The Iraqi Justice Ministry on Tuesday temporarily closed Abu Ghraib prison due to security concerns. Reports indicate that Iraqi authorities are concerned about the growing power of a Sunni-backed insurgency within the Anbar province, in close proximity to the prison grounds. A government official reportedly announced wednesday, however, that the prison’s closure was temporary until [...]
The new commissioner of the New York Police Department (NYPD) William Bratton announced Wednesday the disbanding of a surveillance unit used to spy on Muslim communities. The Demographics Unit , established in 2003, utilized plainclothes detectives to map communities both inside and outside New York City, tracking the movements and conversations of Muslim individuals. According [...]
Bolivian President Evo Morales on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in the International Court of Justice laying claim to a 240-mile area in Chile that provides access to the Pacific Ocean. Bolivia reportedly lost its claim of ownership to the land during a war with Chile in the 1800s. Chile alleges a treaty has already resolved [...]
An independent UN human rights expert on Tuesday urged Israel to prevent settlers from taking over a building in the West Bank city of Hebron. The Al-Rajabi House is a four-story building capable of housing 40 families, and is strategically located between the illegal Israel settlement of Kiryat Arba and the Ibrahami Mosque. In the [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts on Tuesday granted drug company Zogenix a preliminary injunction against a state-wide ban of the drug Zohydro. Judge Rya Zobel stated that because Zohydro’s use had been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) , this determination preempts any state law [...]
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin on Monday signed into law a bill banning cities within the state from creating a mandatory minimum wage. The bill also prohibits cities from enacting various mandatory employee benefits, such as sick and vacation time. Supporters of the legislation believe that it will protect consumers and local business communities, while those [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Fred K. Nkusi of the Independent Institute of Lay Adventists of Kigali and Mount Kenya University in Rwanda argues that the twentieth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide is a period of mourning for those lost as well as remembrance of the international community’s failure to comply with its international obligations … On [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist William Hays Weissman of Littler Mendelson analyses the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that tax refunds were unavailable for severance packages… In US v. Quality Stores, Inc., the Supreme Court once again backed the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) interpretation of tax law, holding (PDF) that severance payments were taxable for Federal Insurance Contributions [...]
An Italian court ruled Tuesday that former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi must perform community service at a home for the elderly as his sentence for tax fraud . The order was requested by Berlusconi, a three-time prime minister, media magnate and billionaire, as a way to serve the remaining year of a four-year sentence, [...]
Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine determined on Monday that a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would overturn its current ban on gay marriage had obtained the requisite number of signatures and satisfied the requirement that it be a “fair and truthful statement of the proposed law.” The proposed amendment, entitled the “Freedom to [...]
