Concluding the week with an eclectic collection of upbeat news stories.
Native Title
After a 12 year battle, a huge native title claim has been recognised in Australia. A federal judge has granted native title rights to the Ngemba, Ngiyampaa, Wangaaypuwan, and Wayilwan peoples over 95,000 square kilometres of land (37,000 sq. miles - an area larger than Portugal and about the same size as Indiana) in New South Wales, one of the largest native title claims in Australian history. The title holders hope the recognition will help preserve their culture and traditions for future generations.
World's Largest
Indonesia is planning the world's largest free school meals program. President-elect Prabowo Subianto, who will take office in October, has pledged to provide free school lunches and milk to 78.5 million students at 400,000 schools nationwide. A trial run that began in January, offering one free meal a day to 16 schools in West Java, has already been well-received, with parents welcoming the financial relief and teachers observing better student outcomes, reports The Straits Times
Digital Pause
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 from January. Just under 200 secondary schools will take place in the experiment that will require youngsters to hand over phones on arrival at reception. It takes the prohibition on the devices further than a 2018 law that banned pupils at primary and secondary schools from using their phones on the premises but allowed them to keep possession of them.
Britain's Rarest Plant
The Ghost Orchid, considered by many to be Britain’s rarest plant, has been rediscovered in Britain for the first time since 2009 and only the second time since the 1980s. The find was made by Richard Bate, a member of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) and a keen amateur botanist since childhood. The Ghost Orchid has no leaves and doesn’t produce chlorophyll, meaning it can’t photosynthesise. Instead, it relies on nutrients from a subterranean fungal partner. Because it doesn’t need sunlight, the Ghost Orchid exists almost entirely underground, only appearing above the leaf litter on the rare occasions when the conditions are conducive to flowering. In 2009, it was declared extinct after an absence of 22 years, only to reappear a week later. Bate’s discovery earlier this month is the only sighting in the last 15 years.
Clean Energy Credits
The Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law two years ago last week, and among its provisions was a slew of new tax credits Americans could claim on clean energy home upgrades and investments. New Treasury Department figures show that U.S. taxpayers have claimed more than $6 billion in credits for residential clean energy investments, a category that includes solar panel installation, and more than $2 billion for energy efficient home improvements, like adding heat pumps, insulation, and improved windows and doors. Those numbers come from 2023 tax returns filed as of May.
Agrivoltaics
The largest solar grazing project is coming to Texas with 6,000 sheep grazing on 10,000 acres of solar panels. The sheep are more efficient and effective than lawnmowers, reduce emissions, and even improve soil quality with their manure. Agrivoltaics combines solar panels with agriculture or other land uses that benefit farmers and ecosystems.
“Hands up if you’re ready to do something you’ll regret this weekend. Go forth! You have my blessing.” Florence Welch
On This Day
30 August 1983: U.S. astronaut Guion S. Bluford, Jr., became the first African American to travel into space, serving as a mission specialist aboard the shuttle orbiter Challenger, and later flew on three other missions.
Today's Articles
Remarkable Discovery: Matching dinosaur footprints found in Africa and South America - from a time before the continents split apart.
Matcha Tea: Enjoyed for nearly 1,000 years, it may be just what the doctor ordered as an anti-depressant.
Mood Boosting Video
TV News in 1988: "I do not accept that this is a highly dangerous road." Guess what happened next?!