OGN Friday

Editor OGN Daily
17 minutes ago
4 min read

Ensuring the week finishes on a bright note with today's global round up of positive news.

joyful shot of a young gorilla appearing to dance in a Rwandan forest clearing — Credit: Mark Meth-Cohn | Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2025

High Five

There are countless end-of-year roundups and best-of lists that come along in December, but none are quite as delightful as the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. This year’s winning photos were announced at a ceremony in London this week. The overall winner is Mark Meth-Cohn with this joyful shot of a young gorilla appearing to dance in a Rwandan forest clearing, titled 'High Five'. “On this particular day, we came across a large family group... they were gathered in a forest clearing where the adults were calmly foraging while the youngsters were enthusiastically playing. One young male was especially keen to show off his acrobatic flair: pirouetting, tumbling, and high kicking. Watching his performance was pure joy, and I’m thrilled to have captured his playful spirit in this image.” The competition, now in its 11th year, channels the power of laughter to get people engaged in wildlife conservation.

Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha holding up seven fingers — Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha | ICF / Facebook

Youngest Ever

The International Chess Federation has announced on their Facebook page that Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha, who is from India, had made history. “At just 3 years, 7 months, and 20 days old, Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha is the youngest player on the December 2025 FIDE rating list, debuting with a rapid rating of 1572,” they wrote alongside a picture of the toddler holding up seven fingers, as well as a medal in his mouth and wearing one around his neck. He was also stood behind three trophies. A player has to score points against at least five rated players to be rated by the International Chess Federation (also commonly known as FIDE), according to NBC News.

By The Numbers

2028: Year that North Dakota expects to become the first state with 100% broadband internet access.

2025: First year in Syria’s history that it recognized Human Rights Day.

1.3 Percent: Vietnam’s multidimensional poverty rate in 2025, down from 4.4 percent in 2021.

Night sky with several meteor lines visible — Saturday night's entertainment

Weekend's Meteors

If you’re only going to see one meteor shower a year, pretty much every stargazing source out there agrees that the Geminids are the one to choose. While the Perseids might be more famous, and the Draconids more likely to yield an unexpected full-blown meteor storm, the Geminids are steady, reliable, and occur at a time of year when there’s plenty of night to devote to seeing them. They also start early - just a couple of hours after dusk - and continue throughout the night. At their peak - which is expected to be over the night of 13 / 14 December (i.e. Saturday night) - you can expect to see up to 75 meteors an hour! To see the show, look towards the eastern sky.

Moss on Exterior of The ISS Astonishes Scientists: When spores from a humble moss were sent into space, it was one small step for moss, one giant leap for moss-kind. Demonstrating "the astonishing resilience of life that originated on Earth."

dozens of farmers assembled to make sure a friend's harvest was completed — Credit: Kharra Fyllesvold

Act of Kindness

In rural North Dakota, where it is now apparent that neighbors are more like family, an incredible act of kindness unfolded after a beloved farmer’s sudden passing. Near the small town of Antler, dozens of farmers came together to make sure Randy Fyllesvold's final harvest was completed. Roughly 75 volunteers, 12 combines, and help from more than 10 communities worked together to harvest about 1,400 acres of corn in just a matter of days. Randy’s widow, Kharra, shared a deeply emotional message thanking everyone who showed up. She described the scene as “nothing short of breathtaking,” saying the sight of so many people harvesting her husband’s final crop was both heartbreaking and beautiful. Through their grief, she and her two sons felt overwhelmingly blessed by the love and support surrounding them.

A magnificent riflebird with an iridescent, blue-green patch on its chest — Credit: Paul Maury | Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Ultrablack

The magnificent riflebird, a member of the bird of paradise family found in Australia and New Guinea, undoubtedly has a striking appearance. Adult males of the species - Ptiloris magnificus - have iridescent, blue-green patches on their chests and heads. But, other than that, their bodies are covered in inky-black feathers. Inspired by the birds’ dark plumage, scientists have developed a new “ultrablack” fabric that reflects an average of 0.13 percent of visible light that hits its surface. It’s the darkest fabric anyone has ever developed so far, and remains ultrablack when viewed from a variety of angles, too; another improvement over commercially available ultrablack fabrics. The researchers at Cornell hope to obtain a patent for their idea and want to eventually launch a company based on their process.

“A bare tree stands with roots on both ends in December days.” Kiran Bantawa

On This Day

12 December 1977: The music drama Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta, had its world premiere; the film was a huge hit, as was the accompanying disco sound track by the Bee Gees.