The Netherlands: the world's global legal battlefield

An Amsterdam court in February quashed an appeal by Russia in a record $50-billion case involving a compensation claim by former shareholders of the dismantled oil giant Yukos.

The Peace Palace building of the International Court of Justice in the Hague with close up to Pax the Roman goddess of peace. The building of the Peace Palace houses the International Court of Justice, which is the principal judicial body of the United Nations, the Permanent Court of Arbitration PCA, The Hague Academy of International Law and the Peace Palace Library. ICJ or World Court is the only international court that adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on international legal issues. (AFP)