About the Show
What’s Right with the World highlights positive global developments often missed in daily headlines. We focus on data, trends, and policy changes showing social or environmental progress. By putting good news into context, we offer a balanced view of the world and remind listeners that change is possible.
AI tools may be used to support translation and text editing. All AI-assisted content is reviewed and approved by our news team before publication.
Episodes
Iceland is preparing to permanently ban commercial whaling, potentially leaving Norway and Japan as the only countries in the world still allowing the practice. The Icelandic government says it will submit a bill to parliament in February 2027. The proposal comes after years of controversy over the country’s whaling industry and growing public and political […] […]
In Ukraine’s Donetsk region, volunteers are continuing to rescue animals from communities under Russian attack, even as the work becomes increasingly dangerous. Teams from the Ukrainian animal-rights organisation UAnimals travel into cities and villages close to the front line to find pets whose owners have been forced to flee or animals that have simply been […] […]
Bhutan becomes the first country in WHO’s South-East Asia Region to eliminate dog-transmitted human rabies as a public-health problem. […]
Nigerian engineer and entrepreneur Derick Nwasor has developed a technology designed to tackle two major problems facing hospitals: unreliable electricity and inconsistent supplies of medical oxygen. His invention, called Just Add Water, uses solar energy and a regenerative hydrogen fuel-cell system. Electricity is used to split ordinary water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can […] […]
France introduces a new levy on ultra-fast fashion platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress to reduce the environmental and economic harm linked to cheap, high-volume clothing. […]
Offshore wind farms are changing more than just the way we produce electricity. Researchers are finding that the enormous steel foundations installed on the seabed can also create new habitats for marine life. The effect comes from a simple transformation: a flat, sandy seabed suddenly gets a large, permanent hard surface. Mussels, barnacles, sponges and […] […]
A teacher in Nepal is being hailed as a hero after leading more than 1,600 children to safety before flash floods reached their school. […]
Forty years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, one of the world’s most contaminated areas has become an unlikely refuge for wildlife. The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, covering roughly 2,600 square kilometres across Ukraine and Belarus, has been largely free of permanent human settlement since the 1986 disaster. With farming, logging, hunting and other human pressures dramatically […] […]
Florida has ordered the removal of automated license-plate reader cameras from state highways, giving local law-enforcement agencies 30 days to take them down. The Florida Department of Transportation also says it will stop issuing new permits for the systems. The cameras, including those made by Flock Safety, photograph passing vehicles and record licence plates, vehicle […] […]
NASA’s new Roman Space Telescope honours a pioneering woman in astronomy while opening a new window on billions of galaxies, planets and some of the universe’s biggest mysteries. […]
There is some genuinely encouraging news in the fight against one of the world’s most devastating diseases. Five African countries — Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, the Republic of Congo and Uganda — have officially stopped outbreaks of poliovirus type 2. Following technical assessments carried out between January and June 2026, the WHO confirmed that transmission had […] […]
For years, poaching pushed Rwanda’s Akagera National Park towards a dangerous tipping point. But after 15 years of sustained conservation work, the park has achieved something remarkable: not a single elephant, lion or rhino has been poached there for more than a decade. The results go far beyond stopping poaching. Between 2010 and 2023, Akagera’s […] […]
Artificial intelligence can now write songs, generate vocals and produce entire tracks in seconds. But Australia’s music industry has decided that there should still be a place where human creativity matters most: the official charts. From next week, songs that are entirely generated by AI will be excluded from Australia’s official ARIA charts, following a […] […]
Sometimes a technological breakthrough isn’t about robots, space travel or artificial intelligence. Sometimes it’s about helping someone look in the mirror and smile again. That’s what Connor Gibson, a 22-year-old engineering student from Tennessee, is doing. While volunteering with Remote Area Medical, a nonprofit providing free healthcare to underserved Americans, Gibson noticed how many patients […] […]
