Across the United States, the new year will usher in thousands of new state laws. At least 20 states increase statewide minimum wage starting Jan. 1 — the highest in Washington state at $16.66 an hour, followed by California at $16.50. Kentucky becomes the latest state to legalize medical marijuana and several states, including Delaware, tighten gun control. A Florida law that bans children under 14 from having social media accounts, and limits 14 and 15-year-olds to accounts authorized by their parents, takes effect Wednesday. However, social media companies may not immediately kick those kids off their platforms. And a new California law says schools can no longer require teachers to out LGBTQ+ students to their parents - NPR
Thousands of Bangladeshis rallied at a ‘March for Unity’ in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday to mark the student-led uprising five months ago that led to the ouster of longstanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and remember the more than 1,000 killed in the violence.The Students Against Discrimination (SAD) group that led the protests, dropped a plan to call for changes to the country’s 1972 constitution at the rally, after the interim government announced on Monday that it would prepare a proclamation. SAD says a ‘Proclamation of the July Revolution’ is essential to honour the sacrifice of the protesters who died or were wounded, and to serve as a document reflecting the people’s aspirations. Some political analysts had expressed concern that there could be fresh instability if students sought changes to the constitution without broader consensus. The press office of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who leads the interim government, said it would seek national consensus on a ‘Declaration of the July Uprising’, focusing on unity, state reform, and the broader goals of the uprising. It expressed hope that a declaration would be finalized soon - Reuters
Russian natural gas supplies to Europe via a pipeline traversing Ukraine are set to end today with the expiration of a contract signed before Russia launched its full-scale invasion. The pipeline, Russia’s oldest gas export route to Europe, was set to shut down at the end of 2024 with the expiration of the contract. Data from Ukraine’s gas transit operator on December 31 showed that Russia had not requested any gas flows for January 1. The operator said Russia had begun reducing gas flows through the pipeline hours ahead of the expiration of the contract signed in December 2019 between Gazprom and Ukraine’s Naftogaz. The pipeline brought gas from Siberia to the Russia town of Sudzha, which is now under the control of Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region. It then flowed through Ukraine to Slovakia, where the Soviet-era pipeline splits into branches going to the Czech Republic and Austria. Ukraine repeatedly said it would not sign a new deal to replace the one expiring due to the war. The decision also aligns with efforts by Ukraine and its allies to cut off the Kremlin’s source of funding for the war.
Moldovan leaders have implemented energy-saving measures and assured residents of temporary gas reserves, but fears of a humanitarian crisis in Transnistria remain. Russia’s state-owned Gazprom is set to halt gas supplies to Moldova on 1 January over a disputed $709 million (€680 million) debt, a figure dismissed by Moldova’s pro-Western government as confected for political reasons - Euronews
Russia launched an aerial attack on Ukraine on New Year’s Eve and into Wednesday morning, striking the capital and other regions with multiple drones. In Kyiv, two floors of a building were destroyed and there were casualties, according to authorities. Explosion were heard in several other cities, various Telegram channels reported. It followed a major missile and drone attack on Tuesday morning.
The Taliban say they will close all national and foreign nongovernmental groups in Afghanistan employing women, the latest crackdown on women’s rights since they took power in August 2021. The announcement comes two years after they told NGOs to suspend the employment of Afghan women, allegedly because they didn’t wear the Islamic headscarf correctly. In a letter published on X Sunday night, the Economy Ministry warned that failure to comply with the latest order would lead to NGOs losing their license to operate in Afghanistan - CNN
Israel’s siege and relentless attacks on North Gaza have forced the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians. Many of them sought refuge in Gaza City. OCHA, the UN’s humanitarian agency, says those in Gaza City who had fled on foot without any personal belongings are now “struggling to meet even their most basic needs”. UN agencies conducted a needs assessment at four makeshift displacement sites that are currently hosting more than 1,900 families in Gaza City, and found “abysmal water and sanitation conditions”, it said - Al Jazeera
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