Lead Story
Bhutan becomes first Southeast Asian country to eliminate dog-transmitted human rabies
The World Health Organization validated Bhutan on September 4, 2026, as the first country in the WHO South-East Asia Region to eliminate dog-transmitted human rabies as a public health problem, following a field assessment mission conducted August 17-22. Bhutan has recorded zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies since June 2023, achieved through more than a decade of mass dog vaccination, improved dog population management, strengthened surveillance and universal free access to post-exposure prophylaxis across all 20 of its districts. The effort involved Bhutan's health and agriculture ministries, the WHO, the World Organisation for Animal Health and the De-suung national volunteer service, with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calling it proof that eliminating rabies requires cooperation between health workers, veterinarians and communities.
Read more →Lead Story
Bhutan becomes first Southeast Asian country to eliminate dog-transmitted human rabies
The World Health Organization validated Bhutan on September 4, 2026, as the first country in the WHO South-East Asia Region to eliminate dog-transmitted human rabies as a public health problem, following a field assessment mission conducted August 17-22. Bhutan has recorded zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies since June 2023, achieved through more than a decade of mass dog vaccination, improved dog population management, strengthened surveillance and universal free access to post-exposure prophylaxis across all 20 of its districts. The effort involved Bhutan's health and agriculture ministries, the WHO, the World Organisation for Animal Health and the De-suung national volunteer service, with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calling it proof that eliminating rabies requires cooperation between health workers, veterinarians and communities.
Landmark trial launches in Europe testing whether a drug can prevent Alzheimer's before symptoms start
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust this month became the first site in the UK and Europe, and third worldwide, to begin the phase 3 PrevenTRON trial testing Roche's drug trontinemab in cognitively healthy adults at high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The global study, coinciding with World Alzheimer's Month, aims to recruit around 1,600 people aged 55 to 80 who show no memory problems but test positive for Alzheimer's-linked risk markers such as the p-tau217 biomarker; participants receive trontinemab, an intravenous antibody designed to clear amyloid plaques from the brain more efficiently than earlier anti-amyloid drugs. Researchers hope the trial will show, for the first time, that Alzheimer's can be prevented or meaningfully delayed by intervening before cognitive decline begins.
Read more →Landmark trial launches in Europe testing whether a drug can prevent Alzheimer's before symptoms start
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust this month became the first site in the UK and Europe, and third worldwide, to begin the phase 3 PrevenTRON trial testing Roche's drug trontinemab in cognitively healthy adults at high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The global study, coinciding with World Alzheimer's Month, aims to recruit around 1,600 people aged 55 to 80 who show no memory problems but test positive for Alzheimer's-linked risk markers such as the p-tau217 biomarker; participants receive trontinemab, an intravenous antibody designed to clear amyloid plaques from the brain more efficiently than earlier anti-amyloid drugs. Researchers hope the trial will show, for the first time, that Alzheimer's can be prevented or meaningfully delayed by intervening before cognitive decline begins.
Coal generation stalls across most of China as electrification outpaces fossil fuel growth
A report from energy think tank Ember, published in early September 2026, found that coal-fired power generation has flattened in 17 of China's 26 provincial-level regions since 2021, regions that together account for more than half of the country's thermal power capacity, while fossil fuel use has already peaked in 8 of 11 industrial sectors. On a 12-month moving average, national coal generation has been stalling since early 2024 after decades of continuous growth, with clean power meeting all of China's electricity demand growth in 2025 and pushing thermal generation down for the first time in ten years. Analysts say the shift reflects surging electrification — particularly electric vehicles and industrial processes — rather than economic slowdown, marking an inflection point in the world's largest coal-consuming country.
Read more →Coal generation stalls across most of China as electrification outpaces fossil fuel growth
A report from energy think tank Ember, published in early September 2026, found that coal-fired power generation has flattened in 17 of China's 26 provincial-level regions since 2021, regions that together account for more than half of the country's thermal power capacity, while fossil fuel use has already peaked in 8 of 11 industrial sectors. On a 12-month moving average, national coal generation has been stalling since early 2024 after decades of continuous growth, with clean power meeting all of China's electricity demand growth in 2025 and pushing thermal generation down for the first time in ten years. Analysts say the shift reflects surging electrification — particularly electric vehicles and industrial processes — rather than economic slowdown, marking an inflection point in the world's largest coal-consuming country.
Researchers map 51 'positive tipping points' that could rapidly repair the planet within five years
The Earthshot Prize and University of Exeter published a report this month, building on Professor Tim Lenton's positive-tipping-point research, identifying 51 ready-to-scale environmental solutions capable of triggering rapid, self-reinforcing change across all five Earthshot goals: protecting nature, cleaning the air, reviving oceans, eliminating waste and fixing the climate. The report argues that solutions such as commodity supply-chain reform, clean household energy, marine protected areas and Indigenous land stewardship can cross thresholds where falling costs, new investment and spreading policy create cascading progress, much as solar and wind power already have in many markets. Researchers say deliberately accelerating these tipping points, rather than relying on incremental change, offers the fastest realistic route to large-scale planetary repair this decade.
Read more →Researchers map 51 'positive tipping points' that could rapidly repair the planet within five years
The Earthshot Prize and University of Exeter published a report this month, building on Professor Tim Lenton's positive-tipping-point research, identifying 51 ready-to-scale environmental solutions capable of triggering rapid, self-reinforcing change across all five Earthshot goals: protecting nature, cleaning the air, reviving oceans, eliminating waste and fixing the climate. The report argues that solutions such as commodity supply-chain reform, clean household energy, marine protected areas and Indigenous land stewardship can cross thresholds where falling costs, new investment and spreading policy create cascading progress, much as solar and wind power already have in many markets. Researchers say deliberately accelerating these tipping points, rather than relying on incremental change, offers the fastest realistic route to large-scale planetary repair this decade.
England extends free school meals to half a million more children this month
From September 2026, every child in an England household receiving Universal Credit qualifies for free school meals, removing the previous £7,400 annual earnings threshold that had left eligibility inconsistent across councils. The change directly benefits about 500,000 children this school year, with the government projecting 1.7 million children will benefit over the longer term as more families move onto Universal Credit, saving affected households an estimated £500 a year on food costs. The expansion, first announced in 2025 and now in effect as pupils return for the new school year, marks one of the largest single expansions of free school meal eligibility in England in over a decade.
Read more →England extends free school meals to half a million more children this month
From September 2026, every child in an England household receiving Universal Credit qualifies for free school meals, removing the previous £7,400 annual earnings threshold that had left eligibility inconsistent across councils. The change directly benefits about 500,000 children this school year, with the government projecting 1.7 million children will benefit over the longer term as more families move onto Universal Credit, saving affected households an estimated £500 a year on food costs. The expansion, first announced in 2025 and now in effect as pupils return for the new school year, marks one of the largest single expansions of free school meal eligibility in England in over a decade.