3 pieces of good news to brighten your week

Sometimes the news can feel bleak, so we have picked out 3 uplifting stories.

It is a familiar saying that the media never report on trains arriving on time. As a result, keeping up with current affairs can be deeply dispiriting. Without dismissing the major threats and challenges of our time, some genuinely positive developments do emerge, yet they do not receive enough coverage. Ignoring them means resigning ourselves to despair. Here are three recent stories that have put a smile back on our faces.

Cancer: the remarkable success of this vaccine

Between 2020 and 2024, there were no deaths from cervical cancer among women aged 20 to 24 in England. This is the first time this has happened over a five-year period. Since the human papillomavirus vaccine was introduced in 2008, it has saved around 200 lives, according to a study by Queen Mary University of London.

Without vaccination, 23 deaths would have been expected in this age group alone. Although the finding is already encouraging, researchers describe it as the “tip of the iceberg”, since vaccinated generations have not yet reached the ages at which the cancer is most commonly diagnosed.

India: infant mortality falls

India lowered its infant mortality rate from 30 per thousand births in 2019 to 24 in 2024, a 20% reduction in five years, according to the latest report from the civil registration system.

This progress is largely linked to an increase in births taking place in healthcare facilities. Their share rose from 83% to more than 95% of births over the period. Significant regional disparities nevertheless remain. Kerala, for example, has a rate of 8 per thousand, while Chhattisgarh remains at 36. The healthcare system therefore still varies greatly from one region to another.

Income inequality is decreasing worldwide

Global income inequality has fallen considerably over the past forty years. According to the World Bank, the number of economies with high levels of inequality has declined by one third since the 1990s.

The international institution tracks this progress using a new index that estimates how much incomes would need to rise for every person on the planet to achieve a decent standard of living. This multiplier fell from 13 in 1981 to 4.5 in 2026, representing a remarkable improvement. Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East are exceptions, however, and are falling increasingly behind the rest of the world.

That is all for this week. If you enjoyed this article, you can revisit the previous instalment of this series for more good news stories that went relatively unnoticed.