New Year's Day Good News

Editor OGN Daily
Jan 1
3 min read

What better way to start 2026 than with an eclectic selection of upbeat news stories?

George and Amal Clooney — Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Paparazzi Protection

George Clooney has been granted French citizenship, along with his wife Amal Clooney and their two children, according to France’s government gazette. The publication confirms an ambition Clooney alluded to early in December when he praised French privacy laws that keep his family shielded from paparazzi. “Here, they don’t take photos of kids. There aren’t any paparazzi hidden at the school gates. That’s number one for us,” he said. The now-dual US-French citizen has a long attachment to Europe that predates his 2014 marriage to his wife, a British-Lebanese human rights lawyer who speaks fluent French. Clooney owns an estate in Italy’s Lake Como region, purchased in 2002, and he and his wife also bought a historic manor in England. Their property in southern France - a former wine estate called the Domaine du Canadel, near the village of Brignoles - was purchased in 2021.

Do you speak English? Hilarious 90 second video about the problem of asking for directions in France.

cute knitting cartoon — Credit: Focus Friend

Focus Friend

What better motivation to stay off your phone than knowing that the longer you keep away, the longer a bean-shaped friend can keep knitting scarves and socks? This is the premise of Focus Friend, an app designed to help people overcome digital distractions via a gamified experience. It turns out a cute knitting cartoon can have quite a mighty impact. Focus Friend launched in July - and a month later, the platform hit No. 1 on Apple’s top free apps chart, surpassing ChatGPT, Google, and Threads, says NBC News. And for millennials, the app may double as a delightful trip down memory lane, bringing back all the Tamagotchi vibes (minus the stress of keeping a digital pet alive).

halfsheet painting depicting the heroes of the Rebellion, soaring X-Wing starfighters, and the looming head of Vader — Credit: Heritage Auctions

Darth Vader Defeated

It was only this past September that a verified screen-used lightsaber hilt wielded by the Dark Lord of the Sith in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi set a sales record for Star Wars memorabilia by fetching $3.65 million. It was a high bar, but it’s already been cleared. The family of late Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz recently put a rare and valuable piece of artwork up for auction: Tom Jung’s original halfsheet painting depicting the heroes of the Rebellion, soaring X-Wing starfighters, and the looming head of Vader himself. Heritage Auctions ended up selling the piece for a staggering $3.875 million - setting a new record.

George Lucas’ Museum: Dedicated to the ‘Universal Language’ of Illustrated Storytelling, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art - located on an 11-acre campus in Los Angeles - is set to open in 2026.

First of Its Kind UBI

The Marshall Islands has introduced a national universal basic income (UBI) scheme, the first of its kind in the world, where every resident citizen will receive quarterly payments of about US$200. The UBI scheme is financed by a trust fund created under an agreement with the United States, which aims to compensate the Marshall Islands for decades of American nuclear testing. The scheme is intended to serve as a “social safety net.”

Pair of Nuance Audio Glasses — Credit: Nuance Audio

Two in One

Traditional hearing aids have competition: a new technology that combines hearing and vision solutions. Called Nuance Audio Glasses, the tech provides a "groundbreaking open-ear hearing solution seamlessly integrated into a pair of stylish smart glasses,” says manufacturer EssilorLuxottica - and after receiving FDA clearance, the glasses are now available over the counter in the U.S. The first software as a medical device to receive FDA clearance, Nuance Audio Glasses seek to dissolve those barriers by appealing to folks who may be hesitant to don hearing assistance instruments.

“Every New Year’s I have the same question: ‘How did I get home?’” Melanie White

On This Day

1 January 1724: Glassblower and German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit proposes a system for making thermometers and the Fahrenheit temperature scale in a paper to the Royal Society of London, which led to his election as a fellow, and established the foundation for reliable temperature measurement using repeatable points like salted ice and human body temperature.