Sunny News | OGN Daily

Celebrating the start of the weekend with a global round up of positive news.

Harper Lee photographed by Truman Capote, 1960

"Unseen" Harper Lee

File this under things to look forward to: More than 60 years after Harper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird and nearly a decade after the legendary author died, a new collection of her writing is set to hit shelves. Called The Land of Sweet Forever: Stories and Essays, the book will be published this October and includes eight short stories that Lee wrote in her early creative years. The “unseen” stories were discovered in her New York City apartment following her death in 2016, says publisher HarperCollins.

Vitamin P

If you're enjoying the vibrant taste of your veggies, the secret ingredient might be urine - if you're living in the US state of Vermont, that is. Around 250 residents of rural Windham County "donate a total of 12,000 gallons (45,425 litres) of urine" each year, which is pasteurised and "pee-cycled" onto the area's farmland, the BBC reported. It might sound off-putting but the use of nutrient-rich pee as a fertiliser dates back to ancient Rome and China.

Barrington Scott, scuba diver — Barrington Scott

New Scuba Record

From the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean to the balmy waves of the Mediterranean Sea, scuba diving has taken Barrington Scott all over the world. Now, he has a world record to show for it. Scott recently became the fastest person to scuba dive in all seven continents, according to Guinness World Records. He completed his quest in 19 days, 19 hours and 40 minutes. His 27,000-mile journey started in Australia and ended in Antarctica, with stops in Thailand, Egypt, Malta, the United States and Argentina along the way. Scott, 33, spent his childhood in foster care in the Bronx until he was adopted at age 12. After high school, he joined the Marines.

Beaver swimming in a river — One of nature's engineers

Win For England's Rivers

In a huge win for the rewilding movement, the UK government has approved the reintroduction of beavers to England. Hunted to extinction around 400 years ago, the animals have been reintroduced at several sites across England, but nationwide approval had become bogged down in politics. Now beavers are set to return and will bring many benefits, say ecologists. They have been shown to boost biodiversity and help mitigate flooding. Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, said their return was a “significant landmark for nature recovery in England”.

River is to Have Legal Rights: A river has become the first in England to be granted rights after councillors approved a charter to protect a cherished waterway in Sussex.

The Cobra GT Coupé next to the Cobra GT Roadster — Credit: AC Cobra

Björn Again

Remember the AC Cobra? Yup, the iconic car that pays homage to the Shelby Cobra of the 1960s. It’s set to make its North American debut in the form of the new Swedish-made Cobra GT Roadster, at the ModaMiami auto show later this month. It will be accompanied by the Cobra GT Coupé as the British company plans to make a comeback in the North American market. Expected prices are rumoured at approximately $245,000 for the Roadster and $280,000 for the Coupé.

Denmark Goes Electric

Denmark is experiencing a rapid uptick in EV sales, reports The Driven, with the share of electric passenger cars sold throughout 2024 accounting for 51.5 percent of all new car sales - up from 36.3 percent in 2023. Nowhere near the 96 percent in Norway, but still remarkable adoption numbers. Tesla sales have slumped in each of the four Nordic countries thanks to, it is believed, the antics of 'First Buddy' Elon Musk.

"On the Sixth Day, God created man, the sort of result you often get when you go in to work on a Saturday." Robert Brault