What went right this week: the good news that matters

More than 13 million people have been lifted out of poverty in Mexico since 2018, according to new figures that have been hailed as “extraordinary”. 

The data – released by Mexico’s national statistics agency INEGI – measures multidimensional poverty, which goes beyond financial means to include things like access to healthcare, education, housing and food. It found that the number of Mexicans living in poverty fell from 51.9 million in 2018 to 38.5 million, a 26% fall.  

The sharp drop was attributed to the policies of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, or ‘Almo’, who was elected under the slogan ‘for the good of all, first the poor’. Almo tripled the minimum wage and transformed the welfare system, introducing cash payments to pensioners, apprentices and farmers. 

“It’s something extraordinary, historic,” said Amlo’s successor Claudia Sheinbaum during a conference. “‘For the good of all, first the poor’ is not just a slogan, but a reality.” 

Despite the progress, data suggests that access to healthcare has in fact deteriorated for many Mexicans, and that improvements in living standards have been mainly in the north. Cash transfers are also, reportedly, not reaching some of those who need them most, hence extreme poverty falling by a more moderate 19%.  

Image: Frederik Trovatten

A tax on book sales looks set to be abolished by the Danish government in a bid to combat the country’s “reading crisis”. 

At 25%, Denmark has the world’s highest book tax, prompting culture minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt to announce plans to axe it – a move aimed at halting the reported decline of reading among young Danes.

“We must put everything at stake if we are to end the reading crisis that has unfortunately been spreading in recent years,” Engel-Schmidt told the Ritzau news agency.   

Many countries exempt books from tax, including the UK, where fiction sales rose in 2024. The UK’s literature boom saw the chain Waterstones this week pledge to open 10 new shops per year – rare good news for UK high streets.

However, despite strong sales, research from the UK also points to a decline in the number of children and teens reading for pleasure, suggesting that axing Denmark’s sales tax might not be enough on its own. 

Image: Alana Sousa

As anxious teens received their exam results this week in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, one trend emerged: the shrinking of the grade gender gap. 

For years, boys have lagged behind girls when it comes to academic performance, particularly in core subjects. But this week’s GCSE results show they are catching up. 

Almost one fifth of boys (19.4%) achieved at least a grade 7 (A), compared with nearly a quarter (24.5%) of girls – the closest the gap has been since 2000, when the earliest data is available.

The closing of the gap is due to improvements in academic performance among boys, rather than a dip for girls. However, girls’ grades have flatlined in recent years, with some attributing it to a decline in youth mental health driven by social media, which appears to impact girls more than boys. 

Schools are increasingly tackling the crisis by banning phones, as the new issue of Positive News magazine reports. 

Image: Matty Powell

Scientists claim to have developed a new ‘superfood’ supplement that they believe could halt the rapid decline of UK honeybees. 

In a study, bees fed the food supplement – engineered to provide essential compounds found in plant pollen – reared up to 15 times more larvae compared to colonies fed control diets.

The loss of wildflower habitats has left many honeybees struggling to feed, prompting beekeepers to feed their colonies supplements. However, according to scientists at the University of Oxford, England, existing supplements lack the right compounds, meaning bees go without the nutrients they need. So they created their own.  

“Using precision fermentation, we are now able to provide bees with a tailor-made feed that is nutritionally complete at the molecular level,” said lead researcher Prof Geraldine Wright. “Our study demonstrates how we can harness synthetic biology to solve real-world ecological challenges.”

Wright and her team believe that the supplements could benefit wild bee species, too, by reducing competition for limited pollen supplies. However, it does not solve the problem of biodiversity loss or widespread pesticide use, both leading drivers of declining bee numbers. 

Image: Jozsef Szabo

The race to decarbonise the roads has stepped up a gear in western Europe with figures revealing that a record number of electric vehicles were registered between April and June. 

Almost 600,000 battery powered cars hit the roads over the three-month period, according to data from automotive analyst Matthias Schmidt. 

“[Electric vehicles] are set to account for every fifth new car entering western European roads during 2025,” he told Positive News. “If plug-in hybrids are included that rises to almost every third new car being a plug-in.” 

Despite costing less to run, the high cost of buying an electric vehicle (EV) has been a barrier for many motorists. However, Schmidt said that arrival of lower cost models, including from China, is changing the game.  

