In this Squirrel News edition, the voting age in the UK will be lowered from 18 to 16 years, Germany and the UK finalise a friendship treaty for mutual defence and cooperation, and singing together helps dementia patients access memories.
In a package of UK government measures to expand voting rights, citizens will be allowed to vote from the age of 16 by the next general election. Wales and Scotland had already lowered the voting age, so this move brings equity to young adults in the kingdom. The range of acceptable voter IDs is also being expanded.
British parliament will tighten laws on foreign donations and election influence
Ministers are planning to close loopholes that could allow foreign money to influence UK elections, with a crackdown on illegitimate donations through shell companies and enhanced checks on political donors to make sure all contributions over £500 come from legitimate UK sources.
Post-Brexit friendship treaty signed between Germany and the UK
The historic “Kensington Agreement”, largely negotiated by the previous German government with the UK, was sealed in London Thursday. It includes cooperation on security and defence, simplified education visas, support for Ukraine, and plans for a direct rail connection.
World’s largest full-body imaging study provides wealth of data for research
UK Biobank scanned 100,000 people in the UK, producing more than a billion images of organs and systems in the body, available online to researchers with the potential to transform disease diagnosis research going forward.
Arizona will erase $429M in medical debt, says state governor Hobbs
Arizona is partnering with a national nonprofit ‘Undue Medical Debt’ to eliminate medical debt for residents who earn up to 400% of the poverty level and/or who have medical debt of at least 5% of their income. Undue has helped other cities and towns around the US to reduce the burden of medical debt.
Targeting root causes continues drastic reduction in Baltimore’s violent crime
Baltimore is treating violent crime as a public health issue, addressing its roots in racism and poverty with prevention measures like support for housing, jobs, and education, as well as focusing law enforcement and community mediation in neighbourhoods with a long history of gun violence. The result: violent crime has trended sharply down in recent years, with a further drop of 22% so far in 2025.
Beating the heat at schools without air conditioning
Heat negatively impacts learning, but architects, designers, and planners are preparing for a warmer future with school designs that cool passively. Clay structures, lattice walls, aerating roofs, and geothermal cooling are some of the strategies being put to use.
German cities subsidising night cabs for women’s safety
With research showing about 40% of women over 15 in Germany have experienced some form of sexual violence, German cities are making it easier for women to stay safe. The city of Mannheim provides vouchers for night taxis. Night buses in Stuttgart allow women to request stops between regular bus stops.
A women’s shelter in Uganda made of 18,000 recycled plastic bottles
Start-up Pendeza Shelters builds ecological structures that house people in need while offering training and jobs to residents in waste management, construction and business skills. Some have gone on to start their own businesses.
Memory choirs help people with dementia to preserve memories
Enjoying and singing along to music from the past is something many memory clinics organise for their residents because music has been shown to help access old memories. Now scientists are investigating the power of music to treat cognitive disorders.
