Good News: Jacinda Ardern’s Wedding, Iranian Journalists Freed And More
Here’s some good news from around the world.
Here’s some good news from around the world.
1. Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern finally got married after postponing her wedding for years
Former New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has finally married her partner, Clarke Gayford, after she canceled their wedding in 2022 to contain a COVID-19 outbreak.
The couple tied the knot in a private ceremony on Saturday Jan. 13 at a winery venue in Hawke’s Bay on the coast of New Zealand’s North Island.
The couple began dating in 2014 after Gayford, a TV presenter, reportedly reached out to Jacinda discuss legislation.
Ardern resigned as prime minister in January 2023 after five-and-a-half years in the role.
“I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It is that simple,” she said in a tearful speech.
In the speech, she told Neve she was looking forward to being there when she starts school.
“And to Clarke, let’s finally get married,” she said.
2. This 16-year-old teen became the youngest world dart champion finalist and people can’t believe his age
Luke Littler, a 16-year-old from Warrington in the UK, became the youngest player to reach the final of the PDC World Darts Championship on Jan. 3.
The teenager, nicknamed “The Nuke,” defeated two former world champions to reach the final, where he was ultimately defeated by 28-year-old Luke Humphries, who won the finals 7-4.
His success has generated unprecedented public interest in a sport that is generally considered niche.
A record more than 4.8 million people watched the final in the UK, with the highest ever non-football peak viewers on Sky Sports.
Littler had entered the competition ranked 164th in the world, but has since moved into the top 32 in the rankings.
He has already secured a spot in the sport’s permanent professional league for the coming season.
3. These two Iranian women journalists who were jailed for reporting on Mahsa Amini’s death have been temporarily freed
Two Iranian women journalists who were jailed for reporting on Mahsa Amini’s death have been temporarily freed.
31-year-old Niloofar Hamedi and 36-year-old Elaheh Mohammadi were sentenced to 13 and 12 years in prison respectively in October 2022 for “conspiring with foreign intelligence agencies to undermine national security and spreading propaganda”.
They were arrested shortly after 22-year-old Amini died following her arrest by “morality” police for allegedly breaking the country’s mandatory hijab law in 2022.
Hamedi had been the first journalist to report on Amini’s death when she posted a photo of Amini’s parents hugging each other in the hospital after learning that Amini had died.
Hamedi was arrested shortly after.
The next day, the two were immediately charged for not wearing headscarves when they left prison.
Separately also on Monday Jan. 15, Iranian authorities added 15 months to the prison sentence of jailed human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, who received the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, her family said.
Mohammadi has spent the last 30 years pushing for peaceful change in the country, calling to end to the country’s mandatory hijab law, violence against women, and the death penalty.
For her activism, she is currently serving 10 years in prison in Tehran for several charges, including “spreading anti-state propaganda”
4. Shakira’s hometown in Colombia has unveiled a giant statue of her and people are obsessed
In a tribute to the iconic singer Shakira, a majestic bronze statue, standing at a height of 6.5 meters, now graces her hometown in Barranquilla, Colombia.
The statue, which was unveiled in front of Shakira’s parents and the mayor of Barranquilla on Tuesday, December 26, features Shakira in a maroon outfit, striking her signature belly dance pose, a homage to her timeless hit “Hips Don’t Lie.”
The statue was created by artist Yino Marquez and about 30 students from the District Art School in Barranquilla and finalized after five months.
“A heart that composes, hips that don’t lie, an unmatched talent, a voice that moves the masses and bare feet that march for the good of children and humanity,” the plaque under the statue read, paying tribute both to her singing career and philanthropy.
Shakira, 46, was born in Barranquilla, a port city of 1.2 million people that has long been home to many Colombian-Lebanese families like hers.
Even though Shakira now lives in Miami, she still maintains a deep bond with the city.
Shakira made headlines earlier this year for winning three Latin Grammy awards and releasing a diss track about her former partner, ex-footballer Gerard Piqué, which shattered YouTube records in Latin America.
She was in the news again in November when she paid €7.5 million (£6.5 million) fine to settle a tax fraud charges brought against her in Spain.
