Today's eclectic global round-up of positive news nuggets.
Generosity of Spirit
Amritsar, the north Indian city known for its Golden Temple and delicious cuisine, is also renowned for its spirit of generosity and selfless service. The city, founded by a Sikh guru, embodies the Sikh tradition of seva, performing voluntary acts of service without expecting anything in return. At the heart of Amritsar's generosity is the Golden Temple's langar, the world's largest free communal kitchen, serving 100,000 people daily without discrimination. Amritsar continues to radiate kindness, love, and generosity.
Great Grandfather
Trees are living history. These witnesses to time include an ancient olive tree at Vouves on the island of Crete which watched empires rise and fall, and Methuselah - the twisted 4,800 year old California bristlecone pine whose seed sprouted before the construction of the Egyptian pyramids. Now, scientists have discovered a Patagonia cypress tree in Chile known as “Great Grandfather” or Alerce Milenario is even older. Recent analysis of a segment of tree rings shows the giant is an estimated 5,484 years old - likely taking the award for oldest living tree.
Needle-Free Vax
Biotech giant Vaxxas has cut the ribbon on a warehouse manufacturing plant in Brisbane, Australia, for its needle-free patches. After successful trials, the first needle-free, easy to store and easy to administer vaccines are set to be rolled out in as little as three years.
Brazil's Amazon
Brazil's government has unveiled its plans to eliminate deforestation in the Amazon by 2030, using coordinated policy across more than a dozen ministries, strengthened law enforcement, intelligence and satellite imagery to root out illegal loggers and cattle ranching, regularization of land titles, and the establishment of a rural registry, reports Politico.
Message in a Bottle
A woman in Quebec has discovered a message in a bottle that had been hurled out to sea by a Newfoundland man 34 years earlier. Trudy Shattler was strolling on the beach near her Pagouatchiou cottage when she found a bottle on the rocks containing a note that was dated 29 May 1989. “I was so excited,” she told SaltWire. “I mean, what I’m looking for all the time is a note in a bottle.” After she shared the news on Facebook, it eventually reached the son of the man who wrote the note.
Vermont Conservation
The governor of Vermont, Phil Scott, has allowed a land conservation bill that was a top priority for environmentalists to pass into law. The law establishes a goal of permanently conserving 30 percent of Vermont’s total land area by 2030 and conserving 50 percent by 2050.
Africa's Largest
One of the world's largest energy developers has signed a deal to create Africa's largest onshore wind farm: a 10GW monster in Egypt. The wind farm will help Egypt meet its target of 42 percent of energy from renewables by 2030 and save an estimated US$5 billion in fossil gas costs every year, reports Energy Global.
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Barack Obama
On this Day
22 June 1955: The animated musical Lady and the Tramp, one of Walt Disney's most endearing movies, was released in U.S. theatres.
Most long-haul fliers have tricks for how to avoid jet lag, but an Aussie airline may have the solution on how to reset your body’s clock while traveling. Key factors...
Mood Booster
You can't mess with a giant water lily. Sir David Attenborough explains...
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