Photo: Vibe Adventures / Unsplash (CC0)
From political progress in Mexico and Hungary to free therapy in a Swedish bar and small grants for private generosity: here’s our recap of the most important constructive news and stories from the past month.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced the initiation of a process to make sure all 120 million citizens can access any public medical institution. The first phase will start on April 13th, with the rollout of a new Universal Health Credential for those aged 85 and older.
Source: The Deep Dive
With 98.74% of the vote counted, the Tisza party was projected to have won 138 of the 199 seats in the country’s parliament, giving them a super-majority capable of amending the constitution and key laws, and reversing the antidemoratic changes made by Orbán. The record-high turnout saw 77.8% of the electorate cast their votes – the highest in Hungary’s post-communist history.
Source: The Guardian
A new report from energy thinktank Ember reveals clean energy generation grew by 887 terawatt hours, outpacing global demand growth of 849 terawatt hours. Solar, particularly in China and India, led the surge. Renewables now account for over a third of global electricity, with a record 33.8% share in the global energy mix.
Source: Euronews
Following a week of negotiations in Campo Grande, Brazil, countries within the UN have committed to working together on potential joint action plans to better protect migratory species. New additions to the list include cheetahs, snowy owls, giant otters, and hammerhead sharks.
Source: CBC
In the same waters where they were slaughtered en masse in the 20th century, whale populations are recovering. Independent researchers have spotted hundreds of them, exciting citizen scientists. Krill fishing could pose a threat, but the krill fishers have already agreed to a buffer around penguin colonies, so collaboration for conservation is possible.
Source: The Guardian
The scheme, which will use a unique rearing process, hopes to re-establish a huge oyster bed around Orkney that experts say will create a “trophic cascade” of climate and ecological benefits. Experts say the release will help to repair damaged marine ecosystems while sequestering large amounts of carbon.
Source: The Guardian
In a move that would protect the communication rights of approximately seven million South Koreans, the science ministry has announced that mobile phone users are legally entitled to access to basic data at a reduced speed, even after exhausting their monthly limit. Although the 400/kbps speed is insufficient for data-intensive tasks, it would still let users send messages or use map apps.
Source: Yonhap News Agency
While there is no concrete timeline in place for weaning off Windows, the French government joins a growing number of organisations looking to find alternatives to American firms that are increasingly stretching their monopolistic tendencies across borders.
Source: Gizmodo
With children under the age of five accounting for more than two-thirds of malaria deaths, the newly introduced combination of artemether and lumefantrine hopes to better support this vulnerable group. Until now, infants have been treated with drugs developed for older children, which expose the newborns to risks of dosing errors and toxicity.
Source: Deutsche Welle
According to provisional data, nearly 126,000 babies were born to mothers aged 15-19, making the birth rate for that age group 11.7 births per 1,000. By comparison, the teen birth rate in 1991 was 61.8 births per 1,000.
Source: NPR
New data show that child labour across the Philippines has fallen from 828,000 cases in 2022 to 509,000 in 2024. This progress is largely credited to coordinated government efforts and community-based programmes, which helped remove more than 319,000 children from labour. At the same time, over 47,000 families received livelihood support addressing the underlying causes of the practice.
Source: The Philippine Star
In 2010, Colombia’s multidimensional poverty rate – which includes access to education and available infrastructure – stood at 29.7%. By the end of 2025, it stood at 9.9%, continuing a seven-year downward trend. The Bogotá Capital District registered the lowest rate at 2.2%.
Source: Colombia Reports
Since 2006, when rates stood at roughly 50%, a third of Paraguay’s population has escaped poverty, with the rate now at 16%. Labour income growth was the primary driver of poverty reduction last year, with the biggest gains seen at the bottom of the income scale.
Source: World Bank
The age-standardised rate has dropped from roughly 15 deaths per 100,000 people in the early 1990s to around 9 per 100,000 by the early 2020s: a fall of nearly 40%. Despite population growth, the total number of annual suicide deaths has also declined, with the most significant drops taking place in East Asia and Europe.
Source: Our World In Data
In a small study, scientists injected a functional hearing gene directly into the inner ear. All ten participants experiencing deafness, from children to adults, showed measurable improvement, with some beginning to hear better within just a few weeks.
Source: Science Daily
A woman who lived with three life-threatening autoimmune diseases for more than a decade has returned to a near-normal life after CAR T-cell therapy reset her wayward immune system. Within weeks of having the cell therapy, doctors noticed that all three diseases had responded, marking a world first and a striking improvement in the woman’s condition.
Source: The Guardian
Through the LandCare programme, run by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and supported by the city, thousands of neglected lots have been cleaned and maintained. Since its launch in the late 1990s, the scheme has grown to over 12,000 sites, with a 29% drop in gun violence and a 21% reduction in burglary in neighbourhoods near LandCare lots.
Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful
A millennia-old purification method using moringa tree seeds could help to address Europe’s microplastic problem in drinking water. A recent study found that moringa seeds effectively filter out aged PVC microplastics – one of the most harmful types – matching or surpassing chemical filters in performance. This discovery could lead to a more eco-friendly alternative for water treatment plants.
Source: Euronews
Brazil is bringing bank managers into the fight against deforestation, requiring lenders to screen rural loan applicants for illegal land clearing. Under new rules, banks must use satellite data to check whether farms have been deforested since 2019, with farmers seeking state-backed credit needing valid permits or risk having their loan applications denied.
Source: Reuters
Backed by groups such as Fundación Rewilding Argentina, small landowners and Indigenous communities are creating alternative incomes that reduce pressure from agriculture and illegal logging. From kayak tours along the Bermejito River to community-run campsites, sustainable livelihoods might be the answer to protecting one of the world’s largest semi-arid forests.
Source: The Guardian
In the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – one of the few places where gorillas still exist in the wild – conservationists are helping local communities better understand the animals and tap into the potential for ecotourism over poaching.
Source: BBC News
The iconic birds disappeared from the city during European colonisation – but one by one, these animals are returning to the forest. Thanks to an ambitious refaunation project, for the first time in centuries, the much-loved birds and other lost species are coming back to the city’s national park.
Source: The Guardian
In Brazil, prisoners can cut days off their sentences by reading books and completing short reports. The programme, first introduced in 2012 and expanded nationwide in 2021, is one of the most established of its kind. Prison officials say it also helps people prepare for life after release by building skills and encouraging a sense of responsibility.
Source: Rising Nepal Daily
Embassy Village offers 40 canal-side flats and support with budgeting, cooking and finding work, to help men start new lives and rediscover community. Residents can fish and kayak when they are not taking part in sessions on budgeting, cooking and getting ready for work.
Source: The Guardian
The pilot project in Södermalm allows anyone interested to simply take a seat without an appointment and have an initial conversation. The goal of the initiative is to lower the barrier to talking about worries, as well as to make access to professional mental health services easier.
Source: Falstaff
Launched by Tom Cledwyn, the $500,000 Drop Dead Generous fund has already supported 266 projects in 21 countries. Participants decide who needs help and how to use the money creatively, from giving out flowers in London to building houses in Africa. Projects include a community dance floor in Uganda, a busker recording a demo in the UK, and a Shetland pony visiting a care home.
Source: Positive News
