SMILE

Actress Satomi Ishihara is drawing attention for her role in the Japanese drama 'Political Pan'. A character introduction revealed that actor Masao Kusakari plays Kobayakawa Shiro, while Ishihara shared off-shot photos smiling with soft permed hair. Fans responded warmly, with comments calling her 'the cutest as always'.

Japanese actor Yutaka Takenouchi is trending after a press event for a new war-themed film marking over 80 years since the end of World War II. At the event, 13-year-old actress Aoi Kokeshi and co-star Fumi Nikaido shared candid moments with the cast, with the young actress teasing Takenouchi by describing him as 'kyuru-kyuru', leaving him smiling in embarrassment. Veterans Koichi Sato and Jo Odagiri also drew attention with remarks at the gathering.

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have released this year's winning and shortlisted images, showcasing animals caught in comical poses such as laughing faces, awkward landings and mid-air acrobatics. The annual competition, founded to celebrate wildlife photography with a humorous twist, also raises awareness of conservation, and its latest batch of pictures is drawing smiles from readers around the world.

ESA's Smile mission has returned its first ultraviolet image of Earth's northern aurora, capturing the glowing auroral oval during an auroral substorm. The image was taken by the mission's Ultraviolet Imager, which detects ultraviolet light emitted when energetic solar particles strike Earth's upper atmosphere. Space scientists and enthusiasts are sharing the observation as an early milestone for the newly operational mission.

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Kiké Hernández, known in Japan as a "festival man" for his flair in big moments, hit a two-run homer to give his team the lead, with Freddie Freeman following up in a comeback performance. Japanese sports media highlighted manager-like smiles in the dugout as the Dodgers' offense came alive, drawing attention from Japanese baseball fans tracking the team's stars.

Wildlife photography communities are sharing a close-up image of a fallow deer in the UK that appears to be smiling. The shot has drawn an enthusiastic response from nature and photography enthusiasts, who are praising the animal's unusually cheerful expression. Fallow deer are common in British woodland, and charming portraits like this one regularly circulate among wildlife photography fans.

Japan footballer Takefusa Kubo, 25, and actress Haruka Fukuhara, 28, have announced their marriage. In a statement, the couple asked for support as they build 'a warm family full of smiles', and congratulations have been pouring in from fans and fellow players. Why actor Takahashi Katsunori is being searched alongside the news is unclear.

On 23 September, the joint European-Chinese Smile mission was declared ready to begin its work revealing how Earth responds to the wind of charged particles streaming from the Sun. The first footage released from the mission captures the full ring of northern lights around the polar regions, offering a new view of how the magnetosphere behaves.

The European-Chinese Smile mission has released the first images from its ultraviolet camera, capturing an auroral substorm. The footage shows the full ring of northern lights around the Earth's polar region, something no spacecraft has recorded since 2008. Scientists say the observations will help study how solar wind drives sudden, dramatic brightenings of the aurora.

Music fans are sharing Smokey Robinson & The Miracles' 1967 hit 'The Tears of a Clown' as their song of the moment, calling it their current mood. The Motown classic, written by Robinson, Stevie Wonder and Hank Cosby, blends upbeat horns with lyrics about hiding heartbreak behind a smile, and listeners are posting it with headphones emojis and personal music tags.

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 6, 2026 features a complete auroral oval imaged by the SMILE mission. The image shows the ring of aurora encircling Earth's polar region, offering a full view of the phenomenon that is usually seen only in fragments from the ground. Space enthusiasts are sharing and discussing the striking picture.

MyGovIndia, the government's citizen engagement platform, posted that Indians have five reasons to feel proud today, inviting followers to scroll through what made people smile. The post carries the hashtags #NewIndia and #ProudIndian and has drawn hundreds of likes. It offers no specifics in the headline, framing itself as a roundup of feel-good national news.

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 6 features an image of a complete auroral oval captured by the SMILE mission. The image shows the glowing ring of aurora around Earth's polar region, a view possible from SMILE's wide-field vantage point in space. Space enthusiasts are sharing the striking image widely.

A photograph of the Bancolombia tower at Torre Atrio in Bogotá is circulating, showing the building alongside TransMilenio with reflections after rainfall. The image highlights the Colombian capital's modern architecture and public transport in wet-weather light, and is being shared as travel and cityscape photography.

On July 19, 2013, NASA's Cassini probe slipped into Saturn's shadow and photographed the entire Saturnian system, capturing the rings backlit by the Sun along with seven moons. In the lower right of the image sits a tiny pale blue dot: Earth, some 1.4 billion kilometres away. The image, known as 'The Day the Earth Smiled', is being shared again as a reminder that everyone alive at the time was in the frame.

Tallulah Willis has shared a new photo of her father, Bruce Willis, drawing attention as the actor continues his private battle with frontotemporal dementia. The image shows the Die Hard star smiling, and fans have responded warmly, with many expressing support for the family and praising Tallulah for keeping the public updated during his illness.

The European Space Agency has announced that the Smile mission has officially begun its science operations. Smile, a joint solar-weather mission, is designed to study how solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic field. The start of the science phase means the spacecraft has completed commissioning and is now collecting data, a milestone space agencies and researchers have been following closely.

Two people shared a brief, lighthearted exchange about what they were eating, with one suggesting a snack contained raisins and the other insisting they were grapes, before agreeing they tasted good either way. The moment was recounted as a small conversational interlude, filed alongside food and nature photography. Beyond the anecdote itself, there is no wider news attached.

Jeong-suk, one half of the 'Sang-cheol ♥' couple from season 28 of the Korean reality show 'Flower Path' (Flower Middle Path), shared photos of herself enjoying a shrimp party after finishing her parenting duties, smiling brightly in the images. The lighthearted post has drawn attention from fans of the show who follow the couple's life updates.

A reader going through Muriel Spark's novels is praising The Ballad of Peckham Rye, quoting the line where Dougal puts Mr Druce through the process of his smile. They argue that nobody writes like Spark, that her books cannot be boring, and that being somewhat discomfited by them is inevitable. The remark reflects an ongoing appreciation of Spark's sharp, unsettling style among readers revisiting her work.

A young woman from Gaza has married after the war upended her life, sharing that for one day she smiled and celebrated and felt a piece of life return. She thanked those whose donations and support helped her reach the moment. Posts about her wedding have drawn warm reactions from people moved by a rare note of joy and resilience amid the devastation in Gaza.

Hideki Matsuyama has been spotted smiling during a practice round as he prepares for the PGA Tour's return to Japan. Fans and golf followers are sharing the images as attention turns to the tournament, where the Japanese star will compete on home soil. His relaxed mood ahead of the event has drawn warm reactions from supporters.

A social media user shared a photo of food arranged in a smiling face, noting it is the second time this year their meal has appeared to smile at them, and jokingly asked whether they should be worried. The lighthearted post, tagged with themes of strange coincidences and food, drew amused engagement from other users.

Radio Regentrude, a small community internet station, is airing a live music programme starting at 8pm CEST, followed by live sets from DJs Toddy and Smile and a rock block through 10pm. The schedule is being shared with listeners under the NowPlaying hashtag, with followers tuning in and encouraging others to listen along in real time.

During the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, rookie Kimi Antonelli struck a bollard on track, drawing an amused reaction from Max Verstappen that has circulated among F1 fans. The lighthearted moment gave spectators something to smile about amid practice and qualifying coverage, with many enjoying the veteran champion's candid response to the young Mercedes driver's mistake.