10 of the happiest news stories from 2024 to make you smile

As soon as someone mentions "the news", your mind automatically drifts towards negativity - war, poverty, a new prime minister (again?!)

But, believe it or not, not all news is bad news (unless you're the owner of the Willy Wonka Experience).

In fact, as we wrap up 2024, there are plenty of positive tales that fell by the wayside - that are just as important as the ones that don't make us smile so much.

So, if you want to enter 2025 on a high, here are 10 of the happiest news stories from this year.

January - One of the world's smallest penguins is rescued from a runway

Pixabay

Back in January, a five-week-old penguin was rescued from a runway at Wellington Airport in New Zealand, after it was spotted by a pilot who was ready to take off.

At just 25cm, it's surprising that anyone spotted it at all, but it was quickly swooped up and taken to safety.

April - Irish school kids become drum and bass icons

Irish children's hip-hop group, Kabin Crew, become TikTok stars earlier this year when they released their drum and bass track 'The Spark'.

“When they come to the Kabin, we want to make those kids proud of their identity, proud of their accent and proud of where they’re from,” Garry McCarthy, who produced the track, said of how it came to be.

“Knocknaheeny hasn’t had the best reputation in the last 20 or 30 years, but it’s changing for the better. We’re always telling the kids to be proud of where you’re from – whether that’s Cork or someone who’s moved to Ireland.”

The group got so big they went on to perform with Becky Hill, and made several TV appearances. Think you can stop what we do? I doubt it!

March - NBA player fulfils life-long dream of becoming a teacher

Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges saw his dream unfold before his eyes back in March, when the 6'6" basketball star revealed that he would've loved to have been a second grade teacher had he not made it in sport - and subsequently got to play headmaster for the day.

From maths to music and even a Q+A for the children, Bridges spent the day at PS 134 in Brooklyn, which only affirmed his desire to become a principal after he finishes his career on the court.

May - Rare whale spotted for first time in a century

Getty Images

Giant blue-grey sei whales that vanished from Argentina's Patagonian coast a century ago after years of over-hunting - however, in May, one was finally spotted again, sparking hope that this could be the start of a new population.

"They breed every 2 or 3 years and so it took almost 100 years for them to have appreciable numbers for people to realize they were there", said marine biologist, Mariano Coscarella, of the news.

June - Thailand becomes first country in southeast Asia to legalise same-sex marriage

Getty

From January 2025, same-sex couples in Thailand will be allowed to legally marry, in a groundbreaking new ruling.

130 of 152 upper house voters gave their support for the ruling - making Thailand the first country in the region to accept same-sex marriage.

“Thailand has taken a historic step towards becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize marriage for LGBTQI couples,” Amnesty International’s Thailand researcher Chanatip Tatiyakaroonwong said in a statement. “This landmark moment is a reward for the tireless work of activists, civil society organizations and lawmakers who have fought for this victory.”

July - The Paris Olympics had equal numbers of male and female athletes

Getty

Not only was there a spectacular display of sportsmanship on show at the Paris Olympic Games, but it was also the first time in Olympic history that there was an almost equal gender split among athletes.

The Paris Games back in 1900 were the first to allow women to compete - however, there were only 22 of them out of 997 athletes.

This year, however, out of 10,500 athletes competing, it's thought 5,000 were women.

August - Oasis announce they'd reunite for first time in 17 years

After years of speculation and rumours off the back of a nasty spat, Liam and Noel Gallagher finally announced they'd made peace with each other, and would be reuniting for a world tour with Oasis.

The 41-show tour starts in July 2025, and takes them from London, to Manchester, and even over to the US. Let's hope they can put up with each other for that long.

September - The world falls in love with Moo Deng

Moo Deng the baby pygmy hippo became a global sensation when she was born in a Thai zoo back in July - and was trademarked with merch by September.

The cute animal attracted thousands of visitors to the zoo, and even helped raise awareness about the importance of conserving species like hers.

Oh, and her name translates to "bouncy pig". Could she possibly get any cuter?

December - Gavin and Stacey tops Christmas TV ratings

Christmas is the best time for TV, however, there was only one show on everyone's radar this year - and that was Gavin and Stacey, which returned for one final episode after 17 years.

It had been four years since the last Christmas special and the UK was poised and ready for the moment, as the show ended up topping the Christmas ratings for the BBC, drawing in over 12 million viewers.

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