Guardian reports a man accused of raping and sexually assaulting a series of elderly people over a 17-year period appeared in court for the first time today. Delroy Grant, the alleged "night stalker" serial rapist, was charged with a series...

SMH reports it might seem unusual for a rape charge to arise from an incident in a brothel, the District Court heard yesterday. But the Crown Prosecutor, Mark Tedeschi, QC, told the court that sex workers were entitled to set conditions on their sexual...

Bloomberg reports William Jefferson, the former U.S. congressman caught with $90,000 in marked currency stuffed in his freezer, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for using his office to solicit bribes. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III in Alexandria,...

LA Times reports Mexicans were none too pleased to read that their country's most-wanted cocaine kingpin had been ranked by Forbes magazine as one of the most powerful people in the world. Joaquin Guzman - alias El Chapo, Spanish for ''Shorty'' - was...

Associated Press reports a jury that convicted a man of capital murder in the beating death of an Arkansas TV anchorwoman will weigh Thursday whether to impose the death penalty. Jurors found Curtis Lavelle Vance guilty Wednesday in an assault on...

CNET News reports a group of Eastern Europeans was charged with hacking into the network of payment processor RBS WorldPay and using counterfeit debit cards at ATMs around the world to steal more than $9m, the US Justice Department said on Tuesday....

Guardian reports Microsoft says it is cutting off gamers who have modified their Xbox 360 consoles by adding extra chips or hard drives from its Xbox Live online services. The company says that "a small percentage" are affected – possibly...

Reuters reports SMIC, China's largest contract chipmaker, said on Tuesday that it will pay $200 million and give the right to purchase up to 10 percent of the company to TSMC  to settle lawsuits between the two. That could help TSMC, the world's...

Bloomberg reports Reed Smith LLP, the 16th highest grossing U.S. law firm, said it will cut salaries for incoming associates by 20 percent. Associates who join the firm in January 2010 will make $130,000 a year, down from the $160,000 annual salaries...

Associated Press reports Iraq's parliament ended weeks of debate Sunday and passed a long-delayed law paving the way for the planned January election to go forward, sidestepping a crisis that could have delayed the U.S. troop withdrawal. The decision...

WSJ reports President Barack Obama's health-care overhaul faces an uncertain battle in the Senate after a narrow weekend victory in the House revealed the continuing divide among Democrats. The bill passed by a 220-215 margin late Saturday after fractious...

Bloomberg reports the U.S. will decide by Nov. 16 whether to try Guantanamo detainees in military or civilian courts, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said. While President Barack Obama’s administration remains committed to closing the prison in...

AFP reports neighbors of alleged US serial killer Anthony Sowell had apparently complained about a foul smell for years, but many believed it was coming from a sausage shop next door. The 50-year-old convicted rapist was arraigned Wednesday on a string...

AFP reports Italy violates parents' right to educate their children along secular lines by displaying crucifixes in classrooms, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday. The judgement sparked anger in Catholic Italy, with the country's Education...

CNN reports the parents of a baby born with a severe birth defect are battling in a British court over whether to switch off the child's life support. The mother sides with doctors and favors disconnecting the baby's respirator. The father took the case...

Telegraph reports the detainees from the Turkic Uighur minority were arrested in Afghanistan during the opening days of military operations in 2001 and held as suspected militants until last year when a US military tribunal decided they were not 'enemy...

Associated Press reports a 1970s-era Texas law that allows parents to show "harmful material" to their children has come under fire after a prosecutor said he couldn't file charges against a man accused of forcing his 8- and 9-year-old daughters...

CNN reports a high-stakes trial has kicked off to determine whether South Africa's former police commissioner is a corrupt cop or a man wrongly accused of being in the pocket of criminals. The trial of former top cop Jackie Selebi, a 59-year-old...

The Independent reports a man who raped a tourist in his home after offering her a place to stay through a travellers' website has been jailed for 10 years, police said today. Abdelali Nachet, 34, subjected his victim to the "appalling"...

BBC News reports Hossein Rassam, 44, was arrested in June at the time of massive street protests over the country's disputed presidential election. The Iranian, who worked as the embassy's chief political analyst, was accused of spying and inciting unrest....

SMH reports a Kiwi teacher who posed nude for a pornographic website will become a "test case" for new rules preventing teachers from bringing the profession into disrepute. The Sunday News revealed at the weekend that Rachel Whitwell,...

BBC News  reports the two-day operation, which involved thousands of police officers in 19 US states, is the latest aimed at the cartel known as La Familia. It was part of Project Coronado, which has led to almost 1,200 arrests over four years, officials...

Financial Times reports Nokia, the world's biggest mobile-phone maker, yesterday launched a legal challenge against alleged intellectual property abuse by Apple, opening a new front in its battle against a US rival that is transforming the industry. A...

AFP reports a fugitive German cardiologist convicted of poisoning his French lover's daughter 27 years ago was kidnapped and dumped, bound and gagged, outside a French courtroom, police said on Tuesday. Dieter Krombach, 74, was convicted of manslaughter...

CNN reports the Colorado couple accused of carrying out a bizarre hoax involving their son and a huge balloon is "not running from the law" and deserves the presumption of innocence, their attorney said Monday. "The sheriff having a press...

Xinhua reports the name of the Chinese bulk carrier hijacked in the Indian Ocean earlier on Monday has been identified as DE XIN HAI, a spokesperson of the EU naval force said, adding there are 25 Chinese aboard the ship. John Harbour said that the EU...

CNN reports immigrant rights activists are calling on U.S. retailers to stop selling two controversial "Illegal Alien" costumes that have surfaced for Halloween, saying the outfits are a broadside attack on illegal immigrants. The "Illegal...

BBC News reports a jury deliberated for 23 days before convicting them on charges including possessing chemicals for explosives and instructions to make bombs. The maximum sentence for the offences is life in prison. Prosecutors said the men...

BBC News reports the two men have been charged with illegal detention, criminal association and armed robbery, among other charges. The pair, named as Abdu Willy and Raagegeesey, were arrested by Spain's navy as they left the Alakrana vessel. The pirates...

Associated Press reports President Barack Obama pledged to end the ban on homosexuals serving openly in the military in a speech Saturday, but acknowledged to a cheering crowd that the policy changes he promised on the campaign trail are not coming as quickly...