Hugo Chavez’s body will be preserved and displayed inside a glass tomb at a military museum, his successor, Vice President Nicolas Maduro, said Thursday. Chavez was the president of Venezuela for 14 years. Chavez died after a two-year battle with cancer. His funeral will be held Friday and more than 33 heads of government will be in attendance. (read full story here)

Jodi Arias, the Arizona woman on trial for the murder of her boyfriend Travis Alexander in 2008, said she killed him in self-defense. However, the jury is skeptical. Arias said she shot her boyfriend in the head after a violent fight where Travis slammed her on the ground. After she shot him she stabbed him multiple times, slit his throat, cleaned the scene and took pictures. The jury questioned Arias testimony with disbelief. The jury said, “after all the lies you have told, why should we believe you now?” (read full story here)

A leading Bolshoi dancer told a Moscow court Thursday that he gave his blessing to an attack on the ballet’s artistic director. The attacker threw acid in the face of director Sergei Filin, who suffered severe burns to his face and eyes in the Jan. 17 attack. Since then, Filin had undergone a series of surgeries in an attempt to save his eyesight. The dancer, Pavel Dmitrichenko, danced leading parts in many Bolshoi’s classical ballets. Dmitrichenko said he conflict with Filin was about the distribution of salaries.

Gun control laws have been a political focus since the Newtown school massacre, and most states have talked about tightening gun control laws. However, in gun-friendly Georgia, lawmakers want to ease rules preventing some mentally ill people from getting permits to carry guns. Legislators in Georgia’s House voted 117-56 on Thursday to allow people who have voluntarily sought inpatient treatment for mental illness or substance abuse to get gun licenses.

In Egypt, thousands of low-ranking policemen continue to strike on Thursday. They refused orders to work and protested against Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi’s political party. Morsi, who replaced Hosni Mubarak, is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood party. The strike is in its fourth day, and is a rare show of defiance by policemen in the country.

All information is from The Associated Press.

Contact Maura Zurick at [email protected].