Nicolas Maduro appeared before a US court on Thursday

• On March 26th, Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores appeared before a federal court in New York City after being accused of narcoterrorism. The pair pleaded not guilty.
• Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, asked for the charges to be dropped because the Office of Foreign Assets Control is unjustly blocking funds for his clients’ legal defense. US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein declined.

Crisis Deepens In Cuba

• Cuba’s energy crisis continues as the US’ oil blockade continues to plague the country with blackouts
• As of March 27th, peace talks between Donald Trump, Raul Castro, and Miguel Diaz-Canel are in their early stages.
• On March 24th, a ~30-person aid flotilla with food, solar panels, medicine, and more arrived in Cuba from Mexico. 

Australia Agrees to Ratify New Trade Deal with European Union

• After 8 whole years of negotiation, Australia and the EU signed a new trade deal to remove 99% of Australian tariffs and increase Europe’s consumption of Australian minerals and beef, The deal was especially intended to reduce European reliance on China for rare earth minerals.
• Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, claimed that the deal would add $7 billion to Australia’s economy.

The Philippines’ Energy Crisis

• Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr recently declared his country’s oil shortage to be a “national energy emergency.”
• The emergency declaration will legally be in place for a year and mandates the creation of a new energy committee, encourages police to stop oil hoarding and stealing, and gives the government more power to acquire fuel.
• Philippine transport workers, went on strike on March 26th, claim the declaration is a superficial solution.

North Korea and Belarus: Unlikely Allies

• Kim Jong Un and Alexander Lukashenko signed a friendship treaty on March 25th, with the Bulgarian president presenting Jong Un with an automatic rifle, and the North Korean leader presenting Lukashenko with a vase made of shells.
• Both parties claim the alliance is a response to “global powers openly ignor[ing] international law,” and “undue pressure on Belarus from the West.”