CNN
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The United Kingdom could become one of the first European countries to lower the voting age to 16 in all national elections, in what the government is calling a landmark effort to “future-proof” its democracy.

If passed by the parliament, the proposed reforms, unveiled Thursday, would bring national votes in line with elections in Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, where younger voters already cast ballots.

“Young people deserve to have a stake and to have a say in the future of our democracy,” said Rushanara Ali, parliamentary under-secretary for local government in the House of Commons on Thursday.

“When we came into power just over a year ago, the government committed through its manifesto to bring forward measures to strengthen our precious democracy and uphold the integrity of our elections.”

The UK’s move, which could be in place for the next general election, follows a growing global trend toward younger enfranchisement.

Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, welcomed the proposed reforms, telling CNN that lowering the voting age would “help more young people to cast that all-important, habit-forming vote at a point when they can be supported with civic education.”

“Participation is a vital sign of the health of our democracy. If fewer people vote, our democracy becomes weaker,” he added.

In 2008, Austria became the first European country to lower its national voting age to 16, with Malta adopting the change a decade later. In South America, countries including Brazil, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Argentina have permitted voting from age 16 for years.

Across much of the world, however, 18 remains the standard minimum voting age. In Asia, countries such as Indonesia and East Timor have set the threshold at 17, while Singapore, Lebanon, and Oman require citizens to wait until 21 to cast a ballot.

Within the UK, the government’s intentions have drawn scrutiny.

James Yucel, head of campaigns at the center-right thinktank Onward, told CNN that the proposal was “not some noble push for democracy” but instead “political engineering aimed at boosting (Labour’s) support.”

In both opinion polls and votes, younger voters tend to skew more heavily towards Labour than the main opposition Conservatives.

The proposed reforms drew criticism from the Conservative Party on Thursday, with lawmaker and shadow cabinet member Paul Holmes saying in the House of Commons: “Why does this government think a 16-year-old can vote, but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war, or even stand in the elections they are voting in?”

The reforms would also expand acceptable voter ID to include digital formats of existing IDs, such as driving licenses and armed forces’ veterans’ cards. UK-issued bank cards would also be accepted.

Wiesbaden, Germany
CNN
 — 

Ukraine’s military commander in charge of the country’s drone warfare program urged the US and NATO countries alike on Wednesday to learn from Kyiv’s use of the technology on the battlefield so in the future there are not “hard questions from your children [about] when [their] father will come back.”

“We paid with lives to get this expertise,” Maj. Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine, said during a panel discussion at the Association of the US Army’s meeting in Wiesbaden, Germany. “But you can get this expertise out of us, and we will support you the same way you’ve supported us during this war.”

Brovdi spoke at the AUSA conference alongside Brig. Gen. Volodymyr Horbatiuk, the deputy chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They repeatedly emphasized the importance of using drones in warfare. Horabiuk said it is “nearly impossible” to conduct the majority of their warfighting functions without drones, listing off examples of their use including for logistics on the battlefield and intercepting aerial threats, as well as striking assets deep inside Russia — something the world watched in June when Ukraine conducted a large-scale drone attack on Russian airbases thousands of miles from the front lines.

Brovdi and Horbatiuk’s comments come just two days after President Donald Trump vowed to send more air defenses to Ukraine, making a stark shift in his approach to the war as he has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid efforts to reach a peace agreement. They also came hours after Russia launched a barrage of hundreds of drones towards four key regions in Ukraine, hitting multiple cities including the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Asked Wednesday what the audience at the conference should know about fighting against the Russians, Horbatiuk answered bluntly, “Don’t trust Russia.” The packed ballroom, full of NATO military and civilian defense industry officials, broke into laughter and applause. “Remember that any agreement with them doesn’t cost even the paper.”

Brovdi elaborated further on Wednesday, telling CNN that putting faith in Putin is “not respectful to yourself.”

Brovdi, who has a background in business, was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine in May this year. Speaking on Wednesday through a translator, he told the story of visiting a “huge” NATO military base in Europe roughly a year ago and being asked by his hosts what he thought about the base and its defenses.

