What went right this week: the good news that matters

A 200-year-old law that criminalises rough sleeping in England and Wales is to be scrapped, a move campaigners described as “a landmark moment that will change lives”.

The Vagrancy Act of 1824 – introduced to deal with rising homelessness – gave police forces the power to fine or imprison people for sleeping rough. Its use has declined in recent years, but it still leads to prosecutions and its existence creates anxiety among people experiencing homelessness. Scotland repealed it in 1982. 

Campaigners have repeatedly called for the law to be repealed in England and Wales, too. This week, the UK government said that it would be in the forthcoming crime and policing bill. Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner called the act “cruel and outdated”.

“Ending the use of the Vagrancy Act recognises a shameful history of persecuting people for poverty and destitution, something that figures like William Wilberforce and Winston Churchill warned against in their opposition to the act,” said Matt Downie, chief executive of the homeless charity Crisis.

“This is a landmark moment that will change lives and prevent thousands of people from being pushed into the shadows, away from safety. ”

Image: Kristina Roock

Biodiverse waters off the coast of Portugal, Colombia and São Tomé and Príncipe are to be protected after the three nations announced new marine reserves at the UN World Ocean Conference in Nice, France. 

Colombia’s newly announced Serranilla and Bajo Nuevo marine protected area (MPA) in the Caribbean Sea encompasses 3,800sq km and includes two remote coral reefs that support an abundance of marine life. 

Portugal’s new MPA covers the Gorringe Ridge in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s home to Europe’s tallest seamounts and brings the country’s total share of protected sea to 27% – putting it well ahead of many other European nations.

Eight new MPAs covering 93sq km were also announced by São Tomé and Príncipe. The conservation charity Flora and Fauna said that it was “a positive first step” for the African nation. The MPAs include both no-catch areas and ‘sustainable use zones’ where traditional fishing methods are permitted.

Image: Ahmed

Many will wonder why it was ever allowed in the first place, but the highly destructive fishing practice of bottom trawling is to be banned in 41 of England’s offshore marine protected areas, the UK government announced this week. 

The move comes amid growing outcry about the damage caused by bottom trawling, which was brought into sharp focus in Sir David Attenborough’s latest series Ocean. 

Welcoming the ban, Jonny Hughes, senior policy manager at the Blue Marine Foundation, said: “Conservation policy is awash with shiny new announcements and impressive sounding targets whereas what is needed is actual delivery. This, at first glance, seems to be about delivering conservation. We need to see the full details, but initial reading is positive.”

The news was timed to coincide with the UN World Ocean Conference, where decision makers are being urged to ratify the global ocean treaty. Signed by 115 countries in 2023, the accord seeks to protect 30% of international waters by 2030. The EU ratified it in May.  

Image: Taryn Elliott

A new blood test for Alzheimer’s is 95% accurate at detecting people with early symptoms, a study has found. 

With treatments available to slow the disease, there’s an imperative to detect Alzheimer’s early. However, existing tests – such as PET scans and spinal taps – are invasive and expensive.

Not so a new blood test developed by the Mayo Clinic, US. It identifies proteins – amyloid beta 42/40 and p-tau217 – in the blood associated with Alzheimer’s. The study found it to be 82% accurate at ruling out the disease, and 95% accurate at identifying people with early symptoms. 

“Even a few years ago, the idea that you could measure brain-related changes due to Alzheimer’s disease in the blood was science fiction,” said Jonathan Schott, professor of neurology at University College London, who was not involved in the research. “Advances in technology mean that we now have sensitive enough methods to do this.”

The study comes as more potential Alzheimer’s treatments enter trials. According to an annual review, 138 drugs are currently being tested – up 9% from last year.

Image: Kampus Production

Bacteria present in the gut could act as “early warning signs” of Parkinson’s disease, scientists said this week.  

In a study, researchers at University College London (UCL) discovered “clear differences” in types of bacteria found in people with Parkinson’s and those without. The research adds to the increasing evidence showing how gut and brain health are closely aligned.

