Venezuela congress allows remote voting to thwart government pressure on opposition
Venezuela’s opposition-run congress on Tuesday approved a measure allowing lawmakers to vote on legislation without being present, a response to a government crackdown that has left dozens of legislators in hiding or in exile.
Bill imposing sanctions on companies building Russian gas pipeline heads to White House
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed legislation to slap sanctions on companies building a massive underwater pipeline to bring Russian natural gas to Germany, but it was uncertain whether the measures would slow completion of the project.
Deforestation on Brazilian tribal lands highest in 11 years
Deforestation on protected indigenous lands in the Amazon was almost three times higher than the loss of trees in the region as a whole and the highest since 2008, according to a new study based on satellite imagery.
French unions fail to gain new momentum in pension protests
French trade unions crippled transport and shut schools on Tuesday but failed to achieve the big surge in support they had sought to increase pressure on President Emmanuel Macron to ditch a planned pension reform by Christmas.
Pompeo expresses support for Arsenal player in criticism of China’s treatment of Uighurs
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday came out in support of Arsenal player Mesut Ozil for his criticism of China’s treatment of ethnic Uighur Muslims, saying Beijing can censor the team’s football games but cannot hide rights violations.
Czechs call for billionaire prime minister to resign
Thousands of Czechs protested against Prime Minister Andrej Babis for a second week in a row on Tuesday after prosecutors reopened a case into alleged subsidy fraud and Brussels declared a conflict of interest between his businesses and political role….
Bolivia’s Morales looks to engineer election win from afar, find successor
Bolivia’s former President Evo Morales defended his right to be involved in politics on Tuesday and said he would campaign to help his socialist party win new elections after he resigned under pressure in November and sought refuge abroad.
Trump backs Bolivia’s interim president, denounces violence
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he backed Bolivia’s interim President Jeanine Anez as she seeks “a peaceful democratic transition,” and he denounced ongoing violence in the country.
UK parliament Speaker Hoyle re-elected with vow to be impartial and fair
British lawmakers re-elected Labour’s Lindsay Hoyle as Speaker on Tuesday, as he vowed to be impartial and fair in a moderating role which saw his predecessor John Bercow accused of breaking convention to help opponents of Brexit.
U.S. diplomat’s wife involved in fatal crash should return to UK: foreign minister
British foreign minister Dominic Raab appealed to the of wife of a U.S. diplomat who was given diplomatic immunity after her alleged involvement in a car crash which killed a British teenager to “do the right thing” and return to the UK.
