What better way to start the weekend than with a global selection of upbeat news nuggets?
Unlikely Cupids
A growing number of local governments across South Korea are footing the bill for speed dating events in a “desperate” bid “to prod young adults onto a track for marriage and family”, said The New York Times. The “popular” mixers are part of a push to boost the country’s fertility rate, which are the lowest in the world, and are getting “rave reviews”, the paper added. Officials in the southern coastal city of Seongnam have set aside around $200,000 to fund such events, the most recent of which ended with 78 of a total 200 people getting dates. Other cities have reported successes and resulting marriages, although no data was available on whether the matched couples have had children.
You Couldn't Make It Up
The Australian government has hired a consultant to consult with on how best to deal with other consultants. Sound convoluted? That’s the criticism that some Australians are making against the federal Finance Department after it hired an ethics consultant for advice about handling ties with PwC Australia and Scyne, an entity focused on government services that the consulting giant spun off after a tax-information leak scandal, reports the Washington Post. “It’s like outsourcing your conscience,” said Sen. Barbara Pocock, a member of the Green Party, who has been at the forefront of efforts to curb the use of consultants in public service.
Don't Miss Highly Anticipated Perseid Meteor Shower: This weekend, sky conditions will be almost perfect to catch a glimpse of shooting stars during one of the year’s best celestial shows.
Restoration Projects
Six new landmark restoration projects across England will boost wildlife recovery for 176,000 hectares of land (435,000 acres), including the Tees Estuary, South Downs and the Lost Wetlands in Cheshire and Lancashire, reports the BBC. The projects are designed to manage flooding, improve carbon stores, and build diverse habitats for wildlife. Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond...
Speed of Trust
Over 28 years, the New York Restoration project, a nonprofit created by Bette Midler, has transformed the Harlem River shoreline from an illegal dumping ground into bountiful wetlands. The project has been driven by community engagement and consistent stewardship by residents of nearby Public Housing buildings that are located in flood zones, reports Inside Climate News. "To get anything done in New York, you have to move at the speed of trust. You can’t just come into a neighbourhood that doesn’t know you and expect that everything is going to come together seamlessly," says Lynn Bodnar Kelly, executive director of New York Restoration Project.
Concorde
A former British Airways Concorde was on the move again this week - but not as you might imagine. The supersonic jet, once the fastest commercial aircraft in the world, was craned out of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York for restoration, in front of a crowd of eager aviation fans. It lifted off Pier 86 on to a barge, which then transported it down the Hudson River to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where it will undergo a three-month restoration project, whilst the pier is also renovated and expanded.
Ignition Achieved
California researchers have successfully completed a nuclear fusion reaction that achieved “ignition” - or yielded more energy than was put into it - for only the second time in history, reports the Financial Times. With this feat, the team has repeated their breakthrough results from an experiment in December. Nuclear scientists say this is a key step toward producing clean and potentially cheap power - though they warn the fledgling form of energy still has a long way to go before it becomes a viable option.
PACT Act
It's been a year since the US government signed the bipartisan PACT Act to take care of its veterans. In that time, nearly 786,000 disability claims have been made, 435,000 have been processed, and 348,000 have been approved, reports Associated Press. "This new law can be the largest expansion of VA benefits and care in the history of the VA," says Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough.
“The first 80 years are tough. Life gets better after that.” Len Deighton
On this Day
12 August 1877: To his amazement, Thomas Edison records himself reciting "Mary had a little lamb" on his just completed cylinder phonograph, a device that recorded sound onto tinfoil cylinders.
The first channel created to bring relaxing video and music for dogs, designed specifically for a canine audience. Yes, really...
The US is embarking on a comprehensive effort “to take stock of nature and nature’s benefits” to better protect its natural resources. Impressive scope...
Strength in Numbers: Irish town unites in smartphone ban for young children - and not just at school. United front...
Mood Booster
The rusty spotted cat is the smallest cat in the world and uses its super-senses to survive in the jungle.
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