Society
London couple go to Isle of Man for UK's first civil partnership bbc
The couple, who have two children, added: "We want a less encumbered, light-touch civil union that recognises our relationship on our terms, free from the trappings and social pre-conditions of marriage, while protecting our family financially and in law.
Syria
Western powers accuse Russia of barbaric war crimes before shock UN walkout independent.co.uk v
Matthew Rycroft, alongside the French and US ambassadors, walked out of the sesson when Syria's ambassador was called to speak at an emergency meeting demanding a halt to the violence in Aleppo.
Also see US slams Russian ‘barbarism’ in Syria, as Britain brands Aleppo assault a war crime scmp and Syria conflict: US and UK rhetoric 'unacceptable' - Russia bbc
Drugs
The Number of Workers Flunking Drug Tests Is at a 10-Year High fortune
Pulling data from more than 9.5 million urine, 900,000 oral fluid, and 200,000 hair laboratory-based tests that were performed by Quest questdiagnostics for employers in 2015, the study found that usage rates of amphetamines, marijuana, and heroin have all increased in the past five years in the general workforce.
Creatures
Computation of motion by T4 cells in the fly brain more complex than previously believed medicalxpress
Flies are usually very difficult to catch. No wonder – they invest around ten percent of their brain in the detection and processing of image motion. For the fly, a hand approaches in slow motion and the fly's evasive manoeuvre has long been triggered before any real danger arises. Scientists have been researching for decades how the fly brain can perceive and process movements so quickly and accurately. "Our goal is slowly coming into view, and we are close to completely decoding the neuronal circuit of motion perception in the fly," says Alexander Borst, who has been working on this problem with his Department at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology neuro.mpg.de for quite some time. The scientists have now come one step closer to the answer: They have provided experimental data that combine two theories previously considered as alternatives.
Society
ChristianMingle now allows gay dating, after a lawsuit washingtonpost
The lawsuit, according to Christianity Today, argued that ChristianMingle violated California’s non-discrimination law that prohibits for-profit companies, such as Spark Networks, which owns ChristianMingle, from discriminating against customers on the basis of sexual orientation, among other categories.
Based on their ads, I've never thought of ChristianMingle as anything more than a cultural Christianity thing - and the fact that only 1 board member stepped down as a result of the ruling is probably a good indication that that's about as deep as their theology goes. However, still an illustration of the overarching enforcing of state religion.
Israel
Israel should stop settlements, denying Palestinian development: Quartet report reuters
The report by the Quartet entities sponsoring the stalled peace process - the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - said the Israeli policy "is steadily eroding the viability of the two-state solution."
Also Quartet report cites violence, settlements and Gaza as barriers to Middle East peace – UN envoy from the UN and The Quartet Report pdf
Syria
In Syria's Aleppo, divided locals share fear of total siege foxnews
As government forces mount attacks to close the only road to the opposition-held areas in the east of the city, rebels outside Aleppo are slowly constricting the passage to the western, government-held side. International relief organizations have warned that the city of Aleppo is "effectively cut off from humanitarian aid.
Also see Russia says 48-hour truce reached in Syria's Aleppo
Two-State Solution
Gold: Israel opposes French plan even if it includes ‘Jewish state’ recognition jpost
“There are many problems with the French initiative, one of them is the lack of recognition of a Jewish state,” Gold said Thursday. “But even if that were changed, it wouldn’t alter many fundamental problems with the French initiative.”
Gold voiced anger at France’s vote last month at the UNESCO executive board meeting in favor of a resolution on Jerusalem that expunged any Jewish connection to the Temple Mount.
