Today's Good News

Editor OGN Daily
Jun 19
3 min read

Thursday's global collection of upbeat news stories to brighten the day.

The New 'C'

MI6 will be led by a woman for the first time in the foreign intelligence service's 116-year history. Blaise Metreweli, 47, who joined the Secret Intelligence Service in 1999, will become the 18th chief of the organisation. She is currently responsible for technology and innovation at the service and said she was "proud and honoured" to have been asked to lead. MI6 is tasked with gathering intelligence overseas to improve the UK's security, with its core aims being to stop terrorism, disrupt the activities of hostile states and bolster cyber-security. Its chief, commonly referred to as 'C', is the only publicly named member of the service.

Back From The Brink

In the 90s, the Green Corridor, a 457,000-acre stretch of protected land that links Argentina’s Iguazú National Park and Brazil’s Iguaçu, was home to between 400 and 800 jaguars. By 2005, that number had dropped to 40. Today, thanks to coordinated conservation efforts between the two countries, the population has grown to at least 105. Women-led economic initiatives and formal institutional support, like “Jaguar Friendly” certification for the local airport, have proven vital to strengthening human-wildlife connections and bolstering conservation efforts.

New Treatment

In a world first, England’s National Health Service has approved a new treatment for multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. Aptly named “Trojan horse” therapy, the cutting-edge medicine sneakily delivers toxic drugs inside cancerous cells to kill them. Although myeloma is currently considered incurable, this infusion therapy is being hailed as a milestone for two main reasons: Clinical trials showed it can both halt the blood cancer for nearly three times as long as current therapies (from 13 months to three years) and reduce negative side effects.

Ryan Luney doing a backflip engulfed in flames — Credit: Guinness World Records

Multi-Tasking

A therapist from Northern Ireland has set the world record for completing the most backflips in 30 seconds while engulfed in flames. Ryan Luney, 28, said he'd wanted a new challenge after bagging the record for the most fire-breathing backflips in one minute (17). Wearing a fire-retardant hood and underclothes soaked in refrigerated gel, he managed seven flips while on fire. "And they say men can't multi-task," he joked. Adding: “The whole point of records is that they’re going to be broken and it shows we’re ready to push the boundaries."

Netflix Latest Move

Netflix is to start broadcasting live TV for the first time. The company has unveiled a “new kind of partnership” with French broadcaster TF1 that will allow subscribers in the country to watch live TV, including top dramas, soaps and major sports matches. The deal with France’s largest commercial broadcaster underscores efforts by Netflix to keep subscribers on its platform and cement its position as the home of content. It could pave the way for similar tie-ups elsewhere.

Exodus Continues

One of Germany’s largest asset managers divested from ExxonMobil, accusing it of “insufficient commitment” to climate targets, reports the Financial Times. While Exxon says it is pursuing up to $30 billion in lower-emission investments from 2025 through 2030, those investment opportunities are conditioned on “the right policy and regulation as well as continued technology and market development.”

“You have to fail in order to practice being brave.” Mary Tyler Moore

On This Day

19 June 1829: Robert Peel introduces the Metropolitan Police Act 1829 into Parliament to establish a unified police force for London. The act was the enabling legislation for what is often considered to be the first modern police force. Until the passage of the act, the Statute of Winchester of 1285 was cited as the primary legislation regulating the policing of the country since the Norman Conquest.