US teenagers are backing away from sex, drugs and alcohol

It has been five years since the German government enacted the prostitution protection act. Lawmakers say it protects vulnerable people; many sex workers say it is discriminatory, stigmatizing and has increased risks.

A charge has been filed against New York's former Governor Andrew Cuomo. The disgraced politician stepped down after facing allegations of serial sexual harassment.

The boy had stolen the cannabis from his father and, along with friends, set it alight, police said. The father is being investigated for drug possession.

After a scathing report that revealed the abuse of over 330,000 children over 70 years, the church said it will sell its real estate assets or take loans to compensate the victims.

In a recent episode of "The Oprah Conversation," Smith divulged the early days of his relationship with Oprah Winfrey. "We drank every day, and had sex multiple times every day, for four straight months," the 67-year-old read from an excerpt of Smith's book, as quoted by E! News.

The International Criminal Court said it was suspending the investigation it launched in September to look into a deferral request by Manila. Human rights groups slammed the decision, urging it to continue work.

Religious parties argue the gender change law is promoting homosexuality, dubbing it "un-Islamic." A bill in the Muslim-majority country's Senate seeks to make the sex change procedure more difficult for citizens.

France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema was found guilty of complicity in the attempted blackmail of a former international team mate over a sex tape on Wednesday and sentenced to a one-year suspended jail term. He was also fined 75,000 euros ($84,170). Benzema's lawyer said the player would appeal against the verdict.

Twenty years ago, Portugal was plagued with heroin addiction and HIV infections. The country decided to take a new approach to the problem, becoming the first in the world to decriminalise drug taking. Since then, drug users are no longer treated as criminals to be locked up in jail, but as people who need medical care and supervision. The gamble has paid off, as our team found out.

In a big day for LGBT residents of Botswana, an attempt to overturn the decriminalisation of homosexuality has failed in court. Also, South Africa's government says it is being punished as it tries to get countries to walk back some of their Covid-19 travel restrictions. And the China-Africa summit kicks off in Dakar, where participants are discussing trade, conflict and the coronavirus pandemic.

Ghislaine Maxwell, the UK socialite accused of grooming young girls for Jeffrey Epstein, has appeared in a New York court. Prosecutors say she gained the girls' trust by taking them to movies and sending them gifts.

Some 30 countries around the world have already legalised gay marriage, but just a handful of them are in Latin America. They include Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, and now Chile can be added to that list. People there celebrated this week as the Chilean Congress voted to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption. The decision now needs to be signed by the president, who backs the law.