Some tasty bite-sized chunks of good news to perk up the day.
What's This?
A juvenile mountain lion in New Mexico wasn’t quite ready for his close-up just yet. “This young cougar thought the camera was a fun new toy,” the U.S. Department of the Interior wrote on Instagram. “Good thing Bandelier National Monument had two, so they could capture this cute moment.”
The Ocean Cleanup
This remarkably effective enterprise has removed over 15,000 tonnes of trash from oceans and rivers worldwide since its launch in 2013. Founder Boyan Slat recently posted, "During the first eight years of The Ocean Cleanup, we collected 314,000 kg of trash. We're now collecting the same amount... every 4.5 days."
Legal Landmark
In an EU first, a court in Berlin has ruled that the German government’s policies to tackle air pollution are unlawful and must be improved - as litigation is emerging as an effective tool for ramping up environmental action. Now the German government must strengthen its air pollution policies after it was defeated in court by the campaign group Environmental Action Germany and ClientEarth, a law firm.
Rights of Nature: Peru court says river has legal rights to exist and thrive. It's the first time Peru has legally recognized the so-called rights of nature, which is the idea that certain ecosystems, individual species or the Earth itself possess inherent rights to exist, regenerate and evolve.
Scottish Bog
After an almost 40-year campaign, a stunning but little-known UK landscape has been awarded world heritage status. The Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland in the far north of Scotland covers almost 2,000 sq km (469,500 acres) of one of the most intact and extensive blanket bog systems in the world. Blanket bogs are wetland ecosystems created when peat, a soil made up of partially decayed matter, accumulates in waterlogged conditions. Achieving world heritage status is a rare honour - particularly for a landscape. It is an internationally recognised designation awarded to places of outstanding cultural, historical, or scientific significance.
Studded Leotards
The United States have set plenty of records at the Olympic Games, but they've made a different kind of history at Paris 2024. Legendary USA gymnast Simone Biles has returned to action for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, and in doing so the 27-year-old and her teammates have been donning the most expensive Olympic uniforms of all time. A staggering 47,000 Swarovski crystals are scattered across the eight different leotards worn by members of the US team. To put it in real-life terms, it means each leotard would cost you roughly $3,000 to buy, meaning each athlete has a cool $24,000 of kit just when it comes to the competition clothing alone.
Concealed Weapon
A 90-year-old woman in rural China has unwittingly been using a hand grenade as a makeshift hammer for two decades, after finding it in a field. The woman, identified only as Qin, mistook the grenade for a "metal lump" when she happened upon it on her farm in Huangbao county. "I've been using it to pound red pepper, crack nuts and hammer in nails," she said. Last month, workers at her home noticed the grenade, which was dented from use and had its fuse exposed, and alerted the authorities. They dispatched a bomb disposal unit, which confirmed it was a grenade and destroyed it.
"You write your life story by the choices you make." Dame Helen Mirren
On This Day
30 July 1956: The phrase “In God we trust” legally became the national motto of the United States.
Today's Articles
No Longer Featured: Here are seven Olympic sports that have been discontinued from the line up over the years.
Environmental Impact: This bison herd in Romania is equivalent to taking 2 million cars off the road.
The Power of Smiling: Smiling - even when you don’t feel like it - is a powerful way to change your psychological outlook, says scientific research.
Mood Boosting Video
If Animals Could Talk: Funny video clips of animals with a human voice-over.
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