Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/17/two-canadians-held-china-court-hearings-this-month Analysis: Two Canadians are currently imprisoned in China for more than two years on spying allegations. Both men will have court hearings later this week, Canada’s minister of foreign affairs said on Wednesday. “Our embassy in Beijing has been notified that court hearings for Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are scheduled to take place on March… Read more »
Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/3/11/venezuelas-new-stations-offer-fuel-liquor-to-those-who-can-pay Analysis: Over the past six months Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela’s current president, has been quietly handing over dozens of run-down gasoline stations to local entrepreneurs who have turned them into flashy retail complexes and have rebranded then under a new chain known as Via. Venezuela’s new gasoline stations now boast digital fuel pumps and high-end, imported liquor…. Read more »
Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/12/biden-to-broaden-us-mexico-relations-keep-immigration-at-top Analysis: US foreign relations with Mexico were much simpler under former President Donald Trump: Mexico stopped the flow of Central American migrants from reaching the US Mexico border and the two nations largely overlooked just about every other aspect of their bilateral relationship. Now President Joe Biden, who recently took office two months ago, plans on… Read more »
Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/25/trial-of-us-citizen-held-on-terrorism-in-venezuela-to-start Analysis: A trial was ordered in last Wednesday’s hearing in Venezuelan criminal court regarding Matthew Heath, a US citizen in the South American country on terrorism charges and accusations of being a US spy. Heath 39, was detained in September 2020 in northwestern Venezuela and charged with terrorism and arms trafficking. Heath’s defense lawyer, Guillermo Heredia,… Read more »
Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/28/what-is-happening-in-haiti-political-crisis-persists Analysis: Haiti is currently in the middle of a political crisis. Opposition and civil society leaders are disputing the mandate of President Jovenel Mosie, whose term most legal experts and civil society groups have said ended on February 7. Yet, the president and his supporters claim that his five-year term expires in 2022. Things have rapidly… Read more »
Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/16/ecuador-cuenca-votes-to-ban-future-mining-projects Analysis: Residents of the city of Cuenca and the country’s rural outskirts voted on February 7th to prohibit future large-scale mining activities in five nearby watershed zones. These zones stretch over 3,100 square kilometers, 1,197 square miles, and are home to more than 580,000 people who depend on its water. Each of the five questions on… Read more »
Link to Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/26/puerto-rico-declares-state-of-emergency-over-gender-violence Analysis: Puerto Rico has declared a state of emergency over it’s deep rooted problems of violence against women. This declaration is welcomed by activists who have been calling for it for years. This decision came on Sunday in the US territory, which has seen sustained levels of violence that on average results in one woman’s death… Read more »
Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/28/us-backs-philippines-against-chinas-maritime-pressure Analysis: Top US diplomat and Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reaffirmed the United States commitment to support the Southeast Asian states in a long running dispute with China over sovereignty in the South China Sea. The new top diplomat for the US made the commitment in a phone call with his Filipino counterpart, Teodoro Locsin…. Read more »
Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/28/colombia-court-charges-former-farc-commanders-with-war-crimes Analysis: Columbia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), a tribunal created under the 2016 peace deal to prosecute former FARC’s members and military leaders for alleged war crimes, accused eight former commanders of war crimes and crimes against humanity for taking hostages during the country’s internal armed conflict. This is the first time since the signing of… Read more »
