Happy News Tuesday

Editor OGN Daily
Jul 22
4 min read

An eclectic collection of upbeat news stories from around the world.

Sharon Stone in 'Basic Instinct' — Sharon Stone in the original 'Basic Instinct'

Basic Instinct 2

Joe Eszterhas, the screenwriter of 1992 smash Basic Instinct, is to write a reboot sources close to the project are calling “anti-woke”. As reported by the Wrap, Eszterhas, 80, has signed a deal with Amazon MGM for the script; the streamer guarantees a $2m fee, which will be upped to $4m should the film be made, making it the most lucrative spec sale of the year. The original film starred Sharon Stone as a serial killer author who has an affair with the investigating detective, played by Michael Douglas. An interrogation scene in which Stone’s character uncrosses her legs, without underwear, made the film infamous. Stone later said revealing shots were captured without her consent.

Kingfisher successfully catching a small fish — Kingfishers amongst the returning wildlife

Remarkable Recovery

For more than a century, putrid fumes emanated from the “sewer of the Ruhr”, creating a pungent whiff that assaulted towns throughout Germany’s industrial heartland. But today, after a €5.5 billion restoration project, the River Emscher bears little resemblance to what was once Europe’s dirtiest river. Nature enthusiasts have spotted lapwings, kingfishers and demoiselles in the region, along with freshwater shrimp, caddis flies, and even beavers. In May, scientists reported that red-finned rudd from the Rhine had re-established themselves. “Overall, it is really a success story,” says Prof Daniel Hering, an aquatic ecologist at the University of Duisburg and expert on the river’s ecology. “In former times, it was a sewer. Now, it is a river.”

Rights of Nature: An English chalk stream has been granted legal rights - including the right to be pollution-free. Technically, the chalk stream can now sue.

Mobile Banking

Sub-Saharan Africa is getting banked without banks, thanks to mobile money: in 2010 about 10 million people in the region had accounts, today it's 640 million, more than half the mobile money accounts in the world, reports Our World in Data. All this banking-without-banking-but-with-phones may seem boring until you get into the weeds about how being able to move money with accounts like these massively reduces poverty: think 'students can now go to school' and 'migrants can move to wealthier places and send back remittances to their families.'

$190m Benefit Concert

Ozzy Osbourne made his last official curtain call recently with a benefit concert for Parkinson’s research and children’s hospitals that raised a whopping $190 million. Featuring a star-studded lineup of heavy metal greats, and culminating in Black Sabbath’s final performance, the concert was live-streamed by millions around the world after tickets for the show sold out in just 16 minutes. The massive proceeds went to Cure Parkinson’s (which Osbourne, 76, suffers from), Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice.

California Milestone

New data shows the Golden State was powered by two-thirds clean energy in 2023, a historic first. California is now the “largest economy on the planet to achieve this milestone,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Not since the Industrial Revolution have we seen this kind of rapid transformation.” Though 2023 is the latest year for which full data is available, more recent numbers are just as promising. So far this year, clean energy sources have provided 100 percent of the state’s electricity for an average of seven hours a day.

a tiny implantable device that can stabilize blood sugar levels automatically — Credit: MIT

No Injection Needed

For those living with Type 1 diabetes, keeping blood sugar levels controlled is a daily, lifelong task. This can often be a difficult undertaking, especially for kids who are still learning about their bodies. So MIT researchers developed an implantable device that can stabilize blood sugar levels automatically, hopefully making it easier for patients to avoid life-threatening hypoglycemia in the future.

Europe's Sunshine

For the first time, sunlight has generated more electricity in Europe than any other source. Research from energy analysts Ember shows that solar’s share of the electricity mix in June was 22.1%, ahead of nuclear (21.8%), wind (15.8%), gas (14.4%). Coal had its lowest share of electricity generation on record at 6.1%. Meanwhile, according to Lauri Myllyvirta of the Asia Society Policy Institute, China added enough wind and solar in May (alone) to meet the equivalent of Poland’s annual electricity needs.

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

Muhammad Ali

On This Day

22 July 1933: American aviator Wiley Post completed the first solo flight around the world; he covered 15,596 miles (25,099 km) in 8 days, 15 hours, 51 minutes. He did it in a Lockheed Vega named Winnie Mae (now part of the Smithsonian Institution’s collection).