Brazil makes homophobic hate speech punishable by prison
Brazil’s Supreme Court has ruled with a vote of 9-1 that homophobic hate speech is on par with racial hate speech and punishable with a prison sentence of two to five years.
Nations
This archive collects milestones and progress stories involving nations — countries and their governments — acting to improve lives, protect rights, or address shared challenges. From policy breakthroughs to international cooperation, these stories show what countries are doing right.
India becomes the fourth ever country to land on the moon
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully landed its Vikram lander in the rough terrain of the Moon’s south pole, making India the first country to safely touch down in this unexplored region of the lunar surface.
The U.S. Department of the Interior formally approves country’s fourth-ever major offshore wind project
Located about 15 nautical miles southeast of Point Judith, Rhode Island, the project will have an estimated capacity of 704 megawatts of clean energy, capable of powering nearly 250,000 homes. The project is expected to create an estimated 1,200 local jobs during the construction phase.
U.K. achieves record numbers of heat pump and solar panel installations in first half of 2023
UK clean home energy hit a record-breaking stretch in the first half of 2023, with rooftop solar installations climbing 62 percent compared to the same months a year earlier. That works out to roughly 17,000 households each month deciding to put panels on their roofs — a pace that suggests solar has crossed from premium choice to practical one. Heat pumps are gaining ground too, with nearly 18,000 installed alongside government schemes easing upfront costs. Together, the country’s small-scale renewables now hold four gigawatts of capacity, more than Europe’s largest gas plant produces. It’s a quietly powerful reminder that the energy transition isn’t only built in boardrooms — it’s built one rooftop, one home, one decision at a time.
UK’s largest opencast coal mine to permanently close in November 2023
Campaigners had been pushing for the site in Merthyr Tydfil to close since its planning permission expired in September last year after 15 years.
India has reduced its emissions rate by 33% over 14 years
India’s emissions intensity dropped 33% between 2005 and 2019, meaning the country now produces far less greenhouse gas for every dollar of economic output. Even better, the pace is picking up: annual reductions doubled to 3% per year in the most recent stretch measured, the fastest on record. That’s happening while the economy keeps growing, driven by a rapid build-out of solar and wind, expanding forest cover, and fresh investment in green hydrogen. For a country of 1.4 billion people, breaking the old link between prosperity and pollution is exactly the kind of shift the world needs to see — proof that climate progress and development can move together, not in opposition.
Brazil’s Amazon deforestation continues to fall dramatically
Amazon deforestation in Brazil dropped 42% in the first seven months of 2023 compared to the same period the year before — a signal that determined policy can turn the tide fast, even within a single year. After President Lula took office, environmental agencies were restaffed and enforcement resumed, reversing years of weakened protections, with satellite data confirming the trend in near real time. Whether these gains hold across future governments and economic pressures remains an open question — but for now, Brazil is offering the world a measurable, verified proof of concept.
Work begins along California-Oregon border on largest dam removal project in U.S. history
Klamath River restoration is now the largest dam removal effort in U.S. history, reopening more than 400 miles of river to salmon once the last three dams come down. But the real story is what comes next: members of the Karuk, Yurok, and other tribal nations spent five years hand-gathering seeds from nearly 100 native plant species, and roughly 17 billion of those seeds will be sown along the freed riverbanks over the coming decade. Tribal ecological knowledge is shaping every phase, woven together with western science. For Indigenous communities worldwide fighting to restore ancestral waters, the Klamath offers a powerful template — proof that rivers, and the cultures rooted in them, can be brought back to life.
Ghana ends capital punishment
The West African country currently has 170 men and six women on death row, whose sentences will now be replaced by life imprisonment. Until now, execution has been the mandatory sentence for murder in Ghana.
Netherlands to return nearly 500 looted objects to Indonesia and Sri Lanka
“We’re not only returning objects; we’re also embarking on a period of closer cooperation with Indonesia and Sri Lanka in areas like collection research, presentation, and exchanges between museums,” said Dutch Secretary of State for Culture and Media Gunay Uslu.