Wrapping up the week with an uplifting sprinkling of good news nuggets.
Female Emancipation
Here's a quick global round up of the positive news: Tanzania has said it will allow pregnant girls and teen mothers to resume secondary education, overturning a four year ban; women in Malaysia finally won the right to pass citizenship onto their children born overseas; Saudi Arabia now officially allows single, divorced or widowed women to live independently without permission from a male guardian; and a new law in the United Arab Emirates allows non-Muslims to marry, divorce and get joint child custody, making it the first Gulf country to reform marriage laws formerly based on religious principles. It's progress!
Clean Water
In India, millions of people have gained access to clean water in the last two years. About 11.2 million, or 38 percent of all households in disease-vulnerable regions now have access to clean water, up from 2.9 percent in 2019; and another 11.8 million now have running tap water, up from less than two million in 2019, reports the Hindustani Times. Still a long way to go, but it's very considerable progress in such a short period of time.
No Surveillance
The European Parliament has voted in support of banning biometric mass surveillance, stating that individuals should only be monitored if they have been suspected of a crime. The landmark resolution should put an end to the automated recognition of people in public spaces through biometrics, and also prohibit predictive policing which increases the risk of discrimination.
Congo Conservation
Africa’s largest tropical rainforest, Salonga National Park, has been removed from UNESCO’s list of threatened sites, following 20 years of sustained conservation work, reports Newsweek. Located in the Democratic republic of Congo, it was designated a World Heritage site in 1984 and, sadly, listed as a World Heritage in Danger site in 1999. Now, happily, the World Heritage Committee, in what it called an important achievement, has declared that the 36,000 km² rainforest can be removed from the danger list.
Green Hydrogen
Green Hydrogen International has unveiled its plans to build the world’s largest green hydrogen plant in Texas, to power aeroplanes and space rockets. While the world seeks cleaner alternatives to the energy that can power long-haul flights and stand in as a substitute for natural gas, green hydrogen appears to be one of the front runners. With countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, Chile and Spain having initiated green hydrogen projects, it's good to see similar action occurring in the US. Green hydrogen production is expected to begin by 2026 and it will tap into renewable energy from the Texan electricity grid.
Nuclear Free
Kazakhstan, on Russia's south west border, has announced that it is officially nuclear free, after scientists ground down the last 2.9 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, rendering it useless for bomb-making, reports The Atlantic. The historic moment comes after 30 years of denuclearization, and represents one of the least celebrated, yet most successful examples of post-Cold War diplomacy.
Sharing Good News
OGN Daily was established in April 2020, primarily as a response to the Covid outbreak, in order to provide a safe haven from the doom and gloom peddled by mainstream media. Now we have Russia's vile antics to contend with, and - as many of our readers tells us - OGN is just as important, if not more so, than ever before. Please share the good news by telling friends and family about OGN Daily. Good news is important! Thank you for your support.
Quote of the Day
“The thing about inspiration is that it takes your mind off everything else.” Vikram Seth
On this Day
11 March 1990: Following a vote in the parliament, Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to declare its independence from the U.S.S.R.
Dive in Deeper
Remarkably, it was found just 2m below the surface off one of Mallorca’s busiest beaches and tens of thousands of tourists flocking to this Mediterranean island will have swum, unknowingly, straight over it. Read on...
Somewhat surprisingly, a 10 year old song by British singer Tom Odell has become a morale-boosting comfort blanket for many in Ukraine. Read on...
Vicarious Adrenalin Rush
Skate boarding at high speed down an incredibly scenic mountain road in Northern California.