Nov. 19: International Briefs

Boycott Rejected

OSLO — The board of trustees of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology decided last week not to start an academic boycott against Israel. The idea came from a letter to the board from 34 professors who said Israeli universities “have played a key role in [Israel’s] policy of oppression” and that “Israel goes against all the ideals of open universities and academic freedom.” The letter urged a boycott of Israeli educational, research and cultural institutions. Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, a European-based pro-Israel group, circulated a petition slamming plans for a boycott.

Rubashkin Convicted

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A jury convicted Sholom Rubashkin, the former owner of an Iowa kosher slaughterhouse, of 86 out of 91 fraud charges. The 12-person jury’s Nov. 12 decision in Sioux Falls, S.D. likely means that Rubashkin, 50, will spend the rest of his life in jail. U.S. authorities launched investigations into the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa, after a May 2008 immigration raid. The jury took four days to deliberate after a month-long trial and convicted him on a range of fraud charges, money laundering and failing to pay suppliers. His lawyers argued he was a poor businessman. The trial was moved out of Iowa after a judge said the juror pool was prejudiced by media coverage.