all or part of the agreement?”. Answers to these questions are critical to avoiding litigation.
Force majeure provisions are intended to address the unexpected. But contracting parties must realise that courts will not treat Covid-19 as a rubber stamp to invalidate contracts. Rather, parties should closely examine whether the force majeure event applies to the agreement under existing law and, if it does, explore all options to achieve the objectives of the contract before seeking to terminate.
Marc H Simon is Chair of Fox Rothschild’s Entertainment Law Department. Rom Bar-Nissim is a media and entertainment litigator at Fox Rothschild.
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Studios collaborated on 2023 smash ‘Barbie’, Warner Bros biggest ever hit.
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EXCLUSIVE: Frederic Farrucci’s second feature stars Alexis Manenti.
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Hreshko’s documentary Divia, which world premieres at Karlovy Vary, has been a labour of love during extraordinarily difficult times.
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