Scuba diver stays underwater for 145 hours
Saddam Al-Kilany, an Egyptian scuba diver, plunged into the Red Sea off the Dahab coast and remained underwater for 145 hours and 30 minutes, surpassing his own 2017 personal best of 121 hours as well as the current record of 142 hours, 47 minutes, set by Cem Karabay in Cyprus in 2016.
Al-Kilany, who previously made headlines when he and his fiancé, Pia Legora, held their engagement ceremony underwater in September, was supported in his world record attempt by a team of medical experts and fellow scuba divers.
Video from the attempt and other documentation is being submitted to Guinness World Records for recognition as the world’s longest scuba dive.
Golden canine statue erected on a pedestal
The president of Turkmenistan honoured his favourite breed of dog by erecting a golden canine statue on a pedestal in the country’s capital.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, whose affection for the Alabai dog breed previously led him to release a book about the breed, unveiled the golden statue in the centre of a roundabout in Ashbagat.
Turkmenistan’s state-run news agency said the statue captures the “dignity and self-assuredness” of the Alabai, which is also known as a central Asian shepherd.
Youngest boy to kayak the Grand Canyon
A Colorado fifth-grader set a new world record when he kayaked all 280 miles of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
Bodie Hilleke, 10, whose parents, Tommy and Polly Hilleke, are both experienced kayakers, joined his parents and older siblings for the 280-mile trip through the Grand Canyon via the Colorado River.
“It was fun. I loved the big waves,” Bodie told.
Bodie’s parents said they have filed paperwork with Guinness World Records to have him certified as the youngest kayaker to navigate the length of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
Robot wolves protect town from bears
A Japanese town is protecting itself from wandering bears with a pair of unusual guardians: motion-detecting robot wolves.
Officials in Takikawa, on the island of Hokkaido, were concerned about an increase of bear incursions into residential neighbourhoods this year and they purchased two Monster Wolves, robotic guard canines created by machinery firm Ohta Seiki in partnership with a local university.
The Monster Wolves, which are made of metal and covered in fake fur to make them appear real to other animals, are outfitted with motion detectors that cause them to activate. The wolves then flash red lights in their eyes, move their heads back and forth and emit a series of howling and screeching noises.
“We want to let the bears know, ‘human settlements aren’t where you live,’ and help with the coexistence of bears and people,” Yuji Ota, head of Ohta Seiki, told Japanese newspaper The Mainichi.
City officials said the wolves have thus far been effective in preventing bears from entering the town.
Published in Dawn, Young World, November 21st, 2020
