Celebrating the start of the weekend with global round up of good news nuggets.
Not Retired Yet
In good news for tennis fans, Serena Williams does not consider herself retired from the game just yet, it seems. The tennis superstar, who previously said her final match would be at this year's US Open last month, has now said that she may make a return, reports Reuters. "I am not retired," Williams said at a conference in San Francisco while promoting her investment company, Serena Ventures. She added that the chances of a return to the court "are very high."
Novel Preschool
Every morning in the remote mountains of Uzbekistan, preschool children climb into bright yellow school buses kitted out with playdough, books, toys and fully trained teachers. They’ll spend the next few hours painting, playing, making and singing. It will be their first taste of something crucial to nurturing their future potential: an early years education. Five years ago, just one in four children in the country went to preschool, and in remote areas, just one in ten. The government came up with a novel solution: a feet of specially designed school buses that would take education to children aged between three and seven in the most remote regions. Since they launched in 2017, preschool enrolment has jumped from 27 percent to 67 percent, and aims to be at 80 percent by 2026.
Record Breaker
A juvenile bar-tailed godwit - known only by its satellite tag number 234684 - has flown 13,560 km (8,426 miles) from Alaska to the Australian state of Tasmania without stopping, appearing to set a new world record for marathon bird flights. The five-month-old bird set off from Alaska on 13 October and satellite data appeared to show it did not stop during its marathon flight which took 11 days and one hour.
Recreational Weed
Germany’s government has drawn up a plan to legalise recreational cannabis use among adults. Under the plan, possession of up to 30g (1oz) for personal use would be permitted and licensed shops and pharmacies would be allowed to sell it. Malta is the only EU country that has legalised recreational cannabis use. In the Netherlands, the sale of small quantities of cannabis in “coffee shops” is tolerated.
Female Lawmakers
This week, Soraya Peke-Mason was sworn in to New Zealand's Parliament, bringing the balance within Parliament to 60 women and 59 men - the first time in history when female lawmakers outnumbered males in NZ's Parliament. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, women make up 26 percent of lawmakers around the world, with just 5 other nations able to boast a Parliament with at least 50 percent women: Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates.
Let's Keep in Touch
This grandma wanted to make sure everyone had a good laugh at her wake. Gracie Perryman attended her grandmother's funeral Texas and at end of the funeral, cards were handed out containing a photo of Grandma Jodie, an Ouija board, and a note that read, "Let's keep in touch!" Gracie said: "It was hysterical. She was hilarious. She had a great sense of humor and a huge heart. She loved her family. And she just took care of people around her. She was a great woman."
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Quote of the Day
“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.”
Seneca (‘the Younger’)
On this Day
29 October 1986: British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher opens the final stretch of London's Orbital Motorway, the M25. Then the world’s longest ring road at 117 miles (188.3 km).
NASA wants to collect photos from civilians in order to study a mysterious aerial phenomenon, only discovered in 1989. Read on...
Disney premiers its first plus-size female protagonist in a film being praised for exploring body positivity and overcoming self-doubt. Read on...
Mood Booster
Does your dog bite? Hilarious moment in a Pink Panther movie, starring Peter Sellers.