On Jan 31, British Columbia is set to decriminalise possession of personal-use amounts of A-class drugs in a move that has been condemned by Conservatives as “flooding the streets with poison”. Officials in the province, which is controlled by the New Democratic Party (NDP), say the policy is to reduce the “barriers and stigma” of drug addiction and to reduce overdose rates. (Allen, The Telegraph)
Read MoreThe new government, which political analysts say is the most conservative in Israel’s history, is poised to enact an agenda that would expand Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, give lawmakers greater control over the Supreme Court and make changes to the relationship of religion and state. (Raice, The Wall Street Journal)
Read MoreAlabama’s attorney general became the most prominent Republican official yet to suggest that pregnant women could be prosecuted for taking abortion pills, saying in recent days that a state ban targeting those who facilitate abortions does not preclude the state from seeking to penalize women under other existing laws. (Kitchener & Francis, The Washington Post)
Read MoreThe 80th Golden Globe Awards aired Tuesday night on NBC. [See] the full list of nominees, with winners marked in bold. (Sarmiento, NPR)
Read MoreThe Archbishop of Canterbury has defended the establishment of a £100 million fund to "address past wrongs of slavery" during a time of financial crisis among parishes. The Church Commissioners, which handles more than £10 billion of assets for the Church of England, announced the pledge on Tuesday following last year’s publication of a report which found that much of the institution’s wealth originates from the slave trade. (Swerling, The Telegraph)
Read MoreThe internet has transformed pornography, making it much easier to view and share than in the days of Playboy magazine and late-night cable television. For teenagers, that’s created a deluge of sexually explicit photos and videos that has invaded their everyday lives, according to a report released on Tuesday. (Kang, The New York Times)
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