Development & Education

In 2017, Cape Town nearly became the world’s first major city to essentially run out of municipal water. Although this was eventually avoided, water woes continue to plague South Africa and have been worsened by climate change. Now, the main economic hub, Johannesburg, is facing its own crisis, with outages becoming part of daily life.

Late last year, China broke its own record for the world’s fastest train, clocking in at 281 miles per hour. But in Japan, testing is underway for another type of train — one that levitates and can top 300 miles per hour, showing that the race for the fastest train isn’t just a competition. It could revolutionize the future of travel.

For many of us, virtual reality experiences are few and far between. And the ones we encounter typically involve gaming. But for two Palestinian artists, virtual reality means more than entertainment — it’s cultural preservation. Their project, titled “Phoenix of Gaza XR”, is currently making its way across a handful of Massachusetts universities, and will tour across the country, in a series of exhibitions, many of which are open to the public. GBH’s Kate Dellis has the story.

In the early 1900s, Brighton, England, was full of electric trams. But at the start of World War II, they were scrapped for the war effort. All of the trams were lost — or so historians thought. Then in 2009, one was discovered on a pig farm, and a team of locals have been working ever since to restore the tram to its original glory. Now, the group behind the restoration is hoping to get it running on tracks again, soon. 

A US shutdown of foreign aid is starting to have devastating impacts around the world. Health programs and even military assistance are now paused in many countries. In Latin America, some fear that the aid freeze could hurt economic programs and encourage more people to migrate to the United States.