Back in 1999, Portugal experienced 369 overdose deaths and in 2016, the number was just 30. The number of new HIV diagnoses due to injecting has plummeted from 907 in 2000 to 18 in 2017. The new laws have also had an impact on incarceration with the number of people behind bars for drug offences falling from 3,863 in 1999 to 1,140 in 2017. STATISTA
Read MoreA historic partnership between Burkina Faso and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has deployed life-saving vaccines that effectively nullified the threat of Meningitis A outbreaks during the Harmattan windy season. GATES FOUNDATION
Read MoreA new organisation called Resilient Cities Catalyst has risen from the ashes of 100 Resilient Cities. The new nonprofit will raise funds to do more transformational projects, focusing less on just the ideas that could make a city more resilient and more on the actual implementation and follow-through of such efforts. FAST COMPANY
Read MoreA rising number of indigenous women in Canada are setting up businesses that aim to have a positive social impact, with many focused on aboriginal women. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
Read MoreA landmark deal to let China build Boston’s new subway cars shows how a little creative collaboration could rescue America’s infrastructure. REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
Read MoreRather than replacing their patient’s entire heart with a new organ, the researchers placed degradable sheets containing heart muscle cells onto the heart’s damaged areas — and if the procedure has the desired effect, it could eventually eliminate the need for some entire heart transplants. FUTURISM
Read MoreFifteen million trees were felled by the Great Storm which hit the south of England in 1987. But the remarkable Turner's Oak in Kew Gardens in London not only survived the storm, but also changed the way that trees are cared for around the world. BBC NEWS
Read MoreMoney that should be spent on development is increasingly used to curb migration. But it’s time to end the myth that aid stops people moving – because its consequences can be deadly. THE CORRESPONDENT
Read MoreBlockchain can help us create the infrastructure for efficient circular economies - reducing waste and tackling climate breakdown. THE ECOLOGIST
Read MoreWe used to worry about AI turning our world into gray goo. But maybe we should be more afraid of it bringing in a Starbucks and a Lululemon. FAST COMPANY
Read MoreAt Inovio's lab in San Diego, scientists are using a relatively new type of DNA technology to develop a potential vaccine. "INO-4800" - as it's currently called - with plans for it to enter human trials by the early summer. BBC NEWS
Read MoreGhent’s transformation produced shorter journeys, cleaner air and a cycling explosion. THE GUARDIAN
Read MoreAs it bans holding defendants on bail for nonviolent crimes, New York is the latest state to challenge America’s bizarre system of money for freedom. REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
Read MoreKenya has harsh penalties for those caught manufacturing, selling, importing or using single-use plastics, yet the country still struggles to reduce its waste. HUFFPOST
Read MoreSome say mind-expanding drugs can change the world. Actually, they already have. Philanthropists, take notice. MEDIUM
Read MoreAs a society, we're so focused on the short term. But is this wrecking the environment? Do we need to think more long term? If so, how? BBC NEWS
Read MoreThe increase in the share of renewables is essential to reach the EU’s climate and energy goals. The EU's target is to reach 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 and at least 32% by 2030. EUROSTAT
Read MoreA new service is dedicated to matching older homeowners with lodgers of a similar age. Since opening for business last week, Silver Sharers has signed up more than 500 prospective landlords and renters, with six members close to signing tenancy agreements. THE GUARDIAN
Read MorePhilippine companies like San Miguel Corp. and Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. are using discarded shopping bags, sachet wrappers and plastic packaging to fire cement plants and build roads as the country embarks on an 8 trillion-peso ($157 billion) infrastructure push through 2022. BLOOMBERG
Read MoreThe government is investing in an AI-based tool that could help catch illegal opioid sales on the internet. But the same approach could find lots of other illicit transactions. VOX
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