Things aren't as bad as they seem.

In a landmark ruling, Japan's Osaka High Court found that the koseki — the national family registration system — violates constitutional equality by offering only "male" and "female" options. The court stated that gender identity is "directly linked to an individual's personal existence," setting a constitutional

Japan’s Osaka High Court rules non-binary identities deserve legal recognition

Japan’s Osaka High Court rules non-binary identities deserve legal recognition

15.05.2026

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Japan’s Osaka High Court rules non-binary identities deserve legal recognition

13.05.2026

Kenyan teens build exhaust filter from maize and coconut that cuts emissions by 93%

Fredrick Njoroge Kariuki and Miron Onsarigo, both 17 and from Kiambu county, Kenya, built HewaSafi — Swahili for "clean air" — an exhaust filter made from coconut shells, maize cobs, copper, steel mesh, and spirulina algae. Tested on Nairobi minibuses, it cuts PM2.5 particulates by 93.3% and costs $126, versus $390 for existing filters. They just won the Africa region Earth Prize.

13.05.2026

New drug nearly doubles survival in pancreatic cancer’s deadliest cases

A phase 3 trial found that daraxonrasib — a once-daily oral drug targeting the KRAS mutation present in 90% of pancreatic tumors — nearly doubled median survival when combined with chemotherapy. Stanford oncologists called it "truly earth-shattering." The FDA has flagged it as a high-priority therapy and fast-tracked its review.

13.05.2026

80% of UK millionaires want to pay higher taxes, new polling shows

A survey of over 500 UK millionaires by Patriotic Millionaires UK found that 80% support a 2% wealth tax on assets over £10 million, 76% support higher taxes on their own wealth for a more equal society, and 75% of the general public agrees. A 2% tax on wealth above £10 million would raise an estimated £24 billion a year.

11.05.2026

Australia creates nearly 5,000 km² Great Koala National Park in New South Wales

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11.05.2026

Scientists build a non-toxic water battery that survives 120,000 charge cycles

Investigadores de China y Hong Kong desarrollaron una batería de base acuosa que utiliza sales de magnesio y calcio — los mismos minerales del suero del tofu — como electrolito. Completa 120.000 ciclos de carga, no contiene materiales inflamables y cumple con los estándares de seguridad para su eliminación y está diseñada para almacenamiento de energía renovable a escala de red eléctrica.

11.05.2026

Hand-painted decoys are luring endangered seabirds back to lost habitats

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11.05.2026

UK startup launches phone repair kit for adults too scared to try it themselves

Team Repair, a British education company founded by Imperial College London engineers, has launched its first adult STEM kit — a dummy smartphone that guides users step-by-step through battery replacement, screen repair, and precision screwwork, without risking their real device. A survey found the biggest barrier to repair was fear of breaking their own phone.

11.05.2026

Indigenous-managed lands match or outperform national parks on conservation

The largest study of its kind analyzed 111 peer-reviewed papers across the Amazon, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Canada. Three-quarters found Indigenous lands equal or better than protected areas for forests, biodiversity, and carbon storage. In Brazil, native vegetation loss was 17 times lower on Indigenous lands than on similar unprotected areas.

11.05.2026

Kenya’s “ghost of the forest” is back — with a plan to reach 750 in the wild

The mountain bongo, absent from Kenya's forests since 1994, is being reintroduced at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy in Nanyuki. The first 10 were released into the wild in 2022; the conservancy now holds 102, recently joined by four males from European zoos to diversify the gene pool. The target is 750 wild bongos by 2050.

07.05.2026

FIFA clears Afghan women’s team for global football

After years in exile following the Taliban’s return to power, Afghan women footballers will again compete officially under their country’s name. FIFA changed its rules to recognize Afghan Women United, opening a path to future Olympic qualifiers and restoring an international stage for displaced players.

07.05.2026

In Central Africa, NGO gives former child soldiers a new life

In Bria, eastern Central African Republic, the NGO Espérance runs vocational training for former child soldiers aged 14 to 17 — teaching sewing, baking, and other trades alongside psychological support. One student described sewing as something that "relaxes my mind." Another, Amadou, 16, now makes bread every morning in his village.

07.05.2026

Electric buses set to transform daily travel across Dubai

Dubai will add 735 electric buses to its public transport network in 2026, creating the UAE’s largest clean bus fleet to date. The rollout supports quieter streets, lower emissions and cleaner air, while making electric mobility more practical across the city. Charging an EV or powering new data centres with cleaner electricity also becomes easier as the network expands.

07.05.2026

Europe moves closer to ending conversion therapy

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07.05.2026

Washington state records highest gray wolf numbers yet

Gray wolf populations in Washington state, US, reached a new record in 2025, with at least 230 wolves across 43 packs. Wildlife officials also confirmed successful breeding pairs in more regions, showing the species is steadily reclaiming habitat. Conservation work with ranchers and tribal nations has helped support coexistence as recovery expands.

07.05.2026

Europe’s first elephant sanctuary opens in Portugal

Europe’s first large-scale elephant sanctuary is opening in Portugal’s Alentejo region, where former circus and zoo elephants will live in wide natural habitats instead of enclosures. The first residents, Julie from Portugal and Kariba from Belgium, will roam, bathe and socialise across protected land designed entirely around animal welfare.

05.05.2026

First-ever maternal hospital opens inside the world’s largest refugee camp

Save the Children has opened the first hospital in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, dedicated entirely to maternal and newborn care. The 59-bed facility offers round-the-clock emergency obstetric care, C-sections, antenatal support, and services for gender-based violence survivors — for over one million refugees and host community women alike.

05.05.2026

Science confirms it: dancing together literally syncs your brains

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder measured the brainwaves of tango dancers using EEG caps and found that when partners moved in step within 200 milliseconds of each other, their brain activity mirrored each other — a phenomenon called interbrain coupling, never before documented in dance.

05.05.2026

The Oscars formally draw the line: human artistry wins, AI can’t

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has updated its rules: AI-generated performances and screenplays are ineligible for Academy Awards, effective from the March 2027 ceremony. Filmmakers may still use AI tools, but winning work must be human-performed and human-written — a clear formal standard as AI-generated film content goes mainstream.