Oracle Corporation announced Monday that it has signed a $10.3 billion dollar merger deal with PeopleSoft, ending an 18-month hostile takeover bid plagued with legal challenges. Read the Oracle press release on the merger here. Previously in JURIST's Paper Chase: Corporations & securities brief: Oracle likely to win PeopleSoft takeover bid Corporations & securities brief: [...]

A US Army spokesman said Monday that eight former top aides to Saddam Huseein were taking meals again after having conducted a hunger strike over the weekend. AFP quotes a lawyer for former Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan as saying that "My client, who I met for the first time on Saturday, told me [...]

Several of Saddam Hussein's old lieutenants, including former deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, have gone on a hunger strike on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Saddam's capture by US forces to protest their "illegal detention" and their lack of access to defense counsel, according to Aziz attorney Aref Badia. The men, held by [...]

Oral arguments are scheduled to begin Monday morning in the US First Circuit Court of Appeals to decide whether Puerto Rico's Supreme Court or a US District Court has jurisdiction over thousands of disputed ballots cast in the territory. The ballots in question are from Puerto Rico's Nov. 2 gubernatorial race, and all indicate a [...]

The Israeli Cabinet Sunday agreed to release nearly 200 Palestinian prisoners currently being held in Israeli prisons. The release was part of an agreement between Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon. Israeli government spokesman Rannan Gissin referred to the release as "a gesture of goodwill shows also our intention to change [...]

The Ukraine prosecutor general's office announced Sunday that it will reopen the criminal investigation into allegations that Ukraine presidential candidate and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned, damaging his health and disfiguring his formerly-youthful visage. The case, closed in November due to lack of evidence, will be reopened after confirmation from Yushchenko's Austrian doctors at [...]

Iran acknowledged Sunday that it has convicted a number of Iranian nationals of supporting al-Qaida. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hamid Reza Asefi confirmed the convictions, said to be fewer than five, but did not provide details of the charges, indicate when the convictions took place, or say what sentences were imposed. Iran has denied US [...]

White House officials Saturday blamed former homeland security secretary nominee Bernard Kerik for failing to disclose potential legal problems to administration lawyers. Kerik withdrew his name from consideration late Friday after it was discovered that he had failed to pay taxes on an illegal immigrant he employed in his home. In addition, he reportedly failed [...]

Palestinian sources said Sunday that imprisoned leader Marwan Barghouti has dropped out of the Jan. 9 election to replace Yasser Arafat (see this previous report in JURIST's Paper Chase). Recent polls showed Barghouti, an independent candidate still incarcerated by the Israelis, to be in a virtual tie with Fatah nominee Mahmoud Abbas. AP has more.

The Bush administration has bugged the communications of UN International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei in an effort to find evidence that could be used to oust him from his position and replace him with someone more to Washington's liking, according to three White House officials cited in a story in Sunday's Washington Post. [...]