Short News

Electric car boom
In 2010, about 20,000 electric cars were sold world-wide. In 2015, the number of sales had climbed to 525,000 electric vehicles.

Poland recycles all landmines
As the 158th country in the world, Poland has now destroyed all its landmines. They were taken apart and the materials reused for peaceful purposes.

Indonesia to protect nature
The president of Indonesia has declared a stop for destruction of the country’s valuable peat bog forests, where many animals live, including orangutans.

Youth peacefully end dictatorship
22 years of dictatorship has come to an end in the West African nation of The Gambia, as the people successfully vote for change in a peaceful election.

Female cops against corruption
In parts of Mexico, female cops have taken over traffic control. Corruption complaints have decreased by 98 percent, according to the BBC.

Cheaper hepatitis medicine
New medicine against hepatitis is effective but expensive. International cooperation has brought the price down. In Egypt, the price dropped from $900 to $200.

California bans plastic bags
California has decided to stop using plastic bags that cannot be recycled. Especially people along the coast voted for banning the bags.

Peru works more with less paperwork
Peru has removed 150 unnecessary procedures for setting up a tourist business. Investors now save 3 years of paperwork, and this is expected to create jobs.

Far fewer babies with HIV
After Thailand started to provide free medicine for pregnant women with HIV, the number of children born with the virus has dropped by 90 percent.

Protecting a penguin paradise
A huge and nearly pristine sea near Antarctica will now be a protected area. This is good news for the many animals who live above and below the ice.

Better jobs in the garment industry
Workers now have better conditions in 1,300 garment factories in several countries, thanks to an international programme that also improved productivity.

Green energy bigger than coal
For the first time, the world can now produce more electricity from wind, water, and sun than from coal. 500,000 solar panels were installed every day in 2015.