TopNews

Records have shown that ex-Mexican drug lord Osiel Cardenas Guillen's lawyers arranged for him to serve time in a medium-security rather than high-security U. S. prison.

U. S. authorities said on Thursday that Samuel and Charles Wyly, who made billions in the sale of a business software firm, have been charged with securities fraud.

The New York Times reported that the Securities and Exchange Commission, following a six-year investigation, charged the Wyly brothers, based in Dallas, with carrying out a scheme that netted them $550 million. The Washington Post has reported that an attorney and stockbrokers for the Wylys' were also charged.

The Times further said that the founders of Sterling Software sold the company for $4 billion in stock in March 2000. The SEC charges announced Thursday include insider trading that investigators said allowed the Wylys to realize more than $31 million in gains.

The leak of classified documents on the Afghan war could have "severe and dangerous" consequences for U. S. troops, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday.

The Washington Post has reported that Gates told reporters at a news conference in Washington the release could have serious diplomatic repercussions for Washington, saying it "may well damage our relationships and reputation in that key part of the world."

He said, "We have considerable repair work to do."

It has been reported that Arizona on Thursday filed an appeal with the U. S. District Court for the 9th Circuit, asking that a ruling on the state's new immigration law be overturned.

The Arizona Republic has reported that the appeal, filed by Gov. Jan Brewer, asks that the case be expedited, raising the possibility arguments could be heard by mid-September.

The governor said in a statement, "Illegal immigration is an ongoing crisis the State of Arizona did not create and the federal government has refused to fix."

Intended to increase prosecution of crimes on Indian reservations, U. S. President Barack Obama on Thursday signed the Tribal Law and Order Act.

Obama said in remarks during a signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House, "All of our people, whether they live in our biggest cities or our most remote reservations, have the right to feel safe in their own communities, and to raise their children in peace, and enjoy the fullest protection of our laws."

According to the latest media reports, personal profile information for more than 171 million Facebook users was snatched from the U. S. social-networking Web site and published online.