Pakistan opens first ever Violence Against Women Center While Pakistan might be a notorious region for female abuse, the country is taking steps towards better gender equality by opening up 36 different Violence Against Women Centers nationwide. The first of the centers was opened in Multan of the Punjab region. The entirely female-run shelter offers…
Same-sex marriage now legal in Germany German MPs have legalised gay marriage after Angela Merkel dropped her opposition to a vote. Same-sex couples can now be legally married in Germany following a clear majority vote passed a bill in the German parliament the 30 June. The vote took place just four days after Chancellor Angela…
German nonprofit creates new open-source license for seeds We know about open-source software and hardware, but can the concept – decentralized development and open collaboration for the common good – be expanded to address other global challenges? The nonprofit OpenSourceSeeds based in the German town of Marburg has just launched a licensing process for open-source seeds, to…
Diversity in films boosts box office success, finds study Films with diverse casts are proving more popular at the box office, finds a study by the Creative Artists Agency. Ethnically diverse casting appears to be leading to box office success, with films that have at least a 30 per cent non-white cast outperforming those…
Vancouver to eliminate harmful single-use packaging Vancouver is well on its way to becoming the greenest city in the world – and they are now tackling the arduous problem of harmful single-use packaging. The city launched their Greenest City Action Plan 7 years ago by setting a goal to reduce landfill waste by 50%. Now they…
Scottish ballet steps out to become dementia friendly Scottish Ballet are going to set up a programme of dementia friendly dance based activities for people living with dementia, their carers and families across Scotland, and raise awareness about the condition. This is thanks to being awarded £150,000 by the Life Changes Trust to enable…
This awesome water park was designed for kids with disabilities A new water park in San Antonio is making sure kids with disabilities don’t miss out on the splashing fun this summer. Morgan’s Inspiration Island is an extension of Morgan’s Wonderland, a theme park built to be inclusive for all its guests, including kids with…
Could free bikes help solve our air pollution crisis? Could a thriving cycling culture banish chronic air pollution? Those at Birmingham city council think it could help, and give residents’ health and mobility a boost at the same time. A scheme called Big Birmingham Bikes (BBB) has given away 4,000 bikes, and 17,000 residents have…
This Rwandan factory is revolutionizing how humanitarian aid is done In 2007, Feike Sijbesma, the CEO of the Dutch vitamin and nutritional-supplement company Royal DSM, attended the World Economic Forum, where he heard in a breakout session with several African leaders that the humanitarian aid that flows into the continent from western countries does as much…
For fish’s sake campaign targets Thames litter Londoners are being encouraged to stem the tide of litter into the capital’s river. A campaign, For Fish’s Sake, is encouraging people pick up and bin litter along the Thames to help protect hundreds of species of river-dwelling wildlife. The Thames is home to 125 species of fish,…