The story archive
Explore positive news about people, nature and new possibilities. Read the latest sourced stories, or find a topic and region that interests you.
119stories
Showing 37–54 of 119 · Newest first
RSPB Cymru announced on 8 July 2026 that it had bought the 96-hectare Gallt-y-bere site, reconnecting its fragmented Gwenffrwd-Dinas reserve in mid Wales for the first time in almost 60 years. The purchase was confirmed by RSPB Cymru and reported by ITV News Wales and Nation.Cymru.
The UK government announced a record £90 million investment on 8 July 2026 to fund 130 projects protecting 364 threatened species across England, under the 'Wild Again' species recovery campaign. Defra reported the funding builds on three decades of work that has already helped protect more than 1,000 species and prevented at least 35 national extinctions.
Indonesia's Red and White Cooperatives (KMP) programme, run under President Prabowo Subianto's administration, now targets 40,000 units operating by October 2026 — half its original goal of 80,000 — serving as local distribution centres for state assistance, agricultural machinery, and subsidised fertiliser and fuel. The Jakarta Post reported the scaled-back rollout on 6 July 2026.
Malaysia's government-backed MediAsas pilot scheme introduced two affordable basic medical and health takaful plans, Medi Asas Teras and MediAsas Fleksi, in the Klang Valley from late July 2026 for a three-month trial. The pilot, overseen by the Joint Ministerial Committee on Private Healthcare Costs (JBMKKS) with six licensed insurers and takaful operators, sets indicative monthly premiums between RM60 and RM550 ahead of a planned nationwide rollout in January 2027.
Hanoi began enforcing its first low-emission zone on 1 July 2026, barring petrol motorbikes from 11 Old Quarter streets from 6pm to midnight on Fridays and 6am to midnight on Saturdays and Sundays. The pilot covers about 20,000 residents in Hoan Kiem ward and is the opening phase of a rollout set to cover all of Ring Road 1 by 2029.
An Indian traveller's video showing strangers in Tokyo and Osaka walking her to train platforms and stations went viral in July 2026. India TV News reported that the encounters left the traveller, known online as Akankshaa, with what she called a memory she would cherish for life.
Three Kalimantan orangutans named Bagus, Eboni, and Ruby were released into Gunung Batu Mesangat protected forest on June 23, 2026 after rehabilitation at BORA. The Jakarta Post reported the joint release by East Kalimantan wildlife agencies, forest units, and the Center for Orangutan Protection.
Metallica's charitable foundation, All Within My Hands, donated £20,000 to Cardiff Foodbank after the band's sold-out Principality Stadium show on 28 June 2026, days after the charity publicly appealed for help with empty warehouse shelves. Cardiff Foodbank's chief executive called it the largest celebrity donation the charity has ever received, and the BBC estimated the gift would fund roughly 9,000 meals.
Mohsin Qayyum, 22, and Mohammed Yusuf Iqbal, 20, rescued Sheila Robinson, 77, her husband, and their 14-year-old grandson from a house fire in Kirkstall, Leeds, on June 19, 2026. West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service confirmed two crews were needed to extinguish the blaze, and AOL News verified the family's account of the rescue.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council a £2.1 million delivery grant on 24 June 2026 to restore and expand Ballycastle Museum. The project will nearly quadruple the museum's gallery space, from 64 to 240 square metres, with reopening planned for late 2028.
South Morningside Primary School in Edinburgh was named Primary School of the Year at the Tes Schools Awards 2026, presented at a London ceremony on 19 June 2026. The City of Edinburgh Council confirmed the school beat seven other UK finalists in a year that drew the highest number of award nominations since the competition began in 2009.
Molly Selin, 27, met 81-year-old Maria on a New York subway in May 2026 and promised to help her fulfil her dream of visiting her native Puerto Rico. Selin's TikTok post about the meeting drew more than 3 million views. Delta and Hilton offered flights and a place to stay for a trip planned for July.
Sarawak will host the third Rainforest Youth Summit from June 24 to 26, 2026 in Kuching, then the 29th Rainforest World Music Festival. The Jakarta Post reported speakers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Kenya, and Fiji and two new youth climate programmes.
Hanoi launched 'RE:EARTH – For a Green West Lake' on 20 June 2026, mobilising around 250 delegates and more than 150 volunteers to clean up plastic waste around the lake. The programme was organised by Agriculture and Environment Newspaper, WWF and Lotte Mart Korea, with Vietnam's Environment Department and Tây Hồ Ward's People's Committee taking part.
Twelve-year-old Markos Abaye took his sick chicken to Denbecha Primary Hospital in Ethiopia's Amhara region. A nurse's video of his visit drew 770,000 views on TikTok. The chicken was treated by a vet, and a poultry company said it would give Markos 100 chickens and training.
Jakarta's 'Plant Raya Together' urban farming movement brought together 562 farmers across 5 administrative city areas in 2026, coordinated by the DKI Jakarta Provincial PKK Movement Team, the Food, Maritime and Agriculture Directorate, and the Environment Service. Each area planted a different flagship crop in a staged rollout running from February to June 2026.
Vietnamese police dismantled a cat theft ring supplying the illegal meat trade in Ho Chi Minh City in mid-June 2026, rescuing more than 400 live cats and arresting nine suspects who had trapped animals across southern Vietnam for three years. Al Jazeera reported more than 40 cats were reunited with their owners, and veterinarians and volunteers are providing round-the-clock care for the rest.
Tri Delta sorority reached a new $25 million fundraising milestone for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on June 16, 2026, bringing its total support since 1999 to $185 million. BioSpace reported the announcement at a Memphis event attended by 400 members from more than 130 chapters across the US and Canada.