U.K. to ban “abhorrent practice” of gay conversion therapy
The British government says it will ban gay conversion therapy as part of 4.5-million-pound ($5.9 million) effort to make society more inclusive for LGBT people.
Europe
This archive covers progress stories from across Europe, spanning the U.K., Scandinavia, the E.U. and beyond. Readers will find reporting on health, climate policy, social welfare, science and more — drawn from nearly 1,200 articles tracking real gains made by communities, governments and researchers throughout the region.
Transgender woman makes history by winning Miss Universe Spain
Ãngela Ponce, 26, beat off competition from 22 other finalists to triumph at the contest in Tarragona, six years after Miss Universe was opened to trans contestants.
Norway pledges $17 million to global fight against forest crime
The new money will be spent on a taskforce to investigate the international gangs and powerful figures behind them.
Europe’s first solar panel recycling plant opens in France
French water and waste group Veolia has opened what it says is Europe’s first recycling plant for solar panels as thousands of tonnes of ageing solar panels are set to reach the end of their life.
Germany to raise minimum wage to 9.35 euros in 2020
Germany plans to raise the minimum wage to 9.19 euros ($10.74) per hour next year and to 9.35 euros per hour in 2020
Renault to invest more than €1bn in French electric car plants
Renault will invest more than €1bn into four plants in France to increase its electric car production in the country.
Scottish greenhouse gas emission rates ‘halved since 1990’
Government statistics show levels in 2016 were 49% below the 1990 baseline, with a 10.3% drop on the previous year.
Temple University researchers successfully reverse cognitive impairments in mice with dementia
New research shows, for the first time in an animal model, that tau pathology — the second-most important lesion in the brain in patients with Alzheimer’s disease — can be reversed by a drug.
IKEA to use only renewable and recycled materials by 2030
IKEA, the world’s biggest furniture retailer, plans to use only renewable and recycled materials in its products by 2030.
Royal Bank of Scotland to stop financing new coal plants, oil sands or arctic oil projects
RBS said it would no longer directly finance new coal-fired power stations or thermal coal mines, oil sands or Arctic oil projects and unsustainable vegetation or peatland clearance projects.