Friday's Good News
- Editor OGN Daily
- 4 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Wrapping up the week with an upbeat selection of news stories from around the world.
Ophidiophobic?
Let's hope not if you attended a recent gig in Taiwan, replete with spectacular props. For her 2026 Pleasure tour at the Taipei Dome, Taiwanese popstar Jolin Tsai pulled out all the stops. The slate of concerts, which was held earlier this month, was less of a performance than an immersive experience, encompassing countless mythical creatures that roamed across the venue. Perhaps most impressive of all, though, was the 30-meter-long (about 98-feet) snake upon which Jolin rode for her song Medusa. During the musical number, Jolin was perched atop the vast mechanical serpent’s head, which gracefully slithered across the stage towards the audience.
Every Contingency
A former senior policy expert at the Bank of England is urging the institution to plan for the economic impact of aliens. Helen McCaw believes a confirmation of alien life would “send shockwaves through the markets and could trigger bank collapses and civil unrest”, said The Times. She has written to the bank’s governor, Andrew Bailey, stressing the need to “organise contingencies for the possibility”. “Even if you feel it’s very unlikely, it’s madness not to consider it and plan accordingly,” she said.
Moose Return
In North America, it’s not unheard of to stumble across a moose in the forest. But in Romania, the towering mammal has been locally extinct for centuries. That’s why scientists were blown away by a recent moose sighting in Transylvania - which has been confirmed by Rewilding Romania, a conservation group that is part of the larger Rewilding Europe initiative. Moose are highly influential on their surrounding habitat. “Moose are an ecosystem engineer in the forest ecosystem, and strongly impact everything from the species composition and nutrient availability in the forest,” Gunnar Austrheim, an ecologist at the NTNU University Museum, told Phys.org. When it comes to the surprise sighting in Transylvania, Rewilding Romania promised to work with local authorities to ensure the protection of the moose as they continued monitoring the area.
Bison in Romania: Research shows that a herd of 170 bison roaming Romania’s Țarcu mountains have such a positive environmental impact, that it is equivalent to taking almost two million cars off the road for a year.
Grandma's LEGO
LEGO isn’t just for kids, and this 85-year-old grandma proves it. She was given her first LEGO set by her grandson (known as woksteampunk on Reddit), who wanted to keep her occupied after she moved from China to Canada to be closer to family. While she faced plenty of challenges getting started, she’s now a LEGO pro and building multiple complex sets per month. As she didn't have any friends when she arrived, her thoughtful grandson thought building LEGO sets might keep her busy and entertained, so bought her one. Turned out he was spot on. He's been buying her one or two a month ever since. So far she's completed 15 challenging sets, including Hogwarts Castle (pictured).
Mexico Incomes
For the first time in history, more people in Mexico are categorized as middle class than as living in poverty. Income poverty has declined from 35.5 percent of the population in 2018 to 21.7 percent in 2024, according to World Bank data. Over the same period, the middle class expanded from 27.2 percent to 39.6 percent. The shift reflects what President Claudia Sheinbaum calls “a moral economy, welfare programs, rights, not assistance programs but rights.”
Strong EV Growth
Global electric vehicle sales reached 20.7 million in 2025, up 20 percent year on year, driven by strong growth in Europe and emerging markets, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Europe overtook China as the fastest-growing major market, while sales outside China, Europe, and North America jumped 48 percent.
Davos Surprises
Whilst the world's bankers, chief executives and politicians braced themselves for Trump's latest grenade, several surprising celebrities rocked up to the annual event in Switzerland. Amongst them were Katy Perry on the arm of former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau - marking their fist public appearance together in 2026. Also in attendance were Sir David Beckham who is promoting a sports partnership with the Bank of America and spoke about the impact of social media on young people, and actor Matt Damon who is there to recruit corporate partners for his water access nonprofit, water.org.
“I have a simple philosophy: Fill what is empty. Empty what is full. Scratch where it itches.” Alice Roosevelt Longworth
On This Day
23 January 1849: Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman in the US to earn a medical degree, graduating from New York's Geneva Medical College. She graduated first in her class despite immense opposition, paving the way for women in medicine by later founding the New York Infirmary for Women and Children with her sister Emily and colleague Marie Zakrzewska.
Today's Articles
New Form of Life: Remarkably, scientists have confirmed they have found an entirely new form of life in Scotland.
Area 51: Investigation by Wall Street Journal shows that UFO rumours were spread intentionally by the Pentagon in order to hide something else.
Mood Boosting Video
Boldly Going: The forthcoming Artemis II moon mission presented like a dramatic cinematic trailer.