The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.
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
