Short News
Tiny island foxes bounce back
A small fox species on the Californian Channel Islands recently came close to extinction, but thanks to conservation efforts they are now off the red list.
Better nutrition in refugee camps
All six refugee camps in Rwanda have seen decreased malnutrition after a special effort by the World Food Programme to feed pregnant women and infants.
Less child labour in the world
From 2008 to 2012, the number of working children fell by 47 million globally. This change comes after international cooperation between governments and NGOs.
World’s biggest beach clean-up
In India, hundreds of volunteers have cleaned up 1,300 tonnes of garbage from a beach in Mumbai. It’s the biggest such clean-up ever, according to the UN.
India eradicates two nasty diseases
After years of effort, India has succeeded in eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus, as well as the strongly disfiguring bacterial disease yaws.
Far fewer plastic bags in England
The use of plastic bags in England has decreased by six billion since a fee was applied in 2015. The many bags would weigh roughly the same as 300 blue whales.
More aid gets through in Yemen
By giving aid as food coupons for use with local suppliers, the World Food Programme now reaches five times more people in need of food aid in war-torn Yemen.
Nigeria marks 2 years without polio
It’s now been more than two years since the last case of polio in Nigeria. Huge efforts to vaccinate children seem to have ended the disease in the country.
Fewer child marriages in Asia
In 1990, 30 percent of girls in Southern Asia were married before 15 years of age. Today, the share has dropped to 16 percent.
Buckets of cool science
The ”Ice Bucket Challenge” wasn’t just a silly meme. $115 million was donated to research the deadly disease ALS, and an important gene has now been discovered.
Americans unite against climate change
USA, Canada, and Mexico have agreed to ‘sweeping changes’ to reach 50 percent clean energy by 2025 and to help each other limit damage caused by climate change.
Cholera outbreak nearly ended
The earthquake in Haiti in 2010 led to an outbreak of cholera, but international efforts have brought down cases from 350,000 in 2011 to 36,000 last year.