Kickstart your month with these inspiring stories
Here are a few stories to get your month off to a good start
It’s easy to think the news is all doom and gloom these days, but look a little deeper, and there are plenty of good things going on.
We thought we’d kickstart the month with a few stories of people doing good, making change and inspiring others…
Italy has become the first EU country to pass a sweeping AI regulation aimed at ensuring “human-centric, transparent and safe” use of the tech. The law aligns with the EU’s AI Act and imposes prison terms (1–5 years) for harmful uses like deepfakes, identity theft or fraud. It also limits access for children under 14 (requiring parental consent), sets copyright criteria for AI-assisted works, and permits AI text/data mining only for non-copyrighted content or by authorised research institutions.
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The UK’s Environment Agency is turning to gaming to help educate children about climate change. A new educational version of Minecraft called CoastCraft will help teach children aged 9–14 about climate change, coastal erosion, and flood resilience. Set in the coastal town of Bude, Cornwall, the game challenges players to protect the environment from rising sea levels while balancing community needs.
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Nearly 100 years after she enrolled, Oxford University has posthumously awarded an MPhil in Anthropology to Mākereti Papakura, a pioneering Māori scholar believed to be the first indigenous woman to study at Oxford. Though she began her studies in 1927 and completed significant ethnographic work on Māori customs, she died in 1930 before submitting a thesis. Her work was later published with support from colleagues. In a ceremony held last month, her descendants accepted the degree in ritual combining Oxford and Māori traditions.
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Proving age is no barrier to getting out in nature and challenging yourself, Outward Bound New Zealand has launched a new eight-day “Beyond 60” course aimed at people aged 60 and over. The first course had ten participants, including a 75-year-old, and featured adapted outdoor challenges such as kayaking, rock climbing, high ropes, bushcraft, treks, camping, and navigation skills. Participants reported personal growth, new relationships, and facing fears/trust issues among the major takeaways.
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A new gene therapy called AMT-130, trialled in the UK, has shown promise at slowing the progression of Huntington’s disease by up to 75% over three years. The treatment involves injecting custom DNA into the brain so neurons permanently reduce production of the mutant huntingtin protein that causes the disease.
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