News that makes you’re feeling higher – it’s an actual factor. Every Friday, Euronews’ excellent information table brings you a choice of certain information tales from world wide.
This week we check out how a charity helps homeless folks take care of heatwaves; a tune pageant degree powered via motorcycles; a seaside made obtainable to blind folks in Egypt, Colombia’s first sustainable faculty; and the way ladies in Algeria are grappling with combined martial arts, a game historically ruled via males.
Watch the video above for extra on every tale, or learn on under.
1. How a charity helps homeless folks take care of heatwaves
Of all of the demanding situations confronted via folks dwelling in the street, one of the vital worst is having nowhere to scrub or exchange garments. And within the fresh heatwaves, the homeless have felt the total pressure.
Paris’s Agora centre hopes to switch that. An oasis created via the global charity Emmaus Solidarity, it supplies a shelter for the ones with nowhere to move.
The heatwave knocks you out, says Cissé Amour, a homeless guy attending the Agora since November 2021, “You get knocked out. And you just need a refuge somewhere cool, where you can shower, where you can quench your thirst, or maybe have a snack, and that’s the main objective. Because it’s difficult to live, you know. For us, it’s quite difficult, “
Between 200 and 300 homeless people can enjoy a shower at the centre every day. They have access to clean drinking water and can stay cool, but they can also meet with social workers and take part in activities.
Abdel Bemra, a homeless man attending the Agora since 2019, is grateful. “We feel good with them. They welcome us very well, very calmly. We have showers, activities, cinema, football, and pétanque. We are very good here, that’s why we come here every day, we are calm, there is air-conditioning, there is everything we need.”
Emmaus Solidarity also organises daily patrols to direct homeless people to their reception centres, particularly during very hot weather.
2. The music festival stage powered by bikes
Summer is the festival season. No matter where you are, you can be sure to find a spot where you can swing to the music of your favourite artist, or discover some new obscure bands.
This week, we take you to the Newport Folk Festival in the US, known for creating electrifying musical moments. A new addition in 2022 is a small outdoor stage that is powered in part by festival-goers on stationary bicycles.
The stage is equipped with solar panels that will provide most of the power to the amps and other equipment, whereas the bikes are providing the rest.
When the show begins, fans jump onto six collapsible bicycles next to the stage. Their pedalling then generates electricity, and in exchange, they get a front-row seat. Of sorts.
Sarah Gaines, a festival attendee, loves bicycles and the bike-powered stage idea, “I love riding bikes. First of all, we rode our bikes here today, so any opportunity to ride a bicycle in a different way, I would be there for that probably,” she says.
Gaines additionally thinks it is time for everybody to be extra proactive, “and get a hold of some answers that don’t seem to be reliant on conventional power resources. So I used to be actually excited they have been doing this right here. I additionally actually love Madi Diaz, and it was once a entrance row seat for 5 mins, which was once actually a excitement.”
3. The beach made accessible to blind people in Egypt
The Mediterranean city of Alexandria has allocated a spot for blind and visually impaired people, as part of an initiative started last year to dedicate part of the beach to people with special needs.
The access to the sea is marked with floating ropes that swimmers can hold on to while they are in the water.
For Ahmed Yasser, it has revolutionised his days at the beach, “I’ve by no means been as satisfied about anything else as I’m about this seaside as a result of having a seaside for folks with particular must swim and revel in their time is a superb factor,” he says.
Going into the water without a guide would normally leave Yasser exhausted and disoriented, so this changes everything.
Lifeguards and assistants are also present to help the swimmers and give them whistles to use in case they get into sticky situations.
4. Colombia’s first sustainable school
Colombia has inaugurated the first sustainable school in the country and the fourth in Latin America.
The building is completely self-sufficient in energy and water supply. It has a photovoltaic system that will produce clean energy for the operation of the school and will also supply the surplus to the municipality’s network. It also has tanks for the collection and distribution of rainwater and wetlands for the treatment of grey and black water.
The school was constructed using 40 per cent recycled materials such as aluminium cans, glass bottles and tyres, and local materials and techniques were used, such as the use of palm leaves for the roofs of the classroom workshop.
The construction also envisions insect hotels, bird houses, a compost bin, vegetable gardens and an indigenous seed bank. The aim is to teach students and the community to preserve biodiversity.
The new school will be used by 52 students and two teachers on a daily basis and will accommodate some 840 students from the area.
The project was designed by Plan B, a renowned architectural firm in Medellín, Colombia, and was built with the support of the municipality of San Jerónimo and students from the Light Construction course.
The project was led by Tagma, an Uruguayan non-profit organisation dedicated to developing innovative projects with a focus on education and sustainability in Latin America, with the support of DirecTV, Disney and National Geographic.
5. How women in Algeria are grappling with mixed martial arts
You may have heard of Ronda Rousey, the first American woman to officially take part in 2011 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the professional organisation for mixed martial arts.
But could you name an Algerian champion? Chances are, you can’t. But we don’t blame you.
Mixed martial arts are relatively new to Algeria, and combat sports are usually dominated by men – although the country has produced international women fighters in judo and karate for decades.
Now MMA has started to attract female practitioners, such as those who attend the Zone Fight Club in the city of Tlemcen to learn how to fight with teacher Mohammed Zahraoui.
Professor Zahraoui says society’s view between the present and past for women in martial arts is changing. “In the past, it was difficult for women to practise this sport. Society and families were afraid of this sport. But now it is good, they practise this sport like any other, there is acceptance by society and families for this sport. Now women practise this sport without difficulty. The government also encourages women’s sports,” he says.
Madjnoun Wafaa, a tender lady who trains on the Zone Fight Club 5 instances every week, entered the game searching for an training on self-defence, “to keep away from boulevard issues and aggression towards ladies. Society turns out to consider a lady is susceptible. After I began this game, I cherished it. To expand myself on this game and to take part in championships.”
