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Neu Delhi (AFP) – Youth-led protests in India last month turned television journalists into targets, exposing a deepening crisis of trust in flagship broadcasters accused by demonstrators of being government mouthpieces. The protests, spearheaded by the online Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, became a flashpoint for anger, not only at the government, but also at TV networks widely perceived as sympathetic to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. India ranks 157th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index, down 17 places from 2013.

Chilbolton (AFP) – In the sweeping shadow of a huge 1960s antenna, staff at the Chilbolton Observatory in southern England track objects orbiting the Earth, such as debris and rocket bodies, providing — alongside other sites around the country — the data that underpins the UK’s space monitoring and protection efforts. “Our role is to look at everything that happens and is in space,” says Matthew Archer, deputy director for launch and space domain awareness at the UK Space Agency.

Donostia-San Sebastián (AFP) – Beachgoers gather to see specimens of Physalia physalis, a marine hydrozoan commonly known as the Portuguese man o’ war or bluebottle, wash up on Ondarreta beach in the Spanish Basque city of San Sebastian. The deadly animal has venom-filled stings.

Bury St Edmunds (AFP) – With giant dust clouds emerging from his parched fields in Suffolk, farmer John Pawsey has noted a staggering 30 percent drop in crop yields after the driest July on record. “I am worried about the coming years,” he says. With intensifying droughts affecting Britain’s food security, experts warn that without immediate actions, shortages could soon become the country’s new reality.

Tubize (AFP) – “It’s an honour,” says Mark van Bommel at his first press conference as Belgium coach. The 48-year-old former Dutch international midfielder has succeeded Frenchman Rudi Garcia, who stepped down having guided Belgium to the World Cup quarter-finals. “Now I have the opportunity to become the coach of the national team from the neighbour land,” he adds.

Skardu (Pakistan) (AFP) – Rescuers transport the body of renowned British-Nepali climber Nirmal Purja to the city of Skardu, in the Shigar district of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, after days of a difficult evacuation mission hampered by extreme weather. The 43-year-old, known as ‘Nims Dai’, was killed by an avalanche on 30 July, along with the nine other members of an expedition climbing Broad Peak in northern Pakistan’s Karakoram range. Three of the climbers remain missing, with Purja’s company confirming there were no survivors.

Hangzhou (China) (AFP) – China has launched its first robot school, a facility training an initial cohort of 30 students for roles across the industrial, service, security and entertainment sectors. The robo-pupils undergo physical assessments, specialised coursework in their fields — which can include medicine and the arts — before a final skills certification. The tuition is “tailored to specific requirements of different robot hardware,” but there is “a core curriculum,” explains Zhu Tianle, an engineer at the Hangzhou Robot School based at the Zhejiang University Robot Research Institute.

Baringo (Kenya) (AFP) – As the lakes of Kenya’s Rift Valley expand — the result, scientists say, of intense rainfall — residents are increasingly coming face to face with new and dangerous neighbours: crocodiles. After the first significant surge in water levels in 2011, Mary Milka Tiren’s husband was killed by a hippo. A decade later her nine-year-old son spent three months in hospital following a crocodile attack, his scars still prominent. “He’s the one who was hurt the most,” she says, “because it carried him off for a bit.”

Seoul (AFP) – Thermal images of people and traffic in Seoul illustrate a searing heatwave baking the South Korean capital. In the last week, the country saw three new all-time high temperatures set, with the mercury peaking at 42.5C on Sunday 2 August. Seoul is under a “severe heatwave warning”, the first issuing of the alert since its introduction this year.

Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – It’s at the wacky end of the rock spectrum, but an unlikely recipe of polka-dot pyjamas, floppy-nosed masks and hypnotic guitar riffs has propelled Canadian duo Angine de Poitrine to viral stardom. Clad head to toe in black-and-white robes with their faces hidden by outsized masks, the duo, known only by pseudonyms, perform the hip Botanique venue in Brussels. “These two people are just totally bizarre and so intriguing at the same time,” says graphic designer, Peter Somers. “It’s just incredible.”

Moskau (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin announces the first permanent head of the country’s drone forces, during a meeting with top Defence Ministry officials.

Taipeh (AFP) – Taiwanese soldiers participate in the first day of the largest military drills of the year as the island democracy attempts to prepare its population for a potential Chinese invasion. The annual “Han Kuang” exercise, which runs from August 5-14, stages combat scenarios for troops and reservists to practise responding to an attack on the island, defence officials say.