On February 28, 2026, a conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran arose after weeks of building tension. Since then, both parties have carried out strikes targeting military assets. This conflict has yet to be resolved, and its continuation is affecting global trade. The Middle East is a crucial location for many shipping routes and a key hub for energy production. Conflict within this area disrupts supply chains, energy markets, oil markets, and trade overall, negatively affecting the global economy by reshaping trade patterns. Specifically, the Strait of Hormuz in Iran is a crucial shipping route, with around 25% of the world’s oil and 20% of the world’s natural…

Mexico’s President Claudia Shienbaum Pardo and Secretary of Culture, Claudia Curiel de Icaza, alongside Mexican actress Salma Hayek Pinault unveiled the country’s plan to support the local Mexican film industry this past February. This plan is a modernization of the 1992 Film Plan as film producers have sought out fiscal support while filming in Mexican states. The ultimate goal of the plan is to attracting major film productions to Mexico, establishing Mexico as a benchmark in the Latin American film industry. The crown jewel of this plan is a thirty percent tax incentive promised to projects that are shot in Mexico. In order to qualify for the Mexican film tax…

Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to international passage and trade, depriving the world of the movement of approximately a fifth of globally produced oil. Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the strait demonstrate the regime’s determination to broadly retaliate against the international community for the joint, American-Israeli attack, known as Operation Epic Fury, which began on February 28, 2026. Now, President Trump is not only calling on NATO allies to assist American military forces to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for business, but he’s making a rare call on China to assist as well. Closing the Strait is not simply a reactive, defensive countermeasure by an…

On February 9, Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych stepped onto the starting line at the Milano–Cortina Winter Olympics wearing a helmet that resulted in his disqualification. The helmet was more than protective equipment; it served as a tribute to lives lost since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It displayed images of Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed in the war, a conflict that has claimed more than 650 members of the sporting community and destroyed over 800 sports facilities, including Olympic training centers. For Heraskevych, the images represented mourning and remembrance. For Olympic authorities, they constituted prohibited political expression. After repeatedly refusing to change helmets, Heraskevych was disqualified by…

Last week, at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the United States swept the sport of Ice Hockey. The Men’s and Women’s teams both beat Canada in overtime to achieve greatness, with each athlete earning not only gold medals but also a place in history. The Men’s team accomplished the feat exactly 46 years after the 1980 “Miracle on Ice.” The story of the 1980 Games? A ragtag group of amateur U.S. hockey players rising to the occasion and taking on the juggernaut Soviet Union. The Soviets, comprised of professional all-stars, were the undisputed world’s best. On the other hand, the American team consisted of recent college graduates who had…

The United States prides itself on being a prominent leader in the global financial system, yet the gaps in their financial framework continue to be exploited by illicit actors. Through the use of shell companies and lack of beneficial ownership reporting, profits from illegal activities are laundered to appear legitimate. The lack of reporting transparency places the U.S. at risk of international scrutiny, indirect economic repercussions, and Grey listing by the global task force, Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The U.S. Secretary Treasury, Janet Yellen stated that “the best place to hide and launder money ill-gotten gains is actually the United States…because we allow people to establish shell companies.” Shell…

Three months after the Louvre Museum in Paris was hit by a dramatic heist, the investigation remains incomplete where it matters the most: recovery. Authorities have charged suspects, but none of the stolen jewels from the historic Napoleon collection have been found. That kind of disappearance is not an outlier. The illegal trade in cultural property artworks, antiquities, and other high-value heritage objects is among the world’s oldest and most profitable forms of criminal activity. Estimates suggest roughly $4 billion to $6 billion in art is stolen each year. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime has ranked cultural property smuggling alongside arms and drug trafficking as the most lucrative…

Trump began his second term as president on January 20, 2025. Since then, he has singled out several countries for military strikes, territorial acquisition, and the imposition of tariffs on goods imported to the United States. In particular, Trump has focused on Latin and South American countries in a brazen attempt to “dominate” the regions. Most recently, he championed the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who have been charged with federal drug trafficking, narco-terrorism, and corruption. Now, Trump has turned his attention to Cuba. On January 29, 2026, Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency in relation to Cuba and implementing a new system…

One of the most significant legal consequences in Italy involves the recognition of parentage orders. Italian courts apply the principle of ordre public, or public policy to refuse recognition of foreign birth certificates listing two fathers. This practice is grounded in the doctrine mater semper certa est, under Italian family law recognizes the gestational mother as the legal mother. The transcription of a foreign birth certificate reflecting a surrogacy arrangement may therefore be partially void in Italy. This doctrine has been upheld by the Court of Cassation, Italy’s highest court of appeals. Decisions from 2014 and 2016 affirm that recognizing a foreign birth certificate listing two fathers would violate Italian…

When people think of trademark disputes, it is often pretty clear: counterfeiters, cheap knockoffs, or bad-faith actors exploiting famous brands. However, the 1-on-1 between Michael Jordan (and Nike) and the Chinese sportswear company, Qiaodan Sports, demonstrates how much messier international trademark disputes can be, especially when rules, languages, and borders collide. The dispute began in China, where a domestic company called Qiaodan Sports(乔丹体育) had been selling athletic shoes and apparel for years. “Qiaodan” is the standard Chinese transliteration of “Jordan,” and the company used a silhouette logo — although not the famous “Jumpman” logo — that looked almost identical to a photo of Michael Jordan, taken in a basketball game.…