The High Court in London denied Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro access to more than 1 billion dollars worth of gold on Friday. According to the ruling, Maduro cannot access the funds because the UK does not recognize him as president of Venezuela. The conflict arose when the Bank of England refused to release the funds [...]

Russian President Vladimir Putin won a referendum vote on Thursday, allowing him to stay in office through 2036. Putin’s constitutional amendments garnered close to 78 percent of the votes. Approximately 65 percent of voters turned out. The constitutional amendments in the referendum already cleared the national parliament in Moscow and were ratified by regional legislatures [...]

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) held its first virtual hearing on Tuesday, addressing a territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela. Guyana is arguing that the boundary between the nations was clarified by the Arbitral Award of 1899, whereas Venezuela called the award an “Anglo-Russian conspiracy.” In taking the case to the ICJ, Guyana seeks [...]

The new US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) formally took effect on Wednesday, superseding the 26-year reign of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The trade agreement, which the US Senate approved in January, contains much of the same text as NAFTA. However, the USMCA updates provisions regarding digital commerce, anti-corruption and food safety. Further, the [...]

In a statement released on Tuesday, the EU announced they would lift travel restrictions from 15 nations but not the US. The nations approved include Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and China. China’s inclusion on the list is subject to confirmation of reciprocity. The [...]

In a statement released on Monday, Denmark’s Director of Public Prosecutions Jan Reckendorff claimed the Attorney General’s office must review approximately 3,450 criminal convictions where DNA evidence was the decisive factor. The Attorney General’s office discovered the potential flaw after a person was convicted with DNA evidence. However, a retest of the DNA provided different [...]

In a ruling released on Saturday, Judge Roy Lamberth of the US District Court for the District of Columbia prevented US President Donald Trump from blocking the release of former US National Security Advisor John Bolton from publishing his political memoir. In his ruling, Lamberth clarified the reason for denying a preliminary injunction: the injunction [...]

The Trump Administration finalized a rule on Friday, which rolls back protections for LGBTQ people regarding health insurance and healthcare by changing the definition of “sex.” The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated in a press release that “HHS will enforce Section 1557 by returning to the government’s interpretation of sex discrimination according to the plain [...]

Republican lawmakers in Ohio on Thursday voted down a potential ban on the sale and display of Confederate memorabilia at Ohio’s county fairs. The amendment to House Bill 665 would have banned the display and sale of Confederate memorabilia by vendors at local and county fairs in Ohio. Rep. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) offered the amendment. [...]

Amazon halted police use of facial-recognition software system “Rekognition” on Wednesday over concerns of potential racial bias. In the blog post announcing the moratorium, Amazon claimed they hoped Congress would use that time to implement stronger regulations. Further, Amazon said that Congress seems to be moving toward stronger regulations in recent days. Amazon will continue [...]