Mexico City's local assembly approved a same-sex marriage law on Monday, seeking to extend equal rights to gay couples throughout the city. The proposed legislation would allow for marriage, adoption, inheritance, and other human, economic, and social rights. The provisions also seek to end discrimination based on sexual orientation. Mexico City mayor Marcelo Ebrard is [...]

Galleon Group hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam and former hedge fund consultant Danielle Chiesi pleaded not guilty Monday to insider trading charges. The pair were indicted last week by a federal grand jury in Manhattan on charges of conspiracy and securities fraud for their alleged role in the largest hedge fund insider trading case in [...]

The Guinean military junta committed crimes against humanity during the September 28 incidents at Conakry , according to a report by a UN fact-finding mission leaked Monday. The commission concluded that military junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara should be held responsible for the violence at the pro-democracy rally in which soldiers allegedly opened fire, killing [...]

The World Trade Organization (WTO) on Monday rejected a Chinese appeal of an August ruling that Chinese controls on US imports of books, music, and audiovisual materials violate international trade regulations. The dispute originally arose in April 2007 when the US filed a complaint over Chinese restrictions allowing certain state-owned companies to reserve the right [...]

Violent crime in the US decreased 4.4 percent in the first half of 2009, according to the FBI's Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report published Monday. Specifically, murder decreased 10 percent, robbery dropped 6.5 percent, forcible rape fell 3.3 percent, and aggravated assault decreased 3.2 percent. While violent crime rates dropped across the country as a [...]

The UN on Monday called for leaders of the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) to be apprehended for war crimes in southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) between September 2008 and June 2009. The LRA is accused of killing, raping, and mutilating more than 1,200 men, women, and children, abducting at [...]

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of fraud and corruption that led to his resignation last year. Olmert is accused of illegally accepting cash contributions from American businessman Moshe Talansky, double billing travel expenses to the state and charitable donors, and giving his former law partner Uri Messer access [...]

Myanmar's Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal by opposition pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi against the 18-month extension of her house arrest. The decision for the full court to hear her appeal came as the result of a preliminary hearing held Monday, after the court initially agreed to consider the appeal [...]

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) on Monday charged former Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Thirith with genocide, torture, and persecution, adding to previous charges that include war crimes and murder. Ieng Thirith, the wife of ECCC defendant Ieng Sary , served as social affairs minister for the regime that allegedly caused the [...]

The US Senate agreed on Monday to close the debate on proposed health care reform legislation , making way for a vote expected Thursday. The agreement was reached by a narrow 60 to 40 vote, requiring every Democrat and Independent vote available. The proposed bill seeks to extend health insurance coverage and prohibit insurance companies [...]