Ukraine mobilised aircraft to battle a forest blaze in the restricted zone around Chernobyl, scene of the world’s worst nuclear accident, authorities said last Sunday.
The area is largely uninhabited, but roughly 200 residents have remained in a village nearby. Police were sent to evacuate the homes.
Furthermore, Ukrainian government agencies on Monday denied an official’s claim that the forest fire caused a spike in radiation levels.
The snowy peaks of the Himalayas can be seen for the first time in decades in the Indian state of Punjab. Air quality has improved significantly in recent weeks due to the lockdown.
Younger residents have never seen the peaks before and are massively sharing pictures on social media.
According to the Central Pollution Board, an official governmental body, the air’s quality has improved by 33%. Climate activists in India call the lockdown a “wake-up call” and hope that Indians will also adjust their behaviour after the corona crisis.
A couple stuck inside during lockdown used their free time to make an adorable little art gallery for their pet gerbils.
The two also made mini benches, gallery assistant stools, large print guides, and a sign which read “DO NOT CHEW”. The whole model took four hours to make.
The works include “Mona Lisa”, Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”, Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” and Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring”.
A three-man crew docked successfully at the International Space Station Thursday, leaving behind a planet overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Usually the departing crew faces questions from a large press pack before being waved off by family and friends. Neither was possible this time round because of travel restrictions imposed over the virus, although the crew did respond to emailed questions from journalists.
In recent weeks, astronauts and cosmonauts on the ISS and on Earth have been sharing tips on coping with self-isolation.
In a piece for the New York Times last month, NASA’s Scott Kelly said his biggest miss during almost a year in space was nature: “the colour green, the smell of fresh dirt, and the feel of warm sun on my face”.
During his time aboard the ISS he “binge-watched ‘Game of Thrones’...twice” and enjoyed frequent movie nights with crewmates, he wrote.
It’s been eight years since Bob Dylan released original music into the world. He surprised fans on Thursday night with a 17-minute song about JFK’s assassination. It’s a dizzying, structurally-free and warmly arranged track.
“Greetings to my fans and followers with gratitude for all your support and loyalty over the years,” Dylan said in a statement. “This is an unreleased song we recorded a while back that you might find interesting. Stay safe, stay observant, and may God be with you.”
The Philharmonie posted the video on its facebook page over the weekend.
The musicians are seen performing Ravel’s Boléro together, each individually recording their own instruments at home.
“The OPL musicians «come together» at home to brighten up your day until we can all be together again in our concert halls ♥️
With this very special episode of «OPL at home», the entire Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg & Philharmonie team send you their best wishes, hoping to see you again soon!”
Maurice Robinson, a truck driver from Northern Ireland, pleaded guilty to 39 counts of manslaughter for the deaths of 39 Vietnamese people found in a shipping container in October of last year.
The trailer earlier arrived on a cargo ferry from Belgium. The 39 victims, all Vietnamese nationals, were found by police in the back of a refrigerated truck in an industrial park in Essex, and may have died from a lack of oxygen and heat, police said.
