Here are some of our favourite news stories from the past week!
1. Air and water quality has drastically improved across the world.
In November 2019, the Indian capital of New Delhi reported extremely high air pollution levels, some of the worst in a city that has recorded poor visibility and air toxicity for decades. Currently, the city has reported a 44 per cent decrease in air pollution and the Himalayas were visible after almost thirty years to the locals in Punjab. And in the canal city of Venice, waters ran clearer as human activity receded, causing wildlife to return to the water.
2. John Krasinski is doing Some Good News.
John Krasinski, director of The Quiet Place, has been spending his time broadcasting good news stories that have been shared by fans on social media. His first episode saw a mini Office reunion with Steve Carrell, and the second had him waving his magic wand and getting the whole cast of Hamilton together to perform a song for a young fan. On the most recent episode, he treated a group of healthcare workers in his hometown of Boston to a game of baseball at famed Fenway Park and hooking them up with lifelong tickets to Red Sox games. If you need a good laugh and an even better cry, find Some Good News here.
3. Victoria Derbyshire’s subtle act of kindness
BBC News anchor Victoria Derbyshire appeared on the news with a number written on her hand: the number for the National Domestic Abuse hotline. The act was an attempt to support victims of domestic abuse, which saw drastic rise in numbers across the world since lockdowns came into effect.
4. Acts of volunteerism and donations have skyrocketed
This pandemic has permanently warped the way we will see the world from now on. But all this darkness has also brought out the brightest lights of hope for humanity’s future. Thousands of people have joined volunteer forces to help out in hospitals, in food distribution, in teaching and in just spreading kindness. Pubs in the UK have donated food to the NHS, athletes have donated food ordered for cancelled matches to foodbanks along with hefty cash donations and people from all walks of life have just reached out to each other to help in any way they can.
5. Doctors going above and beyond
Doctors all over the world are already doing the heroic act of serving patients of COVID-19, even without proper protective gear in some cases. But many have gone out of their way to make patients feel more at ease by putting smiley faces on their masks, posting photos of them smiling on their PPE gear and treating patients over webcam even after they’ve been quarantined for contracting the virus themselves. While lots of governments are doing a lot to support their country’s medical workers, more needs to be done for doctors in less developed countries working under far deadlier conditions.
By Tanzia Haq
