Mauritius decriminalizes gay sex in historic ruling
In 2016, Antigua and Barbuda, the archipelago nation that owns Redonda, launched an eradication campaign that cleared the island of rats. After that, they simply waited.
Nations
Laphonza Butler of California becomes the first out LGBTQ+ senator of color in the U.S.
Butler has served as a senior strategist in VP Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign, has worked as the director for public policy and campaigns at Airbnb, served as president of the California chapter of the Service Employees International Union, and served on the University of California Board of Regents.
Biden administration cancels another $9 billion in student loan debt
A White House official said that the new discharges bring the total approved debt cancellation to $127 billion for nearly 3.6 million borrowers so far during Biden’s time in office.
Countries pledge to raise $12 billion to fund coral reef protection
The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) said it would secure a massive public and private investment to help conserve and restore coral ecosystems, which sustain a quarter of the world’s marine species and more than a billion people.
European Union launches world’s carbon border tariff
The European Union has launched the initial phase of the world’s first system to impose CO2 emissions tariffs on carbon-intensive imports like iron and steel, as it tries to stop more polluting foreign products from undermining its green transition.
Remote Caribbean island of Redonda transformed into huge nature reserve
It’s one of many remote islands around the world’s seas that, with a helping hand, have rid themselves of invasive animals and plants and returned to supporting the land, water, and air around them.
World Bank approves $365 million USD for advancing girls and women empowerment in Africa
The SWEDD+ project has the potential to directly benefit over 2 million vulnerable girls aged between 10 to 19 years old who are at risk of child marriage, early pregnancy, gender-based violence, and leaving school in Burkina Faso, Chad, Senegal, The Gambia, and Togo.
Millions more children to receive free school meals under expanded U.S. program
At schools where 25% of families participate in income-based public benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, the U.S. federal government now will cover the cost of free meals for all enrolled students. Previously, the qualifying threshold was 40%.
Seventy-plus nations sign historic high seas treaty
The signing of the treaty is a significant step in a global effort to protect the high seas, areas of the ocean beyond national borders. The high seas encompass two-thirds of the world’s oceans, but only about 1% currently have any kind of protected status.
India to reserve third of parliament’s lower house seats for women
Women account for almost half of India’s 950 million registered voters but make for only 15% of parliament and about 10% of state legislatures, pushing the world’s largest democracy to the bottom of global rankings on gender parity in legislatures.