OGN Monday

Editor OGN Daily
May 26
4 min read

If you are one of the lucky ones enjoying a national holiday today, here's a global round up of news that won't ruin your day.

Parliament, London, viewed from the far side of the Thames river — Parliament, London

Americans Head to UK

During the 12 months leading up to March, more than 6,000 US citizens have applied to either become British subjects or to live and work in the country indefinitely - the highest number since comparable records began in 2004, according to data released by the UK’s Home Office. Over the period, 6,618 Americans applied for British citizenship - with more than 1,900 of the applications received between January and March, most of which has been during the beginning of Donald Trump’s second US presidency, reports The Guardian. The surge in applications at the start of 2025 made that the highest number for any quarter on record.

Brain Tumour Test

Scientists have developed an “ultra-rapid” test that can diagnose brain tumours in as little as two hours - a massive improvement on the six weeks that it currently takes to receive a diagnosis. The test - developed by scientists at the University of Nottingham, England - has already been used in 50 operations at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), where it had a 100 percent success rate in diagnosing tumour types, according to a new study. “This new method of diagnosing brain tumours is going to be a gamechanger, it really is revolutionary,” said Dr Simon Paine, a consultant neuropathologist at NUH. “Not only is the test more accurate and quicker, but it is also cheaper than current methods.”

New National Park City

Breda in the Netherlands has been declared the world’s fourth national park city following local efforts to bring nature into the urban realm. The distinction is granted by the UK-based National Park City Foundation, a movement to make cities “greener, healthier, and wilder”. It reviews evidence of a city’s ecological transformation before offering the designation, which is not officially recognised by national governments. Breda, which aims to be one of Europe’s most nature-rich cities in Europe by 2030, is the second national park city to be announced this year after Chattanooga in Tennessee, US, was granted the status in April. London and Adelaide received the designation in 2019 and 2021 respectively.

The World’s Smallest City Park: It's the size of a small suitcase or, to be exact, officially 3.13 square feet - in Portland, Oregon.

A sandstone carving representing the Roman goddess Victoria — Credit: Vindolanda Trust

Goddess Found in Rubble

A sandstone carving, believed to date back to around 213 AD and represent the Roman goddess of victory, has been discovered near Hadrian's Wall. Dubbed "incredibly significant" by experts, it was uncovered by volunteers in a reused pile of rubble above infantry barracks at the Vindolanda Roman settlement in Hexham, Northumberland. Victory, known in Latin as Victoria, was revered by the ancient Romans during times of war and was often credited for battlefield success.

Hats Off to Guyana

Out of 186 countries, only Guyana produces enough food to self-sufficiently feed all its citizens without foreign imports, according to new research. The study, published in Nature Food, investigated how well each country could feed their populations in seven food groups: fruits, vegetables, dairy, fish, meat, plant-based protein and starchy staples. Worldwide, the study found that 65 percent of countries were overproducing meat and dairy, compared to their own population’s dietary needs. It also found that Guyana, located in South America, was the only country that could boast total self-sufficiency, while China and Vietnam were close behind, being able to produced enough food in six out of seven food groups. Just one in seven of the tested countries were judged self-sufficient in five or more categories.

Tor Alva, the world's tallest 3D-printed building — World's tallest 3D-printed building | Benjamin Hofer / Nova Fundaziun Origen

Tallest 3D-Printed Tower

Likened by its creators to an "ornate layered cake," the Tor Alva has been completed in Switzerland. Hailed as the world's tallest 3D-printed building, this remarkable structure rises to an impressive height of 30 m (98.5 ft). Tor Alva (aka White Tower) is located in the small alpine village of Mulegns that's currently home to just 11 people. It was created by researchers at ETH Zurich, in collaboration with cultural foundation Fundaziun Origen, to show off the capabilities of cutting-edge 3D-printing techniques. The build process took around five months - or around 900 hours of actual printing - which was carried out in sections before being delivered to Mulegns and assembled.

"I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature." John D. Rockefeller

On This Day

26 May 1897: Irish writer Bram Stoker published the Gothic horror classic Dracula, which became the basis for an entire genre of literature and films about vampires.