NEW ZEALAND
A spry 101-year-old was named the world’s oldest competitive croquet player. Neville Sandiford earned the Guinness World Record title when he played in an 80+ Golf Croquet tournament in Paraparaumu, Wellington. The centenarian took up the sport at age 79 at his late wife’s suggestion. “[She] read an advertisement in the newspaper that the Wellington club was giving free lessons,” he told the record book. “So we went along. As soon as I took hold of a mallet and hit one ball I knew that was for me.”
JAPAN
After facing their hottest summer on record last year, Japan created a name for days hitting 104 degrees Fahrenheit and above. The term kokushobi, which translates to “cruelly hot,” “brutally hot” or “severely hot,” was chosen via a nationwide online survey in which close to half a million residents participated. Last summer was the hottest one since records began in 1898, with temperatures reaching 36.248 degrees above average.
MEXICO
In a historic act of conservation, 1,000 baby achoque salamanders were released in Lake Pátzcuaro. The amphibians, which will undergo controlled reproduction, have been threatened due to factors such as pollution, drought and even locals, who eat them because they believe they have medicinal benefits.
AUSTRALIA
A 91-year-old was crowned the oldest first-time grandfather. Charles Smith earned the Guinness World Record title when his granddaughter, Isla, was born to his son, Ashley, and daughter-in-law, Hanna. The new parents secretly sent in Smith’s world record application and then surprised him with the certificate. When referring to his grandbaby’s birth, Smith told the record book it was “Absolute magic.”
ITALY
Beginning in 2028, Italy will be hosting a June tennis tournament on grass courts ahead of Wimbledon. The Italian Tennis and Padel Federation bought the rights for a 250-level ATP Tour tournament, but are still deciding on its location, which will likely be in northern Italy due to its climate.
With Wires