The Optimist | Your daily dose of happy news

The twelve lawyers who were sworn in.

Judge learns sign language to swear in a group of deaf lawyers

Colby Itkowitz

Charlotte Wood won the Stella Prize for her novel <i>The Natural Way Of Things</i>.

Books can be a candle in a dark world: Stella Prize-winning author

Luis Vazquez with his son Luis Noel Vázquez Alonso.

Parents share video of autistic son's joy at concert

Students take a tour of the Mangar Bani forest and listen for birds.

Villagers save pristine forest from developers

Rama Lakshmi

Gina Short brandishes her lottery cheque with her husband Len.

Breast cancer patient wins the lottery two times in three months

Lindsey Bever

Anaya, 7, cradles her trophy after the handwriting contest.

Girl born without hands wins national handwriting competition

Colby Itkowitz

A witness said police pulled the man out of the car and brought him back to life.

Police save man’s life when he has a heart attack while driving

Grandma Livia stands as proof that beauty can and should be fun at any age.

Grandma turns 'glam-ma' in viral makeup tutorials

Kathleen Lee-Joe

Billy Dib, Dr Jamal Rifi, Craig Campbell and Morris Iemma came together for a charity soccer game.

Sports stars, media come together to raise thousands for cop

Rachel Olding, Georgina Mitchell

James Corden, JJ Abrams and Candace Payne don Chewbacca masks.

Mum who wore Chewbacca mask in viral video meets Star Wars director

Alyssa Azar, 19, conquered Mount Everest.

Teenager becomes youngest Australian to climb Mount Everest

Toby Crockford

Benjamin Lloyd airbrushes a tattoo on a young boy.

Artist gives temporary tattoos to sick kids to boost their confidence

Suzi Catchpole

Michael Vaudreuil graduated from the same college he cleaned at night.

Custodian graduates from same college he cleans at night

Colby Itkowitz

Danielle Brooks.

I saw my billboard and said, 'Dad, I made it': OITNB star on success

Danielle Brooks

The secret to my most perfect Christmas

Robyn Doreian

Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus' family.

Liam Hemsworth is all of us at the in-laws' for Christmas

Amy Schumer is seen walking in Midtown on August 23, 2016 in New York City.

Amy Schumer buys back family farm for her dad

Mary Ward

Tala Afshak*, an asylum seeker who lost her mother at sea on a boat to Australia, has just been offered a scholarship at ...

'It made my life so much better … strangers treat me like their daughter'

Timna Jacks

Beyonce and Lemonade – a combination that made 2016 all the perkier.

2016's not all bad! 16 utterly excellent moments of the year that was

Dom Knight

Artist Julia Kaye.

Trans artist uses cute comic strips to explain the transitioning process

Jay Newton-Small started a business writing anecdote-filled profiles of dementia patients after her father got ...

This former journalist's 'weird' idea is transforming the care of dementia patients

Tara Bahrampour

Al Matrooshi said the birth of her baby was "like a miracle."

Woman believed to be the first to have a baby using ovary frozen before puberty

Samantha Schmidt

Kyran & Joan.

'A special bond': Granddaughter makes nanna her bridesmaid

Hannah Barry

Single Bridget has been making her own Christmas cards since 2010.

'Single Bridget' releases her annual lonesome Christmas card

Jenna Clarke

Famous meeting: Murtaza Ahmadi, left, with his plastic bag jumper and with Lionel Messi.

Messi meets boy in the plastic bag jersey

Laura Dundovic rocking this summer's must-have leggings by We Are Handsome in aid of cancer initiative, Look Good Feel ...

We Are Handsome's must-have summer staple

Amy Croffey

Aliyah Charbonier (L) presenting Amaiya Zafar (R) with the belt she was awarded after Zafar was disqualified from their ...

A Muslim wasn't allowed box in a hijab, opponent shares victory with her

Cindy Boren

President Barack Obama jokes Vice President Joe Biden in the Oval Office on February 9, 2015.

You need these memes of Joe Biden trolling Trump today

Mary Ward

The safety pin movement is gaining momentum in the days following the US election.

Why some Americans have started wearing safety pins after the election

Jenna Clarke

If the only people voting on Tuesday were kids, Hillary Clinton would become the nation's president.

If kids were the only ones to vote, Hillary Clinton would be president

Jessica Contrera

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