Pakistan backs women’s rights in bold legislative move.
Plus a feminist Broadway play that is making women cry.
Your Monday, Wednesday, and Friday briefing on global affairs, human rights, environment, social innovation, business, culture, and design—offering fresh insights through the lenses of sustainable development, women-centered perspectives, and emerging global trends. The aim? To keep you informed, curious, and always ready with a compelling conversation starter at the dinner table.
In today’s letter: a new president of the UN General Assembly, updates on governments around the world, data centers being built in drought-affected regions of Latin America, Britain’s carbon border tax, a saltwater-soluble plastic being developed in Japan, building diversity in your organization as a strategic imperative, the start of the Global Fashion Summit, a new book about housing as a human right in the United States, a feminist Broadway play that is making women cry, and much more.
Hello,
Short intro today because I’m running late this morning and am going to spend my lunch break attending a webinar about the state of funding for women’s and girls’ causes internationally. I imagine I will have some things to say about it come Friday.
Hope you are all having a good week thus far!
Let’s get into the discussion points…
In a rare bright spot for women’s rights, Pakistan’s capital has passed a landmark bill banning child marriage, raising the legal age to 18 for both sexes and introducing strict penalties for violators. The move, championed by Senator Naseema Ehsan (who married at 13), follows more than a decade of civil society advocacy and marks a shift away from outdated colonial-era laws. Applauded by women’s rights groups and international observers alike, the bill signals hope amid a global rollback on gender rights. While some conservative voices denounce the legislation as un-Islamic, advocates say it’s long overdue in a country where nearly 30% of girls marry before 18, often with devastating health and social consequences. The vote sends a message both domestic and diplomatic: progress for women is still possible, even in the most challenging political climates.
Israeli forces reportedly opened fire near an aid distribution point in Rafah on Tuesday, killing at least 27 Palestinians. The military claims those targeted strayed from approved routes, though it denies firing on civilians. The UN has condemned Israel’s increasingly “militarized” aid strategy, accusing it of weaponizing access to food and forcing Palestinians into a deadly calculus: starve or risk being shot. With Gaza nearing famine, only four distribution sites (down from 400 under the UN’s previous system) are intermittently operational under a new Israel- and U.S.-backed aid initiative.
Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s former foreign minister, has been elected president of the UN General Assembly with 167 votes, becoming the first woman from Western Europe to hold the post. Her appointment comes at a critical moment for the multilateral system, with the Security Council gridlocked and global crises mounting. Baerbock pledged to act as an “honest broker” and outlined priorities including UN reform, sustainable development, and inclusivity. While her election drew sharp criticism from Russia, it signals renewed momentum for the General Assembly as a platform for consensus, particularly under the “Veto Initiative,” which brings blocked Security Council issues to broader debate. Baerbock will begin her one-year term in September.
Greenpeace activists swiped President Macron’s wax figure from Paris’s Grévin Museum and deposited it outside the Russian Embassy in protest of France’s continued trade with Moscow. The stunt, staged to highlight energy and fertilizer imports, leaves the €42,000 likeness still unreturned.
And now, updates on governments around the world:
The Dutch government collapsed on Tuesday after Geert Wilders’s far-right Party for Freedom abruptly quit the coalition over rejected migration proposals. Wilders demanded a halt to asylum applications, a family reunification ban, and the return of Syrian refugees—demands his partners wanted debated in parliament. Prime Minister Dick Schoof, now caretaker, branded the move “unnecessary and irresponsible,” with allies accusing Wilders of putting personal politics above national stability. The fallout leaves the Netherlands leaderless ahead of a crucial NATO summit and rising defence pressures, setting the stage for a fractious election season that may prove risky for Wilders’s hardline agenda.
Designer handbags have sparked a political crisis in Mongolia. The Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai resigned this week following a wave of youth-led protests triggered by social media images of his son's extravagant lifestyle. These images struck a nerve in a country grappling with rising inequality, inflation, and disillusionment. The protests underscore broader concerns about transparency, judicial independence, and the fragility of democracy in a nation wedged between autocratic giants China and Russia.
