What better way to start the weekend than with some uplifting news stories?
Night And Day
A 1954 painting by René Magritte, L’empire des lumières, has just sold for $121.2 million. The painting surpassed its $95 million estimate at Christie’s New York this week, making it the first Magritte work ever to sell for nine figures. Magritte is known for his Surrealist style, often placing everyday objects or figures in strange scenes and scenarios. L’empire des lumières depicts a house near a pond, enveloped in the dark of night with only a street lamp and interior windows illuminating it. The treetops above the house, untouched by the light, are entirely black. However, the sky above the house is bright blue and filled with fluffy white clouds, as if it were the middle of the day.
'Green-Listed'
Scimitar Oryx has been down listed from Extinct in the wild to Endangered by the IUCN following successful breeding and reintroduction schemes. Scimitar Oryx is a large antelope that was once widespread across North Africa and parts of West Africa and Central Africa. It is specially adapted to harsh desert conditions and can survive for months or even years without drinking water. It was hunted extensively for its horns, with human encroachment also impacting the mammals. In 2000, it was declared Extinct in the Wild on the IUCN Red List - but not any more.
Nairobi School Lunches
Governor Sakaja Arthur Johnson has championed the city's flagship school lunch program, which uses centralized kitchens to serve food to hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren at the cost of roughly five US cents per meal, reports Bloomberg. Since the program launched in 2023, test scores, attendance and enrollment have increased significantly. "We've been able to build 17 central kitchens that have created 2,000 jobs. 300,000 children now are having a meal every day. Enrolment has gone up by 34 percent in our schools just by providing those meals. For many of them it’s the only meal they get. They look happier. More importantly they feel loved. They feel that there is a government that actually can care."
Moving Forward
New electric vehicles are being introduced on one of London's longest bus routes. The buses on route 385 use pantograph technology which allows fast, high-powered charging at each end of the 15 mile journey. The new buses take on power by using an arm-like structure attached to the roof in as little as six minutes.
Corporal Punishment
Panama, Kyrgyzstan, Uganda, Burundi, Sri Lanka and the Czech Republic are set to ban corporal punishment against under-18s, while the Gambia and Nigeria have promised to end it in schools. Together, these countries are home to approximately 150 million children, with the WHO calling the move a "fundamental shift."
Global Energy Transition
It will cost a lot less than we think. With estimates ranging from $3 trillion to $12 trillion, the cost to green the world's economy can seem inconceivable but The Economist argues the cost will actually be closer to $1 trillion annually - or 1 percent of global GDP. Most analysts overestimate energy demand and underestimate technological advances.
“Hands up if you’re ready to do something you’ll regret this weekend. Go forth! You have my blessing.” Florence Welch
On This Day
23 November 1936: The first issue of Life was published, and the magazine later became a pioneer in photojournalism and one of the major forces in that field's development.
Today's Articles
Sea Like a Mirror: Marking the 200th anniversary of the heroic volunteers of Britain's Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Mood Boosting Video
Farewell: A tribute to Rafael Nadal from the sporting world.