Sunny Saturday News

Editor OGN Daily
1 day ago
3 min read

Celebrating the start of the weekend with a global selection of upbeat news stories.

The Amnesiac Assassin

Good news for Jason Bourne fans as NBCUniversal won a bidding war this week to acquire all non-publishing rights to Robert Ludlum’s Bourne and Treadstone properties in perpetuity. The deal, described as “very large”, means that Bourne is now firmly as much a part of Universal as Jaws and Jurassic World. Universal Pictures president, Peter Cramer, said: “We’re energized to continue expanding the Bourne universe into the future with exciting new stories for global audiences.” While its first three movies are rightly regarded as peerless, things really went off the rails after that; so this is potentially good news, because if any franchise needs a shot in the arm, it’s Bourne. Although, don't expect Matt Damon to take the lead again.

Notre-Dame's rose window — Notre-Dame reclaims top spot

Top Attractions

Notre-Dame has reclaimed its title as France’s most-visited monument seven months after reopening to the public. The Gothic cathedral was damaged by a fire in April 2019 and underwent a nearly billion-euro, five-year restoration effort before reopening its doors in December last year. Since then, more than seven million tourists have visited the church, which now has a new roof and spire, with between 35,000-40,000 people crossing its Portal of the Last Judgment every day, or almost a million each month. The footfall is expected to hit the 12 million mark by the end of the year, reports The Telegraph. It will surpass France’s previous most-popular landmark - the Sacré-Cœur basilica atop Montmartre - which welcomed nine million visitors in 2024. Then came the Louvre Museum (8.7 million), the Palace of Versailles (8.4 million) and the Eiffel Tower (6.3 million).

Employee Ownership

The UK’s largest toy chain has become the latest retailer to hand ownership of the company to its employees. The Entertainer, which has 160 shops across the UK and employs 1,900 workers, joins a growing number of firms - including John Lewis, Lush and Richer Sounds – in switching to employee ownership. The retailer was founded by Gary Grant and his wife in Catherine in 1981. The family is now transferring 100 percent ownership of the business to an employee trust, meaning staff will get a share of the profits and a say in how the firm is run.

1.5-inch piece of gold with a decorative finial at one end — Credit: Newcastle University

First Time Lucky

Just an hour and a half into her first ever excavation, an American archaeology student has struck gold in Britain. Dating back to the ninth century, the small, ornate artifact she unearthed may have had a ceremonial purpose. Florida-native Yara Souza, an undergraduate at Newcastle University in northern England, was digging alongside other students at Redesdale in Northumberland when she discovered the gold piece. According to a statement from the university, the 1.5-inch piece has a decorative finial at one end, and it appears to be from Britain’s early medieval period. “I couldn’t believe I’d found something so quickly into my first ever excavation,” Souza says in the statement. “It was actually quite overwhelming.”

Heads Up

Don't miss OGN's summary analysis on Monday of the Reuters Institute's 2025 global survey of how many (and why) people avoid mainstream and social media news.

UK Renewables

New statistics published by the British government confirm that renewable energy accounted for over half of the UK’s total electricity generation for the first time last year, with onshore and offshore wind generated their highest annual percentages of electricity ever. Renewables provided 50.4% of the UK’s electricity in 2024 (up from 46.4% in 2023), compared to 31.8% from fossil fuels, mainly gas (down from 36.7% in 2023).

“When life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade and then try to find someone whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.” Ron White

On This Day

Front cover of the first issue of Sports Illustrated

16 August 1954: The first issue of Sports Illustrated was released - founded by Henry Luce, the creator of Time magazine. By the 1960s, it had became the leading sports magazine in the United States.