Portal:Current events/2006 May 19

May 19, 2006 (Friday)

2006 Iranian sumptuary law controversy:
- The Canadian National Post reports that certain "Iranian expatriates living in Canada" are claiming that the Iranian parliament has passed a law that would require the country's non-Muslim religious minorities to wear distinctive markings: yellow ribbons for Jews, red for Christians and blue for Zoroastrians. After great controversy, the National Post retracts its original report. (National Post) (UPI) (Ynet) (Jerusalem Post)
- The AP has reported refutations by numerous people, including Iranian legislators and the Jewish Member of the Legislature Morris Motamed. (AP) The National Post, which broke the story, has also carried a story listing numerous refutations (National Post)
The United States Senate votes on an amendment to an immigration reform bill which would "... declare English as the national language of the United States", giving English an increased de jure capacity (in addition to a de facto one) as the official language within the country. The bill, S. 2611, has yet to be voted on in the Senate. (AP via Forbes) (CBS) (U.S. Senate)
A riot takes place at the United States prison camp at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba after several inmates attempted suicide. (Times) (Toronto Star)
The United Nations Committee Against Torture tells the United States it should close any secret prisons abroad and the Guantánamo Bay facility in Cuba, saying they violate international law. It also calls for the US not to use interrogation techniques that amount to torture and to stop the practice of "extraordinary renditions". (Reuters)^{[permanent dead link]} (Muslim News)
The case of Khaled el-Masri, who says he was abducted and tortured by the CIA because he was mistaken for another person, is dismissed by a district court in Alexandria, Virginia, as it would be a "grave risk" of damage to U.S. national security by exposing government secrets. The court rules that if the claims are true he "deserves a remedy" but this cannot be found in the court. (Deutsche Welle) (Washington Post)
Fijian opposition (Labour) led by Mahendra Chaudhry decides to join Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's United Fiji Party to form a multi-party multi-ethnic cabinet. (BBC)
The Da Vinci Code film comes out in theaters worldwide. The movie is based on the controversial thriller by Dan Brown. (Despatch, South Africa)