A US court put on hold Friday a new Californian law banning a form of therapy designed to change the sexual orientation of minors, pending a further appeal.
The United States' most powerful pro-gun lobbying group demanded Friday that armed police be deployed to every school in the country following a mass shooting that left 20 young children dead.
President Barack Obama put ending an "epidemic" of gun violence at the top of his second term agenda Wednesday, denying he was "on vacation" on the issue before last week's school massacre.
Signs of evolving US gun debate after school tragedy
New signs emerged Monday of an evolving US gun law debate, with several top lawmakers appearing more open to stiffening controls on firearms after the Connecticut school massacre.
The horrific shooting that has left 20 young children and six adults dead in rural Connecticut revived the familiar US gun law debate, where restrictions vary widely between different states.
Same laws must apply to bloggers, tweeters: Leveson
The man who led the inquiry into Britain's phone-hacking scandal has warned that bloggers and tweeters should be subject to the same laws as traditional media outlets to prevent a decline in standards of journalism.
Weddings abound as Washington's gay marriage law kicks in
Hundreds of same-sex couples flocked to get married in the northwest state of Washington on Sunday, the first day possible after the state approved gay marriage in a referendum in November.
The US Supreme Court on Friday decided to take up the sensitive issue of gay marriage, hearing challenges to a federal law denying benefits to same-sex couples and California's ban on such unions.
Pot smokers lit up in Washington state Thursday as recreational marijuana became legal in a historic first for the United States, clouded by the fact that federal law still bans the practice.
Mexico gay rights groups cheer court's marriage ruling
Mexican gay rights groups voiced hope Thursday that a Supreme Court ruling against an Oaxaca state law that banned same-sex marriages will lead to similar decisions across the nation.
All cigarettes sold in Australia will be in identical, plain packages from Saturday in a world first after the government overcame legal challenges from the tobacco industry.
British newspapers back PM's opposition to press laws
Britain's newspapers on Friday praised senior judge Brian Leveson's report into media ethics but warned its recommendation to introduce new laws could "suffocate the free press".
Chile's senate approved a proposed new fisheries law Thursday amid opposition criticism that it would award fishing concessions to just a few families.
New law to ban India's 'untouchable' toilet cleaners
With both hands holding the basket of human excrement on her head, widowed grandmother Kela walks through a stream of sewage, up a mound of waste and then dumps the filth while cursing.
