Meanwhile in ... Iran, women’s soccer is making progress moving toward the 2022 Olympics in Beijing

Iran, women’s soccer is making progress moving toward the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. For two decades, riflery was the only international sport open to Iranian women. Then, in the 1990s, a national soccer league was established and Oklahoman Katayoun Khosrowyar was recruited as a player. Ms. Khosrowyar, who today works with Iran’s soccer youth leagues, says that a new regulation allowing 16-year-olds to train with senior clubs will be a huge aid in preparing Iranian women athletes for the 2022 Olympics. Khosrowyar told The Guardian that she has seen many changes for the better for women athletes in her 12 years in Iran. “[T]he fact that we exist is huge,” she says.

Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo, a young self-taught designer is working to make her city a fashion capital. Adriana Talansi is head designer of her own Congo-based design house, Talansi. Her clothes have been seen on runways from London to Dubai, and she now serves as her country’s official fashion ambassador. In addition to bringing African talent from across the continent to Pointe-Noire, Ms. Talansi’s goal, she told bellanaijastyle.com, is to “change the vision of people who are used to traditional cuts and make them discover African Haute Couture.” 

The Netherlands, multiple studies have suggested that Dutch teens are the happiest in the world. Researchers have concluded that Dutch adolescents experience higher levels of satisfaction than their international counterparts, encounter less bullying, and are more comfortable talking to their parents. “I think Dutch children ... have a supportive environment at home, with friends and also at school,” researcher Simone de Roos told The Guardian.