Sunny Saturday News
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
What better way to start the weekend than with a worldwide selection of good news nuggets?
'Rainbow Cloud'
This colourful cloud near Jakarta, Indonesia, is not a space portal or an AI-generated image. They are iridescent clouds, a rare type of cloud that appear when raindrops interact with sunlight. According to a local meteorologist, the small water droplets or ice crystals inside of the cloud scatter sunlight, diffracting the light into a spectrum of colours. “These vibrant displays usually appear near the sun and can last for only a few moments - making them a truly magical sight for anyone lucky enough to catch them.” A representative of the Indonesian climate agency said: “At the same time, there are towering cumulus clouds that can cover part of the rainbow, so that the shape looks incomplete or looks like a ‘rainbow cloud’.”
Historic 'Catch Up'
A global, multi-year initiative from UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the World Health Organization called the “Big Catch-Up” aimed to vaccinate missed children and strengthen routine immunization. Now, the initiative has officially delivered over 100 million doses to over 18 million children in 36 countries over the course of two years. These children will now be protected from multiple vaccine-preventable diseases. Over 12 million of the children had never received any vaccines, and about 15 million of the children had never received a measles vaccine.
Remarkable Coral
Coral reefs located on a chain of islands off Western Australia went virtually unharmed by a prolonged, extreme heatwave in 2025 that devastated reefs in other regions, reports New Scientist. The reefs are located across the Houtman Abrolhos archipelago, and apart from a few patches, there weren’t even signs of stress in the reef. Just a bit further north, up to 60 percent of corals died in the same heatwaves. Researchers are hopeful that by studying these corals, they’ll learn more about extreme heat tolerance that could help protect reefs all over the world.
World’s Largest Coral: At about 112 feet wide, 105 feet long and 18 feet tall, the coral is
enormous. It’s so big that scientists initially thought it was a shipwreck.
Solar Support
Power banks are a dime a dozen, but this one has a novel feature: a built-in solar panel to recharge it using the power of the sun. The Solly ticks a lot more boxes, and is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter, where it can be had for as little as US$79 - discounted from its $115 expected retail price.
French Power
Two-thirds of electricity in France is generated by nuclear power, far more than the average across Europe, at 20%, and the entire world, which is at 9%. A low-carbon electricity source, nuclear has given France a largely clean energy mix for decades, and the country emits significantly less greenhouse gas than neighbouring countries. Globally, the average is 472 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated - in France, it’s just 42 grams.
Solar Surge
According to a new report from the International Energy Agency, global solar power had the largest increase for any energy source in history. After analyzing energy trends in 2025, the agency announced that the planet has entered “the Age of Electricity.” Last year, solar power generated more than 2,700 terawatt-hours - over twice its output from three years earlier - and now supplies more than 8 percent of global electricity. IEA also saw electric vehicle demand rise by nearly 40 percent, with electric car sales being a quarter of the total of cars sold last year.
“Remember. Every day, some ordinary person does something extraordinary. Today, it’s your turn.” Lou Holtz
On This Day
9 May 1386: Treaty of Windsor between Portugal and England is ratified at Windsor, cementing and strengthening ties between the two kingdoms. The treaty guarantees the mutual security of both nations and strengthens commercial ties. It is the oldest diplomatic alliance still in force.
Today's Articles
Congratulations: Woman has run around the entire coastline of Britain, achieving 200 marathons in 200 days - smashing the record.
‘Miracle Tree’: Removes microplastics from water better than chemical alternatives. The ancient Egyptians used it first.
Meet Veronika: Only humans and chimpanzees are acknowledged as making use of tools. Now, a cow has joined the exclusive club.
Mood Boosting Video
New Official Trailer: Christopher Nolan’s 'The Odyssey' - hitting big screens in July.