For centuries, the wildlife of the eastern United States was pushed into decline by hunting, deforestation, wetland destruction and the conversion of natural habitats into farmland and cities. But today, some of those animals are returning—and conservationists are showing that wildlife can recover even in heavily populated regions. A new overview from Mongabay highlights a […] […]
Sometimes science funding comes from universities and governments. And sometimes, apparently, it comes from OnlyFans and cryptocurrency. A 60-year-old scientific project studying yellow-bellied marmots in Colorado was facing closure after major cuts to research funding. The project is one of the world’s longest-running wildlife studies, having followed generations of marmots since 1962. Its research has […] […]
Artificial intelligence is often presented as an unstoppable technological revolution. But across the United States, communities are showing that technological progress doesn’t have to mean accepting everything that comes with it. On 18 July, opponents of the rapid expansion of AI data centres organised 142 protests across 42 states in what organisers described as the […] […]
Florence is extending restrictions on short-term tourist rentals to more neighbourhoods in an effort to protect housing and improve residents’ quality of life. […]
For millions of Americans, student loans can follow them for decades, delaying home ownership, family plans and financial security. So when a large group of borrowers finally sees that debt disappear, it can make a very real difference. According to the USA Today report, the U.S. government is providing student-loan forgiveness to around 170,000 borrowers, […] […]
The world still loses far too many children to preventable causes—but the long-term trend is one of the clearest pieces of good news in global health. According to the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, 4.9 million children under the age of five died in 2022. That number is devastating, but it represents extraordinary […] […]
Italian authorities are reclaiming parts of the coastline for public use as decades-old private beach concessions face reform. […]
For years, concerns about social media addiction—particularly among children and teenagers—have been growing. Now, a major U.S. court decision could force the technology industry to take those concerns much more seriously. On Monday, a U.S. appeals court ruled that thousands of lawsuits against Meta, TikTok and other social media companies can move forward. The companies […] […]
A Swedish programme offers young people free, supervised football on weekend nights, helping reduce crime and gang recruitment in vulnerable neighbourhoods. […]
England is introducing new school food standards from September 2027, with less fried and sugary food and more vegetables, grains and pulses. […]
Global hunger declined again in 2025, but around 645 million people still lack enough food and Africa remains the worst-affected region. […]
Great Britain generated a record 14.4% of its electricity from solar power, while several countries achieved even higher shares. […]
Uganda has ended its latest Ebola outbreak after the final patient left hospital and all identified contacts completed monitoring without further infections. […]
More than 80 percent of India’s rural households now have tap water connections, up from less than 17 percent when the Jal Jeevan Mission began in 2019. […]
Sweden plans wide restrictions on PFAS chemicals in consumer products from January 2028, going beyond current European Union rules. […]
For decades, the African Sahel was synonymous with drought, famine and desertification. But today, one of the world’s driest regions is experiencing a remarkable turnaround that is bringing new hope to millions of people. Scientists have found that groundwater levels are rising across large parts of the Sahel, the vast semi-arid region stretching from Senegal […] […]
Czech researchers are testing custom 3D-printed titanium implants that encourage bone growth and release medication directly around a recovering joint. […]
Rome is opening 11 air-conditioned cinemas for free afternoon screenings, giving residents a cool and welcoming place to escape the summer heat. […]
Most bus fares in England will be capped at £2 from January 2027, restoring an earlier policy to help passengers with living costs and encourage public transport use. […]
Every year, millions of brand-new clothes and shoes are never worn. Instead, many are burned, shredded or sent to landfill simply because they couldn’t be sold. That practice has now come to an end for many of Europe’s largest retailers. From 19 July, the European Union has officially banned large companies from destroying unsold clothing, […] […]
Some of the world’s most inspiring public health stories don’t make headlines because they’re about preventing illness rather than treating it. Cambodia has just written one of those stories. The country has become the first in Asia and the Pacific to achieve the global 95-95-95 HIV targets, a major milestone set by UNAIDS on the […] […]
