Good News

BULLETIN 2 April

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# The Komodo National Park in Indonesia has been ranked as the world’s most beautiful place by travellers surveyed by TimeOut. The UNESCO World Heritage Site offers one of the most unique sights in the world, namely three giant bays of white, black, and pink sand. Second is Victoria Falls, known to be the world’s largest waterfall, straddling the borders of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Punakha Valley in Bhutan is third. South Africa’s Storms River in the Eastern Cape is ranked 21st on the list.

# Two young South African scientists received recognition for their innovative research projects at the International Festival of Engineering, Science and Technology held in Tunisia. Grade 12 learners at St Dominics Newcastle School in KwaZulu-Natal, Hamzah Ismail and Vibhav Ramdas, were awarded in the environmental science and computer science categories. Eskom’s spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, says Hamzah achieved a bronze medal while Vibhav received an honourable award:

# Charity Begins With Me has launched its annual Beanie Drive earlier than usual to provide warmth to children in need. ​This is in response to Johannesburg’s unusually gloomy weather, with weeks of rain and chilly evenings. According to founder Stephen Ferreira, the drive usually begins distributions in June. This year, he aims to start by the end of April and has welcomed donations of beanies and wool. Drop-offs can be made in Fairland, Johannesburg, or via PUDO.

# With an A-list cast and a big budget, “A Minecraft Movie” releasing this week is hoping to follow in the slipstream of Super Mario Bros by turning a gaming phenomenon into a global cinema blockbuster. Critics have been given limited access to the film ahead of the start of its theatrical release today, with those present at Sunday’s world premiere in London asked to hold back their write-ups. The film stars Jack Black, who also appeared in Super Mario, alongside Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Jennifer Coolidge, Jermaine Clement and Matt Berry.

# And finally: Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin’s latest timepiece has been described as the most complicated wristwatch ever produced. The one-off design named Solaria is made from 18-karat white gold and contains over 200 jewels. It comprises one-thousand-521 separate components, while a standard mechanical watch has on average 130 components. Vacheron Constantin’s style and heritage director, Christian Selmoni, says the watch features five astronomical functions never previously combined in watchmaking:

Stay tuned for more news………….