New York Mayor Bill de Blasio defended his decision not to cancel classes for the city's 1.1 million public school students on Thursday despite great opposition and anger by parents and teachers. City Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina also received flak for her comments about the weather By late Thursday, the city is expected to receive nearly a foot of snow.
On January 27, Moscow City Court removed five jurors from the jury presiding over the trial of slain Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Seven years after her murder, the case is not even close to a conclusion, as it has gone through major fits and starts. The jury change is the second in the Politkovskaya murder case. On November 14, the court had disbanded the previous jury after three more jurors had withdrawn for various reasons, "leaving the panel with less than 12 people required by law,"
Legal representation groups who rely on legal aid from the government for payments will stage a full-day walkout on March 7 after an unproductive meeting with UK Justice Secretary Chris Grayling could not resolve the proposed £220 million legal aid budget cut.
Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was found guilty of accepting payoff for city contracts. Nagin became the first mayor in the city's history to be charged and convicted of corruption, as the 57-year-old, who presided over the city during Hurricane Katrina, was found guilty for 20 of the 21 counts leveled against him.
