Positive news

Popular second-hand EVs can save their drivers £1,450 a year, despite… Comment: New analysis finds UK’s most-viewed second-hand EVs on Autotrader can still save their owners around £1,450 a year on average.

Popular second-hand EVs can save their drivers £1,450 a year, despite new 3p per mile tax on EVs

New analysis finds UK’s most-viewed second-hand EVs on Autotrader can still save their owners around £1,450 a year on average.
eciu.net/media/press...

Ukrainian river restoration project during wartime wins major award The Bilyi River after the removal of an obsolete dam. Image: Danube-Carpathian Programme Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has brought death and destruction not only to towns and cities, but als…

Mindblowing and inspiring that Ukraine has managed to continue its dam removal efforts in spite of everything.

freshwaterblog.net/2025/11/04/u...

Laughing gas may provide rapid relief from depression Nitrous oxide can provide a ‘significant’ reduction to sufferers’ symptoms — but its effects are temporary

Laughing gas may provide rapid relief from depression www.thetimes.com/article/adea...

A tractor under some solar panels, not sure what they are growing there (not any of the crops I know from anywhere I lived in).

Agro-photovoltaic (solar panels over agricultural fields) still feels more solarpunk than real world, but they are (slowly) becoming more common, and with that, the thought about how to move towards integration with sustainable agriculture. 🧪

Link: www.cetjournal.it/index.php/ce...

Hunter syndrome: Boy with rare condition amazes doctors after world-first gene therapy Oliver has an inherited condition called Hunter syndrome, which causes progressive damage to the body and brain.

BBC News - Hunter syndrome: Boy with rare condition amazes doctors after world-first gene therapy - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Italy’s AI Law: the good, the bad…and the actual substance On 10 October 2025, Italy's AI Law (Law No. 132/2025) entered into force – the first comprehensive national AI framework in the EU. While its scope spans areas such as minors' protection, AI training ...

Italy has enacted its first AI regulation laws including detail around consent of data use & legislating against deep fakes - some real substance here & positive steps - full legal analysis here:

www.hoganlovells.com/en/publicati...

With neonicotinoid pesticide ban, France’s birds make a tentative recovery - study Analysis shows small hike in populations of insect-eating species after 2018 ruling, but full recovery may take decades

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘Beautiful energy sandwich’ could power next-generation solar and lighting Researchers have achieved a new level of control over the atomic structure of a family of materials known as halide perovskites, creating a finely tuned

Cambridge physicists have created a fine-tuned 'energy sandwich' that could transform how solar cells, LEDs and lasers are made, and make them cheaper and more efficient 🔋

New #research from @ceb.cam.ac.uk and @cambridgephysics.bsky.social 👇
https://bit.ly/3XyHB0g 🧪

Graph showing decline since 2005

There were 93 homicides in London last year: population 9 million

In New York - population 8.5 million - there were
391.

London's homicide figure is 6 times lower than LA, 9 times lower than Miami, 17 times lower than Chicago.

And it's falling year on year despite the population increasing

How Britain built some of the world’s safest roads The death rate per mile driven has declined 22-fold since 1950.

These countries have reduced fatality rates in recent years, but still have much higher death tolls than other rich countries.

Read Hannah’s article on how the United Kingdom built some of the world’s safest roads: ourworldindata.org/britain-safe...

Children in Need 2025 raises more than £45m The show included appearances from Lewis Capaldi and stars of Strictly Come Dancing, The Apprentice and Gladiators.

BBC News - Children in Need 2025 raises more than £45m
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Animal testing to be phased out faster as UK unveils roadmap for alternative methods New plan backs researchers to seize on new and developing opportunities to phase out animal tests with specific commitments for the coming years.

Buried news of the day IMO

"Government vows to phase out animal tests as alternative methods come on stream with new strategy welcomed as ‘ambitious’ and ‘timely’ by animal welfare & life sciences organisations."

