California Governor Jerry Brown signed the California Dream Act into law on Saturday, expanding financial aid to undocumented students. Under AB 131, high achieving students who are in the process of applying for citizenship are eligible to receive financial aid for college. The newly enacted law builds on AB 130, signed into law by Governor [...]
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Two congressmen on Thursday introduced a joint resolution in each house of Congress to block a planned arms sale to Bahrain . Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) declared the bill as a reaction to a planned sale of $53 million worth of weapons to Bahrain, which was announced in mid-September . [...]
A federal judge on Thursday ruled against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding its process for granting permits used by coal companies for mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia. The EPA unveiled stricter guidelines in 2009 to issue permits to companies who sought to dump fill material from the removal mining into streams. The National [...]
Three human rights groups on Friday called for the release of Nobel peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo , imprisoned on an 11-year sentence in China for “inciting subversion of state power” and dissidence. Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) released simultaneous press briefings urging freedom for Liu, and his [...]
The Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested three former governors of Nigerian states on Thursday for allegedly embezzling 101 billion naira (USD $615M). Officials arrested former Ogun state governor Gbenga Daniel, former Oyo state governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and former Nasarawa state governor Ali Akwe Doma for interrogation purposes. The arrests were in response [...]
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on Thursday declared that former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livini enjoys temporary diplomatic immunity during her visit to London, thereby sparing her from arrest. Livini risked arrest after an application was made on Tuesday to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) , seeking his consent to a private [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a motion in the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Friday to halt enforcement of a controversial Alabama immigration law that expands restrictions on undocumented immigrants. The law requires school officials to verify the immigration status of children and parents, authorizes police to detain an individual [...]
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman for their efforts in promoting women’s rights. Sirleaf, known as the “Iron Lady,” is the president of Liberia and the first woman elected to head of state in Africa . Gbowee is a founder [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Wednesday again refused to hold the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in contempt for destroying videotapes of detainee interviews following the events of 9/11 . Judge Alvin Hellerstein previously ruled on this issue in August. The case against the CIA, [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday ruled that challengers of the $3.4 billion settlement agreement in the American Indian trust class-action lawsuit will not be required to put up a bond before proceeding with appeals, clearing the way for appeals of the settlement to begin. Six notices [...]
