Your morning global affairs speed-read

Washington, D.C. is playing host to the world's largest gathering of AIDS researchers, experts and patients all week long during the 19th International AIDS Conference. This is the first time in two decades the conference takes place in the United States after President Obama lifted the visa restriction on people with AIDS, and world leaders are scheduled to speak about the continued scourge of AIDS throughout the world and the hopes for treatment and a cure.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addresses the conference at 9:55 a.m. You can see the agenda for Monday here.

All's not quiet on the Syrian front: The European Union strengthened its arms embargo and sanctions on Syria in response to worsening violence. [The New York Times]

The sanctions come as Bashar Assad's forces reportedly fought rebels in the country's two largest cities, Aleppo and Damascus, with tanks and helicopters. [The Washington Post]

Empowering women: The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW) hosts an International Women’s Economic Summit with its graduating class today and Tuesday at the United States Institute of Peace. Former White House communications director Anita Dunn and the Afghan and Rwandan ambassadors are scheduled to speak.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon urged the United States to reconsider its "mistaken" gun laws in a series of tweets Saturday following the movie theater massacre last week in Colorado.

Calderon first offered his condolences for the shooting spree that left 12 dead and injured nearly 60 others during a midnight screening of the latest Batman film.

"I express my condolences to the American people for the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado," Calderon tweeted.

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The U.S. announced Sunday it would suspend military assistance to Rwanda because of "deep concerns" it may be supporting anti-government rebels in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

McCain Sunday called for a "buffer zone" to aid rebels and warned of a "risk" Assad would use chemical weapons.

The prime minister said intelligence officials knew with "certainty" the attack in Bulgaria on Israeli tourists "was a Hezbollah operation."

Lawmakers hope to get a bill to Obama's desk before Russia joins WTO next month, but time is still short.

Committee leaders criticized Bachmann for circulating a letter suggesting Muslim Brotherhood efforts to inflitrate the government.

Congressional hawks say new revelations about Syria’s chemical weapons show the urgent need for U.S. intervention.

President Obama offered his condolences to Bulgarian Prime Minister Borissov over Wednesday's suicide terrorist bombing of a bus of Israeli tourists in a phone call Friday, the White House said.

The attack left seven people — including a Bulgarian bus driver — dead.

According to the White House, the president "reiterated his condemnation of the barbaric attack" and "offered his support for the ongoing investigation, and for the Bulgarian people in this challenging time."