Loi no 2006-396 du 31 mars 2006 pour l'egalité des chances , Journal Officiel de la Republique Francaise, April 2, 2006. CPE excerpt: Article 8 I. − Les employeurs qui entrent dans le champ du premier alinéa de l'article L. 131-2 du code du travail peuvent conclure, pour toute nouvelle embauche d'un jeune âgé de [...]

A controversial French labor law that has prompted strikes and mass demonstrations by students and workers across France was officially published Sunday in France's Journal officiel gazette after being signed by President Jacques Chirac . The statute establishing the so-called First Employment Contract (CPE) allows employers to fire workers under the age of 26 without [...]

Former Liberian president and accused war criminal Charles Taylor is set to make his first appearance in the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) before Justice Richard Lussick at Freetown on Monday, where he is expected to plead not guilty to charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity . Lawyers from the SCSL defense [...]

International Union of Operating Engineers Local #68 Welfare Fund v. Merck & Co., Inc., Superior Court of New Jersey Appellate Division, March 31, 2006 . Read the full text of the opinion. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Documents showing Saddam Hussein's role in Iraq's 1987-1989 Anfal campaign against the Kurds are ready to be presented to the Iraqi High Criminal Court , according to Jaafar Al Moussawi, the chief prosecutor in the Saddam Hussein trial , speaking to AFP Saturday. The Anfal campaign led to the deaths of more than 180,000 Kurds [...]

French union and student leaders Saturday rejected as "unacceptable" a compromise offered by President Jacques Chirac on the First Employment Contract (CPE) , insisting they would continue public protests. Chirac announced in a televised address Friday that he intends to sign the legislation. As drafted, it allows employers to fire workers under the age of [...]

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in a news conference Saturday with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw at the end of a UK visit. In response to questions on when Guantanamo might be closed, she insisted that:the United States doesn't desire to keep Guantanamo in being any [...]

The jury in the Zacarias Moussaoui sentencing trial is taking the weekend off after adjourning Friday, having not yet reached a verdict on whether the alleged al Qaeda terrorist should receive the death penalty . The jury will resume its discussions Monday. Moussaoui pleaded guilty to six conspiracy charges last year. In related news, lawyers [...]

A New Jersey appeals court on Friday upheld a July 2005 trial court decision to certify a nationwide class of plaintiffs suing the drug maker Merck for damages relating to its withdrawn drug Vioxx . The plaintiffs – consisting of health providers, unions, and insurers – accuse Merck of knowing about the increased heart risks [...]

In a speech in Los Angeles on Friday, US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced that the US Department of Justice, through its anti-gang initiative, will give out $15 million in grants to six areas to help fund their fight against gang violence. The eligible areas are Los Angeles, California; Tampa, Florida; Cleveland, Ohio; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; [...]