South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae-myung, is a symbol of the nation’s rise from postwar poverty to economic power. Once a factory worker injured as a teen, Lee’s journey through law and local politics forged his reputation as a pragmatic left-leaning populist. After narrowly losing in 2022, he won a landslide following Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment, now commanding a strong National Assembly majority. (Voter turnout hit nearly 80 percent, the highest since 1997.) Facing a divided electorate and global uncertainty, Lee aims to boost the economy with AI and tax reforms, while balancing ties with the US, China, and North Korea. His ascent is as defining of modern Korea as Seoul’s skyline.
Across Latin America’s drought-prone regions, a tech land grab is underway, with data centres (often backed by global giants) rising in some of the continent’s most water-stressed zones. In Brazil’s Caucaia, where drought has been declared almost annually for two decades, a sprawling site linked to TikTok is under construction, despite concerns over its massive water use and impact on the delicate caatinga biome. From Bahia to Santiago, where public opposition recently stalled a major Google project, critics see a troubling pattern: digital infrastructure expanding with little transparency, minimal consultation, and a heavy environmental footprint.
Closer to (my) home, Meta has signed a 20-year power-purchase agreement with Constellation Energy to secure electricity from the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois—a strategic move to support its energy-intensive AI operations with zero-carbon power. The deal, the first of its kind involving an operating U.S. nuclear plant, won’t supply Meta’s data centers directly but allows the company to claim the clean energy attributes while helping fund critical relicensing and upgrades that could extend the plant’s life and boost output. It follows a similar agreement between Constellation and Microsoft for the Three Mile Island site, signaling a broader tech-sector embrace of nuclear power amid surging AI-driven electricity demand. As pressure mounts on grids and clean energy targets tighten, long-term agreements like these may become vital tools in preserving and expanding the country’s nuclear fleet.
The Swiss village of Blatten was partially destroyed last week when a vast section of the Birch glacier collapsed into the valley, triggering a mud avalanche that flattened homes and left one person missing. Though the village’s 300 residents had been evacuated earlier in May due to warnings from geologists, the damage is profound. Mayor Matthias Bellwald described the disaster as “unimaginable,” but vowed the village still has a future. The Swiss government has pledged support, while experts warn that further evacuations may be necessary as thawing permafrost and rapidly melting glaciers—accelerated by climate change—continue to destabilize the Alps.
Britain is racing to avoid a potential $1 billion bill as the EU prepares to implement its carbon border tax in 2026. With plans underway to align post-Brexit regulations and link carbon markets, the timeline remains uncertain; experts say full integration is unlikely before 2028. Until then, the UK faces steep levies unless it resolves key technical hurdles around trading permits and carbon pricing.
In Wako City, Japan, scientists are developing a new saltwater-soluble plastic that could redefine the global fight against plastic pollution. Unlike conventional biodegradable plastics, this non-toxic, non-flammable material dissolves completely in seawater within hours, leaving no microplastics, no carbon emissions, and no environmental trace. Project lead Takuzo Aida notes that the plastic, as strong as petroleum-based alternatives, breaks down into components digestible by natural bacteria. With plastic production set to triple by 2040 and up to 37 million tonnes projected to enter oceans annually, the urgency is clear. Though commercialization remains pending, interest from the packaging industry is rising, offering a glimmer of hope for a cleaner, post-plastic future. THIS IS A VERY EXCITING DEVELOPMENT.
