Israel is ending its ban on blood donation from queer men
Nitzan Horowitz, the out Minister of Health in Israel, proclaimed, “There’s no difference between one blood and the other. Discrimination against gays in donating blood is over.”
Nations
U.S. to erase student debt for those with severe disabilities
The Biden administration will automatically erase student loan debt for more than 300,000 Americans with severe disabilities that leave them unable to earn significant incomes. The move will wipe out more than $5.8 billion in debt.
First fossil-free steel delivered to Volvo cars in Sweden
HYBRIT — a joint venture between SSAB, Vattenfall, and mining company LKAB — aims to revolutionize a steel industry that, by some estimates, produces nearly 10% of all harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
South Korea to grant legal status to animals to tackle abuse and abandonment
The amendment will make South Korea one of a handful of countries to recognize animals as beings, with a right to protection, enhanced welfare and respect for life.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ban toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos
Studies from Columbia University, University of California Berkeley, and other renowned institutions show that chlorpyrifos can damage the developing brains of children, causing reduced IQ, loss of working memory, and attention deficit disorders.
Child hunger rates in the U.S. slashed 24% after first round of Child Tax Credit payment
The percentage of American families with kids who report not having enough to eat fell dramatically after the first child tax credit payments were distributed last month, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
U.S. and Canada establish first international transboundary Dark Sky Park
The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is a collaborative National Park established on the border between the US and Canada in the state of Montana and Alberta, just south of Calgary.
Sri Lanka pledges no new coal, makes push into rooftop solar
In its latest climate plan, Sri Lanka is ruling out new coal power and aiming to reach 70 percent clean electricity by 2030.
Indonesian army ends ‘two-finger’ virginity tests on female recruits
The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) conducted investigations into the practice in 2014, 2015 and 2017, with experts labeling the tests abusive, unscientific and discriminatory.
U.S. Department of Agriculture to permanently boost food stamp benefits by 25 percent
The Biden administration has approved a significant and permanent increase in the levels of food stamp assistance available to needy families—the largest single increase in the program’s history.