On May 10, 2013, the Africa Progress Panel, chaired by former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, released its annual progress report. This year's report highlights the critical choices African policy makers have to make regarding investment in the immense natural resources on the continent. In many African countries, natural resource revenue is increasing the economic gap between the wealth and the poor and the economic growth from these revenues have not translated into improvements in health and education throughout Africa.

This is a draft article.  The final will appear in the June 2013 issue of the IELR.

Italian Supreme Court’s Overturning of Amanda Knox’s Acquittal Gives Rise to Possible Future Extradition Request

               On March 26, 2013, the Italian Supreme Court (Court of Cassation) overturned the acquittal of Amanda Knox and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and requiring them to stand trial again for the November 2, 2007 killing of her former roommate Meredith Kercher.[1]

 On March 1, 2013, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and other law enforcement officials announced that Ernst & Young LLP (“E&Y”) has admitted wrongful conduct by certain E&Y partners and employees in connection with the firm’s participation, from 1999 to 2004, in four tax shelters that were used by approximately 200 E&Y clients in an effort to defer, reduce, or eliminate tax liabilities of more than $2 billion.    E&Y entered into a non-prosecution agreement (the “NPA”) with the United States, in which the company agreed to pay $123 million to the Un

31 year-old Admir Suljic was arrested in Italy immediately after his flight from Singapore landed in Milan's Malpensa airport on Thursday, February 21st. After Suljic, who is wanted by Italian authorities, boarded the plane, Singapore's Police Force informed officers from INTERPOL's Fugitive Investigative Support unit, who worked with Italian State Police to prepare for his arrival.

              On February 14, 2013, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced today that it has signed a bilateral agreement with Switzerland to facilitate the implementation of the information reporting and withholding tax provisions commonly known as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).