World’s first museum of happiness to open in UK The world’s first Museum of Happiness is set to open its doors in September. Though the Museum of Happiness has been a nonprofit organization for the last two years, they haven’t actually had a permanent location. The volunteer team has simply organized pop-up events, classes, and workshops…
Taxi service by women, for women launches in India Because it is a simple solution to the problem of harassment, this new auto-rickshaw service is being hailed as a groundbreaking achievement for women in India. Pink Auto Service is owned and operated by women, and it caters exclusively to women. The business, which was launched…
Plans for China’s first ‘city of trees’ take root With such limited space, how can cities be designed to feature more greenery? China is thinking outside the box: vertically. Construction has begun of China’s first ‘forest city’. It will see offices, houses, hotels, hospitals and schools entirely covered by plants and trees. The Liuzhou Forest…
This is how we fix Silicon Valley’s sexual harassment problem Here it is: more reports of sexual harassment in Silicon Valley. The news of sexism in tech is starting to feel as commonplace as a presidential tweet tirade–disturbing every time, but no longer shocking. Women profiled in last Friday’s New York Times report and those…
France to ban sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2040 France will end sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 as part of an ambitious plan to meet its targets under the Paris climate accord, Emmanuel Macron’s government has announced. The announcement comes a day after Volvo said it would only make fully…
Youth in Assam use Facebook & WhatsApp to fight against child marriages How it started? At a time when cases of misuse of social networking sites are on the rise, a section of youths in Assam are using it as a tool to fight social evils like child marriage. For supporters of child marriages, some…
Traversing hurdles, this midwife in Guatemala is empowering an entire community “The poverty in Guatemala affects women most and hardest, especially Indigenous women,” Antonia Batz told Reuters. In the northwest rural landscape of Tecpan, Guatemala, Antonia Batz, a 40-year-old midwife, is bringing new generations of Guatemalans to life. Batz, who leads a community of midwives…
The tattoo artist who helps heal the trauma of domestic violence A tattoo artist in Russia is helping domestic violence survivors reclaim their bodies. It helps them believe they can start afresh, finds Manon Masset, reporting for Le Courrier de Russie. Evguenia Zakhar is not just any tattoo artist. Each week, she transforms the scars…
Boys win right to wear shorts by wearing skirts in heat-wave protest These teenage boys are social activists in the making. Even though the schoolboys of Exeter’s ISCA Academy were suffering from the summer heat, they still were banned from wearing shorts because of the traditional dress code. To protest the stuffy school rules, however,…
The project transforming shipping containers into emergency homes for homeless people Could shipping containers help to combat homelessness? Social enterprise Help Bristol’s Homeless thinks so. Old shipping containers are being repurposed and converted into temporary housing for homeless people in Bristol. The scheme was dreamt up by those at Bristol-based social enterprise Help Bristol’s Homeless…