Source: BBC

California is set to become the first state in the US to ban the sale of non-rescue animals in pet shops. The new law, known as AB 485, takes effect on 1 January. Any businesses violating it face a $500 (£400) fine.

The change means cats, dogs and rabbits sold by retailers cannot be sourced from breeders, only from animal shelters.

Animal rights groups have heralded it as a step forward against so-called "kitten factories" and "puppy mills".

They say the current "high-volume" industries, where pets are bred for profit, can lead to inhumane treatment and long-term emotional and physical health problems in some animals.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46717173

Source: ABC News

Republican wins Georgia secretary of state election viewed as referendum on voter suppression allegations

In a runoff contest widely viewed as a referendum on allegations of voter suppression and disenfranchisement that marred Georgia's midterm races this year, Republican former state Rep. Brad Raffensperger has won the election for state secretary of state, the Associated Press projects.

Raffensperger defeated former U.S. Rep. John Barrow in the race, which advanced to a second round after no candidate received a majority of the votes last month.

Normally something of an afterthought at the national level, the secretary of state election gained prominence in the aftermath of Georgia's high-profile gubernatorial contest. It was a prime example of the Democratic voter enthusiasm in 2018, but one in which Democrat Stacey Abrams nevertheless fell short of upsetting her Republican rival, Gov.-elect Brian Kemp.

On Election Day last month, Raffensperger received 49.09 percent to Barrow's 48.67 percent, a difference of just over 16,000 votes. Voting that night, and early voting in the weeks prior, overseen by the secretary of state's office, featured scores of complaints across Georgia about voter registration purging and difficulties in obtaining absentee ballots and confirming their receipt and legitimacy.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/georgia-secretary-state-runoff-framed-proxy-gubernatorial-rematch/story?id=59483556

Source: NBC

A politically connected multi-millionaire sex offender accused of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls struck a last-minute deal to avoid a civil trial that would have allowed some of his victims to finally testify against him in open court.

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The deal included a financial settlement, the details of which were kept confidential, NBC Miami reported. It also included an apology from Epstein to Edwards, who'd accused Epstein of trying to ruin his reputation as retaliation for having represented his accusers.

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The apology offered no words of remorse for Epstein's alleged victims, several of whom had been expected to testify in the trial, the Miami Herald reported. The women had been expected to testify that they had been sexually abused and that Edwards hadn't done anything illegal or criminal.

Epstein — a financier who was friends with the likes of Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Great Britain's Prince Andrew — has been accused of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls in the early 2000s.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jeffrey-epstein-multi-millionaire-sex-offender-settles-suit-apologizes-n943481