“I answered the following, that four of my battle crews standing only 10km away from this base can destroy it fully in 15 minutes, it would look like Pearl Harbor during the second World War,” Brovdi said through his translator, adding that he didn’t mean it as a threat but as a warning about what could happen if drones were taken into the hands of terrorists.

According to an official release by the office of the president of Ukraine, Brovdi founded his drone reconnaissance team known as “Magyar’s Birds” in the spring of 2022, which has since grown to a full brigade. Brovdi told CNN on Wednesday that he began using drones because he and his troops, an infantry unit, were fired upon by tanks, artillery, “and we [could] not see anything, who was trying to kill us.” They began using drones for reconnaissance, to see who was firing on their position, and then began buying drones used typically for sports and gaming.

“We understood we could put a bit of ammunition on board, and we can deliver it with it,” he said through his translator. “And this is how it starts. It was 27 people, nowadays it’s much more than 2,000.”

According to the release from the office of the president, Brovdi and his unit — 95% of which he said were civilians before the war began, including DJs and artists — had destroyed more than 5,000 enemy targets, and hit more than 10,000 more. A Ukrainian military official later clarified the unit has detected 116,976 enemy targets and destroyed more than 54,500 of them, and killed more than 18,400 enemy personnel.

Brovdi told the audience at AUSA that this was only his second time leaving the country since the war began in 2022, and that he would be back on the battlefield by Thursday. He dryly quipped that “Putin’s propaganda named me as the most wanted enemy, so it [could] be the last time you see me, here.”

The two commanders thanked the countries present at the conference for their support of Ukraine and urged allies and partners to learn from Ukraine’s efforts. Horbatiuk expressed “from the bottom of [his] heart” the appreciation for support to Ukraine and dedication.

“I would like to ask you,” he said in a parting line, “to be more decisive.”

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN
 — 

Pope Leo XIV is “deeply saddened” after two people were killed in a strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church, he said in a Vatican telegram on Thursday.

Calling the strike a “military attack,” the Vatican’s Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said: “In commending the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of Almighty God, the Holy Father prays for the consolation of those who grieve and for the recovery of the injured.”

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which has jurisdiction for Latin-rite Catholics in Gaza, said the two people were killed after Gaza’s Holy Family Church was struck by Israel on Thursday morning. Several others were injured.

The Israeli military said it was “aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene,” adding that “the circumstances of the incident are under review.”

“The (Israel Defense Forces) makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them,” it said.

The patriarchate named the two killed as Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh and Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad.

“We pray for the rest of their souls and for the end of this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians,” its statement read.

Pope Leo used his statement to reiterate his plea for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told Vatican News that the church was hit “directly” by a tank Thursday morning.

The parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, was injured in the attack, the patriarchate said, alongside a number of others. Romanelli is an Argentine who has ministered in Gaza for close to 30 years.

Images verified by CNN showed the church, which has become a shelter for the enclave’s tiny Christian community, was damaged in the attack, but the crucifix on top of the church’s roof appeared intact.

The church has come under attack once before amid Israel’s war in Gaza. In December 2023, an Israeli military sniper shot and killed two women who were sheltering inside, according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The church is known internationally for its close connection with the late Pope Francis, who would call the parish almost daily since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

Only around 1,000 Christians are thought to have lived in Gaza before the October 7 attacks, which is overwhelmingly a Muslim territory.

Meanwhile ceasefire talks to end the war in Gaza, which Palestinian officials say have killed over 58,000 people, are continuing.

Israel may show flexibility on a key sticking point in the Gaza ceasefire talks, sources have told CNN, as negotiators attempt to close the gaps preventing the first pause in months of fighting.

Specifically, there could be some flexibility from Israel on the potential withdrawal of its troops from the Morag Corridor – a key Israeli security zone in the southern Gaza strip – a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Thursday.

The positioning of Israeli troops in Gaza around the Morag Corridor during a proposed 60-day ceasefire has been a major stumbling block in the talks.

The corridor was established by Israeli forces in April with the stated intention of dividing up Gaza and exerting greater pressure on Hamas. Its name refers to the Jewish settlement of Morag that once lay between the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah in the south of the territory.

The US had talked up the prospects of a quick agreement in the talks, which had gained momentum after deal ended the brief Israel-Iran conflict last month. But days of talks yielded no breakthrough.

This is a developing story and will be updated.