A Burundi court on Friday rejected the appeal of four journalists convicted of undermining state security. In October 2019 Burundi police arrested four Iwacu journalists: Christine Kamikazi, Agnès Ndirubusa, Egide Harerimana and Térence Mpozenzi. Each journalist is facing a fine of $530 and two years and six months imprisonment. Their driver, arrested with them, was [...]

The Burundi constitutional court on Thursday upheld the presidential election of retired general Evariste Ndayishimiye. The controversial election occurred in May and marked the country’s first competitive presidential election since 1993. According to voter results, Ndayishimiye won the election with 69 percent of the votes. However, Agathon Rwasa, who supposedly won 24 percent of the [...]

The US Department of Transportation on Wednesday indefinitely suspended all Chinese carriers from flying to and from the US, effective June 16. This order most impacts Air China, China’s flag carrier airline, which frequently flies schedules between China and the US. “ U.S. carriers to exercise the full extent of their bilateral right to conduct [...]

The Nagoya District Court on Thursday rejected a man’s request to overturn a decision deeming him ineligible for victims’ compensation following the death of his same-sex partner. The man, Yasuhide Uchiyama, had lived with his partner for around 20 years. After his partner was murdered in 2014, Uchiyama filed for victims’ compensation in December 2016. [...]

The US Treasury Department announced Tuesday that four companies have been blacklisted for aiding the Venezuelan regime’s efforts to transport oil to the US market. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed Adamant Maritime Ltd, Afranav Maritime Ltd, Sanibel Shiptrade Ltd and Seacomber Ltd on the specially designated nationals list. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin [...]

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a state of emergency Wednesday after 20,000 tons of diesel oil leaked into a river within the Arctic Circle. The spill went unreported for two days, which may have caused irreparable damage to the region. The spill was caused by a fuel tank at a power plant near the Siberian [...]

The Legislative Council of Hong Kong passed a law on Thursday that criminalizes the mockery of China’s national anthem. Under the new law, which was passed to “preserve the dignity of the national anthem,” individuals are not allowed to alter the lyrics of the national anthem, play or sing it in a “distorted or disrespectful [...]

The Paris Court of Appeals on Wednesday affirmed a lower court decision to transfer Felicien Kabuga to Arusha, Tanzania, to be tried for his role as the primary financier of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Kabuga will be handed over to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), which is primarily based out of The [...]

US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer said Tuesday that the Trump administration will investigate several countries over the implementation of taxes on digital services, which are suspected to discriminate against US companies. Initiating a Section 301 investigation under the Trade Act of 1974 will give the USTR broad authority to respond to a foreign country’s [...]

South Africa’s High Court ruled Wednesday that some of the level 3 and 4 lockdown measures put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 were “unconstitutional and invalid,” ordering a 14-day period to overhaul the restrictions. At the start of the pandemic, South Africa had the most restrictive lockdown measures, including a ban on [...]