Photo: Ignacio Amenábar/Unsplash (CC0)
In today’s edition: Chile becomes the first country in the Americas and only the second in the world to officially eliminate leprosy, Sweden sees its number of shooting incidents more than halve, and landowners in Costa Rica are creating the country’s first-ever voluntary biological corridor.
The announcement from the World Health Organization also notes that Chile is the first country in the Americas to receive this verification. Chile has achieved this feat largely thanks to inclusive health services, integrated public health strategies, early detection and universal access to care.
Source: World Health Organization
Shooting incidents fell to 147 in 2025: a 63% decrease in comparison to 2022 and a 49% drop since 2024. Gang-related crime has been high in Sweden for over two decades, with gun violence statistics rising to some of the highest in Europe.
Source: Reuters
Although Singapore remains an outlier, a growing number of countries across the region are seeing a shift away from the use of capital punishment, with some calling for an end to the practice. So far, Cambodia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste have officially abolished it in law, and recent years have seen most retentionist states abide by de facto moratoriums on executions.
Source: Deutsche Welle
With an estimated 1.3 million across Zimbabwe living with HIV, the country remains one of the hardest hit by the epidemic. Now, the Southern African nation has now joined Zambia, Kenya and Eswatini in offering Lenacapavir: an injection taken twice a year to help protect communities most at risk of developing the virus.
Source: Deutsche Welle
A baby diagnosed with Kasabach-Merritt syndrome was able to receive treatment before birth thanks to medication administered to his mother. Now, nearly four months later, neither the infant nor his mother have shown any negative side effects from the procedure.
Source: Le Monde
Private landowners across Nosara have started to register ecological easements to form the country’s first-ever wildlife corridor comprised exclusively of voluntary conservation agreements. Owners are also registering the easements in the National Registry, meaning that this protection will last in perpetuity.
Source: Tico Times
The subject will cover topics such as ethical responsibility to living beings, as well as recognising animals as capable of experiencing emotions and physical sensations. Classes will be compulsory in both primary and secondary schools.
Source: The Asunción Times
From December to March, the dry Harmattan wind from the Sahara makes water scarce – resulting in smaller harvests and reduced income for local communities. With most farmers in the region dependent on ever-decreasing rainfall, a women’s cooperative is using a solar-powered well to deliver 36,000 litres of water every day.
Source: Deutsche Welle
In Kenya, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of the disease among women, where 40% of the population lives below the poverty line. Mary Mwangi’s prostheses are an affordable and dignified solution for cancer survivors who are unable to access reconstructive surgery.
Source: The Canadian Press News
