AUSTRALIA - An Australian school program is teaching young children about the boundaries for sexual consent by explaining they have the right to reject kisses and physical contact with their grandmother. It is part of a move to teach children about “body autonomy” and highlights concepts around sexuality and consent as they move through the school system. The Respectful Relationships program being taught in the state of Victoria’s schools is meant to help kids learn to say no to unwanted physical contact. But in one “child-friendly” example, educator Margie Buttriss ignited a storm of controversy when she told kids they have the right to turn down kisses from their grandmas.

USA - Contrary to President Donald Trump’s assertion that “our nation is stronger today than it ever was before,” the “Salute to America” looked more like a military antiques road show than a display of a 21st-century military power. The age of the current force was most apparent in the Army hardware on display on the National Mall. The M-1A2 Abrams tanks and M-2 Bradley infantry combat vehicles parked near the Lincoln Memorial represent a generation of armored vehicles that were designed in the 1970s and procured in large numbers during the 1980s. More than three decades later, they remain, albeit with modification, the mainstay of the US Army and have been used in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

USA - Two of America’s closest treaty allies have announced military efforts explicitly designed to exclude the United States. Australia is “seeking to cement its status as the security partner of choice for Pacific nations” by establishing an expeditionary training force. And the United Kingdom wants to create a multinational force to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. It’s not a coincidence that allies are striking out on their own. Countries in the Pacific worry that the US is forcing them to choose between their economic connections to China and their security relationships with the US. European allies blame Trump-administration tactics for Iran’s decision to lash out at shipping in the Gulf. The Australian and British initiatives may not succeed. But the very fact of these proposals is proof that relations with close allies have frayed in systemically significant ways. This is what it looks like when the American-led international order comes to an end.

UK - Sajid Javid, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, says there “should be no doubt” that Britain is leaving the European Union on October 31st, and that Her Majesty’s Treasury is now “turbocharging” its preparations for a No Deal Brexit in case the bloc refuses to improve on the deal it offered Theresa May.

USA - The US Corn Ethanol Industry, the largest in the world, is now losing a serious amount of money producing unprofitable biofuel. While higher corn prices and falling revenues have negatively impacted the US Ethanol Industry recently, that is only a small part of a much bigger problem. You see, the EROI (Energy Returned On Investment) for corn-based ethanol, is so low, there’s virtually little if any, net energy produced from the 16 billion gallons of the biofuel supplied by the US industry last year… or any year prior. Now, how much corn does the US Ethanol Industry consume to produce nearly 16 billion gallons of its biofuel per year? Well, according to the information from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) and WorldofCorn.com, the Ethanol Industry consumed nearly 40% of the entire US corn crop last year. So, all you folks who thought the miles and miles of corn in the midwest were mostly grown for food, think again.

USA - President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he is considering labeling the far-left activist group Antifa a terrorist organization. “Consideration is being given to declaring ANTIFA, the gutless Radical Left Wack Jobs who go around hitting (only non-fighters) people over the heads with baseball bats, a major Organization of Terror (along with MS-13 & others),” Trump wrote in a tweet. Last week, Senators Ted Cruz (Republican for Texas) and Bill Cassidy, MD (Republican for Louisiana) introduced a resolution that would label Antifa a “domestic terrorist organization.” In a tweet, Cruz characterized Antifa as “a terrorist organization composed of hateful, intolerant radicals who pursue their extreme agenda through aggressive violence.”

USA - Thick smoke has filled the air across much of southern Oregon as the raging Canyonville fire continued to burn out of control. More than 650 firefighters are expected to combat the blaze over the weekend after the fire more than tripled in size on Friday. Three homes near the edge of the raging fire have now been evacuated as fears mount. A level one evacuation notice has also been issued between mileposts 88 to 83, meaning residents should get ready to leave their homes if the alert is raised.

