CBB News

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has handed down a significant ruling in a high-profile property battle between France and Equatorial Guinea.  On September 12, 2025, the UN’s top judicial body ruled that Paris acted lawfully in seizing a luxury mansion tied to Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, son of Africa’s longest-serving president. The decision marks the latest chapter in a saga that has lasted more than a decade and shines a spotlight on global efforts to crack down on so-called “ill-gotten gains” — wealth allegedly acquired through corruption and funneled into Europe’s real estate markets. ICJ’s Decision: No Grounds for Equatorial Guinea ICJ presiding judge Yuji Iwasawa stated that Equatorial Guinea failed to establish a “plausible legal right” to demand the mansion’s return. The Central African nation had argued that the building was diplomatic property and therefore protected by international law. But the court disagreed, siding with France’s assertion th...

While the war in Gaza dominates global headlines, another confrontation is quietly intensifying thousands of kilometers away in Latin America. The United States, under Donald Trump’s leadership, has taken an increasingly aggressive stance toward Venezuela—raising concerns of a new conflict brewing in the Western Hemisphere. The recent destruction of two alleged drug-smuggling boats in international waters highlights just how far Washington is prepared to go. Once a matter of maritime interception and inspection, U.S. policy has now shifted to direct strikes, with the military destroying vessels before their crews can be detained or tried. The human toll is already mounting, and the risk of escalation is real. A Dangerous New Approach On Monday, U.S. forces blew up a boat they claimed was carrying narcotics. It marked the second such incident in just a week. President Trump defended the action with characteristic bluntness, insisting that the ocean itself provided the evidence: cocaine ...