Concluding a tumultuous week with some refreshingly good news nuggets.
Tuna Recovery
The population of four endangered tuna species - Atlantic bluefin, Southern bluefin, Albacore and Yellowfin - are all showing signs of recovery thanks to the enforcement of fishing quotas over the past decade, and in the United States, overfishing has essentially ended with 91 percent of stocks now reporting recoveries, says National Geographic.
Good Luck Gina!
An 82-year-old woman is preparing to cycle the length of Britain and become the oldest woman to complete the challenge. Gina Harris plans to ride from Land's End, in Cornwall, to John O'Groats, in Scotland, to raise money for Women's Aid and Refuge, a distance of 874 miles (1,407 km). She said she had previously ridden around parts of Europe and the US and this trip would be her last "big one". Ms Harris is due to set off on 27 May and aims to complete the ride in June, and hopes her challenge would show how important physical wellbeing was for women at any age.
Female Literacy
In the past two decades, almost every country in sub-Saharan Africa has made gains in female literacy. In 2000, the proportion of women who could read and write was around 46 percent; today, it’s close to 60 percent. Even more encouragingly, the literacy rate for young women aged 15 to 24 has soared to 72 percent, and is now just below their male peers.
Caring Oxonians
Congratulations to the city of Oxford which has just been named "the best in Britain for friendliness, good deeds and community spirit", pipping Belfast and Brighton to the title.
According to a poll, locals regularly encountered small acts of kindness, from being greeted with a "good morning" to strangers opening doors for them, and around 32 per cent of people said they chose to live in the city because of its kindness.
Curbing Plastic
In front of the United Nations African headquarters in Nairobi, a 30-foot-high artwork featuring a faucet “spewing” a long stream of plastic waste dramatically illustrates the worsening flow of plastic fouling the world. Inside the main hall, 175 UN delegates have just taken the first formal steps to turn off the tap. They agreed to negotiate the first comprehensive global treaty to curb plastic pollution - a move hailed as the most significant environmental agreement since the Paris climate accord in 2015. It creates a road map for treaty negotiations that are set to begin in May. Inger Andersen, who heads the UN Environment Program, told the delegates: “This is a historic moment.”
Act of Kindness
When 22-year-old mom, Mollie, with her young son in tow, discovered her card had been declined after getting gasoline at a Jet station in northern England, she became very distressed. Up wandered a kind stranger who paid the bill for her. "He said to the assistant 'I’m going to pay for her fuel.’ Not only did he do this, but he also bought a chocolate bar for my little boy. I would like to express my wholehearted thankfulness to him and how wonderful and kind he is. It reinstates my belief that there are still great people out there who would do a wonderful sincere gesture to someone in need of help at a critical time," Mollie posted on social media. Remarkably, OGN has another story about good deeds in Grimsby today. See 'Divine Intervention?' below.
US EPA
The US Environment Protection Agency has issued new rules that significantly tighten greenhouse gas emissions levels for new cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks sold in model years 2023 through 2026. All told, these standards will cut carbon emissions by 3.1 billion metric tons by 2050, equivalent to two full years of emissions from all transportation in the United States.
Quote of the Day
"When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice, safe playpen. When they're finished, I climb out." Erma Bombeck
On this Day
4 March 1789: The U.S. Constitution went into effect as the governing law of the United States, the date having been established by Congress.
Dive in Deeper
Miracle as broken Grimsby Minster clock starts ticking by itself again. Church leaders say 'we just cannot explain it' after town's famous (but broken) timepiece suddenly begins working. Read on...
Nature Mood-Booster
Blue footed boobies are masters of seduction and their blue feet are real eye-candy!
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