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The International Court of Justice (known colloquially as the World Court or ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Its seat is in the Peace Palace at The Hague, Netherlands. Established in 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations, the Court began work in 1946 as the successor to the Permanent Court of International Justice. The Statute of the International Court of Justice, similar to that of its predecessor, is the main constitutional document constituting and regulating the Court. The ICJ should not be confused with the International Criminal Court or a court exercising jurisdiction under Belgium's War Crimes Law, both of which also potentially have "global" jurisdiction. English and French are its two official languages.

The Court's workload is characterised by a wide range of judicial activity. Its main functions are to settle legal disputes submitted to it by states and to give advisory opinions on legal questions submitted to it by duly authorised international organs and agencies. The number of decisions made by the ICJ has been relatively small, but there has clearly been an increased willingness to use the Court since the 1980s, especially among developing countries, although the USA withdrew from compulsory jurisdiction in 1986, meaning it accepts the court's jurisdiction on only a case-to-case basis.

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Madrid is the capital of Spain, and the largest city in Spain. It is located on the river Manzanares in the center of the country, between the Autonomous Communities of Castilla y Leon and Castilla la Mancha. Madrid is also the capital of the Community of Madrid, an uniprovincial Autonomous Community. Due to its geographical location, wealth and history, Madrid is considered one of the financial centers of the Iberian Peninsula, together with Lisbon, and the political center of Spain.

As the capital of the former Spanish Empire, Madrid is a city of great cultural and political importance. While Madrid possesses a modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighborhoods and streets. Its landmarks include the huge Royal Palace of Madrid; the Buen Retiro park, opened in 1631; an archaeological museum of international reputation; and three superb art museums.

In the news

• The European Space Agency sends the resupply spacecraft Jules Verne to the International Space Station.

• Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica resigns, dissolving a coalition too divided over the loss of Kosovo and corresponding governmental position towards EU to carry on joined governing. (AP) (The Daily Telegraph)

• Dmitry Medvedev is elected to succeed Vladimir Putin as President of Russia.

• The wind storm Emma kills four people in Austria, two people in Germany, and two people in the Czech Republic. (AFP)

• The European Union fines Microsoft €899 million for non-compliance with a 2003 antitrust ruling, the largest penalty the EU has ever imposed on a single company.

• Hungary agrees to join the South Stream gas pipeline project. (Reuters)

• Kosovo's parliament endorses a unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia and adopts a flag (pictured); response from the international community is mixed.

• The British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, announces plans to nationalise the Northern Rock bank following credit problems caused by the subprime mortgage crisis.

• Václav Klaus is re-elected as the President of the Czech Republic.

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Did you know?

• ...that there have been 101 EU presidencies in total?
  
• ...that Greenland is the only territory ever to leave the EU?
  
• ...that the EU's parliamentary election is the biggest transnational election in the world? (Parliament pictured)
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