Twenty injured as two bombs explode in Jerusalem

The continuous violence which has recently been plaguing Israel appears to be worsening as two bombs were set off yesterday in Jerusalem, killing one and injuring 20 others. Both instances are suspected to be acts of terrorism by militant Palestinian groups. The first explosion, a car bomb near a shopping mall, went off early yesterday morning, lightly wounding at least seven people, according to The New York Times. Six hours later, a suicide bomber carrying explosives blew himself up near a bus injuring at least 13 people, one critically, according to Israeli police reports. Education Minister Limor Livnat came down hard on the attacks saying, "This murderous hand must simply be cut off … significant military actions [should be taken to] prevent the next attacks." The car bombing was claimed by the militant Islamic Holy War group, which opposes Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat's accords with Israel. These events follow on the heels of intense rioting by Palestinians and numerous casualties at the hands of Israeli soldiers. On Monday, a sniper attack by Palestinians in the West Bank left a Jewish baby dead.

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Law school faces a legal setback with admissions policy

In a case that will likely end up before the U.S. Supreme Court, the University of Michigan law school's admissions standards were declared unconstitutional by a federal judge yesterday, because they use race as a factor in judging applicants. U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman expressed concern with the "long and tragic history of race discrimination in this country" but found no compelling state interest in using race as a standard to admit law students, even though the state insisted it was only to assemble a racially diverse student population, according to The New York Times. Miranda Massie, an attorney on the University's side said, "This decision threatens to resegregate higher education and to increase the unfair racist stigma that is faced by minority students in higher education. We don't need any institutions in this society to be reserved for white people alone." In a separate case last year, a different federal judge upheld the use of race in the same university's undergraduate admissions policy. Both suits are expected to wind up in the high court and were brought by the conservative group Center for Individual Rights.

Leeds, Massachusetts

Four life sentences, not death, for VA nurse Gilbert

Two weeks after former Easthampton and Northampton resident Kristen Gilbert was found guilty of three capital murders, one second-degree murder and two attempted murders, she was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences. A jury went through lengthy deliberations about whether she should be executed or imprisoned without chance for parole. Federal Judge Michael Posner determined the sentence after the jury remained deadlocked after five hours of deliberation over a two-day period. Gilbert was found guilty of killing patients while working at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Leeds, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Gilbert was suspected of injecting patients with the heart stimulant epinephrine for the thrill of working on resuscitation efforts. Her legal team plans to appeal the decision in order to ensure the delivery of justice, said Gilbert's father Richard Strickland. The trial lasted for more than 13 weeks and involved the testimony of some 70 witnesses. The jury deliberation in determining Gilbert's guilt lasted 83 hours over a period of 12 days.