Ensuring the weekend gets off to an upbeat start with a global collection of positive news nuggets.
Congratulations Kirsten
The world’s toughest round-the-world solo yacht race has been won by a woman for the first time. Kirsten Neuschäfer, a 40-year-old skipper from South Africa, took 233 days to complete the Golden Globe Race. Participants (who were all male apart from Neuschäfer) set off from the west coast of France in September, and were due to sail non-stop around the world via the five Great Capes. By the time Neuschäfer got back to France last week, she was one of just three sailors left from the starting 16. “I’m very happy,” she said, “but I entered as a sailor and being a woman is just secondary.”
Wax Sussexes
A wax figure of the Duke of Sussex has been reunited with the rest of the Royal family figurines at Madame Tussauds London for his return to the UK for the coronation. As the Duchess of Sussex has decided to remain at home in Los Angeles, her figure will remain in the Awards Party Zone - with US-based celebrities - where the couple's waxworks were moved in 2020 following the Sussexes stepping back from royal duties and moving to California.
It's a Tart
Mon dieu! The French region that is the home of the quiche has been “taken aback” by the plan for Brits to eat a quiche to mark the coronation. The people of Lorraine worry that Buckingham Palace is “under a misapprehension”, said The Times, because “purists say that what is intended as the plat de résistance of the Big Lunch parties is not really a quiche at all”. Évelyne Muller-Dervaux, the grand master of the Brotherhood of the Quiche Lorraine, said: “I think I would call it a savoury tart.”
France Protects Sounds and Smells: France has passed a law protecting the "sensory heritage" of its rural areas, in the face of complaints about noises and smells typical of the countryside. Read on...
Waste Power
After years of false starts, New York City officially launched curbside pickup of organic waste for composting in March. But the city hit another notable reuse milestone when it comes to diverting waste from landfills: Recently, the first gas processed from New Yorkers’ decaying food scraps was fed into the grid - enough renewable energy for about 2,500 homes. The eventual objective, officials say, is to “reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels by more than 90,000 metric tons, the equivalent of removing nearly 19,000 cars from the road.”
Kids Reading
British and Irish children read almost a quarter more books last year, with social media trends such as Booktok - where avid readers share bite-sized reviews on Tiktok - nurturing new interest. The 2023 What Kids Are Reading report surveyed 1.3 million kids and found they read more than 27m books in the last academic year, up 24 percent on 2020-2021. The news coincides with a resurgence of bookshops in the UK, and a record year for the UK publishing industry.
Lucrative Lionel
The most lucrative salary deal in the history of football is currently being negotiated to bring Lionel Messi to the Saudi Pro League this summer, says Telegraph Sport. Talks with Messi’s representatives, led by his father Jorge, are underway for a rumoured package that could be worth $400 million annually (£320 million). That would exceed even the £165 million that Cristiano Ronaldo is being paid annually to play in Saudi until the summer of 2025.
Tree Tracker
E.U. parliament passes historic law forcing companies to track deforestation. A new law, passed with an overwhelming majority by the European Parliament, requires companies to demonstrate their products aren’t sourced from deforested land or land with forest degradation, or else risk heavy fines.
"As you may possibly have noticed from time to time, I have tended to make a habit of sticking my head above the parapet and generally getting it shot off for pointing out what has always been blindingly obvious to me." King Charles III
On this Day
6 May 1998: Steve Jobs introduced Apple's first iMac, a personal computer that became hugely successful and helped revive the struggling company.
Why do Champagne bubbles rise in a straight line? For scientists, solving this mystery is a toast-worthy discovery. Cheers!
Chilekwa Mumba successfully challenged long-standing corporate impunity for activities of subsidiaries. Green Nobel...
Foods a Longevity Expert Eats Every Day: To age well, live longer, and reduce the risk of chronic disease. Top tips...
Mood Booster
This shelter dog can’t hold back his emotions when he realizes he’s being adopted.