Good News

BULLETIN 23 January

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# South African comedian and former Daily Show host, Trevor Noah, is set to host the 67th annual Grammy Awards for the fifth consecutive year. He will also serve as a producer on the live show. The 40-year-old has been nominated for best comedy album for his Netflix special, Where Was I. The Recording Academy says this year’s ceremony carries a renewed sense of purpose, with additional efforts to support wildfire relief initiatives. The Grammys will be held in Los Angeles on Sunday the second of February.

# The Tshwane University of Technology says it will continue with its Impactful Exchange Programmes collaborating with other institutions. The programme aims to improve education and research and strengthen cultural ties. Last year, 51 TUT students took part in the programme, including seven Engineering Honours students who travelled to Paris for the Cross Mobility Programme at the University Gustave Eiffel. TUT says these collaborations are a reflection of the institution’s dedication to equipping students with world-class knowledge and experience.

# About 1.4-billion people travelled internationally in 2024, which is 99-percent of the number who did the same in 2019, the last full year before Covid-19 hit. This is according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s 2024 year-in-review data. Europe was the most-visited continent with 747-million tourists last year. France was the world’s most-visited nation, with 100-million tourists, a result of the Olympic Games and the re-opening of Paris’s iconic Notre Dame cathedral. The organisation says 74-million people travelled to Africa, 12-percent more than in 2023.

# Over one-thousand-400 same-sex couples got married across Thailand today, as a marriage equality bill came into effect. Thailand has become only the third country in Asia to allow for marriage equality after Taiwan legalised same-sex marriage in 2019 and Nepal in 2023. LGBTQ couples now have the same rights as other couples to manage assets, inherit, adopt, and make decisions about their partner’s medical treatment. Thailand’s government says this demonstrates the country is ready to embrace diversity and accept love in all its forms. 

# And finally: A Maine Coon called Mittens took three trips between Australia and New Zealand in 24 hours after her crate was overlooked in a cargo hold. Her owner, Margo Neas, moved from New Zealand to Melbourne and had Mittens on the same flight as her and her son. However, on arrival in Melbourne they couldn’t find her. After hours of worry airport authorities advised that Mittens was found but was on her way back to Christchurch. Trip number three eventually brought her back to Melbourne, where she was united with her relieved owner.

Stay tuned for more news………….