Major music organisations want streaming platforms to identify whether songs were generated by artificial intelligence or created with AI assistance. […]
For millions of people around the world, the end of a war doesn’t mean the end of danger. Long after conflicts are over, landmines continue to threaten farmers, children and entire communities. But one remarkable organisation is proving that an unlikely hero can help change that—a rat. The humanitarian organisation APOPO has reached an extraordinary […] […]
Italy has approved a law offering children and relatives of mafia bosses relocation, education, psychological support and, when necessary, a new identity. […]
Air pollution has long been one of Europe’s biggest environmental and public health challenges. But after decades of stricter regulations, cleaner technologies and coordinated action, the continent is seeing measurable progress. A new report from the European Environment Agency shows that emissions of major air pollutants continue to decline across Europe. Since 2015, emissions of […] […]
Great schools don’t always have the biggest budgets or the newest buildings. Sometimes, they simply have the biggest impact on their communities. That’s why the Institución Educativa Distrital Gerardo Paredes, a public school in Bogotá, has been named one of the Top 10 finalists in the World’s Best School Prizes 2026, in the category of […] […]
For much of the 20th century, humpback whales were hunted to the brink of extinction. Today, thanks to decades of conservation, one of nature’s most spectacular recovery stories is unfolding just off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. Sightings of humpback whales in Rio have surged in recent years as the South Atlantic population continues […] […]
Sometimes, progress is measured not by grand technological breakthroughs, but by how we choose to treat the most vulnerable living creatures. Scotland has become the first nation in the United Kingdom to bring into force a near-total ban on glue traps, one of the most controversial methods of rodent control. The new law makes it […] […]
Sometimes, protecting the future begins by restoring the past. California has approved the return of 136 acres of rugged coastline in Mendocino County to the Indigenous nations whose ancestors cared for the land for thousands of years. The transfer of Blues Beach and the surrounding coastal bluffs marks the first time land managed by the […] […]
Some of the best ideas don’t come from governments or global organisations. Sometimes, they begin as a university assignment. That’s exactly what happened in Nevada, where occupational therapy student Sara Gudiel created a six-week life skills programme to help teenagers and adults with Down syndrome navigate the transition to independent adult life. What started as […] […]
Some acts of kindness last for a day. Others last for decades. For the past 30 years, teams of Japanese volunteer doctors, nurses, dentists and pharmacists have travelled regularly to rural communities in Vietnam, providing free medical care to people who would otherwise struggle to access it. What began as a small humanitarian initiative has […] […]
For billions of people around the world, access to clean drinking water is becoming one of the defining challenges of our time. Climate change, population growth, and prolonged droughts are placing enormous pressure on freshwater supplies. But a new breakthrough from China offers hope that one of the world’s most abundant resources—seawater—could become far more […] […]
When we think of the shift to renewable energy, we often picture governments launching billion-dollar programmes or introducing generous subsidies. But one of the world’s fastest solar revolutions happened in a completely different way. Over the past three years, Pakistan has quietly become one of the world’s biggest importers of solar panels. In 2025 alone, […] […]
As countries search for smarter ways to accelerate the clean energy transition, Australia has come up with an idea that’s both simple and practical: give people free electricity when there’s an abundance of solar power. EnergyAustralia has launched a new initiative called Solar Sharer, offering eligible households three hours of free electricity every day between […] […]
When people think about environmental news, it’s often stories of deforestation and habitat loss. But in Italy, the trend is moving in the opposite direction. For the first time since the Middle Ages, forests now cover more than one-third of Italy’s land, surpassing 100,000 square kilometres. Even more remarkably, since 2020, forests have overtaken agricultural […] […]
At a time when schools around the world are racing to integrate artificial intelligence into classrooms, Norway is taking a different approach. The country has announced a near-total ban on the use of generative AI tools in elementary schools, arguing that young children need to master the basics before relying on powerful digital assistants. Under […] […]
Colombia is on the verge of making history. The country’s Congress has unanimously approved Latin America’s first nationwide law banning female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice recognized internationally as a violation of human rights. The bill now awaits the signature of President Gustavo Petro. The significance of this moment extends far beyond Colombia’s borders. For […] […]
Progress doesn’t always happen overnight. Sometimes it arrives through years of advocacy, court cases, and citizens refusing to give up on equal treatment under the law. That’s why a recent decision by Nepal’s Supreme Court is being celebrated by LGBTQ+ advocates across Asia and beyond. The court has ruled in favour of marriage equality, strengthening […] […]
In an age of smartphones, streaming platforms, and endless digital distractions, there is some encouraging news from the world of education: more children and teenagers are enjoying reading again. New research in the United Kingdom has found the first significant increase in reading enjoyment among young people in five years. After a prolonged decline, the […] […]
For decades, Mexican workers have put in some of the longest working hours in the developed world. Now, the country is undertaking one of the most ambitious labor reforms in its modern history — a change that aims to improve quality of life for millions of people without reducing their pay. The reform gradually reduces […] […]
One of the most encouraging stories from Europe this month isn’t about a new law or a scientific breakthrough. It’s about something equally important: institutions responding when citizens raise concerns about transparency, environmental protection, and the public interest. In Albania, anti-corruption prosecutors have frozen assets linked to a company involved in a controversial luxury resort […] […]
One of the biggest public health success stories of the past half-century just reached a remarkable milestone. According to new survey data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 9% of American adults now smoke cigarettes. That’s roughly one in eleven adults and marks the lowest smoking rate ever recorded in the […] […]
As artificial intelligence and cloud computing continue to expand, communities across the world are facing a growing question: who should pay for the massive infrastructure needed to power huge data centers? This week, Tennessee offered a clear answer. A newly enacted law requires data center owners to cover the full cost of the electrical infrastructure […] […]
One of the most encouraging medical stories of the year comes from an international cancer trial that is giving new hope to patients who had run out of treatment options. Researchers have been testing a cancer injection called amivantamab on patients with advanced head and neck cancers that had either returned or stopped responding to […] […]
Thousands of people in Hungary are preparing to celebrate a moment that many thought would take years to achieve. Hungarian police have officially approved the 2026 Budapest Pride parade, allowing the event to proceed legally after a period of intense political and legal battles over freedom of assembly and LGBTQ+ rights. The decision marks a […] […]
Australia has established a major national park to protect endangered koalas, linking forest habitats and supporting wildlife conservation efforts along the New South Wales coast. […]
A local tax on large corporations has generated nearly €880 million for climate projects in Portland. […]
A new Australian study is adding serious weight to the growing global movement for the four-day work week. Researchers followed dozens of companies that reduced working hours without cutting salaries, and the results were striking: employees reported lower stress levels, better sleep, improved mental health, and a stronger sense of balance between work and personal […] […]
In a significant pushback against the expansion of surveillance technology, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has intervened to stop the city’s police force from moving forward with a controversial data deal involving Palantir Technologies. The proposed agreement would have allowed the Metropolitan Police to expand its use of Palantir’s powerful data-analysis systems — technology often associated […] […]
In a first-of-its-kind move, the state of Minnesota has passed a law banning online prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket — platforms where people can wager money on everything from elections to sports and political events. Supporters of the ban argue that these platforms are essentially gambling disguised as financial markets, and that they […] […]
Research suggests singing, painting, and museum visits may help slow biological ageing. […]
A study finds Chile’s extended maternity leave helped mothers remain in formal employment after childbirth. […]
A major shift may be underway in global climate politics: nearly 60 countries representing more than half of the world’s GDP have gathered for the first-ever international conference dedicated specifically to phasing out fossil fuels. The summit, held in Santa Marta, Colombia and co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, marks a significant change in tone. […] […]
