Good News Thursday
- Jul 17, 2025
- 3 min read
Ensuring that Thursday gets off to a bright start with today's global round-up of positive news stories.
Looks Familiar?
HBO has provided a first glimpse at the new world of Harry Potter, as filming begins on its hotly anticipated TV adaptation of JK Rowling’s beloved book series. This photo provided by the broadcaster shows Dominic McLaughlin in character as the young wizard for the first time. The 11-year-old was selected alongside Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger after an extensive casting search among British children aged 9-11. As with Daniel Radcliffe before him, McLaughlin sports Potter’s trademark round glasses and Gryffindor uniform. The series is expected to premiere on HBO in 2027.
"A Good Thing"
According to a new Gallup poll, 79 percent of Americans today say immigration is “a good thing” for the country - up from about two thirds just a year ago, and a record high point for the last 25 years. Even among Republicans, positivity about immigration rose dramatically in the last year, from just 39 percent saying it was “a good thing” last year - to 64 percent today.
Oops
The first known cases of accidental choking have been discovered, dating back 150 million years, when some opportunistic fish got more than they bargained for picking off algae and slime from dead squid-like creatures. Lucky for them, the fish are no longer around to learn about the embarrassing fate of their ambitious ancestors. Be that as it may, it's history's oldest mealtime misadventure.
Europe Solar
Overtaking nuclear and wind, Reuters reports that solar power was the European Union’s largest source of electricity for the first time in history last month - and coal fell to an all-time low of just 6 percent.
Conservation Success
Camera trap footage has conservationists celebrating what are probably the first pine martens born in southwest England in over a century. Their births follow a “pioneering” reintroduction project that sought to rebalance the predator-prey dynamics of a wild England by bringing back these arboreal, small game specialists. Devon Wildlife Trust’s Tracey Hamston, who leads the Two Moors Pine Marten Project, described the news as a “historic moment” and admitted the team were “ecstatic” when they saw the footage.
Science Solves Problem
Billions of flies may soon fall out of airplanes over Texas and Mexico - but don't worry, it’s all part of a government plan. If that sentence doesn’t exactly leave you feeling comforted, this one might: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is breeding the flies to help eradicate New World Screwworm larvae, which are endangering cattle. Michael Bailey, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medicine Association, told the Associated Press that even “a thousand-pound bovine can be dead from this in two weeks” due to the ghastly flesh-eating maggots. To prevent that from happening, and to avoid using pesticides, the USDA plans to breed adult male flies and sterilize them via radiation. Once they’re dropped, the eggs that result from the sterilized flies mating with females won’t be fertilized, leading to fewer larvae and helping the population die off. “It’s an exceptionally good technology,” said Edwin Burgess, a professor who specializes in veterinary entomology. “It’s an all-time great in terms of translating science to solve some kind of large problem.”
World's Fastest EV
The new Rimac Nevera R has officially become the world's fastest electric car, clocking a top speed of 268.2mph, reports AutoCar. That means the more hardcore version of Rimac's EV hypercar is also one of the world's fastest production cars of all time - surpassing even the Bugatti Veyron Supersport. The car also proved itself the world's fastest-accelerating production car, sprinting from 0-60mph in a dazzling 1.66 seconds. The R also achieved a record 0-400-0kmh (0-249-0mph) time of just 25.79sec - just over two seconds quicker than the previous fastest car.
"Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on." Thurgood Marshall, the Supreme Court's first African-American justice (1967 - 1991).
On This Day
17 July 1955: Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California.
Today's Articles
Polish Pyramids: Dating back 5,500 years - so, older than the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt - they may be the largest prehistoric structures ever discovered in Poland.
Stronger Than Steel: It may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but a lab in Maryland has created 'Superwood'. And it's now available.
Mood Boosting Video
A new volcanic rift opened up in Iceland yesterday - unlikely to cause any harm to the island's inhabitants.
