What went right this week: the ‘alternative Nobel prize’, plus more

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Positive News • Gavin Haines • October 2, 2026

Four individuals and organizations have received the Right Livelihood Award, often called the "alternative Nobel prize," for resisting authoritarianism, patriarchal violence, and unchecked AI development. All recipients are women or female-led groups. Eritrean computer scientist Timnit Gebru was recognized for challenging concentrated power in artificial intelligence. Pakistani lawyer Jalila Haider was commended for opposing ethnic, state, and patriarchal persecution of her Hazara community. The Rural Women’s Assembly empowers African women to defend land and bodily autonomy against corporate dispossession, while the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association works to safeguard democracy against autocratic crackdowns. Ole von Uexkull, executive director of Right Livelihood, stated that these winners are rewriting rules assumed to belong only to autocrats and Silicon Valley leaders.

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‘I can breathe again’. Readers share their experiences of a more balanced media diet

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Positive News • Sarah LaBrecque • October 9, 2026

To mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October, Positive News gathered reflections from readers about how their news diet affects their feelings. Many describe the overwhelming negativity of mainstream media as creating despair or paralysis. Reader Kay notes that constant negative coverage batters consciousness, while Mustafa says a tsunami of negativity requires grounding. Mo, who is nearly 73, found the site by accident and now reads it first thing in the morning to cope with the world. Naava explains that without Positive News, she would feel paralysed by despair regarding the state of the world.

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Why good leaders listen

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Positive News • Ken Banks • October 1, 2026

Social innovator Ken Banks argues that listening is often overlooked as a leadership skill despite its ability to challenge assumptions and reveal knowledge that might otherwise be missed. After more than 30 years working in conservation, international development, and technology, Banks notes that useful lessons often come from discovering the original question was wrong rather than arriving with the right answers. Conversations with people whose experiences challenged his assumptions gradually changed how he thought about leadership and social change.

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What went right this week: the good news that matters

Positive News

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Positive News • Gavin Haines • October 9, 2026

Australia’s highest court ruled against plans to expand the Mount Pleasant coal mine in New South Wales, declaring the initial approval unlawful because planners ignored climate impacts. Retired teachers Wendy Wales and Tony Lonergan launched this legal challenge after state planners approved the project in 2022. The court agreed that extending the mine’s life by 22 years and doubling its output conflicted with national emission-cutting efforts. MACH Energy, which runs the mine, appealed to the High Court, but on Wednesday, the court struck down that appeal. Wales stated, "Today the High Court said what we have always known: we cannot dig up coal, ship it overseas, watch it drive climate change, and then pretend the consequences have nothing to do with us." MACH Energy accepted the ruling.

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Three surprising reasons to slow down for a thoughtful, nutritious breakfast

Positive News

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Positive News • Angela Garwood • October 9, 2026

Many people skip breakfast due to busy modern lives, yet scientific research suggests that eating a nutrient-packed meal with care benefits both the body and brain. A 2022 Harvard study found that for every 5% of calories coming from animal protein instead of carbohydrates, the risk of developing dementia drops by 11%. Another large study published in the British Journal of Nutrition linked higher total protein intake to fewer depressive symptoms up to recommended levels.

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This Tool Turns Scientific Articles Into Agents That Answer Questions and Collaborate

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Singularity Hub • Shelly Fan • October 8, 2026

James Zou of Stanford University introduced Paper2Agent, a system designed to transform static scientific papers into interactive AI agents. Unlike standard chatbots that summarize text, these agents are trained on a paper’s full content, including figures and data, to reproduce its experimental results in a virtual environment. This process allows the AI to act as a "virtual author" capable of answering complex questions, applying methods from one study to new datasets, and collaborating with agents from other disciplines.

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Prince William launches kit to help communities prepare for emergencies

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Positive News • Gavin Haines • October 8, 2026

Prince William launched a free online toolkit called Ready Together to help UK communities prepare for emergencies like floods, wildfires, and power cuts. The initiative, run by the National Emergencies Trust, was developed with researchers at Nottingham Trent University. It offers practical advice on eight areas of preparedness, including communications, supplies, and supporting vulnerable residents. Prince William is a patron of the charity, while actor Ross Kemp serves as an ambassador.

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I stopped reading bad news for 48 hours. Here’s what happened

Positive News

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Positive News • Oliver Balch • September 30, 2026

Oliver Balch stopped reading bad news for 48 hours to try constructive journalism, which focuses on solutions rather than problems. He chose a weekend detox because he rarely watches TV or uses social media like TikTok and X. His editor told him there would be no crisis-focused stories, only those highlighting what is working.

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A future worth building. What to expect in the new issue of Positive News magazine

Positive News

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Positive News • Lucy Purdy • October 7, 2026

The new issue of Positive News magazine features stories about people acting for a future they may never see. Journalist Caitlin Moran explains that thinking about the future does not require grand, decades-long projects. Instead, she argues that hope is a decision to act through small, tangible choices like planting a garden or picking up litter.

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US Launches $215 Million Race to Build an Error-Corrected Quantum Computer by 2028

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Singularity Hub • Edd Gent • September 28, 2026

The US Department of Energy has launched a $215 million competition to challenge private companies in building a fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2028. Current quantum machines are too error-prone for practical work, relying on fragile qubits that make calculations easily derail. To fix this, the technology must use error-correction schemes to spread information across many physical qubits and create "logical qubits," which are more stable but require much larger devices than have been demonstrated so far.

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