Is the `Iddah (waiting period) of the divorced effective from the time the divorce took place, or from the time of registering it at the court?
It is considered effective from the very moment her divorce took place, but not from the time of registering it at the court. And Allah Knows Best.
Is buying shared land from someone who has taken possession of it considered halal or haram?
The shared land is possessed by the country i.e. for all people; therefore, it shouldn't be possessed/occupied save by it's guardian/owner permission,thusly it can't be possessed save by having owners' permission. Finally, buying it from a person who don't possess it is impermissible. And Allah Knows Best.
Is my husband entitled to take my salary?
Your salary is yours, and you may give some of it to him as a kind of free-will contribution.
What is the Islamic ruling on adoption, and what is the legal window through which a person can be kind to an orphan girl, attend to her needs and raise her as his own?
Kindness to an orphan entails a great reward from Allah, but adoption is prohibited and invalid. Therefore, it is permissible for the aforementioned person (for example) to make his brother`s wife breastfeed that girl so that he becomes her uncle by suckling provided that he informs her that she isn`t his biological daughter.