Tasty smorgasbord of upbeat news stories to brighten the day.
Conservation Role Model
Indigenous groups have long argued that they are in the best position to conserve and protect forests, having been successful stewards of lands for thousands of years. And the Ashaninka people of Brazil are a shining example of this as they have successfully protected and restored their territory in the Amazon, reports AP. It is now a model for an ambitious project to help 12 Indigenous territories in western Amazon, amounting to 640,000 hectares (1.6 million acres), about the size of the U.S. state of Delaware. “We are expanding everything that we did at Apiwxta to an entire region,” said Ashaninka and OPIRJ leader Francisco Piyãko. “This is not only about implementing a project. What is at stake is cultural change. This is essential to protect life, the territory and its peoples.”
Phone-Free UK Schools
One of England’s largest academy trusts has announced the phasing out smartphones from its schools. Ormiston Academies Trust teaches 35,000 children across 42 schools and is rolling out the smartphone ban following a successful trial. “One of our schools has operated like this for a number of years and the approach is really successful and popular with both parents and students,” the trust said in a statement. Across the Channel, France is to trial a ban on mobile phones at school for pupils up to the age of 15, seeking to give children a “digital pause” that, if judged successful, could be rolled out nationwide.
Unusual Stadium
Never let a good shopping centre roof go to waste. That's the motto in Belgrade, where the stadium for team FK Vozdovac sits on the roof of the Stadion Shopping Center, home to fast-food chains, fashion outlets and sports shops. It means, crucially, fans can nip out for a new outfit at H&M at half-time and be back for the second half. The Serbian stadium opened in 2013 and is approved by UEFA to host Champions League and Europa League games, with a seating capacity of around 5,000.
Norway Hits Milestone
In the global race to phase out smut-belching combustion engines, Norway is miles ahead. New data shows that, for the first time, electric cars outnumber their petrol equivalents in Norway. No other country can make such a claim.
AI Protects Journalists
At a time when people across the globe are perceiving artificial intelligence as a threat to jobs, Venezuelan media has come up with an out-of-the-box utility of AI. Here, AI is protecting journalists in a country where the media is facing strict restrictions. In a bold new development, local journalists have collectively launched Operation Retweet, an AI-powered news show where two AI-generated characters read the news pieces, which are prepared by real-life journalists. The two AI avatars, The Girl (“La Chama”) and The Dude (“El Pana”), have been designed to communicate news stories in different languages, including Spanish and English.
‘IVF Corals’
Scientists are pleasantly surprised after lab-grown corals were found to have survived a marine heatwave in the Caribbean. As temperatures rose last summer, conservationists noticed that the corals – bred using in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and planted on reefs by hand – appeared to be surviving the heat. New research has confirmed their observations: of 771 IVF corals, 90 percent were found to be in good health following the heatwave, compared to a quarter of non-IVF corals. It’s the first scientific evidence showing IVF corals to be more resistant to heat than regular corals. “These results provide a lot of encouragement and confirm that restoration using [IVF corals] can play an important role in orchestrating coral persistence into our warmer future,” said Dr Margaret Miller, research director at SECORE, which planted the corals.
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
On This Day
26 September 1960: The first ever televised U.S. presidential debate (seen by some 85 to 120 million viewers) was broadcast. The U.S. presidential candidates were John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon.
Today's Articles
Aluminum Trash: People 'canning' for cash in US cities is partly why America recycles 80% of its aluminum.
Mood Boosting Video
Nesting Site: Baby platypus caught on camera.