March 24, 2017

Doctors test new Ebola vaccine in Liberia

Three years have passed since an Ebola outbreak was declared in West Africa. In Monrovia, Liberia, where the disease spread faster than in any other part of the world, doctors are testing out a new vaccine on Ebola survivors. While the vaccine has shown positive results, the risk of transmitting the disease remains. Strengthening healthcare systems will be crucial to preventing the next Ebola outbreak.

Keystone pipeline is approved for completion

And we’re not surprised. On Friday, President Donald Trump gave the green light to energy company TransCanada to finish building the Keystone XL pipeline.

Spanning from Alberta, Canada, to Steele City, Nebraska, the pipeline has come under fire from indigenous peoples and allies for its negative environmental impacts and cutting through the Ogalla Aquifer, one of the largest fresh water deposits in the world.

Friday’s announcement overturns the Obama administration’s decision to block Keystone XL.

Baseball makes its way to Gaza

There’s a whole ‘nother ball game for the Gaza Strip. For a month now, a group of Palestinian youth has been meeting at a soccer field – to practice baseball. They are Gaza’s first-ever baseball team, and they’re hoping to spread their new hobby throughout the region to gain more funding. Currently their coach Mahmoud Tafesh funds their practices out of pocket and makes the baseball bats himself.

Besides pioneering a new sport, female participants have the added struggle of challenging gender norms in a patriarchal society.