THE HAGUE - Judges at the World Court on Friday ordered Venezuela to refrain from taking any action that would alter the current situation on the ground in a potentially oil-rich territory that is the subject of a border dispute with Guyana, which controls the area.

The court did not expressly forbid Venezuela to hold its planned Dec. 3 referendum over its rights to the region around the Esequibo river, the subject of the long-running border dispute, as Guyana has requested.

However, judges made it clear that any concrete action to alter the status quo should be stopped.

  - Reuters