The European Union is preparing a major new policy initiative that could significantly reduce the role of American tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google in handling sensitive government data across Europe. The proposed plan — known as the “Tech Sovereignty Package” — would limit foreign cloud providers from processing highly sensitive public-sector information such […] […]
A new artificial placenta may help scientists test medication safety during pregnancy more accurately. […]
France will extend its low-cost university meal scheme to all students amid rising concerns over student poverty. […]
Scientists used AI to uncover Parkinson’s subtypes, paving the way for more personalised treatments. […]
In a significant decision for reproductive healthcare, the Supreme Court of the United States has temporarily restored nationwide access to Mifepristone through telehealth, pharmacies, and mail delivery — blocking a lower court ruling that would have sharply restricted access. To understand why this matters: Mifepristone is one of the two drugs most commonly used for […] […]
Global vaccine drive reaches 18m children. Campaign boosts protection, but gaps remain in conflict-affected countries. […]
Afghan women footballers regain the right to compete internationally, becoming a symbol of resilience and hope. […]
Etsy bans real animal fur, signaling a major shift toward more ethical fashion practices. […]
A 24-minute music session could help reduce anxiety, offering a simple and accessible mental health boost. […]
New EU rules force companies to prove eco claims, making sustainability labels more honest and trustworthy. […]
New research links serotonin to tinnitus, opening the door to better, more targeted treatments. […]
New WNBA deal boosts pay and revenue sharing, reshaping the future for players and the sport. […]
Once near extinction, European bison now restore ecosystems and help store carbon across Europe. […]
Up to 1,000 whales spotted in Antarctic waters, marking a strong recovery after decades of decline. […]
New universal plasma could speed up emergency care and reduce shortages.
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South Korea guarantees basic mobile data after limits, benefiting millions and framing internet access as a communication right. […]
Study finds rainforests can regain over 90% biodiversity in 30 years if protected and allowed to regrow naturally. […]
Rhinos return to Uganda after 40 years, rebuilding a wild population following decades of poaching. […]
Over 10% of the ocean is now protected, marking progress toward a global 30% conservation goal. […]
Human urine from festivals is being turned into fertiliser to grow forests and cut waste. […]
Brands increasingly replace synthetic textiles with plant-based fibres such as banana plant fabric and other renewable materials. […]
Scientists reveal full 3D map of clitoral nerves, improving surgery outcomes for women. […]
A student-built prostetic arm uses one sensor for easy control, helping users adapt faster while making prosthetics more accessible. […]
Studies show cleaner, greener neighbourhood spaces can reduce gun violence and burglary by removing neglected areas and increasing community presence. […]
A historic medical milestone has been reached in the fight against Sickle Cell Disease. Doctors in New York have successfully cured patients using a revolutionary gene-editing therapy — offering hope to millions of people living with the painful condition. Sickle cell disease is caused by a genetic mutation that makes red blood cells become rigid […] […]
Solar energy has reached a major milestone: it is now the fastest-growing source of electricity in the world, outpacing every other energy technology. According to recent global energy data, solar power capacity is expanding at record speed. In many countries, new solar installations now account for the majority of newly added electricity generation, surpassing coal, […] […]
A vaccine already used around the world to prevent shingles may have an unexpected extra benefit: it could dramatically reduce the risk of serious heart problems. Shingles — caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus behind chickenpox — is mainly known for causing painful rashes and nerve damage. But scientists have increasingly […] […]
A new policy aims to place seven percent of California’s land and coastal waters under Indigenous stewardship, addressing promises made to tribes in the 1850s. […]
A U.S. jury says Meta failed to protect young users, marking one of the first rulings holding a social media platform accountable for design risks. […]
A quiet environmental transformation is happening around the world: former golf courses are being “rewilded” — turned back into thriving natural ecosystems. For decades, golf courses have taken up vast amounts of land, often requiring heavy water use, fertilizers and pesticides. But as some courses close or fall into disuse, communities are choosing a different […] […]
