Colombia’s Minister of Education, José Daniel Rojas, failed his master’s thesis due to a lack of theoretical rigor, according to the National University, a decision that sparked widespread criticism and mockery on Wednesday.

Local media quickly picked up the news, while social media users flooded platforms with jokes, asking, “What’s the ultimate irony for an Education Minister?”

Rojas’ thesis on “Guaranteed Employment in Colombia” for his Master’s in Economic Sciences was graded as failed due to “theoretical weaknesses and lack of conceptual rigor,” the National University (UNAL), the country’s most prestigious public institution, stated in a press release.

“Additionally, the student’s responses to the questions posed during the defense were not considered satisfactory,” the statement added.

NASA has confirmed that asteroid 2024 YR4, initially identified as a potential threat, does not pose a significant danger to Earth in 2032 or beyond.

The near-Earth asteroid, roughly the size of a football field, was first discovered in December last year. Experts initially estimated a 3% chance of impact with our planet, later reducing it to 0.28% last week.

Following new observations, NASA further updated the impact probability for December 22, 2032, lowering it to just 0.004%, according to the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. The agency also stated that the asteroid does not pose any significant risk to Earth for at least the next century.

However, there remains a 1.7% chance that it could impact the Moon.

A child has become the first fatality in a measles outbreak in Texas, in the southern United States, where more than 130 people have been infected, health authorities reported on Wednesday.

“The school-aged child, who was not vaccinated, was hospitalized in Lubbock (northwest Texas) last week and tested positive for measles,” the state’s Department of Health said in a press release.

Since the beginning of the year, 124 measles cases have been reported in western Texas and nine in the neighboring state of New Mexico, raising concerns about the resurgence of this highly contagious disease amid declining vaccination rates. Most cases have been detected in children, with 18 of them requiring hospitalization in Texas.

“Although the multiple measles outbreaks in the United States had not caused any fatalities, it was only a matter of time before one occurred,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University, in an interview with AFP.

“Measles still kills over 100,000 people worldwide each year. This death should serve as a reminder of why the vaccine was developed and how valuable it is. These deaths are almost entirely preventable,” he added.

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The epicenter of the outbreak is Gaines County, home to a significant Mennonite population, a Christian sect with a history of vaccine hesitancy. Texas law allows vaccine exemptions for reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs.

The outbreak coincides with the beginning of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s tenure as Secretary of Health under the administration of Donald Trump, a position that plays a key role in shaping the country’s immunization policies.