Much of the summer has been taken up with worrying headlines about the climate crisis, the migrant crossings, and concerns about the economy.
But, amid this scarier news, there have been a handful of much more fun and uplifting stories worth reading about.
So here’s a round-up of just five which caught our eye in recent weeks.
1. Best joke of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe unveiled
Every year, a panel of comedy critics creates a shortlist from hundreds of the Fringe’s shows, before 2,000 people vote anonymously on their favourite joke.
And comedian Lorna Rose Treen won 2023′s contest for Dave Funniest Joke of the Fringe with 44% of the vote this year.
The winner was a punchy one-liner: “I started dating a zookeeper – but it turned out he was a cheetah.”
The runner-up with 41% of the vote came from Liz Guterbock, with: “The most British thing I’ve ever heard? A lady who said, ‘Well I’m sorry, but I don’t apologise.’”
2. An ‘alien’ rode the NYC subway
An “alien” seemed to be stalking the New York City underground this month, causing a fair amount of disturbance as it communicated with the public using only its hands.
The pale blue colour and large bald head, along with misshapen ears, definitely seemed to embody the very stereotype of what humans often think aliens look like.
However – as you’ve probably guessed – it was a stunt, all in aid of a new film called Jules about an alien, who happens to look just like the “alien” who wandered around the New York City subway.
3. New sea creature with 20 appendages discovered
Yes, um, there’s a new species in the Antarctic feather stars group which is called a Promachocrinus fragarius – also known as Antarctic feather star.
It has 20 appendages, can be up to eight inches long, and usually hangs out at the bottom of the seafloor.
Why is it named after a strawberry? Because that’s what its tiny body looks like when you take away all the arms (or legs, depending how you look at it).
It was found between 215 feet and 3,840 feet below the ocean’s surface according to the paper published in Invertebrate Systematics in July, and has been put in the same group as starfish, sea urchins and sea cucumbers.
4. King Charles lets French airport take late Queen’s name
Despite allegedly refusing to name a new Heathrow terminal after himself, the King has give his permission for a French airport to be renamed in his late mother’s memory.
Charles is known for his environmentalism, which is why many believe he did not want to be linked to the Heathrow expansion.
However, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage International Airport will soon be rebranded and have Elizabeth II added at the start of its name.
The town’s official said this will be a tribute to the late monarch’s “exceptional life” and to its own status as “the most British of French resorts”.
After all, the area has been dubbed “Twickenham-on-Sea” because it will be hosting the England team during the Rugby World Cup come September.
5. Mattel offers to pay for a ‘chief UNO player’
The toy company is introducing a new UNO Quatro family game where people can play “a classic four-in-a-row challenge with a twist”.
Whoever gets the job can earn $4,444 (£3,502) a week for four weeks –and it’s just four hours of work a day.
Oh, and you have to be social media star in New York City by asking strangers to join you in a random game, teaching them to play UNO Quatro and produce video content.
