Five positive news stories to boost your mood

London has pledged a ton of money to rewild and restore wildlife

The mayor of London, Sadiq Kahn, has pledged a budget of £600k to ‘rewild’ the city.

The project will create and restore wildlife habitats across the capital in order to boost biodiversity and ensure nature becomes more accessible for its residents.

To do so, the plans include green rooftop installations, river restoration, and clean-up projects, as well as the creation of brand-new green spaces.

A further £300k has been put forward to offer traineeships to 40 members of Black, Asian and, minority ethnic groups to help them gain knowledge and skills within the green sector, to continue driving these efforts forward for the long term.

Brain implant treats depression

At the University of San Francisco in California, a 36-year-old patient was treated for clinical depression with an implant that delivers small electrical shocks to her brain.

Though the matchbox-sized device is always fitted, it acts as a smart pack, detecting circuit waves in her brain and only delivering tiny pulses when it detects the patient seriously needs it.

Sarah is the first person to be treated using this method after experiencing little success with traditional anti-depressants.  She described the treatment as life changing has reported no negative side effects.

‘My life took an immediate upward turn,’ she said, declaring ‘[it has allowed] me to return to my best self and rebuild a life worth living.’

Scientists are keen to continue investigating how the implant could help others battling long-term, severe depression.

EU creates law to protect gig workers

It’s been a long time coming for gig economy workers, who have been exploited by massive companies making huge profits by denying their employees basic rights and benefits.

Under new rules drafted by the European Commission, four million drivers for Uber and Deliveroo in Europe will be entitled to the same benefits as regular employees.

The new legislation will see digital platforms fall under an obligation to offer their workers sick pay, holiday pay, and local minimum wage.

The European Commission has stated that companies like Uber and Deliveroo have operated under contractual ambiguities for far too long, resulting in a ‘misclassification’ of millions of workers.

Regardless of Brexit, the UK is expected to follow with similar legislation in the near future – and rightly so!

How’s that for a (news) positive Tuesday?