What’s right with the world

Belgrade will offer free public transport from January, aiming to ease congestion, but can its ageing system handle the surge in passengers?

Brazil’s bold fight against poverty lifts 8.7 million people in a year, thanks to innovative policies like Bolsa Família and economic recovery efforts.

Miss Netherlands ends its run, paving the way for a bold new platform redefining beauty, inclusivity, and empowerment in modern society.

A pioneering AI camera is being tested to catch motorists driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, helping police stop dangerous drivers before accidents happen.

From a vanished sea to a desert reborn—discover how bold restoration efforts are bringing hope to the Aral Sea region.

Luxembourg updates its blood donation rules, allowing gay men to donate, marking a major step toward equality and modernized health practices.

The UK bans junk food ads on TV before 9 pm and online anytime from 2025, aiming to tackle childhood obesity. Get all the details on today’s “What’s right with the world”.

A new injection could revolutionize asthma and COPD treatment, significantly reducing flare-ups, improving symptoms and quality of life. The results of the study were recently published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

Belgium leads the way in labor rights by granting sex workers maternity leave, pensions, and formal contracts under a groundbreaking new law.

Australia has passed a law banning social media for children under 16, sparking debate over mental health, privacy, and youth access to support networks.

Swedish researchers have developed cancer-fighting nanobots that target tumors with precision, offering a promising alternative to traditional treatments with fewer side effects.

UK researchers are testing whether cash transfers can more effectively reduce homelessness than traditional aid in a groundbreaking large-scale study.

The UK is redefining economic growth with Gross Inclusive Income (GII), a new measure that includes sustainability, well being, and non-monetary factors beyond traditional GDP.

Norway’s parliament has apologized to the Sami for decades of forced assimilation, marking a historic step. Alongside the apology, new measures will protect Sami culture, language, and land rights. While welcomed by the Sami, critics question economic impacts, and implementation remains under scrutiny. Get all the details on today’s “What’s right with the world”.

Paris is launching an inspiring initiative to support new parents and protect babies from pollution. Starting mid-2025, eco-friendly gift bags will be provided, including stainless steel baby cups, wooden toys, reusable cotton wipes, and non-toxic cleaning items. This effort aims to give infants a healthier start in life while promoting sustainable practices

A research team at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia has combined civil engineering and their wish to cut back on textile waste by using textile waste and carpet fibres to create sustainable concrete. Their approach not only diverts clothing and carpet waste from landfills — which is urgently needed when it’s estimated that the world produces 92 million tons of textile waste every year — but it also makes for stronger concrete, reducing early-age shrinkage cracking in concrete by up to 30%.

A fourteen-year-old has won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. Sirish Subash created a device called Pestiscand. It is a handheld device for at-home use to detect pesticide residue on produce without damaging the food. It measures the wavelength of light reflecting off of fruits and vegetables and uses a machine-learning model to analyse the data. Users download a phone app, point Pestiscand at the produce, tap the scan button and voilà, they see if their apple or spinach needs another rinse.

There is one far-right conspiracy platform less in the United States. The satirical media outlet The Onion has acquired the site Infowars.com. For years, the owner Alex Jones distributed lies and fake news to the public, earning millions of dollars by selling conspiracy theory merchandise like vitamins, diet pills, and gear for a supposed civil war.

Scientists have discovered the world's largest coral reef in the Solomon Islands, which holds centuries of ocean secrets. It measures 34 meters wide and five meters high, making it longer than the world's biggest mammal, the blue whale. It is made of nearly one billion little polyps, pulsing with life and color and it is so huge that it is visible from space.

Amazon, Ikea and about three dozen other companies that depend on ocean freight will invite shipping firms for the first time ever to bid on a contract in January to move their cargo on vessels powered by near-zero emissions e-fuels like e-methanol. The Alliance hopes to accelerate the ocean shipping industry's move toward net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.