Iraq permits UN watchdog to continue oil monitoring News
Iraq permits UN watchdog to continue oil monitoring

[JURIST] Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari [Wikipedia profile] told the UN Security Council Tuesday that Iraq will allow the International Advisory and Monitoring Board [official website] to keep monitoring its oil production and spending related to oil revenues. Zebari said that oversight from the group would demonstrate that oil revenues are used for the benefit of all Iraqi citizens. The Board, created by the Council in 2003, aims to rectify problems such as those identified in a recent audit [JURIST report] that showed $69 million in unaccounted oil and contracts granted without bidding competition. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.