Beijing (AFP) – The second World Humanoid Robot Games open in Beijing, bringing together over 2,000 robots from 16 countries showcasing advances in humanoid robotics. The five-day event features over 1,000 competitions, blending athletic sports, artistic performances, and practical real-world challenges.
Palangkaraya (Indonesia) (AFP) – Amid flames, thick haze, and teams of volunteers battling wildfires on Indonesia’s island of Borneo, a teenager dressed as superman joins the fight with a fire hose in hand. Indonesia is currently facing a wildfire and haze crisis, in which nearly 95,000 hectares of land burned across the country in July alone, according to government data released this week.
At sea (AFP) – Gliding into the port of Amsterdam under full sail, the twin-masted Tres Hombres sailboat delivers 40 tonnes of Caribbean rum, coffee and cocoa to the Netherlands. But this 32-metre brigantine has a much nobler mission than the pirates of old: sustainable goods transport using the energy from wind captured in its sails. “We have almost no emissions because we sail without an engine,” explains Sabine Fox, head of the firm that operates the Tres Hombres.
(AFP) – A 53-year-old elephant injured and rescued from floods in northeastern India has been airlifted to Vantara, a wildlife facility in India’s Gujarat state, for treatment and hospital care. Founded by Anant Ambani, son of billionaire tycoon Mukesh Ambani, Vantara has more than 260 Asian elephants, and includes what it says is the world’s “largest dedicated elephant hospital”.
Quito (AFP) – Hot air balloons take off from the Mitad del Mundo complex in Quito, Ecuador, as part of the fifth edition of the Mitad del Mundo International Hot Air Balloon Festival. Crews from Mexico, Brazil, and Ecuador take part in the event.
Belo Horizonte (Brazil) (AFP) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio da Silva says he urged US President Donald Trump in a phone call to resolve their countries’ trade dispute, saying US tariffs were baseless. “The tariffs that you imposed on Brazil are, you know, not just unrealistic, they were imposed on the basis of a lie,” he tells supporters at a rally in Belo Horizonte.
The Ebola outbreak raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo is “growing exponentially,” warns the United Nations’ senior Ebola coordinator Julien Harneis. “The outbreak is faster than our response,” says Harneis, speaking from Bunia in DRC, with more than 2,500 people out of over 5,000 cases having died.
The Amazonian river port of Guayaramerin is emerging as a new flashpoint in the Latin American drug trade as powerful Brazilian gangs cross the river into the sleepy corner of Bolivia, causing violence to spiral. “Gangs and robbery mafias can cross over here, and the people here in Guayaramerin are living in fear,” says 31-year-old housewife Yestin Duran.
At a warehouse in Osaka, a novel new tool has been installed to help tackle Japan’s dangerous summer heat: a human refrigerator. The “Do Hiemon Box” looks like a phone booth and blows jets of air chilled to five degrees Celsius onto its occupant for rapid heatstroke prevention.
Beijing (AFP) – China says that US “sanctions and pressure” would not resolve the Middle East conflict, as Washington urges governments including Beijing to join efforts to isolate the Iranian economy. The United States has vowed it would “collapse” the Iranian regime with its threatened campaign, which Tehran has branded as “economic terrorism” doomed to fail, nearly six months since their war began.
Mexico City (AFP) – Young Mexicans face off in one of the latest social media trends, the ‘aura battle,’ a contest where rivals showcase their best moves, poses and meme-inspired gestures to see who has the most ‘aura’. “It’s about who has the most confidence”, says organizer Aldhir Gonzalez.
Sydney (AFP) – “I thought that pretty much sums up Nick Kyrgios,” says Sydney tennis coach Jai Garner, reacting to the news that the Australian star has been provisionally suspended from tennis after testing positive for cocaine. The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced Kyrgios’ suspension on 19 August, the latest episode in a career marked by controversy, injuries and mental health struggles. “Commitment to tennis requires quite a lot out of one person,” says Sabrina Levine, “maybe there comes a time when they just want a break.”
