Mexico

Max Factor heir caught after months as fugitive

A convicted rapist who is heir to the Max Factor fortune was arrested Wednesday after five months on the run, picked up by Mexican police as he scuffled with bounty hunters who trailed him from California to Puerto Vallarta.

Before dawn, the bounty hunters chased Andrew Luster in his car and managed to stop him.

The capture ended a hunt that began in January, when Luster — great-grandson of makeup legend Max Factor — disappeared during a recess in his trial on accusations he drugged three women and raped them in his home between 1996 and 2000.

The California court went on to sentence Luster in absentia to 124 years for multiple counts of rape, poisoning and drug possession.

Washington, D.C.

Census: Immigration fueling Hispanic growth

Hispanics accounted for nearly half the growth in the U.S population the past two years as a high birth rate and influx of immigrants helped secure Latinos’ position as the largest minority group.

Hispanics numbered 38.8 million as of July 2002. That was an increase of almost 10 percent, or 3.5 million, since April 2000, the Census Bureau estimated Wednesday. During the same period, the national population rose 2.5 percent, or 6.9 million people, to more than 288 million.

Immigration accounted for just over half of the population gain among Hispanics.

The government considers Hispanic an ethnicity, not a race, so people of Hispanic ethnicity can be of any race.

Hispanics make up 13.5 percent of the total population.

New York City

Seventy-four arrested in 9-11 credit union fraud

Nearly 30 city employees are among a new round of suspects who allegedly took advantage of a malfunctioning ATM after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to steal millions of dollars.

Authorities arrested 74 more people and sought another 44. All are among 4,187 members of a government credit union who are being investigated in the theft of a total of $15 million.

The suspects allegedly withdrew more than they had in their accounts. The credit union, whose members include city, state and federal government employees and health care industry workers, was near the World Trade Center.

The destruction disabled the Municipal Credit Union’s automatic teller machines. Rather than shut them down, the credit union allowed the ATMs to continue dispensing cash to avoid causing account holders hardship.

Finland

Prime minister resigns for allegations of lying

Two months after becoming Finland’s first female prime minister, Anneli Jaatteenmaki resigned Wednesday amid accusations she lied about the leak of sensitive political information during her campaign.

Jaatteenmaki’s Center Party won in March elections over the ruling Social Democrats after accusing the incumbent prime minister of compromising Finland’s neutrality by supporting the U.S.-led war against Iraq.

But she was accused of using information gleaned from leaked confidential Foreign Ministry documents to exploit the anti-war feeling among the majority of Finns.

Jaatteenmaki, who spent the day being grilled by lawmakers about the allegations, said she would hand in her resignation Wednesday night to President Tarja Halonen.

She did not admit any wrongdoing but said the scandal made it impossible for her to continue as the country’s leader.