The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a statement on Friday calling for increased aid for the 2.5 million Syrians affected by the ongoing civil uprising against President Bashar al-Assad . The aid request for the Syria Humanitarian Response Plan was raised from US$180 million to US$347 million after the number [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Friday ruled that disabled employees are to be appointed within their company to vacant positions that they are qualified to hold. The case was brought in 2009 by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against United Airlines, now United Continental Holdings (UAL) . The ruling [...]

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday signed into law a bill that amends the state’s penal code to prohibit the access and viewing of child pornography on the Internet. The bill was passed in response to the state Court of Appeals decision in People v. Kent , which held that under existing New York [...]

Montana’s Lewis and Clark County District Court ruled Thursday that the state’s lethal injection method violates the provision of the Montana constitution that forbids cruel and unusual punishment. The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana on behalf of two death row inmates. Judge Jeffrey Sherlock held that Montana’s execution procedure, [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the District of Arizona on Wednesday dismissed a complaint by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) challenging an Arizona state constitutional amendment that guarantees a vote by secret ballot for employee representation. The NLRB, an independent US agency that is charged with conducting elections for labor unions [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Thursday approved a settlement agreement between the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and certain e-book publishers in a price-fixing suit under the Sherman Act . The DOJ alleges that Apple, Hachette, HarperCollins, MacMillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster conspired to [...]

The head of the UN International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala presented a strategic work plan at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday outlining efforts in four specific areas to improve the rule of law in the Latin American nation. The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) has been based in Guatemala [...]

The Kosovo parliament on Friday voted 98-10 to eliminate the mention of a western-led supervisory commission from its constitution, effectively closing the office. The International Civilian Office (ICO) was created by a coalition of nations that recognized Kosovo’s independence from Serbia and had the power to fire public officials and block legislation that threatened the [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday rejected new restrictions on lawyers representing Guantanamo Bay detainees who have had their habeas corpus challenges denied or dismissed. In hearing the challenge to the new rules last month, Chief Judge Royce Lamberth expressed skepticism about the restrictions , which in [...]

Myanmar’s parliament passed a new foreign investment law on Friday after months of debate and modifications. The final version of the bill reportedly dropped some of the most controversial provisions, including a requirement that foreign investors contribute at least $5 million when engaging in joint ventures with local businesses. Myanmar President Thein Sein had opposed [...]