AmplifyChange has marked ten years of transformative impact in promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across Africa and South Asia. Through its support of grassroots activism, millions now have improved access to healthcare, education, and decision-making about their bodies and relationships. Since its launch in 2014, AmplifyChange has funded 775 civil society organisations, distributing over £125 million in grants across 67 countries, with significant investments in tackling gender-based violence, child marriage, and female genital mutilation. Highlighting its unique model, the organisation directs funds to local groups, enabling swift responses to community needs and fostering long-term change. “In the…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
In a display of innovation, Elon Musk has stunned the world with the announcement of his most ambitious creation yet—a Supersonic Space Jet that promises to revolutionize both air travel and space exploration. Revealed in a cutting-edge hangar, this futuristic jet combines speed, efficiency, and sustainability in ways never seen before. Capable of travelling to any location on Earth in under an hour or launching directly into space, the jet marks a giant leap toward making global and interstellar travel faster and more accessible. “This isn’t just transportation; it’s a transformation,” Musk stated during the unveiling. “We’re pushing the boundaries…
Almost two years have passed since the 2023 earthquake. Turkish authorities have been clogging legal proceedings while victims have lost hope in justice. First, they found a picture of the apartment building online. The body gutted, reclining in a pile of its own rubble, looked like a fish left with nothing but meatless spines. They left for Antakya in a rush the following day. On the second day, they walked through what remained of the ancient city. When they reached the site where the building had stood, Duygu İnegöllü, a lawyer from Izmir, and her family began their watch over…
A Finnish court in the district of Päijät-Häme has sentenced Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian-Finnish citizen and self-proclaimed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to prison for disseminating terrorist propaganda. Ekpa was found guilty of engaging in terrorist activities in 2021 in Lahti, Finland. Finnish authorities, including the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), stated that his social media activities incited violence in Nigeria’s southeast region. According to Detective Chief Inspector Otto Hiltunen, Ekpa used social media platforms to spread rhetoric that fueled unrest and directed violent actions. In addition to Ekpa, four other individuals were arrested by the…
At the opening of COP29, global leaders and environmental experts convened to launch the Baku Dialogue on Water for Climate Action, an initiative aimed at addressing the growing water crisis and its link to climate change. Spearheaded by the COP29 Presidency, the dialogue seeks to integrate water into the global climate agenda more effectively. Speaking at the event, a senior United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) official emphasized the urgency of protecting water resources amid escalating challenges. “Nearly three billion people face water scarcity today,” the official stated. “Over 90% of disasters—droughts, floods, and wildfires—are water-related, and climate change is worsening…
Gemini is Google’s artificial intelligence ecosystem, including a chatbot that generates responses to user-provided natural language prompts. In response to a prompt, Gemini can pull information from the internet and present a response. The large language model behind Gemini delivers the response in natural language — in contrast to a standard Google search, where a result consists of a snippet of information or a list of links. Google announced Gemini (as Bard) in February 2023 after OpenAI and Microsoft garnered attention for their AI chatbot systems. In May 2023, AI advancements featured prominently in Google’s I/O event. On Feb. 8, 2024, Google renamed the…
By now, we all know that COVID-19 affects the lungs and the heart. But did you know that COVID-19 can also affect your eyes and vision? Studies show that COVID-19 can affect all layers of the eye, starting at the cornea and ending at the retina. Here’s what you should know about how COVID-19 can affect your eye health. Key takeaways: About 1 in 10 people develop eye symptoms when they have COVID-19. Conjunctivitis (pink eye) is the most common COVID-19 symptom. COVID-19 can also cause eye pain along with dry eye, redness, and blurred vision. What eye symptoms can COVID-19 cause? People who get sick…
The GAIA Initiative, a collaborative effort between research institutions, conservation organizations, and enterprises, has pioneered a cutting-edge approach to wildlife conservation by merging natural vulture behaviour with artificial intelligence (AI). Spearheaded by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW), in partnership with the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS and Tierpark Berlin, this innovative method aims to develop an early warning system for detecting ecological changes and critical incidents in real-time. Vultures as natural death detectors Vultures, particularly white-backed vultures (Gyps africanus), play a crucial role in ecosystems as natural death detectors. These birds evolved over millions of…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has granted Emergency Use Listing (EUL) to the LC16m8 mpox vaccine, making it the second mpox vaccine endorsed by the organization following the Director-General’s declaration of mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on August 14, 2024. This decision will accelerate vaccine access in regions facing surging mpox outbreaks. As of October 31, 2024, mpox cases have been reported in 80 countries, including 19 in Africa. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the most severely affected, has recorded over 39,000 suspected cases and more than 1,000 deaths. In a significant development,…
Vitamins and minerals keep your body running smoothly. And your vision is no exception. Several vitamins are key to healthy eyes, including beta carotene and vitamin A. Key takeaways: Many vitamins can support eye health or prevent conditions, such as diabetes, that can lead to vision problems. Vitamins A, C, and E, along with other nutrients like beta carotene, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and omega-3 fatty acids, can support healthy vision. The best way to get these vitamins is by eating a well-balanced diet. Most people don’t need to take vitamin supplements for their eye health. But there are several other micronutrients (nutrients…