France Considers Social Media Ban for Under-15s, Moves to Abolish Marital "Duty to Have Sex"
France is considering banning social media for users under the age of 15 amid growing concerns about young people's mental health, Al Jazeera reported on January 29, 2026. The move comes as other European countries consider similar restrictions.
In other news from France, the country's National Assembly approved a bill on Wednesday to enshrine in law the end of so-called "conjugal rights" – the notion that marriage means a duty to have sex, according to BBC World. The bill adds a clause to the country's civil code to make clear that "community of living" does not create an "obligation for sexual relations."
The proposed law also makes it impossible to use lack of sexual relations as an argument in fault-based divorce, BBC World reported. Supporters hope the law will help deter marital rape. "By allowing such a right or duty to persist, we [are]," according to BBC World.
Meanwhile, in the UK, Waymo, the US driverless car firm, said it hopes to be operating a robotaxi service in London as soon as September this year, BBC Technology reported. The UK government has said it plans to change regulations in the second half of 2026 to enable driverless taxis to operate in the city but has not given a specific date.
Waymo said a pilot service will launch in April, and Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood said: "We're supporting Waymo and other operators through our passenger pilots, and pro-innovation regulations to make self-driving cars a reality on British roads," according to BBC Technology.
In other news from the UK, civil servants who have been left in financial hardship because of delays receiving their pensions are being offered interest-free loans of up to 10,000, BBC Business reported. Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told MPs the waits faced by retired civil servants were "completely and utterly unacceptable," according to BBC Business.
The government said around 8,500 people have had issues with pension payments since Capita took over the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme in December, BBC Business reported. The company has apologized to those affected, saying it inherited a backlog of 86,000 cases.
Across the Atlantic, in Canada, covert meetings between separatist activists in the Canadian province of Alberta and members of Donald Trump's administration amount to treason, the premier of British Columbia said on Thursday, according to The Guardian. "To go to a foreign country and to ask for assistance in breaking up Canada, there's an old-fashioned word for that – and that word is treason," David Eby told reporters, The Guardian reported.
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