Mid-week collection of uplifting news nuggets from around the world.
Another New Chapter
‘To Clarke, let’s finally get married’ the widely adored former Prime Minister of New Zealand exclaimed at the end of a sincere announcement to reporters in January 2023 that she would be stepping down from her role as PM, saying that she "no longer had enough in the tank". One year after Jacinda Ardern playfully urged her then-fiancé, Clarke Gayford, to finally tie the knot, the former leader hit the headlines again. This time, it was for her wedding with Gayford at a stunning vineyard in Hawke's Bay, in the scenic wine region of New Zealand's North Island. The occasion marks another significant chapter in Ardern's life, who made history in numerous ways during her five-year tenure as Prime Minister, including, at the age of 37, becoming the youngest female head of government globally. Ardern announced the marriage on Instagram, captioning it with romantic simplicity: '13.01.24 Worth the wait'.
Most Expensive
Designer skyscrapers are expensive. Hong Kong is expensive. What happens when you combine the two? The most expensive building site on the planet, that's what. This new tower in Hong Kong's Central Business District takes the title of the most expensive building site, anywhere on earth. Coming in at a staggering $973,793 per square meter, the 36-story tower is being developed by Henderson Land, and is designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. Inspired by the organic shapes of the Hong Kong orchid which graces the city's flag, The Henderson, as it's known, adds a graceful curvature that the rest of Hong Kong's skyscrapers lack.
Strange But True
Come to Kentucky, the local tourist board has told aliens. VisitLEX used a modified infrared laser to send a "coded message" to the Trappist-1 system, which is 40 light years from Earth, noted The Times. The signal, which should reach its destination in 2063, includes "bucolic" pictures of Lexington, known as the horse capital of the world. It told any ETs thinking of paying a visit that the city has wide open spaces that are "perfect for landing a spacecraft". Find out more about the world's first interstellar travel ad on this 2 minute video.
Not Just a Pretty Face
History was made at the 2024 Miss America pageant. Miss Colorado Madison Marsh was crowned Miss America, becoming the first active-duty military service member to win the title in the pageant's nearly 100-year history, according to the U.S. Air Force. Marsh, 22, is a second lieutenant in the Air Force and recently graduated from the Air Force Academy in Colorado. "I'm very excited to get to represent women who can break stereotypes," Marsh said in an interview shared on Miss America's Instagram story, adding that she is looking forward to sharing "what it means to be a member of the military community and Miss America."
Wild Shots
Many Black residents living near Kruger National Park in South Africa have gone their entire lives without seeing some of the country’s most famous wildlife, which seems to always be a luxury reserved for others. However, an award-winning, Black-run program called Wild Shots Outreach has spent the last eight years changing that. Connecting with local schools, the organization is introducing young Black South Africans to photography and conservation through workshops and game drives - taking students through Kruger National Park and surrounding areas to encounter wildlife. Not only is it enriching for residents, but it also helps people get involved in conservation efforts right in their backyards. “How can you love something that you’ve never seen?” says Vusi Mathe, one of over 1,300 residents who have participated in the program. “Getting local people involved has a significant impact.”
Elysian Fields?
A Dutch startup says everyone's hugely underestimating the potential of battery-electric aircraft - that it's possible to build large battery-electric airliners covering distances most assume we'll need hydrogen for. Elysian plans to prove it, saying it doesn't believe it will need some giant leap in batteries to do it, either. It says it could already take 90 passengers some 800 km (497 miles) and, assuming some improvements, Elysian says it'll hit 1,000 km (621 mile) range figures, at which point the E9X aircraft could feasibly cover around half of all scheduled commercial flights. Let's hope they're correct!
Lost City
Archaeologists have discovered a constellation of ancient Amazonian structures in what is now modern-day Ecuador. The discovery changes what we know about the history of people living in the Amazon, says BBC News. Flourishing for roughly 1,000 years about two millennia ago, the settlements are believed to have been populated by 30,000 residents at their peak - roughly equal to London under the Roman Empire at the same time. The complex was discovered using LiDAR (light detection and ranging), a technique in which variations in surface height are measured using airborne laser mapping.
"Art is the human disposition of sensible or intelligible matter for an aesthetic end." James Joyce
On This Day
17 January 1917: The United States purchased three of the Virgin Islands - St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix - from Denmark for $25 million.
Deserves another, as a caring couple and their restaurant reap the benefits of a boomerang of good karma. Nixta Taqueria...
Stunning trove of ancient artefacts discovered in 4,000 year old Egyptian tomb. Dig in...
Sweden's plan to tackle the fact that every year 120,000 people ask Google if Sweden is the same country as Switzerland. Hilarious...
Mood Booster
Pareidolia: Lovely One Minute Award Winning Film.