World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore seemingly has miles to go before he sleeps

Shantanu David takes a look at some of the stranger news stories from around the world, as people, places, animals, things come to grips with Covid-19
World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore seemingly has miles to go before he sleeps

Old is Gold
He may be about to hit a 100 later this month, but World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore, from the UK seemingly has miles to go before he sleeps. The former soldier and grandfather of two, who recently had hip replacement surgery, decided to raise money for the UK’s National Health Service by completing 100 laps of his garden, with the help of a walking frame.

Moore’s family set up a fundraising page and videoed him as he attempted 10 rounds a day. Moore finished his 100 rounds last Thursday, as soldiers from the 1st Battalion Yorkshire Regiment gave him a guard of honour on his the final lap. That’s because the war hero ended up raising £19 million. Since becoming Britain’s most popular nonagenarian, more than 500,000 people have signed an online petition calling on the government to give Moore a knighthood.

Lion Around
From deer in Tokyo city parks to goats in Welsh villages, the animal kingdom seems to be taking over even as humanity hunkers down in the midst of a global pandemic. While videos of wild goats infuriating helpless home owners by eating their hedges and prize plants is Internet gold, it lacks a royal edge if you will. Enter the lions and lionesses of Kruger National Park in South Africa, who are taking advantage of the lack of annoying human visitors to lord it over the reserve, including holding sleepovers on the park’s roads. The national park’s Twitter handle posted pictures, taken by section ranger Richard Sowry, of the beasts in repose on the roads, writing, “#SALockdown This lion pride are usually resident on Kempiana Contractual Park, an area Kruger tourists do not see. This afternoon they were lying on the tar road just outside of Orpen Rest Camp…”

Celebrity Cavalcade
Lady Gaga,  Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Shah Rukh Khan to former US first ladies Michelle Obama and Laura Bush; these were just some of the global superstars who participated in The One World: Together at Home event, streaming across TV and digital devices around the world. The pop culture extravaganza was hosted by late night TV hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon, and organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the nonprofit group Global Citizen. The mixture of music, comedy and personal stories, was a heartfelt thanks to doctors, nurses, police officers, and other essential workers who have steered the world during the ongoing pandemic.

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The New Indian Express
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