In simple, bite-sized chunks:
After 3 weeks of lockdown, residents of Jalandhar in northern India could see the serrated ridges of the Himalaya on the horizon, more than 100 miles distant. “For the first time in almost 30 years I could clearly see the Himalayas due to India’s lockdown clearing air pollution,” wrote Manjit Kang, one of thousands who shared images of the majestic mountain range online.
New Zealand's top officials are taking a 20% pay cut. PM Jacinda Ardern and other officials say the cut is an acknowledgment of the community's sacrifices.
There's a glimmer of hope that remdesivir may be the drug that can kill the coronavirus?
Many hope it is the cure the world has been looking for, but nobody can yet be sure it works.
Inspired (?) by Donald Trump, Oxford English Dictionary announces new word - Testiculate (v.):
to wave one's arms around whilst talking utter bollocks.
Captain Tom Moore has captured the nation's heart. Originally hoping to raise £1,000, he's now cleared £20m for NHS charities. Could this 99 year old reach £100m by his 100th birthday?
Margaret Payne, 90, from Scotland is the latest nonagenarian to raise money for charity. She plans to make 282 trips up the stairs at her home in Sutherland, Scotland, an elevation of 731m (2,398ft), the same as the nearby Suilven mountain. She expects her challenge – which she started on Easter Sunday – to take about two months to complete. Her target was to raise £10,000 but has now passed £200,000. Go Margaret!
NYC restaurateur Luca Di Pietro enlisted his family to deliver free meals to medical workers. After having to lay off 95 workers, Di Pietro says the act is helping him "find a purpose in these crazy times” - and start rehiring staff.
Wildlife is taking advantage of the slower pace of humans. From the mountain goats exploring the streets of Llandudno, Wales to the puffins venturing off the small, remote islands in the Mediterranean – species are adapting to the slow pace of human activity with surprising speed. Off the west coast of Canada, pods of orca whales were spotted near Metro Vancouver. According to long-time residents, this was the first time in almost 60 years that the whales made their way into the inlet. Meanwhile in Marseille, two fin whales have made a very rare appearance in close quarters to the Calanques National Park. For more, see Breath of Fresh Air
Word re-defined: Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
Hinge's social media # ShotChallenge has raised over $25,000 for Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation. The dating app is donating $1 per post to the fund that supports up to 15 million people in the U.S.
A doctor (who left the profession to become a tenor) has returned to the NHS to help treat Covid-19 patients and has been entertaining his colleagues with his opera singing. Tenor Alex Aldren, or “Dr Opera”, has been serenading fellow medics by singing on the wards in his scrubs, even while wearing a face mask. A&E nurse Mikaela posted a video of Aldren singing at Newham hospital in London, saying, “Music can heal the wounds which medicine cannot touch”, and adding that he was “an amazing opera singer”.
Sikh volunteers are cooking 800 free meals a day for the elderly and disabled. They're buying food, cooking meals and delivering them to Australia's vulnerable populations during lockdown.
A group of Berlin residents developed a volunteer-based food and medication delivery service. Shop4Me has helped more than a hundred at-risk neighbors in their building during the virus crisis.
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