Plus new £75 million funding to bring forward new testing methods for health products

Supply boom in cheaper renewables will seal end of fossil fuel era, says IEA Watchdog’s flagship report says rise in low-carbon electricity will make transition ‘inevitable’, despite Trump’s calls to carry on drilling

Suppy boom in cheaper renewables will seal end of fossil fuel era, says IEA. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Children's services in Manchester rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted Manchester's social workers are described as an

It shouldn’t be underestimated how hard it is for a big city like Manchester, with high levels of need, to get Outstanding for its children’s services. I’ve seen first hand how this is changing lives & outcomes for vulnerable children.

‘Hero’ crew member injured in train mass stabbing regains consciousness Samir Zitouni was wounded as he protected passengers during attack on an LNER train travelling from Doncaster to London

“His wife has shared the wonderful news that Sam woke up briefly yesterday, and she was able to speak with him for a short time. This is a truly positive step forward, though there is still a long journey ahead in his recovery.”

Excellent news. ~AA

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crim...

For all the talk of 'Broken Britain', so many things have got better.

Babies born today are half as likely to die before their 5th birthday as they were 25 years ago.

No link between paracetamol in pregnancy and autism or ADHD in children, review finds Wide-ranging review finds no convincing connection after Trump said women should ‘fight like hell’ to avoid painkiller

No link between paracetamol in pregnancy and autism or ADHD in children, review finds. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Patients to benefit from cutting-edge NHS care from their homes More patients will receive faster, more convenient care from the comfort of their own homes, through the rollout of new digital technologies across the NHS.

Patients to benefit from cutting-edge NHS care from their homes www.gov.uk/government/n...

Wearable solar fluidic system A solar fluidic wearable suit can use sweat to produce fresh water, power, and information around the body.

Researchers in #ScienceAdvances have developed a wearable, photothermal fabric that uses sweat evaporation to produce power and fresh water. A suit of this material could create a self-sufficient, portable ecosystem with applications in space exploration. https://scim.ag/47PMwjq

bsky.app/profile/mell...

bsky.app/profile/actu...

Global solar boom tempers climate change pessimism There is already four times as much solar capacity worldwide as analysts in 2010 had forecast for 2035.

Global solar boom tempers climate change pessimism www.semafor.com/article/10/3...

How they got it wrong – pessimistic predictions upended by post-Paris… Analysis finds that the clean energy transition has advanced far beyond what was predicted a decade ago.

Analysis finds that clean energy transition has advanced far beyond what was predicted a decade ago

Solar, wind, EVs have hugely exceeded expectations

Some positive news for a change. Politico: "The morning-after pill will be available free of charge on the NHS [England] from today, which the NHS national clinical director for women’s health hailed as the 'biggest change to sexual health services since the 1960s.'"

🏠 Breaking: The Renters’ Rights Bill has passed! A landmark moment for tenants in England — stronger protections and fairer rights are on the way. This is a big step toward safe, secure homes for everyone.

Seven beavers released in Highlands' Glen Affric Glen Affric is a large area of woodland, lochs and mountains near Cannich.

BBC News - Seven beavers released in Highlands' Glen Affric - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Seven nation Army: Tehran women rock out in defiance of Iran's regime.

Unimaginable in recent memory. A moment of freedom – and resistance – as women rock out in the streets of Tehran to The White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army. #WomenLifeFreedom

Biology teacher becomes first UK patient to receive ‘gamechanger’ therapy for MS Multiple sclerosis is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord

Biology teacher becomes first UK patient to receive ‘gamechanger’ therapy for MS www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...

A bar graph illustrates the sales trends of internal combustion engine cars and electric cars in China from 2010 to 2024. The bars representing internal combustion engine cars are shown in shades of purple and dominate the graph, with a peak reaching around 25 million units in 2017. This peak is indicated with an arrow and labeled "Sales peaked in 2017." After 2017, the sales of internal combustion engine cars decrease slightly while electric car sales, represented by green bars, show a rapid increase in recent years, particularly noticeable in the later years of the chart. The y-axis indicates sales figures ranging from 0 to 25 million, while the x-axis is labeled with the years from 2010 to 2024. At the bottom, the data source is cited as the International Energy Agency, Global EV Outlook 2025, with a CC BY license.

China’s internal combustion car sales peaked in 2017 as electric vehicles took off