Afghanistan’s August 2025 earthquake reveals the cost of international isolation, UN scientists warn
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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 8-Nov-2025 14:11 ET (8-Nov-2025 19:11 GMT/UTC)
On August 31, 2025, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, causing extensive destruction and claiming over 3,500 lives. The United Nations University (UNU) attributes the high death toll to Afghanistan's international isolation and gender-based restrictions. The earthquake revealed the urgent need for sustained investment in safer construction, disaster risk reduction, and the inclusion of women in education and healthcare to prevent future catastrophes.
Social media use has long been part of the everyday lives of most children and adolescents. Many of them exhibit risky, and in some cases even addictive, behaviour. While social media use can certainly have positive effects for young people, intensive use can negatively impact mental, emotional, and social well-being, leading to symptoms such as depression and anxiety, impaired attention, and sleep problems. In a discussion paper published by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the researchers involved therefore recommend applying the precautionary principle. In the paper “Social Media and the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents”, they give policy recommendations to protect children and adolescents from the negative effects of social media, for example by setting a minimum age for access or by restricting certain functions. The paper was published on 13 August 2025 and an English translation is now available.
It’s time to develop more effective ways to control and prevent sexually transmitted gut infections, urge the authors of an article appearing today in Clinical Microbiology Reviews, a journal of the American Society of Microbiology. Global emergence of several multidrug-resistant gut pathogens and the potential for crossover transmissions among different at-risk populations underscores the importance of prompt diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and the need to consider community-level education and testing.
Indian adolescents are mostly starting their periods at an earlier age than 25 years ago - likely because of demographic factors such as improved education, and possibly even climate change.
Paperpal, the leading AI research and writing assistant by Cactus Communications (CACTUS), unveils a transformative brand strategy, evolving from a writing tool to a complete AI research assistant. This new brand strategy emphasizes its commitment to equipping the academic community with trusted tools for clear, confident, and ethical writing in an era where AI is reshaping education and publishing.