Researchers have uncovered a critical mechanism behind Alzheimer’s disease — and, crucially, found a way to switch it off. The study reveals that brain cell death in Alzheimer’s may be driven by a toxic interaction between two proteins: the NMDA receptor and the TRPM4 ion channel. When these two bind together outside normal brain connections, […] […]
In a powerful sign of ecological recovery, savanna elephants are returning to Virunga National Park after years of conflict, poaching, and habitat loss. Once home to thousands of elephants, Virunga saw its population collapse over recent decades due to armed conflict and illegal hunting. At one point, fewer than 350 elephants remained in the park. […] […]
Scientists have achieved a breakthrough that sounds almost futuristic: they’ve successfully grown fully functional hair follicles in the lab — and they behave like real ones. Hair loss affects millions of people worldwide, but recreating a working hair follicle — a tiny, complex “mini-organ” — has been a huge scientific challenge. Now, researchers have finally […] […]
Europe is taking a strong step to protect young gamers: any video game containing loot boxes will now automatically be rated at least PEGI 16. PEGI This new rule, coming into force in summer 2026, means games with so-called “paid random items” — like card packs, crates or gacha systems — can no longer be […] […]
The European Union has taken a major step toward ending animal suffering in everyday products by banning animal testing for detergents and cleaning products. Under a newly updated regulation, companies will no longer be allowed to rely on animal experiments to prove the safety of cleaning products. Instead, they must use modern, non-animal scientific methods, […] […]
Authorities say child marriages in India’s Assam state have fallen sharply after stricter enforcement and police action against organisers. […]
Across the western United States, a growing movement is helping Native American tribes regain ancestral lands that were taken from them over generations. Known as the “Land Back” movement, it aims to restore Indigenous stewardship of territories with deep cultural, spiritual, and environmental significance. In recent years, tribes have begun seeing real progress. One major […] […]
A new clinical trial suggests that a simple pill could one day replace bulky sleep-apnea machines for many patients. Researchers found that the drug sulthiame significantly reduced breathing interruptions during sleep in people with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea occurs when the airway repeatedly collapses during sleep, causing breathing to stop temporarily […] […]
New policing powers and tougher laws target gang crime. Experts and rights groups warn the long-term impact remains unclear. […]
Scientists have taken an extraordinary step toward a new kind of cancer therapy: engineering bacteria that can invade tumors and destroy them from within. The research, led by scientists at the University of Waterloo, shows how specially modified microbes could become precision tools against cancer. Tumors often contain oxygen-poor environments where traditional treatments like chemotherapy […] […]
For decades, scientists have asked one of humanity’s biggest questions: Are we alone in the universe? A new discovery on Mars may have just brought us one step closer to finding out. Researchers studying samples collected by NASA’s Curiosity rover have identified the largest organic molecules ever found on Mars—long chains of carbon-based compounds that […] […]
Kenya has introduced a new HIV prevention injection that protects patients for six months. […]
Croatia has reached a historic milestone in post-war recovery: the country has been officially declared free of landmines, more than three decades after conflict left significant areas contaminated with explosive remnants. This achievement — confirmed by Croatia’s national mine action authority — marks the successful completion of one of the most extensive demining efforts in […] […]
Mexico's government backs gradual reduction to 40 hours with no wage cuts announced. […]
South Korea is seeing a rare demographic bright spot: the birth rate increased by 6.8 % last year. Get all the details on today's What's Right! […]
Animal welfare groups call it a historic step as Norway’s chicken industry plans to end the use of fast-growing breeds by next year. […]
New European Union tool to link young victims to helplines as one in six children report online abuse. […]
Researchers report a 15 to 20 percent lower dementia risk linked to coffee and tea consumption. […]
Fish stocks and species diversity are rising after strict enforcement and €2.8 billion in compensation for fishers. […]
A community-led project in Ecuador's Alto Ila restores endangered tree species in a region shaped by logging and drought. Get all the details on today's "What's right with the world". […]