More news in the electric vehicle space, this time related to salt batteries and scooters. On the streets of Hangzhou, stylish mopeds powered by sodium-ion batteries, not lithium, are capturing attention and commuters. Cheaper, safer, and made from abundant sea salt-derived sodium, these batteries are now at the heart of a mass push led by companies like Yadea, which is piloting fast-charging and battery-swapping infrastructure across major cities. While their lower energy density limits their use in cars for now, sodium-ion batteries are emerging as an ideal fit for China’s booming two-wheeler market and a promising solution for energy storage, particularly as grid operators seek to balance renewables. Despite a recent drop in lithium prices, China continues to invest heavily in sodium tech, with over two dozen factories planned and more than 90% of global capacity projected to be Chinese by 2033. The country’s speed from lab to street may ultimately secure its dominance in the next generation of clean energy.
Apparently, luxury is no longer just about ownership—it’s about access, aspiration, and a well-timed Instagram. Vivrelle, the eight-year-old luxury accessories rental startup, just secured $62 million in Series C funding from Protagonist to scale its membership-based model of borrowing Chanel, Prada, and YSL. Founded by husband-and-wife duo Wayne and Blake Geffen (the idea was sparked during their honeymoon in the Maldives), the company has grown rapidly by selling more than just handbags—it sells the lifestyle. With locations in social hotspots and partnerships with Revolve, Vivrelle is redefining luxury consumption for a generation fluent in fashion and subscription models. As Blake Geffen puts it, “We don’t have to market the accessories. People know they want it.”
In a world where early-stage decisions shape everything, building diversity and inclusion into your startup's DNA from day one isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic imperative. This piece from Entrepreneur highlights why inclusive teams consistently outperform: they’re more resilient, creative, and reflective of the markets they serve. Founder Asad Khan argues that hiring for “culture add,” not “culture fit,” embedding DEI into core business strategy, and designing bias-aware hiring systems isn’t just ethical, it’s how winning startups build better products. Inclusion isn’t a goal to tackle later; it’s a growth strategy from the start.
The Global Fashion Summit is underway in Copenhagen, gathering industry leaders to confront fashion’s sustainability challenges under the theme “Barriers and Bridges.” Organized by the Global Fashion Agenda, the 2025 edition explores how obstacles (be they financial, regulatory, or ideological) can be reframed as catalysts for change. Now in its 16th year, the summit spotlights five forces shaping the future of fashion: Innovation, Capital, Courage, Incentives, and Regulation. Over 20 closed-door Leadership Roundtables are on the agenda, with topics ranging from circularity in Bangladesh to climate adaptation in luxury supply chains, each aiming to produce actionable strategies for a more responsible industry. I’m trying to follow along as much as possible online and will report back with anything I find out!
This autumn, Marina Abramović returns to her Slavic roots with Balkan Erotic Epic, an ambitious new performance exploring ancestral sexuality, ritual, and the metaphysical. Commissioned by Factory International, the work debuts at Manchester’s Aviva Studios from 9 to 25 October and will feature over 70 performers enacting 13 choreographed scenes—from fertility rites to storm-chasing rituals—drawing on Balkan folklore. Described by Abramović as her most ambitious project to date, the production blends poetry, pain, and mysticism in a bold, immersive meditation on desire and mortality. A world premiere talk with the artist will be held on October 11, prior to the show's international tour, which is set to begin in Barcelona in early 2026.
A new book release I’m eager to dive into: And Housing for All: The Fight to End Homelessness in America by Maria Foscarinis, published yesterday. As founding director of the National Homelessness Law Center, Foscarinis draws on 35 years of advocacy to weave together legal insight, personal reflection, and lived experience, offering a clear and compelling case for why housing must be recognized as a human right in the United States.
Now showing on Broadway, John Proctor Is the Villain offers a bold reinterpretation of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, challenging the long-held view of Proctor as a noble figure. Set in a contemporary classroom, the play explores the Salem witch trials through the eyes of teenage girls who begin to see the familiar tale differently, questioning male authority, sexual misconduct, and the structures that excuse both. With echoes of the #MeToo movement, it’s a timely, incisive work that recasts historical drama as a rallying cry for modern feminism and female agency. And, women are leaving the show in tears.
Thank you for reading! Please share with an interesting and interested person in your life. xxx