Image for What went right this week: a global work reset, plus more

What went right this week: a global work reset, plus more

There was a global work reset, fossil fuels ‘lost their grip on EU energy’, and a vast new reserve was created, plus more good news

There was a global work reset, fossil fuels ‘lost their grip on EU energy’, and a vast new reserve was created, plus more good news

This week’s good news roundup

Work-life balance now ‘more important’ than pay

For the first time, work-life balance has surpassed pay as the leading motivator for employees globally, according to an international workplace study now in its 22nd year.

The Dutch recruitment company Randstad’s latest annual review of work confirms a trend that many have observed since the pandemic. Surveying 26,000 workers across 35 countries, it found that work-life balance has edged ahead of pay as the main motivator for workers (83% v 82%). 

The research comes amid a flurry for four-day week trials, and a push by many bosses to get staff back in the office following a shift towards remote working during the pandemic. Randstad said that such a drive could be a misstep for firms, adding that 31% of its respondents had quit jobs due to a lack of flexible working.

“Work today is about more than just a pay cheque. Talent globally are looking for workplaces that align with their personal values, aspirations and circumstances,” said Randstad CEO, Sander van ‘t Noordende. “A new workplace baseline is emerging.”

Image: Simonapilolla/iStock

good news
DRC to create Earth’s largest tropical forest reserve

The Democratic Republic of Congo has pledged to create the world’s largest protected tropical reserve, encompassing an area roughly the size of France. 

Announced via ministerial decree and defined as a ‘community-managed protected area’, the Couloir Vert (or ‘Green Corridor’) will supposedly conserve vast tracts of the Congo Basic, including forest and peatland. It’s the largest tropical carbon sink in the world and home to a huge diversity of species, including eastern lowland gorillas (pictured). 

“The Couloir Vert could represent a significant opportunity for DRC to realise its role as a ‘solutions country’ to the climate and biodiversity crises,” said the charity Rainforest Foundation UK, welcoming the news. 

However, it added: “So far, there has been little consultation of local communities, civil society, the private sector, or even local authorities, on the creation of the reserve, leading to insufficient scrutiny of the project.”

Some 31 million people are estimated to live in the proposed reserve, which is supported by the European Union and World Economic Forum. 

Image: Joe McKenna

Aid ‘surging’ into Gaza as Israeli hostages released

Aid has been “surging” into Gaza and Israeli hostages have been reunited with their families following last week’s ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, which came into force on Sunday.  

The UN said that more than 900 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Monday as the truce, set to last for an initial six weeks, held.  

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said the ceasefire and hostage release was a “ray of hope”, but said he was “deeply concerned about an existential threat to the integrity and contiguity of the occupied Palestinian territory of Gaza and the West Bank”.

Image: Khalid Kwaik

good news
Thailand’s marriage equality law came into force

Thailand has become the first country in south-east Asia to legalise same-sex marriage – a landmark moment commemorated with a mass wedding in Bangkok. 

The Marriage Equality Act, which passed in a parliamentary vote last June, came into effect on Thursday. It makes Thailand only the third country in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, to legalise same-sex marriage. 

Thailand’s marriage law also grants the same financial benefits, adoption rights and inheritance rights to same-sex couples as heterosexual couples.

“No matter your gender or who you love, love knows no limits or expectations,” said Thailand’s prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. “Everyone will be protected under the same laws.”

Image: Honey Fangs

good news
Fossil fuels ‘losing their grip on EU energy’

For the first time, the sun generated more electricity than coal last year in the European Union, in what has been hailed a “milestone” for the green energy revolution.

A report by the energy thinktank Ember found that solar generated 11% of the bloc’s electricity in 2024, overtaking coal at 10%. It was the second year running that wind (17%) generated more electricity than gas (16%). 

“Fossil fuels are losing their grip on EU energy,” said lead author Dr Chris Rosslowe. “At the start of the European Green Deal in 2019, few thought the EU’s energy transition could be where it is today; wind and solar are pushing coal to the margins and forcing gas into structural decline.”