Currently, Parkinson’s is very difficult to diagnose in its early stages because symptoms develop slowly. However, changes in the gut biome could offer an early indication of the disease, UCL scientists said, helping doctors detect and treat the disease before symptoms become severe.

“We don’t yet know if the bacteria are causing the cognitive decline or if changes in the body due to Parkinson’s allow these bacteria to grow,” said lead researcher Dr Frederick Clasen. 

Dr Saaed Shoaie, who co-authored the study, added: “The emerging evidence underscores the potential importance of maintaining oral and gut health in mitigating or slowing neurodegenerative processes.” 

Image: CDC

The late Pope Francis’s push for the Vatican to become a renewables nation has been realised, with the world’s smallest country reportedly getting all its power from solar. 

In 2024, Pope Francis ordered an overhaul of the state’s energy infrastructure, resulting in a sprawling agrivoltaic facility being built just outside Rome on Vatican-owned land. The site combines solar production with agriculture.

The facility is now live and, according to local media reports, meeting the Vatican’s electricity needs. 

Assuming that continues, the Vatican will join a growing list of 100% renewables nations. A report by Stanford University, US, found that six countries are now powered exclusively by renewables: Albania, Bhutan, Central African Republic, Lesotho, Nepal and Iceland.

Image: Caleb Miller

New research has pinpointed the places where reforestation is most likely to provide “win-win outcomes” for people and nature. 

Planting trees has been widely embraced as a climate solution, but where we plant them matters. Some locations are unsuitable due to shifting climates, as well as the impact of reforestation on other habitats and communities.

Consequently, those behind the new research suggest that the global potential for reforestation has been overestimated by around 71-92%. That might not sound like good news, but researchers said that their modelling could ensure that funding and policy momentum for reforestation are “focused on the locations of greatest opportunity.”

“Our study points to places where reforestation is most likely to produce win-win outcomes for people and nature, as well as where extra care will need to be taken to ensure that reforestation incorporates local concerns in light of limited land rights, political freedoms, and economic opportunities,” said Forrest Fleischman, associate professor at the University of Minnesota, US, a co-author of the study. 

Suitable locations identified include eastern US, western Canada, Brazil, Columbia, and parts of Europe, adding up to 195m hectares – an area roughly the size of Mexico. 

Image: Luca Bravo

It’s much safer to be Brazilian these days. According to official figures reported in local media, the country’s homicide rate has plummeted by 20.3% over the last decade. 

The fall has been attributed to a truce between Brazil’s two largest criminal factions – PCC and Comando Vermelho – as well as the country’s ageing population and improvements to public security. 

Despite the progress, Brazil remains one of the world’s most violent countries, according to the UN. But it’s not alone in recording falling rates of violent crime. Data suggests that the US is – so far – having its most peaceful year since the 1960s.    

Image: Agustin Diaz Gargiulo

Despite the global backdrop of species decline, local conservation efforts are yielding results around the world – as Positive News reported this week.

Take Mozambique. Ravaged by civil war in the 80s, landmines and poaching had taken a devastating toll on its elephants, hippos and zebras. But now a sustained conservation programme, including protected corridors that straddle national borders, has seen wildlife recover to above pre-war numbers.

Read more about the conservation efforts offering a blueprint for species recovery here. 

Image: Udara Karunarathna

Positive News took home an award this week for a podcast about mental health solutions in the developing world. 

The Developing Mental Wealth series was declared best health and wellbeing podcast at the Publisher Podcast Awards, held in London on Wednesday.

“With the Developing Mental Wealth podcast, we wanted to uncover progress on mental health through a focus on the often slow, quiet, inventive and inspiring ways that people are improving lives in their communities, even in countries facing the most economic hardship,” said Seán Wood, chief executive officer of Positive News. 

“We’re grateful for the recognition that winning a Publisher Podcast Award gives to the value of this constructive, grassroots storytelling – and we’re proud to have launched The Positive News Podcast with this award-winning series on a topic that touches many. We look forward to building on this success with future podcasts.” 

Image: Pauline Milligan, chief operating officer at Positive News. Credit: Amy Cooke
Main image: SteveLuker