Guatemala votes to refer conflict with Belize to ICJ News
Guatemala votes to refer conflict with Belize to ICJ

In a referendum Sunday, Guatemalans voted [results, in Spanish] overwhelmingly to request that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) [official website] resolve the country’s centuries-old territorial dispute with Belize.

On Monday the government of Belize [official website] issued a press release [press release, Facebook profile] congratulating the people of Guatemala for taking this necessary step toward settling the ongoing dispute.

This referendum was conducted in accordance with the Special Agreement of 2008 [agreement, PDF] between the two countries.

While 95 percent of voters favored referring the matter to the ICJ, turnout was low—less than 25 percent.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Montgomery started racially-integrated bus service after boycott

On December 21, 1956, buses in Montgomery, Alabama, started racially integrated service following federal court rulings ending on-board segregation. Bus boycott leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were among the first riders under the new scheme. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Stalin born

On December 21, 1879, Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia. In 1922, he became leader of the USSR until his death in 1953. During his time as Soviet dictator, Stalin industrialized his country, which he then led to become one of the world's two superpowers after WWII. Through his infamous purges, show trials and nationwide famines, Stalin also became responsible for millions of deaths.