MALAYSIA
They can take a hike if they don’t follow the rules. After a surge in accidents and search and rescue operations due to social media trends, the country is rolling out new rules for hikers, such as the mandatory use of guides at its 189 high-risk locations. Although hiking is a popular pastime in Malaysia, over half the country is under a tropical forest, which causes hikers to lose their way.
AUSTRALIA
The early bird can get a grip on this virus. Environmentalists are calling for the government’s help in curbing the bird flu plaguing Phillip Island’s Little penguin population, and asking they come up with a plan to stop potential “mass deaths” of the species. There are over 40,000 penguins in Phillip Island in Victoria, which is a major tourist attraction. Experts warn that if left untreated, the virus could also spread to other animals there.
ENGLAND
She is one spry senior. A 97-year-old Cheltenham resident broke her own Guinness World Record when she went wing-walking one year after having a stroke. Betty Bromage earned the title of oldest female wing walker on August 4 in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. The adventure-seeking nonagenarian had already set the record in 2022 at the age of 93.
MEXICO
Did AI ace these exams? The prestigious National Autonomous University of Mexico administered its admissions exam for the first time online this summer, and its results showed an unusually high number of perfect scores. Suspicious that AI was used, the school asked 58,000 students to retake it, leaving all 160,000 who took the exam waiting on their acceptance status.
CANADA
Two First Nations women from Alberta won the Miss Indigenous Canada competition. Among the 125 contestants who competed, Brooke Metchewais, a Plains Cree woman from the Cold Lake First Nations in Treaty 6, took first place, while Heather Wolf Ear, from Siksika First Nations in Treaty 7, was the runner-up. The women are judged based on an interview and essay, a cultural presentation, and a scrapbook documenting the work they’ve done in their communities.
With Wires
