Sunny Saturday News
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- 3 min read
Celebrating the start of the weekend with a global selection of upbeat news nuggets.
And The Winner Is...
Focusing on the genres of garden, plant, flower, and botanical photography, the International Garden Photographer of the Year has recently announced the winners of its 19th competition. Mark Hetherington took the top prize for his image titled Grange Fell Last Night. His scene of England's Lake District is breathtaking, and the judges agreed. “The winning photograph depicts a stunning landscape vista, full of plant life, with layers of colour and tactile textures, and through a well-balanced composition, truly immerses us in the scene." The photographer said: "There was some lovely light as the sun went down from Grange Fell in Borrowdale, in the Lake District. The combination of the golden, setting sun, blooming heather and silver birch trees created a mesmerising scene. Grange Fell, whose summit is just under 420 metres, is owned by the National Trust and was one of its first acquisitions in the Lake District in 1910. I blended four exposures together to form this HDR photograph."
Canada Can
Reuters reports that Canada is doubling the size of its conserved areas, with a plan to protect at least 620,000 square miles of land and up to 270,000 square miles of ocean over the next four years.
Bison Benefits
In Romania’s Tarcu Mountains, European bison are proving that rewilding can change an ecosystem, not just save a species. The animals were once driven to near-extinction in Europe by hunting and habitat loss, but in areas where they have been reintroduced since 2014, researchers have found plant biomass and diversity are up by about 30 percent. That makes the comeback of Europe’s largest land mammal more than symbolic: a species nearly erased from the continent is now helping rebuild richer, more resilient grassland and forest-edge habitat.
Clever Dog
Dog caught on video honking owner's car horn after being left in the vehicle. Witnesses say dog sat in front seat and honked the horn while it waited for its owner to come back.
Novel Approach
Brazil is now embedding environmental enforcement into its financial system, reports Reuters. A new rule now requires banks to check if rural loan applicants have any deforestation on their farms using satellite imagery. If bank managers detect any clearing since 2019, farmers applying for government-funded rural credit must show proof of deforestation permits to get their loans approved.
Brazil Grants Legal Rights to Waves: The city of Linhares, Brazil, has granted legal rights to the waves at the mouth of the Dolce River, the first instance in which a government has conferred rights upon part of the ocean.
UK's Largest
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has approved the UK’s largest solar farm, reports BBC News. According to the broadcaster, the government approved the Springwell Solar Farm in Lincolnshire and Bloomberg says the 800-megawatt solar project “is expected to be the country’s largest in generation terms and to power more than 180,000 homes each year”.
“Yours is the light by which my spirit’s born: yours is the darkness of my soul’s return. You are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.” E. E. Cummings
On This Day
11 April 1966: Frank Sinatra records Strangers in the Night single for his album of the same name, later reaches #1 on the Billboard charts and UK Singles charts. The song, composed by Bert Kaempfert, served as the title track for his most commercially successful album, which also hit #1.
Today's Articles
Funny Golf Quotes: As the Masters enters its penultimate day at Augusta, you might like to enjoy some amusing quotes.
Mood Boosting Video
Mesmerising Line Riders: Beethoven's 5th.
