MIDWEST

AMERICA REVOKES WORK VISA FOR MUSLIM SCHOLAR

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Acting at the request of the Department of Homeland Security, the American government has revoked the work visa of a Muslim scholar who had been scheduled to teach at the University of Notre Dame this fall. Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss citizen who has been criticized for links to Islamic militants and for remarks branded anti-Semitic, was supposed to begin teaching yesterday, the first day of the fall semester. A State Department spokeswoman, Kelly Shannon, cited the Immigration and Nationality Act, part of which deals with aliens who have used a “position of prominence within any country to endorse or espouse terrorist activity.” Another section bars aliens whose entry may have “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”

Both sections were amended under the USA Patriot Act, passed after the September 11 attacks.

Ms. Shannon did not immediately say whether either section applied to Ramadan’s case. “We don’t know a reason why either of those should apply to Tariq Ramadan,” said Matt Storin, a Notre Dame spokesman. “He’s a distinguished scholar. He’s a voice for moderation in the Muslim world.”

Ms. Shannon said the move came at the request of the Homeland Security Department.

– Associated Press

WEST

APPEALS COURT LOWERS DURST’S $3 BILLION BAIL

HOUSTON – An appeals court yesterday lowered the bail for New York real estate heir Robert Durst for bond-jumping and evidence tampering charges from $3 billion to $450,000, increasing the likelihood the cross-dressing millionaire will be released.

Mr. Durst, 61, in November was found innocent of intentionally killing his neighbor, 71-year-old Morris Black. He has remained jailed in Galveston, Texas, however, because he fled the island city shortly after his 2001 arrest.

State District Judge Susan Criss had set bail at $2 billion for two bond-jumping charges and $1 billion for an evidence-tampering charge, all third-degree felonies. The 14th Court of Appeals in Houston ruled in June the bail amounts were unconstitutionally excessive and should be reduced by Judge Criss. Mr. Durst’s attorneys, however, asked the appeals court to decide a fair bail.

Yesterday, a three-member panel of the court acknowledged Mr. Durst has a history of jumping bail, personal wealth to pay for his bail, and a lack of ties to Galveston. But the judges said they were swayed to reduce the amount because of restrictions that would be placed on him if he were released.

Judge Criss previously ordered that if Mr. Durst posted his bond, he would be ordered to surrender his passport, not leave Galveston County or adjacent Harris County without approval, appear weekly in court, and be kept under 24-hour guard at his own expense.

– Associated Press

FORMER COLORADO AIDE INDICTED IN FOOTBALL-RECRUITING INVESTIGATION

DENVER – A grand jury investigation into whether booze and sex were used to entice University of Colorado football recruits ended with an indictment against a former low-level school employee accused yesterday of soliciting a prostitute for himself.

The grand jury accused only Nathan Maxcey in its indictment, making no mention of university officials, students, or recruits. It decided against an indictment on a charge of “pimping,” which accused the recruiting aide of setting up prostitutes for others at a dorm room and hotels used by the Colorado football program. The indictments were handed up last week after three months of testimony, but were not made public until yesterday.

Attorney General Ken Salazar said in a statement that other matters relating to the investigation were still pending, but he did not elaborate.

– Associated Press

WASHINGTON

TIME REPORTER GIVES STATEMENT IN CIA LEAK PROBE

Avoiding potential jail time, a Time magazine reporter has given a statement to prosecutors investigating the Bush administration leak of a covert CIA officer’s identity.

In a statement yesterday, Time said reporter Matthew Cooper agreed to give a deposition after Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Vice President Cheney’s chief of staff, personally released Mr. Cooper from a promise of confidentiality about a conversation the two had last year.

Mr. Cooper was held in civil contempt earlier this month by U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan for refusing to testify in the leak probe. Judge Hogan rejected Time’s claims, as well as those of “Meet the Press” host Tim Russert, that the First Amendment protected them from having to testify.

Mr. Cooper had faced up to 18 months in jail and the magazine could have been forced to pay $1,000 a day under the contempt order, which has now been vacated. Mr. Russert avoided the contempt citation by agreeing earlier to an interview with prosecutors, again after Mr. Libby released him from a confidentiality promise.

– Associated Press