EUROPE - Nordic countries are experiencing searing temperatures as Europe's record-breaking heatwave moves north, the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) said Saturday, with some areas recording "tropical nights". In Sweden, the most extreme heat has headed straight for the country's far north. On Friday the small town of Markusvinsa in the far north recorded a temperature of 34.8 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest mark reached in all of Sweden so far this year. "That's the hottest temperature in the far north since 1945 and the third highest temperature on record," Jon Jorpeland, meteorologist at SMHI, told AFP. Heat warnings have been issued in Sweden, Norway and Finland and earlier this week Finnish police even warned motorists to be mindful of moose, who were increasingly crossing roads in search of water to quench their thirst.

PHILIPPINES - The Philippines has been hit by a magnitude 5.4 earthquake shortly followed by an aftershock of 5.9, according to Philippine government data. The earthquake struck off the north of the Philippines on Saturday killing six people and injuring eight, the national disaster agency said. The first quake killed five people and injured eight with one more person killed in the aftershock, according Ricardo Jalad, executive director of the disaster agency. Some buildings partially collapsed in the tourist islands in Itbayat, Batanes. There are no threats of a tsunami in the area following the powerful tremor. Images in Philippine media showed collapsed homes, cracked roads and a damaged church.

INDONESIA - Locals and tourists were forced to flee for their lives as an exploding volcano in Indonesia erupted - showering them in ash. Mount Tangkuban Perahu volcano - near Indonesia's third-biggest city of Bandung - has erupted, sending ash several hundred metres into the air. Officials have been forced to issue warnings, telling people to stay away after footage showed ash showering locals as they ran from the explosion. More video footage showed the moment cars and motorbikes drove away from Tangkuban Parahu on roads covered by ash yesterday. The site is a popular tourist destination as you can hike or drive to the rim of this volcano’s crater.

ITALY - Mount Etna in Sicily has burst into life, releasing huge plumes of volcano ash into the sky - while erupting Stromboli caused lava flows and fires to break out. The volcanic ash cloud reached 4.5 km (15 000 feet) above sea level. Meanwhile on Saturday, the nearby Mount Stromboli volcano’s activity intensified. The Stromboli volcano also caused fires to break out in nearby Punta Lena.

EUROPE - Member states are starting to contemplate the possibility that the UK will not bow to pressure from the bloc - raising the danger of a bitter economic and security standoff lasting years. Diplomats are reportedly scrambling to create a 'bridge' amid questions over whether negotiations will even re-start, after the new PM made clear the Irish border backstop must be scrapped altogether.

EUROPE - The European Union has taken Hungary to court over a law that makes it a crime to help asylum seekers, amid strained relations between Brussels and Budapest on migration. The Commission filed a case against Hungary at the EU’s top court, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, over the law passed last year. It also enforces new restrictions on the right to claim asylum. Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government called it the “Stop Soros” law, which is a reference to the Hungarian-born US billionaire George Soros whose liberal and open societies is said to go against Budapest’s nationalistic stance. Hungary and regional ally Poland, could lose EU handouts if the wealthier, western EU states that contribute to the EU’s joint budget want to make aid conditional on “upholding democratic principles”. The disputes over migration and democratic standards have resulted in eastern states becoming isolated. The states were also left out when the EU top jobs were being filled earlier in the month.

USA - In an interview with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity, his first since former special counsel Robert Mueller testified before the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, President Donald Trump decried the Mueller “fake witch hunt.” “This should never happen to another president of the United States again,” Trump said on Thursday’s broadcast of Fox News Channel’s “Hannity.” “This is an absolute catastrophe for our country. This was a fake witch hunt, and it should never be allowed to happen to another president again. This was treason. This was high crimes. This was everything as bad a definition as you want to come up with. This should never be allowed to happen to our country again.”

CHINA - China’s Defense Ministry suggested on Wednesday that the government of Hong Kong, besieged for two months by pro-democracy protests, has the legal right to request the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “maintain social order” by attacking the protesters. China’s Foreign Ministry similarly condemned the protests in its regular Tuesday briefing, insisting they have “nothing to do with free speech” and that China will do whatever necessary to keep its control over the autonomous region. The Ministry also accused the United States of orchestrating the protests and warned Washington to keep its “dirty hands” out of Hong Kong.