Global Good News Round Up

Quick summary of all the top good news stories from last week.

In a week that saw a landmark win for Indigenous sovereignty, the Heiltsuk Nation in British Columbia formally adopted its own constitution, shifting control over justice, child welfare, and land management back to the community, it was also an historic and symbolic time for sport, because 41-year-old Kirsty Coventry was sworn in as the first female and first African president of the International Olympic Committee in its 131-year-old history. Meanwhile, in other good news...

Health & Wellbeing

Psychedelic Research: Texas has approved $50 million in state funding for drug development trials for ibogaine, a powerful, naturally occurring medicine showing extraordinary promise as a breakthrough treatment for substance use disorder, trauma-related conditions, and traumatic brain injury. Texas now leads the world in psychedelic research investment.

Food Supplies: Global grain supplies are expected to reach a record level of 3.6 billion tons during the 2025-26 season. World Bank forecasts food prices are expected to decrease by 7 percent during 2025. This will be the third consecutive year that production increases. During 2026, prices are expected to fall slightly further.

Biomarkers for ME/CFS: A simple diagnostic blood test could be on the way for patients dealing with myalgic encephalomyelitis, or chronic fatigue syndrome. In a breakthrough, researchers from Edinburgh University identified biomarkers for ME in blood samples, a potential first step in developing an accurate blood test for the condition.

Vaccine 'Godsend': In one of the most mosquito-infested places on Earth, healthcare workers are calling the arrival of the malaria vaccine a 'godsend.' Mothers in Uganda's Apac district have been lining up daily since the launch in April, defying concerns that misinformation and stigma would slow uptake, reports GAVI. The initial phase of Uganda's rollout aims to reach 1.1 million children under the age of two.

‘Milestone’ Treatment: A newly approved drug combination is showing strong results against chronic lymphocytic leukaemia - even in patients resistant to previous therapies. In clinical trials, nearly 80 percent of patients receiving the combination achieved remission within one year. Furthermore, researchers found that after five years, 94 percent of patients who received ibrutinib plus venetoclax were alive with no disease progression.

Egypt Hits Target: Egypt has hit the WHO's target for controlling hepatitis B in children under five - the first country in the Eastern Mediterranean to do so. Hepatitis B used to be a persistent threat, but a birth-dose vaccination policy, universal screening, and a drive to reach undocumented children has helped bring prevalence below 2 percent.

Kraft Goes Natural: Kraft Heinz says it will remove all artificial food, drug, and cosmetic dyes from its US products by the end of 2027, becoming the first major food company to commit to the shift since the FDA announced plans to phase out synthetic food colorings.

Nature & Conservation

Win For England's Rivers: A people-powered campaign to halt a poultry megafarm that could leach toxic waste and threaten the River Severn - Britain’s longest river - has triumphed in the high court, a move described as a “win for cleaner rivers”.

Gray crowned cranes | RWCA

Conservation Success: Just 10 years ago, Rwanda’s gray crowned cranes were vanishing but, largely thanks to the work of Olivier Nsengimana, a veterinarian and founder of the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association, Rwanda’s endangered crowned crane population has tripled.

Rhino Relocation: Hundreds of white rhinos have been relocated from South Africa to Rwanda and Uganda, expanding the species’ range and strengthening long-term conservation efforts.

272 Million Acres: China created its first national park ever just four years ago - almost 150 years after the U.S. established its first national park. In the years since, China has opened four more, totaling 57 million acres so far. It’s part of a larger national plan to create 49 parks covering 272 million acres by 2035 - triple the size of the U.S. National Park System.

Perfume Garden: 2,000 year old walled garden in Pompeii has been restored to its former glory.

Climate & Sustainability

Historic Benchmark: South America has become the first continent in the world without planned new coal power plants. Renewable energy sources have become economically superior to coal across the continent.

Ireland Ends Coal: Ireland has become the sixth European country to end its use of coal (joining Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Portugal, and the UK) with its last coal-fired power plant six months earlier than originally planned. As renewables make up an increasing share of the world’s power generation, coal is becoming obsolete as a fuel source.

"Own Less, Have More": New app connects people who have things they use rarely with those who want to borrow or rent them.

Cool Buildings: Scientists have invented special fungi tiles with an elephant skin-like texture that can naturally cool buildings without using electricity or other energy sources.

China's Massive Retrofit: Steel is China’s dirtiest industry, responsible for roughly 15 percent of national CO2 emissions. But that’s changing, fast. Over 300 of China's roughly 500 steel plants are undergoing a government-mandated retrofit to meet “ultra-low emissions” standards by the end of 2025.

The 89 Percent Project: Research shows that 89 percent of people worldwide want governments to take stronger action on climate change. This project aims to make politicians realise it and pull their fingers out.

Majority Support a Carbon Tax: Even in the U.S., where the policy was least popular, half of those surveyed said they would support a climate tax that redistributes wealth.

And Finally...

Hope is The Key: When we think about what makes life fulfilling, emotions like happiness, gratitude, and love often come to mind. But according to new research from the University of Missouri, hope may be even more vital. In a series of six studies involving over 2,300 participants, researchers Megan Edwards and Laura King found that hope isn’t just a cognitive tool for goal-setting - it’s a powerful emotional force that gives our lives meaning. Unlike other positive emotions such as amusement or contentment, hope consistently predicted a stronger sense of meaning in life across all the studies. “This cornerstone of psychological functioning is not a rare experience - it is available to people in their everyday lives,” said Dr. Laura King. “And hope is one of the things that makes life feel meaningful.”