• Schoolkids in 8 US states can now eat free school meals, advocates urge Congress for nationwide policy. AP.
• The poverty rate in Bangladesh declined by 5.6% between 2016 to 2022, lifting almost ten million people out of poverty. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (PDF link).
• Violent deaths in Brazil reach lowest number in 12 years. Fohla De S.Paulo.
• Montreal adds nine more car-free streets after ‘mind blowing’ success. Energy Mix.
• Ocean cleanup group removes record 25,000 pounds of trash from Great Pacific Garbage Patch in one extraction. ABC News.
• A family-run environmental organisation in Indonesia called Sungai Watch has successfully removed 1.2 million kilograms of plastic from polluted rivers and mangroves. Mongabay.
• The takahē, a large, flightless bird once thought to be extinct, returns to New Zealand wild. The Guardian.
• After 90% of the wild population was wiped out by disease, the Tasmanian devil breeding program in New South Wales has produced its 500th joey. ABC.
• Renewables generated 25% of US power in the first half of 2023. Electrek.
• The price of solar modules has reached a record low of $0.15 per watt. pvxchange.
• South Africa, the world’s most coal-dependent economy, has been installing enormous amounts of solar. Bloomberg.
• Mozambique has connected half a million people to tap water. The World Bank.
• Young adults in U.S. drink less alcohol than in prior decades. Gallup.
• Electrified cement could turn houses and roads into nearly limitless batteries. Science.
• Smart contact lens battery charged by human tears. Interesting Engineering.

For more good news, check out The Progress Network, and Future Crunch.