GERMANY: German lawmakers approved a government plan today to liberalise rules on cannabis, paving the way for the country to decriminalise limited amounts and allow members of “cannabis clubs” to buy it for recreational purposes.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the government’s aim is to “fight the black market” and better protect young people. He said current laws in Germany have failed, with consumption rising and increasing problems with contaminated or overly concentrated cannabis.

SPAIN: Firefighters and army experts were calculating the risks today of entering a residential block that was destroyed by fire in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia, killing four people and leaving 14 missing.