Photo: Saad Salim/Unsplash (CC0)
In today’s edition of Squirrel News: Iraq has made big strides in poverty reduction and democratic equality after years of turmoil, the first NHS leukemia patient has received a groundbreaking CAR-T therapy, and Hamburg’s “culture buddies” help tackle loneliness in older people.
According to a new UN report, the country has entered a more stable phase: poverty has fallen to approximately 17.5% and security improvements have allowed roughly five million internally displaced people to return to their homes. Progress can also be seen democratically, with recent parliamentary elections seeing a 56% turnout, with a third of the candidates identifying as female.
Source: UN News
Describing the treatment as “very sci-fi”, Oscar Murphy, 28, underwent the procedure at Manchester Royal Infirmary, where his own immune cells were genetically modified to attack his cancer. NHS England has approved funding for the therapy at multiple centres nationwide, with around 50 patients expected to benefit each year.
Source: BBC News
Although the total number of cancer deaths worldwide has doubled over the past 40 years, this is largely due to population growth and an aging world. Another perspective is more hopeful: when age and population are taken into account, cancer deaths have actually dropped by more than 20%.
Source: Our World In Data
Following the 2022 commitment by nearly 200 nations to protect 30% of the planet’s lands and waters by 2030, the latest data from the World Database on Protected Areas shows that approximately 9.6% of the world’s oceans are now under protection. This marks a 1.2 percentage point increase from 8.4% coverage in 2024.
Source: Mongabay
Starting January 1st, 2026, Austria has cut Value Added Tax on hygiene products like tampons, pads, menstrual cups, moving them from a 10% reduced rate to full exemption. This is part of the Budget Accompanying Act 2025, a move to lower costs, promote health equity, and remove the “luxury item” stigma, with retailers expected to pass savings to consumers.
Source: VOL
Two centuries ago, vaccines were discovered by chance. Today, researchers can map pathogens at the atomic level, design and purify their components, improve immune responses with adjuvants, and deliver vaccines safely to billions.
Source: Works In Progress
Across China, architects and designers are increasingly employing the ancient practice of collecting rainwater to make buildings ecologically friendly. According to the Beijing local government, the city reuses 50m cubic metres of rainwater each year. Along with other sources, such as runoff from bathrooms, more than 30% of Beijing’s water needs are met by reused water.
Source: The Guardian
Once declared extinct in the wild, the scimitar-horned oryx has returned thanks to captive breeding programmes. Conservationists are now hopeful that this comeback could play a role in slowing the spread of the Sahara Desert.
Source: BBC News
SkoBots is an interactive educational robot worn on the user’s shoulder and created by the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians to help children learn threatened Indigenous languages. Led by The STEAM Connection, the project encourages ethical engagement and inclusive, accessible design.
Source: Reset
KulturistenHochZwei, an NGO in the German city of Hamburg, started with a few pilot outings. Now, it’s a citywide network that has facilitated more than 6,000 cultural visits and has inspired similar programmes in other German cities. The concept is simple: the organisation pairs seniors with students to give both parties a dose of “social medicine”.
Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful
