News Headlines - 20 December 2013

▽N.S.A. Dragnet Included Allies, Aid Groups and Business Elite - NYTimes.com

Secret documents reveal more than 1,000 targets of American and British surveillance in recent years, including the office of an Israeli prime minister, heads of international aid organizations, foreign energy companies and a European Union official involved in antitrust battles with American technology businesses.

▽Obama orders military to report next year on changes to curb sexual assaults

President Obama expressed support for changes approved by Congress that aim to curb sexual assaults in the military, and he ordered the Pentagon to deliver a full report on its efforts at the end of next year. But Obama stopped short of endorsing broader reforms sought by some female members of Congress that would remove commanders from determining whether to pursue charges in rape and sexual assault cases and hand the decision to an independent military prosecutor.

▽BBC News - Canada Supreme Court strikes down prostitution laws

The Supreme Court of Canada has unanimously struck down the nation's anti-prostitution laws. The high court deemed laws prohibiting brothels, communicating in public with clients and living on the profits of prostitution to be too sweeping. The ruling follows a court challenge filed by former and current sex workers. The justices' decision gives the Canadian government one year to craft new legislation. All nine of the court's judges ruled in favour of striking the laws down, finding they were "grossly disproportionate".

▽St. Nicholas to Santa: The Surprising Origins of Mr. Claus

Any kid can tell you where Santa Claus is from—the North Pole. But his historical journey is even longer and more fantastic than his annual, one-night circumnavigation of the globe.

▽Six Reasons NASA Should Build a Research Base on the Moon

In the December issue of New Space, McKay argues that America should set up a permanent manned research base on the moon. Here's why: 1. Maintaining U.S. influence 2. Paving the way for other applications 3. Learning more about the moon 4. Assessing the health impacts of living in space 5. Learning how to build and operate an extraterrestrial base 6. Becoming an interplanetary species