Shorts (left)
Justices to hear challenge to Arizona’s immigration laws
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether Arizona may impose tough anti-immigration measures. Among them, in a law enacted last year, is a requirement that the police there question people they stop about their immigration status.
The Obama administration challenged parts of the law in court, saying that it could not be reconciled with federal immigration laws and policies. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, blocked enforcement of parts of the law in April.
The administration challenged four provisions. The most prominent was a requirement that state law enforcement officials determine the immigration status of anyone they stop or arrest if officials have reason to believe that the individual might be an illegal immigrant. The provision also requires that the immigration status of people who are arrested be determined before they are released.
—Adam Liptak, The New York Times
Chinese fisherman kills South Korean coast guardsman
SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean coast guard member was stabbed to death by a Chinese fisherman Monday during a crackdown on illegal fishing near South Korea, the coast guard said.
Nine Chinese crewmen violently resisted South Korean coast guardsmen who were trying to impound their 66-ton boat about 120 miles west of Incheon, near the border with North Korea, according to a coast guard statement.
Another Chinese ship rammed into the boat, and amid the confusion, the Chinese rebelled, said Chi Geun-tae, a coast guard spokesman, citing a preliminary report from the scene.
The captain of the Chinese ship was believed to have attacked the South Korean with a piece of glass from a shattered cabin window, Chi said. A 41-year-old coast guardsman was stabbed in the side and died while a helicopter was taking him to a hospital in Incheon, a port city west of Seoul. The captain, who suffered a minor injury during the clash, was under arrest.
In Seoul, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Chinese ambassador, Zhang Xinsen, to lodge a protest against illegal fishing and the fishermen’s use of violence. There was no immediate comment from Beijing.
—Choe Sang-Hun, The New York Times
Spanish royals under scrutiny in fraud scandal
MADRID — The son-in-law of King Juan Carlos is denying any link between his business dealings and the royal family, amid a fraud investigation that has threatened to tarnish the Spanish monarchy.
The son-in-law, Inaki Urdangarin, who received the title of Duke of Palma after marrying the Infanta Cristina, the king’s youngest daughter, is at the center of an investigation into whether he and business partners embezzled public money allocated to sports and tourism events.
The duke has not been charged so far. But he has been named in preliminary reports released by public prosecutors who have been investigating the dealings of the Noos Institute, a nonprofit foundation that the duke had chaired.
On Saturday, the duke made a brief statement to Efe, the Spanish news agency, in which he said “I profoundly regret the serious damage to the image of my family and that of the king’s household, which has nothing to do with my private activities.”
—Raphael Minder, The New York Times