LOS ANGELES — A federal judge is the subject of a new legal challenge involving some $35 million tied to the late Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos.

An attorney who filed a notice of appeal in the case Wednesday confirmed that various claimants to the money are seeking an accounting from U.S. District Judge Manuel Real on how the assets were managed while the case was wending its way up to the Supreme Court.

Attorney Charles A. Rothfeld, who handled the high court case, said yesterday the appellants have asked Real for an accounting but were given a one-page document that"gives no idea of what happened to the money."

Real, based in Los Angeles, was temporarily sitting at a federal court in Hawai'i when he made decisions in the case, and the funds were held by the court there during the litigation.

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PANEL FORMED

CUERNAVACA, Mexico — The U.S. and Mexico are creating a cross-border group to develop strategies for stopping the illegal flow of guns and drugs between the two countries, officials said yesterday.

Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said after a conference with U.S. officials that more meetings are needed to develop plans to bring warring drug cartels under control along the border.

Medina Mora said Mexico planned to begin checking 10 percent of the vehicles entering the country from the U.S. for illegal weapons and will more closely check outgoing vehicles for drugs and money.

INDIGENOUS RIGHTS DECLARATION ACCEPTED

SYDNEY — Australia adopted the U.N.'s declaration of indigenous rights today, reversing its earlier opposition in what officials said was an effort to "reset" relations between white Australians and Aborigines.

The support for the nonbinding declaration, announced at a ceremony in the national capital, Canberra, is a largely symbolic step, but extends a dramatic shift in policy on Aborigines since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was elected 17 months ago.

Australia was one of just four nations that voted against the U.N. declaration when it was adopted by the General Assembly in 2007.

IRAQ DROPS CHARGES AGAINST SUNNI LEADER

BAGHDAD — Ten days after arresting him in the middle of the night, the Iraqi government yesterday freed a prominent Sunni Muslim paramilitary leader and dropped all charges against him.

While freeing Raad Ali, the Shiite-led government continued to hold another Sunni leader, Adel Mashhadani, whose arrest Saturday triggered an uprising that left at least 17 people wounded, and has arrested a number of other Sunni paramilitary leaders and members this week.

The turmoil is fueling fears that rising tensions between Sunnis and Shiites and between Sunni Arabs and Kurds could trigger a new round of violence and even disrupt the Obama administration's plans to draw down American forces in Iraq.

VERMONT HOUSE APPROVES GAY MARRIAGE

MONTPELIER, Vt. — After impassioned pleas from gay and lesbian legislators sharing their own love stories in front of hundreds of partisans packing the chamber, the Vermont House yesterday advanced a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry.

The House gave the bill preliminary approval on a 95-52 roll call vote. The margin was less than the two-thirds majority that would be needed for the 150-member House to override Gov. Jim Douglas' promised veto.

Only Massachusetts and Connecticut permit same-sex marriage. California briefly allowed it before a voter initiative in November repealed it.

DEATHS RISE FOR MEDICAL FLIGHTS, AIR TOURS

WASHINGTON — There was a spike last year in deaths from crashes of air medical, air taxi and tour flights, federal safety officials said yesterday.

The National Transportation Safety Board said there were 56 accidents of "on-demand" flights in which 66 people were killed in 2008. That's the highest number of fatalities for such flights in eight years and an increase of 13 deaths over 2007.

The board held a public hearing earlier this year examining the safety practices of the air medical helicopter industry. Fifteen people were killed in four medical helicopter crashes in 2008.