Media watchdog accuses Yahoo of helping Chinese prosecution of journalist News
Media watchdog accuses Yahoo of helping Chinese prosecution of journalist

[JURIST] An international media watchdog organization has said that internet company Yahoo [corporate website] divulged information to China that led to the conviction of a journalist for leaking state secrets. Reporters Without Borders [advocacy website] Tuesday accused [press release] the Hong Kong arm of Yahoo with providing "China’s state security authorities with details that helped to identify and convict" journalist Shi Tao. According to the verdict [PDF text], Yahoo allegedly helped China link to the journalist's e-mail account and computer, which led to a 10 year imprisonment for sending foreign-based websites text of China's Communist Party's internal messages. A Yahoo spokesman had no immediate comment. BBC News 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.