Colombia outlaws child marriage after 17-year campaign

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Country closes 137-year legal loophole, becoming one of 12 in Latin America and the Caribbean to entirely ban marriage for minors

Colombian lawmakers have approved a bill to eradicate child marriage in the South American country after 17 years of campaigning by advocacy groups and eight failed attempts to push legislation through the house and senate.

After five hours of heated, drawn-out debate on Wednesday evening, lawmakers approved the proposed legislation, dubbed They are Girls, Not Wives, which prohibits the marriage of anyone under the age of 18.

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Florida liberal arts college reinstates ‘wokeness’ course amid furore

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Course set to be taught by controversial British ‘anti-woke’ media commentator Andrew Doyle

New College of Florida reinstated a course on “wokeness” taught by controversial British media personality and culture warrior Andrew Doyle to its catalog, after appearing to remove it from an earlier version, amid an ongoing furore over the university’s transformation into a more conservative institution.

The course was also restored to an internal enrollment system but without Doyle’s name attached, according to students with access to the system. The moves followed criticism of the course online and local media reports on Tuesday night.

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Bill Clinton book describes ‘frustration’ over Monica Lewinsky affair questions

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In new memoir Citizen, Clinton acknowledges he has not directly apologized to Lewinsky over White House affair

Bill Clinton, the former US president, has written of his “frustration” at being questioned about his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky while acknowledging that he has never apologized to her directly.

Clinton became embroiled in one of the biggest political scandals in history when it emerged in 1998 that he had a sexual relationship with the then 22-year-old Lewinsky. The president, who initially lied before apologizing, was impeached by the House of Representatives but acquitted by the Senate.

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When will greenhouse gas emissions finally peak? Could be soon – NPR

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  1. When will greenhouse gas emissions finally peak? Could be soon  NPR
  2. We were supposed to hit peak emissions. Why won’t they stop rising?  Vox.com
  3. ‘Fossil Fuels Are Still Winning’: Global Emissions Head for a Record  The New York Times
  4. Amid Earth's heat records, scientists report another bump upward in annual carbon emissions  The Associated Press
  5. ‘No sign’ of promised fossil fuel transition as emissions hit new high  The Guardian
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Kyiv denies Ukraine plans to develop nuclear weapons if US aid ceases – Новая газета. Европа

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  1. Kyiv denies Ukraine plans to develop nuclear weapons if US aid ceases  Новая газета. Европа
  2. Could Zelensky use nuclear bombs? Ukraine’s options explained  The Times
  3. Could Zelensky really go nuclear and build a ‘dirty bomb’ if Trump ends US support of Ukraine?  The Independent
  4. Ukraine Is Now Facing a Nuclear Decision  Foreign Policy
  5. Will Ukraine develop its own nuclear weapons?  Kyiv Independent
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World’s largest coral discovered in Pacific near Solomon Islands – Al Jazeera English

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  1. World’s largest coral discovered in Pacific near Solomon Islands  Al Jazeera English
  2. Scientists say world's largest coral found near Solomon Islands  Yahoo! Voices
  3. See Staggering Photos of the World's Largest Coral, Newly Discovered by Scientists in the Pacific Ocean  Smithsonian Magazine
  4. Divers Thought They'd Found A Shipwreck, But This Giant Shadow Is Alive  IFLScience
  5. Scientists just discovered a sea creature as large as two basketball courts. Here’s what it looks like.  Vox.com
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New defense minister says ‘disarming Hezbollah’ a war aim, drawing look from IDF chief – The Times of Israel

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  1. New defense minister says ‘disarming Hezbollah’ a war aim, drawing look from IDF chief  The Times of Israel
  2. Netanyahu Plans a Big Gift for Trump—Two Months From Now  The New Republic
  3. U.S. hands Lebanon draft truce proposal, two sources say  Reuters
  4. Israel’s maximalist demands unlikely to lead to ceasefire with Hezbollah  Al Jazeera English
  5. Israel says it has expanded its military ground operation in Lebanon  CNN
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Burberry’s turnaround chief plans £40m cuts and ‘scarf bar’ rollout

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Shares in fashion brand jump as ‘urgent’ cost-cutting programme announced following half-year losses

Burberry has unveiled a £40m cost-cutting programme as its new chief executive pledged to “stabilise the business” with a turnaround plan aimed at reviving the fortunes of the ailing British luxury fashion brand.

Joshua Schulman, the former Coach boss who replaced his ousted predecessor, Jonathan Akeroyd, in July, said the company was “acting with urgency” after straying too far from its roots of “timeless core collections” and outerwear, including trench coats and scarves with its distinctive Burberry check.

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Paris prosecutor seeks jail and public office ban for Marine Le Pen

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Request in embezzlement trial threatens to undermine National Rally’s efforts to polish image before 2027 polls

A Paris prosecutor has requested a five-year prison sentence and a five-year ban from public office for the far-right leader Marine Le Pen, at a trial in which she and 24 others are accused of embezzling EU funds.

The trial, which comes almost a decade after initial investigations started, threatens to undermine her National Rally (RN) party’s efforts to polish its image before the 2027 presidential election, which many believe she could win.

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Insults and a haka in New Zealand parliament as MPs debate Māori rights bill

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Voting temporarily suspended amid disruptions including a Māori party MP ripping up a copy of the bill

New Zealand’s parliament has erupted into fiery debate, personal attacks and a haka over a controversial bill that proposes to radically alter the way New Zealand’s treaty between Māori and the crown is interpreted.

The treaty principles bill was tabled by the libertarian Act party – a minor partner in New Zealand’s coalition government – and passed its first reading on Thursday, amid scathing speeches and disruptions.

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Efune insists his Daily and Sunday Telegraph bid is still on track

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Asset manager Oaktree out of running as backer but businessman has ‘high confidence’ he will get finance

The British owner of the New York Sun has said his £550m offer to buy the Daily and Sunday Telegraph is still on track, despite a big potential backer not joining the bid.

Dovid Efune entered exclusive talks to buy the Telegraph titles last month after submitting the highest bid in the second round of the auction for the titles.

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Anger as CFMEU ‘sweetheart deal’ suspended in Queensland government crackdown

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Union members hit out at LNP as deputy premier announces pause on pay and conditions policy

A “sweetheart deal” for the CFMEU has been suspended in an unprecedented crackdown after the embattled union was blamed for major project cost blowouts.

Construction union “perks” were put on ice as the Queensland government stepped up a campaign to tackle the CFMEU, with some union members clearly not happy.

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