Rehabilitation through dogs, NYC public libraries waive late fees, Alternative Nobel Prize

Photo: Photographer / Platform (Licence)

In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we’re talking about a dog rehabilitation programme for prisoners in California, public libraries in New York deciding to end late fee policy, and the 2021 Right Livelihood Award winners.

Rescued dogs help rescue incarcerated people from life sentences

California’s first dog rehabilitation program in the men’s maximum-security prison in Lancaster is helping prisoners find hope, love and reduced sentences.

Source: Reasons to be cheerful

NYC public libraries eliminate late fees

The city’s public libraries will no longer charge late fees and will waive existing fines for overdue books and other materials to provide an equitable access.

Source: AP News

2021 Right Livelihood winners contend for climate and justice

Marthe Wandou, Vladimir Sliwjak, Freda Huson and the Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE) receive the 2021 Right Livelihood Award for climate and socioeconomic efforts.

Source: DW

The US revokes ban on abortion referrals by family planning clinics

The Department of Health and Human Services believes that the new regulation will restore the federal family planning program allowing clinics to refer women seeking abortions to a provider.

Source: AP News

Robots speed up Greece’s postal service

Four-wheeled autonomous mobile robots powered by artificial intelligence help accelerate the arduous process of mail sorting in Hellenic Post’s sorting centre in Athens.

Source: Reuters

Robots help US police in city surveillance

US police forces are leveraging futuristic technology to address the rise in violent crimes and vandalism across the country.

Source: BBC

Vermont farmers use varied methods to limit carbon emissions

These small-scale farmers use solar power, soil injections, horses instead of tractors and organic matter soil recharging to limit the effects of atmospheric carbon.

Source: Solutions Story Tracker

‘I Don’t Want to Hit My Children. I Don’t Want to Hit Anybody.’

In order to change the mindset of abusers, Respect Phoneline in the UK gives anonymous callers, usually men, a way to seek help for their violent behaviours, rather than measures taken only to support the victims of such behaviours.

Source: New York Times

The Afghan refugee female doctor helping Afghan refugees

As the first female refugee doctor from Afghanistan’s Turkmen ethnic group, Saleema Rehman, a gynecologist, is serving displaced Afghan women in the city of Attock, Pakistan.

Source: NPR

Kashmir finds a voice through music

Musicians Ahmer Javed and Faheem Abdullah find inspiration in the territory’s ongoing political turmoil und uncertainty to express themselves and their circumstances.

Source: BBC