Positive pieces of good news from around the globe.
Good news for wild swimmers in the UK, and the environment generally, as MP tables bid for legislation to heavily fine water companies which discharge sewage into rivers
Groceries Priced by Carbon Footprint: Innovative environmentally positive idea being introduced in Sweden that expects to adjust shoppers' purchasing criteria and habits.
Norway: Storebrand, the country's largest hedge fund (worth more than $90 billion) has become the first major financial institution to entirely divest from companies that lobby against action on the climate crisis.
Uncanny Cat Lookalikes: You probably know someone who looks like their dog, but what about our feline friends? Photographer Gerrard Gethings matches moggies with their human lookalikes.
Netherlands: Yoga, walking, and mindfulness may be great options for boosting your mental health, but if you’re looking for something that is, well, different, consider a rural wellness trend out of the Netherlands: Koe knuffelen, which translates to cow hugging in Dutch. The practice revolves around the inherent healing properties of a good human-to-animal snuggle.
Word of the Day: Sobremesa. Wonderful Spanish word with no direct English equivalent that beautifully captures the essence of languid, sybaritic post-prandial pleasures.
Microsoft has announced that it will allow its employees to work from home permanently. An increasing number of companies have come to the realization that their employees can work just as effectively from their homes, if they wish to.
Portugal, Europe's largest manufacturer of bicycles, had to shut its nearly 40 factories and put their 8,000-strong workforce on furlough, but is now struggling to keep up with booming global demand.
Killing Two Birds With One Stone: London based start up has its sights set on tackling the challenge of packaging waste. It’s weapon of choice? Feathers.
The Hubble Space Telescope just got a peek at one of the most awesome light shows in the universe, catching a supernova that outshone every star in its galaxy. Indeed, it burned with the radiance of 5 billion of our suns before gradually dwindling away. The event will help astronomers more accurately measure the distances to far-flung galaxies.
Germany: Berlin has eschewed polite public messaging on the coronavirus in favour of a more direct reminder of the rules by flipping the bird to people who won’t wear a mask. Ads, as part of a public information campaign, shows an elderly woman presenting her middle finger, next to words saying 'stick to the rules'.