Upbeat News Thursday
- Editor OGN Daily
- Jan 15
- 4 min read
Thursday's global round up of positive news stories.
Top Box Office Star
Zoe Saldaña has just dethroned Johansson as the highest-grossing movie star of all time with the help of James Cameron’s Avatar series. When Avatar: Fire and Ash hit $1.23 billion at the global box office Saldaña’s total gross climbed to $16.8 billion, according to industry publication The Numbers. The Oscar-winning actor, 47, has steadily climbed the chart throughout her career with leading roles in 18 films, including major blockbusters like the Avatar movies. Indeed, she is the only actor to star in the three highest-grossing movies of all time: Avatar, Avengers: Endgame and Avatar: The Way of Water. To be clear, Saldaña's total gross of $16.8 billion is not how much she banked herself, but how much the movies she starred in grossed.
Oops
Australia's United States ambassador, who called President Donald Trump a "village idiot," has resigned from his role. Kevin Rudd, who previously served as the country's prime minister, became the U.S. ambassador in March 2023 during President Joe Biden's administration. He wrote several tweets - which he later deleted - criticizing Trump prior to his Washington posting. In one, he called Trump a "village idiot," according to multiple reports. In another, he called him "the most destructive president in history" and a "traitor to the West." According to a report by The Guardian, Trump told the Australian ambassador during a White House cabinet room meeting, "I don't like you either. And I probably never will."
Welsh 'Pompeii'
Archaeologists have discovered the largest Roman villa ever found in Wales in an "amazing discovery" which they say has the potential to be "Port Talbot's Pompeii". "My eyes nearly popped out of my skull," said project lead Dr Alex Langlands, after ground penetrating radar revealed the "huge structure" in Margam Country Park. The location, in a historical deer park, is significant because the land has not been ploughed or built on, meaning the villa's remains - less than a metre below the surface - look to be well preserved. The team say that they "struck gold" after discovering the footprint of a 6,156 sq. ft (572 sq. m) Roman villa surrounded by fortifications.
Discount Groceries
Good news for anyone (everyone?) looking to save money on food: Discount grocery chain Aldi - known for its slew of low-price private label products, beloved “Aisle of Shame,” and quarter-powered shopping carts - is planning to open 180 new stores in the U.S. this year. Beyond 2026, the chain has set a goal to open 400 more U.S. locations by 2028. The momentum comes amid the vast customer demand for affordable food - a need that Aldi says it’s ready to fill. Aldi already operates around 5,000 stores in Europe, having been founded in Germany in 1913.
Silver Extraction
A research team at the University of Newcastle in Australia has shown that almost all (97.6 percent) of the silver inside end-of-life solar panels can be recovered in minutes using an acid-free mechanical process. Current approaches to silver recovery from end-of-life PV modules are dominated by acid leaching. While effective, the researchers said these approaches impose “substantial reagent and waste burdens that impede large-scale deployment.” The new method combines comminution - where the panels are mechanically crushed and ground into fine particles - followed by froth flotation, a separation technique that uses water, air bubbles and a small amount of standard floatation reagents to float valuable metals to the surface while waste materials sink.
Joker’s Wild
In another hilarious example of someone hopelessly unqualified sneaking into an event, an Egyptian tennis player has been dubbed “the worst wild card ever” after “struggling to merely hit a ball” at an International Tennis Federation tournament in Nairobi, said The Times. Hajar Abdelkader repeatedly failed to deliver a correct serve to “bemused” German opponent Lorena Schaedel, who also had to tell Abdelkader where to stand. A source told The Telegraph that Abdelkader had been a last-minute replacement, and that she “gave false information about her ranking and her stats”.
"I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself." Marlene Dietrich
On This Day
15 January 1759: Established by an act of Parliament in 1753, the British Museum opened to the public six years later. The museum holds a vast and significant collection of world art and artifacts, including famed items like the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon Sculptures (also known as the Elgin Marbles). It was the world's first national public museum.
Today's Articles
Golden Years: David Bowie's childhood home in south London to be restored to its 1960s condition and opened to the public in 2027.
Ugly to Beautiful: Woman who uses fungi to turn toxic brownfield sites into lovely thriving meadows.
Mood Boosting Video
Riposte to Trump: Entertaining, patriotic music video from the Greenland Defense Front.
