#1 Paris is kicking tourist buses out
Sick of tourist buses causing “total anarchy”, Paris’ deputy mayor has revealed that the city is looking to mitigate overtourism. Tourist buses will no longer be allowed in the heart of Paris, and the city is developing regulations to limit bus traffic and introduce new parking areas outside of the city.
Tourists are now being asked to do as the Parisians do and take public transport.
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#2 Arctic Fox runs from Norway to Canada in 76 Days
An arctic fox broke records after travelling from Norway to Canada via Greenland’s seasonal ice in 76 days. The fox traversed 3,506 kilometres to reach Canada and moved an average of 46.3 kilometres per day. This is the fastest movement rate recorded for an arctic fox – 1.4 times faster than the previous long-distance speed record.
Based on the fox’s age, it’s believed that she travelled to find a place to breed; however, researchers lost track of the fox after she arrived in Canada.
#3 Japan’s abandoned schools are not going to waste
Something we love about Japan is that they’re super not into waste – a great relief considering the rapidly declining population. The population is declining so quickly, with the additional burden that everyone is moving to the major cities, that between 2002 and 2017, a total of 7,583 schools were abandoned and shut down!
Well, instead of just letting these buildings rot away in squalor, most of them are getting repurposed. It’s been revealed that as of May 2018, over 75% of abandoned schools have been successfully converted. At least one has been turned into an aquarium, others into community centres and some into hotels!
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#4 A 3,400-year-old palace has emerged from the Tigris River
A drought in Iraq has revealed a palace thought to be more than 3,400 years old. The palace – now called Kemune – has prompted a vast archaeological dig that is hoped to help researchers understand more about the lesser-known Mittani Empire of Mesopotamia.
The Mittani Empire is thought to have existed from 1500 to 1360 BC and is believed to have fought extensively with Egypt for control of Syria.
