Mexico’s Senate gave final approval to a federal anti-money laundering law Thursday in the nation’s latest effort to subdue the country’s powerful drug cartels. Passed by the lower congressional house earlier this year, the legislation was proposed two years ago by outgoing President Felipe Calderon , a conservative who, after taking office in 2006, launched [...]

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The Thai Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant Thursday for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra . The warrant was issued following his failure to appear before the court in an ongoing trial on five criminal charges including abuse of power and violation of banking regulations at the state-owned Krung Thai Bank. Thaksin and the bank [...]

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A UN official on Wednesday said that Islamists who have seized power in northern Mali are violating the human rights of women and children through enforced prostitution and recruitment of child soldiers. UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic said that rebel forces who seized power in northern Mali when soldiers overthrew Mali’s president [...]

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The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin , in which the plaintiff is challenging the constitutionality of the university’s affirmative action program. The plaintiff, Abigail Noel Fisher, was denied acceptance to the university and claims that her race was a determining factor in her rejection. Fisher’s [...]

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The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday issued an order temporarily staying an injunction blocking Montana’s campaign finance law. Montana’s campaign finance law law limits the individual contributions to gubernatorial and lieutenant governor candidates to $500 and contributions to candidates for other statewide offices to $250. The trial court’s injunction found [...]

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