• Trials have shown dementia drugs donanemab and lecanemab slowed cognitive decline by 35% and 27% respectively. The Guardian.
• Cambodia has reduced its maternal mortality rate from 810 per 100,000 live births in 2008 to 154 per 100,000 live births in 2021-2022. During the same time, under-five mortality has fallen from 55 to 16 per 1,000 live births, and overall life expectancy has risen from 61 and 64 years to 74.3 and 76.8 years for men and women, respectively. Khmer Times.
• Saudi Arabia introduced a set of legal reforms which increased women’s labor force participation from 22 percent in 2019 to almost 37 percent today. Arab News.
• ‘Knock Knock’ enables victims of domestic violence in South Korea to report abuse to the police with just two taps on their smartphone. It shares the victim’s location and allows them to stream evidence to the police live. LBB.
• 4ocean has recovered 30 million pounds of plastic waste and man-made debris from the world’s oceans, rivers, and coastlines since the company began in 2017. Oceanographic.

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• Between 2000 and 2022, 2.1 billion people gained access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion gained access to safely managed sanitation. WHO (PDF link).
• Globally, deaths from drowning decreased by 44.5% between 1990 and 2017. BMJ.
• In the United States, child poverty has been reduced by 40%, and the gains made by low-wage workers have reduced income disparity by 25%. Prospect.
• Low emission zones in cities have reduced heart and circulatory problems, resulting in an estimated health cost savings of €4.4 billion. The Guardian.
• Wind and solar saved consumers in Texas approximately $11 billion in 2022. PV Magazine.

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• Belize certified malaria-free. WHO.
• How data helped Mexico City reduce high-impact crime by more than 50%. World Economic Forum.
• Israel reduced the suicide rate in the military by about 30 percent. Think Global Health.
• Indonesia and Malaysia have cut deforestation in half in last five years. Yale 360.
• China on course to hit wind and solar power target five years ahead of time. The Guardian.
• A massive underground deposit of high-grade phosphate has been discovered in Norway, enough to satisfy world demand for fertilizers, solar panels and EV batteries for 100 years. Euractiv.
• Conservation efforts celebrated as 26 Australian species no longer need threatened listing. The Guardian.
• A new TB vaccine could save 8.5m lives over the next quarter of a century. The Economist.
• Day care for less than $10: how Canada is easing the burden for parents. The New York Times.

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• Kenya has made some big strides in reducing teen pregnancy, with rates falling by more than half in four years. The Standard.
• Japan has raised the age of consent from 13 to 16 and introduced far stricter laws against sex crimes. BBC.
• Diversity increased on the nation’s largest companies’ corporate boards by 38% in 2022. NBC News.
• Deforestation in Brazil fell 68% in April compared with the same month last year. NewScientist.
• Spain set to generate more than 50% of its power from renewables. Bloomberg.
• Homicide rate in Scotland falls to lowest level since records began. The National.

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• More than 1.1 million Moroccans are now connected to reliable, safe water supply. The World Bank.
• Governor Newsom announces statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to provide universal access to free books for young children. Ca.gov.
• Wind and solar produced more U.S. power than coal during the first five months of this year, as several coal plants closed and gas prices dropped. Scientific American.
• China’s installed non-fossil fuel electricity capacity exceeds 50% of total two years ahead of schedule. Reuters.
• For the first time, phosphates have been detected in an alien ocean. Found on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, the discovery raises the possibility that life could exist on the tiny frozen satellite. Science Alert.

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• Number of confirmed malaria cases in Tanzania declined by 55 per cent from 7.7 million in 2015 to 3.5 million in 2022. Daily News.
• Over the past two decades, the proportion of Ugandans suffering from hunger has fallen by 58 percent and only one percent still face severe hunger. Reasons to be Cheerful.
• The age-standardized death rate from cancer declined by 15% since 1990. Our World in Data.
• Cheap vaccines could prevent millions of deaths from cervical cancer. The Economist.
• Global inequality at lowest level in nearly 150 years. Axios.
• Wind and solar overtake fossil generation in the EU in May. Ember.
• Handheld device could 3D-print tissues and organs in-situ. Engineering and Technology
• Scientists have developed a super repellent that can stop 99% of mosquitos from biting your skin. Euronews.
• Lab-grown dairy doesn’t have cholesterol, lactose, growth hormones or antibiotics, doesn’t harm cows, and is good for the environment. And it’s already here. The Washington Post.

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• The share of people worldwide who say their area is a good place for gay or lesbian people to live doubled from 25% to 50% over 10 years. Axios.
• Scientists find way to make energy from air using nearly any material. The Washington Post.
• 5,000 new species found in the Pacific Ocean. BBC.
• New airborne radar could revolutionize hurricane forecasting. Axios.
• An experimental treatment has a 90% success rate at bringing patients with multiple myeloma into remission. The Jerusalem Post.
• New kind of chicken lays eggs that don’t have allergy protein. Freethink.

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• Dengue cases fall to 20-year low in region where scientists release virus-blocking mosquitoes. The Telegraph.
• Life expectancy in Rwanda increased from 49.7 years in 2001 to 69.6 in 2022. Think Global Health.
• In 2021, there were almost 2.3 million fewer Canadians living in poverty compared to 2015. Statistics Canada.
• Brain implants help paralysed man to walk again. BBC.
• NYC guaranteed income program goes from pilot to permanent. Bloomberg.
• By fighting the ozone hole, we accidentally saved ourselves. In 1987, the Montreal Protocol banned close to 100 chemicals and prevented 1°C of warming. Hakai.
• Since 1990, there’s been a decline in homicides worldwide from 6.8 homicides per 100,000 people to 5.6 in 2021. The World Bank.
• New superbug-killing antibiotic discovered using AI. BBC.

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• India witnessed 85.1% decline in malaria cases between 2015-2022. Healthworld.
• Over the past couple of decades, global suicide prevention efforts have reduced deaths by a third. Wired.
• Murder rates in the United States are down by 12.5% so far in 2023. Datalytics.
• Early warning, preparedness likely saved thousands of lives during Cyclone Mocha. AP.
• Electric car range set to double with first production of breakthrough battery. Independent.
• The end of acid rain. Works in Progress.
• The European countries setting new wind and solar records. Euronews.

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• Poverty is down in Indonesia. The number of those living on less than $3.20 a day dropped from 61% in 2002 to 16% in 2022. World Bank (PDF link).
• In Uganda, new HIV infections declined by 39% between 2010 and 2021, and AIDS-related deaths fell from 51,000 a year to 17,000 a year, a decline of 67%. New Vision.
• Philippines rescues over 1,000 trafficking victims. The Straits Times.
• Black rhino populations are starting to thrive in Zimbabwe for the first time in decades. ABC News.
• British wind power overtakes gas for the first time in Q1 2023. Reuters.
• About 80 percent of new cars sold in Norway are battery-powered. As a result, the air is cleaner, the streets are quieter and the grid hasn’t collapsed. New York Times.
• In San Francisco, Waymo is now covering the entire peninsula, operating a free, 24/7 robotaxi service and Waymo’s service area in Phoenix is doubling. The Verge.
• Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon falls 68% in April. Reuters.
• Bangladesh eliminates lymphatic filariasis. WHO.
• Thai voters choose democracy in a stunning election. Vox.

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