On June 19, 2012, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange sought political asylum at Ecuador's embassy in London.  The Ecuadorean foreign minister said it is studying and analyzing the request.  Assange has said the effort to extradite him is politically motivated.  Latin American countries have a history of awarding asylum.  The Ecuadorean government does not have close relations with the U.S.

Mauricio Santoyo Velasco, once a prominent Colombian general and head of security, has been indicted by the United States for taking bribes and exporting cocaine to the United States. He also disrupted DEA and other anti-drug operations by tipping off drug traffickers in advance.  Velasco was popular for the security gains under his command, but the military remained rife with corruption.

Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, will be extradited to Sweden, after his last appeal was rejected by Britain's Supreme Court.  Mr. Assange still has the option of appealing to the European Court of Human Rights.  Mr. Assange is accused of sexually assaulting two Swedish women.  The Supreme Court had earlier ruled against Mr. Assange on May 30th.

On June 8, 2012, the Department of State announced the extension of the “Memorandum of Understanding Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Peru Concerning the Imposition of Import Restrictions on Archaeological Material from the Pre-Hispanic Cultures and Certain Ethnological Material from the Colonial Period of Peru” (MOU). The Department of Homeland Security has published notification of the extended restrictions in the Federal Register, effective June 9, 2012.

The World Bank has decided to increase its transparency by publishing the recent decisions issued by the World Bank Sanctions Board.  The Board, established in 1999, has sanctioned over 500 groups for fraud and corruption, and has disbarred them from participating in World Bank-financed operations.  Seven decisions were issued in the most recent announcement.  The entire list can be found at http://www.worldbank.org/sanctions. 

Luke Rocco Magnotta, a Canadian citizen, has been arrested by German police in Berlin.  Mr. Magnotta was sought for in connection with the murder of Jun Lin.  Mr. Magnotta also allegedly committed cannibalism, and mailed the severed limbs of Mr. Lin to Canadian police, which sparked international interest in the murder.  Mr. Magnotta fled Canada following the murder, but police identified him throguh fingerprint evidence as the killer.  Mr. Magnotta was arrested at a Berlin internet cafe, whose owner became suspicious when he recognized Mr. Magnotta's face. 

Charles Taylor, the ex-President of Liberia, has been sentenced by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to 50 years in prison for a multitude of offenses and crimes against humanity committed during a civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s.  Taylor, who is 64, will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.  

Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, has had his appeal against extradition to Sweden rejected by Britain's Supreme Court this Wednesday.  Mr. Assange has been accused of rape.  The legal question at the center of the appeal was whether or not the Swedish prosecutor could issue a European Arrest Warrant for Mr. Assange.  The Supreme Court ruled that the prosecutor was indeed a "judicial authority," and could issue such a warrant.  Mr. Assange has 14 days to challenge the ruling.

The California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) has filed a lawsuit against 27 Wal-Mart executives, alleging corruption and bribery.  The group alleges that the actions of Wal-Mart officials caused financial harm to shareholders, of which CalSTRS owns millions.  The group will have to prove that the company officials acted out of self-interest rather than in the interest of the company, or that the officials don't deserve liability protection due to their indefensible decisions.

President Obama issued an executive order on Wednesday, May 16th, authorizing the Treasury Department to freeze the assets of anyone who obstructs the political transition taking place in Yemen.  The order is broadly based, and does not name specific individuals or organizations as its targets, but applies to anyone, including U.S. citizens, who "obstruct the obstruct the implementation of the agreement of November 23, 2011," which would result in a transition to a democratically elected government.