The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has brought its first enforcement action under the USA Patriot Act against Los Angeles brokerage firm Crowell, Weedon & Co. , the largest independent investment firm in the western US. The SEC issued a cease-and-desist order Monday against Crowell for failing to document its customer identification procedures for [...]

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UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday that Sudanese trade embargoes in the volatile Darfur region "have prevented the access of civilians to vital goods and constitute a violation of international humanitarian law." In a report Monday to the UN Security Council , Annan said that government-imposed restrictions effectively prevent civilians in Darfur from receiving necessary [...]

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