By Amy Byrne, Staff Member In November 2017, eighty percent of global bitcoin trading[1] was accounted for in South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.[2] South Korea, known as the most active cryptocurrency exchange in the world,[3] is reportedly “obsessed” with bitcoin.[4] An estimated one in fifty South Koreans are trading cryptocurrency.[5] Consequently, South Korea’s recent cryptocurrency…
Continue ReadingTariq Miller, Staff Member The United Kingdom’s (“UK”) 2016 “leave” vote on Brexit was a significant disruption to the status quo. Both the Conservative and Labour parties underwent major leadership changes.[1] Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron resigned[2], and Labour’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, continues to struggle to maintain party control following his unenthusiastic support of the…
Continue ReadingFatjon Kaja, Staff Member This past week Albania and Greece announced that they have decided to reboot their diplomatic relations.[1] At this rate, even Sisyphus might pity them, as the two countries have not been able to agree about almost anything that they fundamentally disagree.[2] So a reboot was necessary, just as necessary as the…
Continue ReadingZachary Miller, Staff Member Since his election, President Trump has engaged in a war of words with North Korea’s “supreme leader,” Kim Jong-un. Trump has promised “fire and fury,”[1] and threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea should war erupt.[2] But under what circumstances would war with the DPRK be legal? The use of military force…
Continue ReadingBy Jack Koepke, Staff Member Standard Contractual Clauses, a mechanism to transfer data from Europe used by American companies, is being threatened while the newest law protecting the privacy of European citizens is itself under scrutiny. If this mechanism is ruled to be in violation of European law, American companies will be unable to transfer…
Continue ReadingTom Overhaug, Staff Member The House of Saud has ruled Saudi Arabia since 1932 with more or less complete control.[1] The current king, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, is 87 years old.[2] With only a brief amount of time left in his reign, King Salman has been making efforts to appoint a crown prince with…
Continue ReadingBy Lara Williams, Staff Member Following an emergency cabinet meeting last week, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy detailed plans to apply Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution in Catalonia, escalating the country’s most serious constitutional crisis since the restoration of democracy in 1977.[1] The article, that has never before been used, enables the central government…
Continue ReadingBy Abigail Hencheck, Staff Member Somalia does not have a great reputation for women’s rights. It hasn’t ratified the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)[1], women only marginally participate in politics[2], and structural barriers often prevent women from enforcing their property rights.[3] Most infamously, Somali women receive very little…
Continue ReadingBy Hadley Simonett, Staff Member On August 31, 2017, France’s President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to reform the Code du Travail, France’s contested labor laws.[1] Macron, accompanied by Labour Minister Muriel Pénicaud, and government spokesman Christophe Castaner signed five decrees on September 22, 2017, implementing thirty-six changes to France’s labor law.[2] By adopting the Ordinances,…
Continue ReadingBy Rebecca Rosefelt, Staff Member Childhood is a relatively new concept,[1] and juvenile justice systems like those in Western democracies gained steam with the industrial revolution.[2] However, one issue has been of contention since at least the fifth century: at what age does society hold a person criminally liable?[3] Standards still vary across the globe,…
Continue ReadingThe copyright of these individual works published by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing remains with the original creator or editorial team. For uses beyond those covered by law or the Creative Commons license, permission to reuse should be sought directly from the copyright owner listed in the About pages.
