Brightly illuminated orange letters at Rarotonga airport cry: ‘Kia orana!’ You’ll hear those words a lot if you’re lucky enough to visit this tiny, lushly forested extinct volcano rearing from the Pacific bed. They mean ‘may you live long’ in Maori, and the etiquette is to reply ‘kia orana’. Make sure you do: bleary-eyed after … Read more
World record breaking broadband speeds have been recorded in Australia by scientists, who say they could download 1,000 HD movies in under a second. The team from Monash, Swinburne and RMIT universities recorded a speed of 44.2 terabits per second – the first time speeds like that have been recorded ‘in the wild’. This is … Read more
HISTORY Coffeeland : A History By Augustine Sedgewick (Allen Lane £25, 448 pp) Have you ever scanned the blizzard of drinks on offer at your nearest Costa and thought, ‘I just want a cup of coffee’? If so, then maybe this book — more than 350 pages of dense political history of the erogenous little … Read more
Crayola is embracing inclusivity today by launching a new 24-pack of crayons that represent the wide diversity of skin tones around the world. The Colors of the World pack includes 24 newly-formulated crayons that represent 40 global skin tones, ensuring that every child can draw him or herself accurately. Crayola even enlisted a skin tone … Read more
The coronavirus has infected more than five million people around the world, with Latin America now seeing the fastest growth in new cases. A surge in cases in Brazil, a large outbreak in Peru and a growing crisis in Argentina have propelled South America ahead of North America as the continent with the most new … Read more
Sweden has highest number of coronavirus deaths in the world per capita over the last seven days after shunning lockdowns Sweden had 6.08 deaths per million inhabitants per day on a rolling seven day average from May 13 to May 20 This is higher than any other country in the world, worse than the UK … Read more
These vibrant destinations are guaranteed to brighten up your day and bring a smile to your face. And one thing is for sure, they need no Instagram filter. From the vividly painted townhouses of Copenhagen to the rainbow-drenched streets of Venice, scroll down for our pick of the world’s brightest breaks… Burano Island, Venice, Italy … Read more
A planet is born! Astronomers find the first direct evidence of a new world being formed around a distant star A dense disc of dust and gas was spotted surrounding young star AB Aurigae The star is 520 light years away from Earth and has a spiral structure around it Twists in the centre of … Read more
Cambridge University has become the first university in the world to axe all face-to-face lectures until summer 2021 due to ‘rigid social distancing.’ Britain’s second oldest university said that because social distancing appeared to be likely to continue for a long time, ‘there will be no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year.’ The institution, … Read more
The story of how a three-man tank crew escaped from behind enemy lines can be told after the radioactive compass that saved them came to light 80 years later. Brigadier Peter Vaux, Major Stewart Fernie and Lance Corporal Robert Burroughs were in a Light Mark VIB tank at the Battle of Arras in May 1940 … Read more