The European Green Deal is a set of policy initiatives aimed at making the bloc carbon neutral by 2050. Before it came into force, fossil fuels provided 39% of the EU’s electricity; last year, the figure was 29%. 

The rollout of renewables has reduced the EU’s reliance on imported fossil fuels and its exposure to volatile prices, said Ember, which warned there’s more to be done to meet clean energy targets. “Between now and 2030, annual wind additions need to more than double,” added Rosslowe. 

Image: Zbynek Burival

UK’s 20mph speed limits ‘cutting insurance costs’

When Wales lowered the speed limit in residential areas to 20mph last year, there was uproar from motorists. New data released this week might quell their ire.  

According to the price comparison website Confused.com, the UK saw its biggest fall in car insurance premiums in more than a decade in 2024, with 20pmh zones cited as a reason for the decline. 

London and Manchester are among the cities that have introduced 20mph zones to improve safety and reduce emissions. Scotland is set to do the same. According to the insurance company Esure, vehicle damage claims in Wales fell by 20% after the 20mph limit was introduced. 

“Though many drivers find these reduced speed zones frustrating, it’s positive to see the bright spot this is creating for drivers’ costs,” said Steve Dukes, chief executive of Confused.com.

Image: Ogulcan Aksoy/iStock

Pioneering surgery removes ‘inoperable’ tumour

A nurse diagnosed with a brain tumour that would have previously been considered inoperable has had it removed during a pioneering procedure.

Ruvimbo Kaviya (pictured) received her diagnosis in 2023, when an MRI scan revealed that she had a meningioma near her eye, in an area that’s difficult to access and considered “somewhat inoperable”.  

However, in a “ground-breaking” procedure, surgeons at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in England accessed the tumour via a small incision on the side of Kaviya’s eyelid.

The procedure represents a shift in how skull base tumours are treated. Surgeons said the procedure could “transform the lives of patients with skull base tumours”.   

“This technique allows us to remove tumours without opening the skull or having to retract or compress the brain,” said Asim Sheikh, one of the surgeons who carried out the operation. “The minimally invasive nature of the procedure significantly reduces trauma, enabling patients to recover faster with minimal visible scarring.”

“I was amazed by the recovery,” said Kaviya. “I was only in the hospital for two days, with no side effects or swelling.”

Image: Ruvimbo Kaviya

good news
People still trust scientists – study

Public trust in scientists is still high despite the rising popularity of anti-science politicians. 

That’s according to a survey of almost 72,000 people in 68 countries, which found no evidence of the oft-repeated claim of a crisis of trust in scientists. In fact, most participants (52%) believed that scientists should be more involved in policymaking. 

Across 68 countries, the study recorded a relatively high level of trust in scientists, with a mean trust level of 3.62 (1 being very low and 5 being very high).

“The study is the most comprehensive post-pandemic snapshot of trust in scientists, societal expectations of their involvement in society,” said study co-lead Dr Niels Mede of the University of Zurich, Switzerland. 

Dr Reynolds, a senior lecturer at Aston University School of Psychology, England, said: “When we face great challenges, such as threats to public health or energy crises, the public recognise the importance that scientists can play and want us involved.”

Image: National Cancer Institute

Strength training could cut cancer risk – study

People have a lower risk of dying of cancer if they have muscle strength and good physical fitness. 

That’s according to a data analysis, involving nearly 47,000 patients with cancer. It found that those who were physically fit with good muscle strength were 31-46% less likely to die from any cause, than those at the other end of the spectrum. 

The research was led by Edith Cowan University in Australia, and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. 

“Muscle strength could potentially be used in clinical practice to determine mortality risk in cancer patients,” researchers wrote, adding that “muscle strengthening activities could be employed to increase life expectancy”.

Image: Sam Owoyemi

Retailer launches clothing line for disabled people

The European retailer Primark has launched an ‘adaptive’ fashion range for men and women with various needs. 

The collection, unveiled on Monday, was created in collaboration with Victoria Jenkins, a disabled designer .

It includes items with hidden openings for tube, stoma or catheter access. There are also options for people who are seated, such as wheelchair users. 

Read the full story here. 

Image: Esme Moore for Primark
Main image: Brooke Cagle

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