Wrapping up the week with a selection of positive news nuggets from around the world.
Cheers Kylie!
In good news for the diminutive Aussie, Kylie branded wines have proved as gigantically successful as the star’s music career. Alongside the original Signature Rosé - currently £7 ($9) - there's now a whole Kylie range. Five million bottles have been sold worldwide in less than two years and the £12 ($15) Kylie pink prosecco – only created because “people were demanding one” – is the most popular rosé prosecco in the UK, with sales worth £7.7 million.
A Finnish First
Many countries are putting considerable efforts into ambitious targets of net-zero emissions. However, one country has decided to take it up a notch. Finland’s parliament recently passed a new Climate Change Act which legally binds it to its commitment of achieving net-zero emissions by 2035 and negative emissions by 2040. This act makes it the first country to make a legally binding climate negativity pledge and will hopefully inspire other governments to do the same.
Superheroes
The children at Inova Children’s Hospital in Virginia recently got a magical surprise by their favorite superheroes. First responders from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue dressed up as Superman, Superwoman and Spiderman to cheer up the young patients and to wish them well. They went scaling down the outside walls of the hospital and waved to the kids through their windows.
Paralipsis
The rhetorical device of pretending that the point you're about to make is so obvious that you don't need to make it. "Your trousers are ridiculous, and I'm not even going to mention the hat." And yet you have just mentioned the hat. "I'm not going to make excuses and say that we hadn't had enough time to prepare for the match." And yet you did just say that. That is paralipsis.
Ukraine Wins Gold
A small Ukrainian winemaker whose vineyards sit on the edge of territory newly occupied by Russia has won gold in the prestigious Decanter World Wines awards. “I can’t say we were surprised that we won because our wine is really, really good,” said Svitlana Tsybak, the chief executive of Beykush winery. It's the first year a Ukrainian wine has won gold. Fifty wines were awarded gold by expert judges flown into London. A total of 18,244 producers worldwide submitted their wines. The tasting at the Decanter awards is blind, so the judges had no idea they would be the bearers of rare good news for a war-struck producer.
Solar Skin
An eight-story building in Melbourne, Australia, will be the country's first office tower with a "solar skin," marking a watershed moment for the construction industry. The $40-million office tower will be outfitted with a whopping 1,182 solar panels the thickness of a regular glass facade. The system will provide nearly enough power to meet the building’s energy needs while saving 77 tons of CO2 each year. And with the addition of roof panels, the building will have nearly no power expenditures and be carbon-neutral in a few years, serving as a shining example of the prospects for decarbonizing the construction industry.
Largest Ever Trial
The largest ever four-day week trial is now being conducted in the UK, knocking Iceland into second place. The trial will last until January 2023 for a period of six months and involve 3,300 employees and 70 companies. "There’s so much research about how work expands to fill the time. Anyone who is skeptical about the four-day week should go and look at the studies in Iceland and Japan to see the positive impact it can have," says one of the participating companies.
Quote of the Day
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
Dolly Parton
On this Day
10 June 1977: Apple ships its first Apple II computers.
Dive in Deeper
Nature Mood Booster
While a young mountain gorilla just wants to play with the BBC's Spy Gorilla, will the Silverback be so welcoming?