A true honour to welcome Professor Dame Wendy Hall to WorldPop!

We had an inspiring and wide-ranging conversation on using AI and satellite imagery to fill global demographic data gaps - plus insights into UK data sharing initiatives and the power of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Exciting times ahead as we work to make our demographic data more inclusive, accessible, and actionable.

Smoking avatars and online games: how big tobacco targets young people in the metaverse https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/22/avatar-smokes-big-tobacco-children-metaverse-cigarettes-vapes-virtual-regulation-health #Globaldevelopment #Children'shealth #Tobaccoindustry #Themetaverse #Globalhealth #Socialmedia #Technology #Business #Internet #Smoking #Meta

‘Queer people were living, loving, suffering, surviving – but invisible’: west Africa’s groundbreaking gay novel 20 years on https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/21/west-africa-gay-novel-jude-dibia-walking-with-shadows #Globaldevelopment #LGBTQ+rights #Nigeria #Culture #Africa #Books

Malaria ‘back with a vengeance’ in Zimbabwe as number of deaths from the disease triple https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/19/health-malaria-mosquito-deaths-zimbabwe-trump-usaid-cuts-disease-control #Trumpadministration #Infectiousdiseases #Globaldevelopment #Globalhealth #AidsandHIV #Worldnews #Zimbabwe #Malaria #Malaria #Society #Science #Africa #Aid

Young, educated and knee deep in rubbish: the recyclers cleaning up in Cairo’s Garbage City https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/18/rubbish-recyclers-cairo-garbage-city-manshiyet-nasr-climate-crisis #MiddleEastandnorthAfrica #Globaldevelopment #Climatecrisis #Environment #Employment #Recycling #Worldnews #Plastics #Africa #Egypt #Waste

US Senate passes aid and public broadcasting cuts in victory for Trump https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/17/us-senate-passes-aid-public-broadcasting-cuts-victory-trump #Trumpadministration #Televisionindustry #Globaldevelopment #USforeignpolicy #Radioindustry #Republicans #DonaldTrump #USCongress #USpolitics #Democrats #Worldnews #USSenate #Society #USnews #Media #Aid

Sudan’s children face growing threat of deadly infectious diseases as vaccination rates halve https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/17/infectious-diseases-sudan-children-vaccination-rates-immunisation-routine-jabs-measles #MiddleEastandnorthAfrica #Vaccinesandimmunisation #WorldHealthOrganization #Humanitarianresponse #Infectiousdiseases #Globaldevelopment #Globalhealth #Worldnews #Children #Society #Science #Africa #Health #Sudan #MMR

Trust in the US is eroding. Now the question isn’t if the dollar will lose supremacy: it’s when | Kenneth Mohammed https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/16/trust-in-the-us-is-eroding-the-question-isnt-if-the-dollar-will-lose-supremacy-its-when #Globaldevelopment #Currencies #Worldnews #Economics #Business #Dollar #Africa #USnews #Brics

Diljit Dosanjh is one of the biggest Asian stars in the world. So why can’t Indian cinemagoers see his latest film? https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/15/diljit-dosanjh-sardaar-ji-3-latest-film-india-pakistan-hania-aamir #SouthandcentralAsia #Globaldevelopment #Worldnews #Pakistan #Kashmir #Culture #India #Film

The Guardian view on Brics growing up: A new bloc seeks autonomy – and eyes a post-western order | Editorial https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/13/the-guardian-view-on-brics-growing-up-a-new-bloc-seeks-autonomy-and-eyes-a-post-western-order #InternationalMonetaryFund(IMF) #Tradeanddevelopment #UnitedArabEmirates #Globaldevelopment #Greeneconomy #SouthAfrica #DonaldTrump #Economics #Indonesia #Worldnews #Ethiopia #Brazil #Russia #Brics #China #India #Egypt #Iran

‘I didn’t give much thought to the universe’: India’s first astronaut in 40 years inspires next generation of stargazers https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/12/india-first-astronaut-in-40-years-international-space-station #InternationalSpaceStation #SouthandcentralAsia #Globaldevelopment #Globaleducation #Worldnews #Science #Space #India

High-risk HIV groups facing record levels of criminalisation as countries bring in draconian laws https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/10/unaids-high-risk-hiv-groups-lgbtq-record-criminalisation-usaid-funding #Trumpadministration #Infectiousdiseases #Globaldevelopment #TrinidadandTobago #UnitedNations #Globalhealth #LGBTQ+rights #AidsandHIV #Worldnews #Americas #Society #Science #Nigeria #Africa #USAID #Mali

Why are some of Britain’s ancient woodlands failing to regenerate? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/10/britain-ancient-woodlands-failing-regenerate-forests-climate-drought-heat-disease-deer-hope-aoe #Endangeredhabitats #Endangeredspecies #Globaldevelopment #Treesandforests #Climatecrisis #Conservation #Biodiversity #Environment #Wildlife #Research #UKnews

Global disparities in AI and SDG readiness reveal deep inequities. Digitally advanced nations thrive, while others face infrastructure gaps. To ensure inclusive progress, policymakers must invest in fixed energy, ethical AI deployment, and equitable financing—reframing sustainability as permanence and anchoring governance in trust equity and systemic resilience.

The spirit of the G8 ‘make poverty history’ summit of 2005 seems long gone | Heather Stewart https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jul/06/g8-make-poverty-history-summit-2005-debt-relief #Trumpadministration #Globaldevelopment #Globaleconomy #Debtrelief #Economics #Business #Aid #G8

The spirit of the G8 ‘make poverty history’ summit of 2005 seems long gone | Heather Stewart https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jul/06/g8-make-poverty-history-summit-2005-debt-relief #Trumpadministration #Globaldevelopment #Globaleconomy #Debtrelief #Economics #Business #Aid #G8

UNAids chief ‘shaken and disgusted’ by US cuts that will mean millions more deaths https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/04/us-aid-cuts-kill-millions-unaids-head-winnie-byanyima #Globaldevelopment #Globalhealth #AidsandHIV #Worldnews #Uganda #Africa #USnews #USAID #Aid

Africa: Space Is Not the Final Frontier - It Is the Foundation of Our Future - UN Deputy Chief: [UN News] Space technologies are no longer a distant frontier but a critical foundation for daily life and global development, the UN Deputy Secretary-General said on Wednesday. http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TLj0T4 #Africa #SpaceTech #UN #GlobalDevelopment #Innovation

Droughts worldwide pushing tens of millions towards starvation, says report https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/02/droughts-worldwide-pushing-tens-millions-starvation-report #Globaldevelopment #Climatecrisis #UnitedNations #Foodsecurity #Environment #Worldnews #Drought #Society #Water

Droughts worldwide pushing tens of millions towards starvation, says report https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/02/droughts-worldwide-pushing-tens-millions-starvation-report #Globaldevelopment #Climatecrisis #UnitedNations #Foodsecurity #Environment #Worldnews #Drought #Society #Water