Latest Stories from Sofia
NHS pledges to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040
The NHS will improve its HPV vaccination programme and is urging more women to book screening appointments in light of findings that a third are not contacting their GP when instructed to. Last week, head of NHS England Amanda Pritchard announced that thanks to improved screening rates and HPV vaccination uptake, there’s hope for cervical cancer to be practically non-existent in the UK by 2040. It’s thought to be the first...
The latest TikTok trend points to Gen Z’s obsession with anti-ageing
With more social media users buying into the idea that perceived flaws must be dealt with before they’ve even begun, young people have turned their attention to a new product which promises to offset any future lip creases: a straw designed to prevent wrinkles. It’s no secret that Gen Z is obsessed with anti-ageing. Earlier this year, a 14-year-old went viral on TikTok for sharing a multi-step skincare routine with the...
Boohoo under fire for breaking promises on ethical overhaul
Following shocking revelations of malpractice at clothing factories owned by the fast fashion giant in 2020, it pledged to reform its operations and launched its ‘Agenda for Change’ programme. A new undercover investigation has found evidence that this was nothing but smoke and mirrors. In 2020, Boohoo, the online retailer at the helm of popular trend-driven fast fashion brands like Nasty Gal and PLT, lost almost £2 billion in...
How forest protection is integral to tackling climate change
According to a new Nature study, protecting forests globally could potentially capture an additional 226 gigatons of planet-warming carbon, equivalent to about a third of the amount that humans have released since the beginning of the Industrial Era. If you weren’t already aware, forests play a critical role in the survival of humanity, acting as natural shields that safeguard us from our own inherently destructive impact on the environment. Hugely effective...
British start-up develops STI-testing tampon
Daye, a former femcare firm that’s now a gynaecological health company, has launched a new at-home screening service for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and other common sexually transmitted infections with the hope it will encourage more women to seek treatment. Let’s be honest, getting tested for a sexually transmitted infection is never a particularly pleasant experience. Though it’s essential if you’re having casual sex or if protection fails, it can be uncomfortable, a...
UNESCO unveils action plan to regulate social media platforms
According to a new survey, more than 85 per cent of people are worried about the impact of online disinformation and 87 per cent believe it has already harmed their country’s politics. On Monday, UNESCO’s Director-General Audrey Azoulay sounded the alarm on the intensification of disinformation and hate speech online, which she said poses ‘major risks to social cohesion, peace, and stability.’ Her warning comes on the back of a UNESCO-commissioned...
Exclusive – Chelsea Miller talks sustainable-movement building
A leading voice in racial justice and digital organising, Chelsea Miller is the co-founder of Freedom March NYC, one of the largest youth-led civil rights groups in America. We spoke to her about how considering long-term impact should always take precedence over promoting band-aid solutions. ‘People can’t be what they don’t see,’ says Chelsea Miller, who is amongst Gen Z’s most prominent social change leaders. Embodying this...
Fashion’s efforts to go green are being negated by overproduction
WRAP’s 2030 Annual Progress Report says a 12 per cent reduction in the carbon impact of clothing has been cancelled out by a 13 per cent increase in the volume of textiles produced and sold. The planet is, quite literally, drowning in clothes. Through recycling programmes have existed for decades now, of the 100 billion garments bought annually, 92 million tonnes of them get thrown out. By 2030, that figure...
The scary truth about Halloween’s contribution to the climate crisis
As you might’ve guessed, our annual affinity with dressing up for spooky season is nothing short of an environmental nightmare. Turns out the waste we generate with throwaway costumes is even more frightening than the get-ups themselves. In 2019, Hubbub – a charity dedicated to inspiring ways of living that are good for the environment – disclosed a finding even more terrifying than the holiday we eagerly anticipate the moment...
Viral video prompts renewed calls for safety measures on public transport
Following a series of recent incidents that involve women being targeted and harassed while trying to get home, social media users are demanding more intervention from staff at stations. ‘If you act up, I’ll follow you.’ These are the distressing words of a man in a viral video which made the rounds on social media this weekend. Late at night, he had climbed across train tracks to harass the woman filming,...










