This week, Canada reported no new deaths from COVID-19 since March, and while wildfires have raged in the US, citizens of the country and its neighbours have rallied around to help those affected. Here are some uplifting snippets from the rest of the world to brighten up your week.
Aye do!
View this post on Instagram
A couple who were supposed to travel to Malaysia to get married, but were stuck on separate sides of the pond due to the US travel ban, finally got their destination wedding – albeit in slightly different surrounds to the tropical climes of Southeast Asia…
They were estranged because Piriyah lives in the UK and Sandeep is UK-born but lives in the US. One of the exceptions of the US travel ban is that spouses can travel, so they decided to try and get married in the UK so that Piriyah could then travel to the US and be with Sandeep. The first council in the UK that would allow them to marry without one month’s physical notice was Stirling, so cardiologist Sandeep travelled home and quarantined, before the couple were hitched in bonnie Scotland, watched by four physical guests and an online congregation. Sandeep wore a kilt for the occasion, and the newlyweds climbed Ben Nevis to celebrate the next day!
Whale Watching
View this post on Instagram
A few weeks ago we reported that Tahlequah, the whale who famously carried her dead calf with her for 17 days in 2018, appeared to be pregnant once again. Well, we have more heart-warming news – Tahlequah has recently given birth and her calf has been spotted “swimming vigorously alongside its mother”!
Cheeky Monkey
View this post on Instagram
Meanwhile in Malaysia, a man claims that after losing his phone and retrieving it in some jungly vegetation near his house, he discovered photographic evidence of the possible culprit in his camera roll… Several photos and a video appear to show a monkey fiddling with, and possibly trying to eat, the device.
More Animal Antics
View this post on Instagram
The Malaysian man in our previous story is probably going bananas about missing the entry date for this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. The competition’s finalists have now been announced and will have to wait with bated breath until the winner is revealed in October. You can browse a bunch of the comic contenders here.
Berlin Festival of Lights
View this post on Instagram
Happily, one festival that has been able to go ahead this year is Berlin’s Festival of Lights. This year’s event is focused on the idea of solidarity and huge buildings and monuments, such as the Brandenburg Gate, are being lit up with colourful projections. To enforce social distancing, the lights are switched off if crowds begin to gather.
Life on Venus
View this post on Instagram
Evidence of phosphine gas has been found in Venus’ clouds. Phosphine is created by anaerobic organisms, such as bacteria and microbes, which could suggest that there is some form of life on the planet. Unfortunately, conditions on Venus are very hot and super acidic, which means that we can’t quite pack our bags just yet. The news has prompted a series of memes about what 2020 might throw at us next… perhaps an alien invasion doesn’t seem quite so out-there anymore.
Air Pollution
View this post on Instagram
The amount of air pollution in China has reduced to below 1990 levels, a new study has shown, after the death rate in the country from related illnesses peaked in 2013. Particle pollution in 74 cities reduced by an average of 33% between 2013 and 2017, which will hopefully spur the world on to do more to clean up the environment.
And finally…
One of the best products of lockdown boredom has to be this video from two brothers and musicians who go by the name of GOLDSANDS…
View this post on Instagram
