Canada's wildfires could continue into fall, says government
Canada is facing its second-worst wildfire season on record, with 7.8 million hectares already burned, and the fires could persist for weeks, accordin...
The UK government plans to lower the voting age to 16, enabling approximately 1.5 million 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the next general election.
This change will be introduced as part of a new Elections Bill, which also includes expanding acceptable voter ID to UK-issued bank cards, moving towards automatic voter registration, and tightening rules on political donations to guard against foreign influence.
Although 16-year-olds can already vote in some elections in Scotland and Wales, the voting age remains 18 for UK-wide and English local elections.
"They're old enough to go out to work, they're old enough to pay taxes ... and I think if you pay in, you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on, which way the government should go," Prime Minister Keir Starmer told ITV News.
Minister at the Minstry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Rushanara Ali described the move as “seismic” and said it would give young people a greater voice in the democratic process.
Ali noted the policy would compel politicians to prioritise youth concerns on issues such as crime, education, employment, and housing.
Voter ID
Labour previously opposed voter ID laws introduced in 2023, but now aims to resolve inconsistencies without fully abolishing the policy. Under new proposals, digital bank cards could be accepted as ID, provided proper safeguards are implemented to prevent misuse.
The government is also developing an automated voter registration system to help tackle the problem of nearly seven million UK residents being missing or incorrectly listed on the electoral register, particularly among young people and renters.
Additionally, reforms to political donation rules are being proposed to prevent foreign interference. Parties would need to verify the UK or Irish ties of companies donating to them, ensuring they are based, owned, or significantly operated in the UK or Ireland and capable of funding donations through post-tax profits. The Electoral Commission’s power to impose fines would increase to a maximum of £500,000 (around $669,000) for breaches of these rules.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
'Superman' continued to dominate the summer box office, pulling in another $57.25 million in its second weekend, as theatres welcome a wave of blockbuster competition following a challenging few years for the film industry.
Honduras has brought back mask mandates as COVID-19 cases and a new variant surge nationwide.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he expected Russian President Vladimir Putin to release more than 1,000 Ukrainian prisoners soon, after a trilateral meeting was set up with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Canada is facing its second-worst wildfire season on record, with 7.8 million hectares already burned, and the fires could persist for weeks, according to federal officials.
A research team led by Tsinghua University has unveiled a groundbreaking method for making organs transparent, offering the most detailed view yet of the brain’s inner workings.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in New Delhi today for a closely watched round of bilateral discussions with senior Indian leaders, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
In Bolivia's first-round presidential election, voters decisively rejected the leftist party that has ruled the country for most of the past two decades, signaling a shift toward more market-friendly policies to address the nation's economic struggles.
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