In this week’s list of unmissable news brand content: a once-in-a-lifetime sighting, a celebrity baby announcement and the Queen’s royal duties with new furry friends…
1. Aurora sightings
On Friday, Brits experienced a once-in-a-lifetime event when the Northern Lights made an unusual appearance, Metro reports.
Mesmerising bands of pink, purple and green lights, known as the Aurora Boralis, shone across the skies of the UK. The lights were visible due to the strongest geomagnetic storm since 2005. But what does that mean?
Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles. As they collide, light is emitted at various wavelengths, creating colourful displays in the sky.
2. Equine welfare charity at Buckingham Palace
The Queen fed carrots to Alfie the ‘greedy’ donkey and LaLa the Shetland pony as she hosted a reception for “remarkable” equine welfare charity Brooke at Buckingham Palace, The Telegraph shares on its Youtube platform. The furry duo joined famous celebrity supporters such as Angela Rippon, with the Queen marking Brooke’s 90th anniversary at the event on Thursday. The Queen has held the role of president for the UK-based international charity, which protects and improves the lives of horses, donkeys and mules, since 2006.
3. Baby Bieber
Model Hailey Bieber has announced her first pregnancy with husband and artist Justin Bieber. According to the Sun on Instagram, they shared their exciting news via an intimate photoshoot. It is speculated that the famous couple also renewed their vows in the photoshoot, with one of the images showing the pair facing each other in front of a minister reading from a bible. The baby news comes as the pair recently celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary.
4. Ground-breaking medical trial
A toddler can hear for the first time after becoming the world’s youngest patient to get pioneering gene therapy, the Mirror explains on TikTok. Opal Sandy was born completely deaf due to a rare genetic condition that disrupts nerve impulses travelling from the inner ear to the brain.
At 11 months old, she took part in a medical trail in which a harmless virus containing a working copy of her faulty gene was injected into her right ear, while a cochlear implant was fitted in her left to compare the difference. Sandy is the first British patient to receive this type of treatment. Read more about her story here.
5. Switzerland crowned champion
Switzerland has been crowned the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 champion, reports The Independent, with 24-year-old singer Nemo Mettler singing their song “The code” to victory.
The pop singer, who goes by they/them pronouns, won over both public voters and the jury, after what looked like an initially close match with fellow favourites Croatia, France and Italy.
Metler is already known as a musician in their home country and was the recipient of four Swiss Music Awards in 2018, including Song of the Year for their single “Du”. Their winning song incorporated a range of elements such as opera, pop, rap and dance.