While EVs produce no tailpipe emissions, they have an environmental footprint of their own to contend with, and contribute just as much to congestion. Green groups advocate for fewer cars on the roads, electric or otherwise. 

Image: Mohamed B

A Scottish schoolgirl has been named one of Time magazine’s Girls of the Year after designing a solar-powered blanket for homeless people. 

Rebecca Young’s invention – a heated blanket built into a backpack and powered by solar panels – has been made into a prototype and is being trialled by a Glasgow-based charity supporting rough sleepers. 

“I’m most proud of how the idea is now helping homeless people in real life – which was my inspiration all along – and I hope this can help shine a brighter light on an issue we should all care deeply about,” said Young, 13, a heavy metal drummer.

Time’s other Girls of the Year are: Rutendo Shadaya, 16, an advocate for young authors; Coco Yoshizawa, 15, an Olympic gold-medalist; Valerie Chiu, 15, a science educator; Zoé Clauzure, 15, an anti-bullying crusader; Clara Proksch, 12, a child safety scientist; Ivanna Richards, 17, a racing driver;  Kornelia Wieczorek, 17, a biotech innovator; Defne Özcan, 17, a pilot; and Naomi DeBerry, 12, an organ donation advocate and author. 

Image: Kelvinside Academy/Elaine Livingstone 

A record amount of renewable energy capacity was granted planning permission in the UK between April and June, analysis by the Financial Times suggests.

More than 16.1GW of new renewable energy capacity spread across 323 projects was given the go-ahead during the three-month period, the newspaper reported – a 195% rise on the same quarter last year.

Cleaning up the energy sector is a flagship policy of the new Labour government, which pledged to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2030. Greenpeace was among those welcoming the new data.

“This big upsurge in clean renewables being given planning permission is good news for our climate, our energy security and bill payers,” said the charity’s Angharad Hopkinson. “Homegrown power like solar and wind is the best way to end our dependence on volatile gas prices, cut planet-heating emissions and regain control of our energy system.” 

Image: Seth

People who get hearing aids in their 60s to combat early stage hearing loss could slash their risk of developing dementia compared to those who don’t. 

That’s according to a new US study which followed 245 people with reported hearing loss for two decades. It found that those who used hearing aids had a 61% lower chance of developing dementia. 

“This finding highlights the importance of early intervention for hearing loss for possible prevention of dementia,” concluded the study, published in the journal JAMA Neurology. 

The work follows the results of another study in April, which estimated that hearing loss is a factor in as much as 32% of cases of dementia.

Image: Mark Paton

The birth of a golden eagle chick in southern Scotland has been hailed “a conservation milestone”, one marked by asking Sir David Attenborough with naming it.

The TV naturalist plumped for Princeling, which means young prince. The chick’s birth is remarkable because he is the first to be born to a translocated eagle in southern Scotland, where work is ongoing to revive eagle habitats amid dwindling numbers. 

According to the charity Restoring Upland Nature, which led the translocation, that work is paying off. It has recorded more than 50 golden eagles above southern Scotland – the most seen in the region for three centuries.

“Seeing Princeling thrive in the south of Scotland brings renewed hope to our ambition to reverse biodiversity decline and ensure current and future generations across the UK … can experience that incredible sense of awe on seeing golden eagles soar,” said Dr Cat Barlow, CEO of Restoring Upland Nature.

Image: Ian Georgeson

The mission to bring white-tailed eagles back to England got a boost this week with the news that three chicks have fledged wild nests. 

England’s white-tailed eagles were wiped out by hunters in the 19th century, sparking a project to bring them back to the south coast. Launched in 2019, it’s led by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation.  

The foundation said this week that a record three chicks fledged two nests this summer, including the first chick in Dorset for 240 years, plus two more in Sussex. It brings the total born in the wild through the programme to six. 

“This is a long-term project, and it will take some years before the population is fully restored, but the progress made over the last year has been incredibly encouraging,” said Roy Dennis, the foundation’s founder.

“I always find it particularly rewarding to see so much support for these magnificent birds and the positive impact they are having on so many people’s relationship with the natural world.”

Image: Charles J Sharp
Main image: Daniel Lloyd Blunk Fernandez