An eclectic bundle of sparkling news nuggets to help put a spring in your step.
The Eternal Pink
A pink diamond of “unparalleled color and brightness” is expected to fetch over $35 million when it goes on sale in New York, says Sotheby’s. Weighing 10.57 carats and named The Eternal Pink, the “ultra-rare” gemstone will go under the hammer this June, four years after South African firm De Beers discovered it at one of its mines in Botswana. Officially classed as “purplish pink” in color, it is the most valuable diamond of its shade ever to appear at auction, according to Sotheby’s, adding that the stone was “joining the ranks of the most important diamonds in history.”
Get Out of Jail Free
During a traffic stop, a driver surprised law enforcement by presenting a Get Out of Jail Free card from the board game Monopoly. The Chisago County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook about the humorous and unusual encounter an officer had recently. "Last night a deputy did a traffic stop, and the driver handed him this card, along with his driver’s license," the sheriff’s office said. "Unfortunately, the state of Minnesota does not recognize this as a valid document." The sheriff’s office did not say why the driver was pulled over or if he got a ticket but said he got "points for the effort and humor."
EU Ups Ambition
The European Union has agreed that by 2030, the 27-country bloc would commit to sourcing 42.5% of its energy from renewable sources like wind and solar, with a potential top-up to 45%. The European Union’s current target is for a 32% renewable energy share by 2030.
Unusual Friendship
A year ago, Mohammad Arif found an injured Sarus crane in a field on his farm in India's Uttar Pradesh state. Its right leg was completely broken and it was bleeding heavily, he said. He took the bird home and nursed it back to health, using some home remedies. After six weeks, when it could stand again and its injuries had healed, he thought the crane would return to the wild. But instead, it stayed on and the crane now rarely leaves his side. It always roams free - Arif does not tie it up or cage it. "I just performed my duty as a human being", he says. "When I saw it injured, I felt that I should help it."
The Wife Collector
The UK’s “most married man” is giving up romance after telling Somerset Live that “all my wives have worn my body out”. Ron Sheppard has said “I do” eight times since 1966, but the 74 year-old says that “the mental and physical stress” of all the subsequent divorces have “taken their toll”. Now, 'Romeo Ron' is packing up his home to start a “new chapter” in an Isle of Wight care home, where he says any female friendships will remain strictly platonic. He will also continue writing his second book, The Wife Collector, after publishing autobiography The Lord of The Wives in 2014.
Oz Emissions Deal
Australia’s parliament has passed the country’s most significant emissions reduction legislation in more than a decade. After weeks of closed-door negotiation, a deal was brokered that included legislating an explicit requirement that total emissions from major industrial facilities must come down, not just be offset. The deal is considered key to prime minister Anthony Albanese’s commitment to cut national carbon dioxide emissions 43 percent by 2030 compared with 2005 levels.
Apple Movies
In good news for those who like going out and watching movies on the big screen, Apple wants to become a much bigger player in the theatrical business, putting one billion dollars aside to make movies that will play in thousands of theaters for at least a month, before heading to AppleTV+. Considering Amazon’s similar move and Netflix’s experimentation, putting a movie in cinemas may be the best way to market a streaming service, attract top talent, and actually make some money back on blockbusters.
“I don't want to spill my Champagne."
Stormy Daniels
On this Day
1 April 1999: Created this day in 1999 by carving a vast region from Canada's Northwest Territories, the Canadian territory of Nunavut stretches across much of the Canadian Arctic and encompasses the traditional lands of the Inuit.
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