Noriega extradited to France
PARIS, France — Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was extradited April 26 from a federal prison in Miami to stand trial on money laundering charges in France. After being ousted as Panama’s president in 1989 when the United States invaded that country, he was convicted for drug dealing and racketeering in U.S. court in1992. He remained in prison in Miami until extradited this month
Right to sue Wal-Mart upheld
SAN FRANCISCO — The right of female workers to sue Wal-Mart for discrimination over allegations they received fewer promotions and lower salaries that their male coworkers was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco April 27. After a 10-year fight, the case will go to trial by the end of the year. Wal-Mart said it plans to request that the Supreme Court review the ruling.
The original class suit covered 1.6 million females working at Wal-Mart since 1998, making it the largest sex discrimination case in U.S. history. The appeals court excluded those who left the company before the suit was filed in 2001. Still the number of plaintiffs is more than 1 million.
Iglesias joins prosecutors
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Panama-born David Iglesias, one of eight U.S. Attorneys whose dismissal in 2006 by the Bush Administration was allegedly politically motivated, was mobilized to Guantanamo by the Pentagon April 27 to join the prosecution team against Oamar Kadir, a Canadian accused of killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
Iglesias, responsible for New Mexico, alleged he was fired after refusing Republican Congress members Pete Domenici and Heather Wilson’s requests to speed up a political corruption probe against a Democratic candidate during a political campaign.
No pay raises for Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. — For the second year in a row, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill April 28 blocking the automatic yearly raises ($1,600 for next year) congressional members receive annually. A similar
bill passed unanimously in the Senate last week, keeping members’ salaries at $174,000.