US Bankruptcy Judge Eugene Wedoff Friday approved a 90-day extension of the exclusivity period covering the bankruptcy reorganization plan of UAL Corporation, parent of United Airlines . During the exclusivity period, no other parties may submit rival reorganization plans. Also Friday, Judge Wedoff refused to approve changes to United's union contracts until each union's membership [...]

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday that it will offer large "factory-style" farms an exemption from Clean Air Act fines if, in return, the farms monitor air quality and submit those figures to the government. The plan is designed to greatly speed up the development of new animal-processing emissions standards that, with the help of [...]

Denmark's High Court ruled Friday that Danish supermarket chain Dansk Supermarked Group has the right to ban employees from wearing religious headscarves, saying that the legislature "has weighed the right of an employer to demand a uniform or a certain dress code over consideration for an employee who for religious reasons is unable to adhere [...]

The US Commission on Civil Rights , newly reconstituted with the addition of a new Republican chairman and another Republican appointee , has removed from its website a controversial staff report highly critical of the civil rights policies of the Bush administration. Redefining Rights in America: The Civil Rights Record of the George W. Bush [...]

Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin said Friday that he would be willing to call a national election over the issue of same-sex marriage, the subject of pending legislation in the Canadian House of Commons where Martin presides over a tenuous minority government. Martin said he would be willing to call the vote to "uphold the [...]

Updating a report from earlier today in JURIST's Paper Chase, Federal Communications Chairman Michael Powell has now announced his resignation from the Commission. In a statement released in Washington, he said: Having completed a bold and aggressive agenda, it is time for me to pursue other opportunities and let someone else take the reins of [...]

The European Union announced Friday its unanimous approval of a measure to end penalty sanctions imposed on $4 billion worth of US exports. The European Council recommended the sanctions end on February 1 and approved a program to reimburse all penalty fees collected in January. The penalty sanctions were put in place after the Senate [...]

Leading Friday's international brief, a key member of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement , now the ruling party in Southern Sudan, has expressed concern about the makeup of the proposed UN peacekeeping force to be deployed in March. Deng Alour Deng, a senior official in the SPLA, said that Southern Sudanese officials were unhappy with [...]

Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has warned that should China's National People's Congress enact an "anti-secession" law aimed at keeping Taiwan from becoming independent, Taiwan will enact its own "anti-annexation" law and might hold a referendum. Chen urged the Beijing to "think hard" about an anti-secession bill that will not benefit either side and will likely [...]

The Chinese Ministry of Education announced Friday that China's current restriction on marriage and childbearing for university students will be lifted. An official with the MOE student affairs department acknowledged that a new draft regulation on college student management will no longer have articles prohibiting university students getting married and having children while in school. [...]