Abbas postpones Palestinian vote to resolve election law dispute News
Abbas postpones Palestinian vote to resolve election law dispute

[JURIST] Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas [Wikipedia profile] Saturday issued a decree officially delaying the scheduled July 17 parliamentary elections in the Palestinian Authority [official website] to allow time to settle a disagreement over election law changes. Holding up the vote is a dispute over the method for picking candidates. The delay is likely to please Abbas' Fatah party [party website in Arabic], currently reeling from recent charges of corruption. Militant group Hamas [Wikipedia profile], experiencing a surge in support in recent local elections, opposes the delay. No new election date has been set, and observers expect no vote for several months. BBC News has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Montgomery started racially-integrated bus service after boycott

On December 21, 1956, buses in Montgomery, Alabama, started racially integrated service following federal court rulings ending on-board segregation. Bus boycott leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were among the first riders under the new scheme. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Stalin born

On December 21, 1879, Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia. In 1922, he became leader of the USSR until his death in 1953. During his time as Soviet dictator, Stalin industrialized his country, which he then led to become one of the world's two superpowers after WWII. Through his infamous purges, show trials and nationwide famines, Stalin also became responsible for millions of deaths.