East Molesey (AFP) – The London Vegetable Orchestra performs at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, surprising bystanders with instruments carved from vegetables and fruit. Their success follows a jam session with King Charles III in Buckingham Palace in April, a video of which went viral online, where the King participated with a carrot recorder.
Bangkok (AFP) – Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai condemns Cambodia’s use of heavy weaponry and defends the Thai air strikes launched on Cambodian military positions, describing the escalation as “just a conflict”, rather than a war. He adds that he hopes to open a dialogue with Cambodia to “solve the problem”.
Unknown (AFP) – Waxworks museum chain Madame Tussauds is to display 13 new figures of US pop megastar Taylor Swift at venues around the world. In honour of Swift’s lucky number, 13 of the museum’s 22 branches will each receive a statue of the “Love Story” and “Blank Space” singer, in what it calls the “most ambitious project” of its 250-year history.
Chester (AFP) – Hidden camera images show a rare snow leopard cub, the first to be born in the UK’s Chester Zoo in its 94-year history. First-time mum Nubra gave birth to the cub on 10 June, and the pair have been virtually inseparable since. Nubra and the cub’s father Yashin were carefully matched together in 2024 as part of an international conservation breeding programme. Snow leopards are classed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, with just 4,000 remaining in the wild.
Peking (AFP) – China’s foreign ministry says it is “deeply concerned” over deadly clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, which mark a dramatic escalation of a long-running border row between the two neighbours over an area known as the Emerald Triangle. Thailand has launched air strikes on Cambodian military targets while Cambodia has fired rockets and artillery, killing at least 11 civilians.
(AFP) – A 1,000-tonne ship is exploring the far-flung South Pacific for riches buried beneath the waves, spearheading efforts to dredge the tropical waters for industrial deep-sea mining. But plans to mine the Cook Islands’ seabed have drawn condemnation from activists who fear damage to the environment.
Mele (Vanuatu) (AFP) – Vanuatu spearheaded the legal case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which found countries have a duty to protect against the “urgent and existential” threat of a warming planet.
Chachoengsao (Thailand) (AFP) – Military vehicles head towards the border with Cambodia are spotted in Chachoengsao, Thailand as a long-running border row between the two neighbours escalated. The conflict blazed up on Thursday, with Cambodia firing rockets and artillery shells into Thailand and the Thai military scrambling F-16 jets to carry out air strikes. IMAGES
Boland (AFP) – Trained dogs are being used in South Africa to help locate and then track a critically endangered species of tortoise. “I think it is actually incredible that we can use domestic animals to help save wild animals,” says Esther Matthew, dog handler at the Endangered Wildlife Trust.
Brasilia (AFP) – Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro leaves the Liberal Party headquarters after apologizing to journalists, claiming that he cannot speak. On July 22, his defense team denied that he violated a court order prohibiting him from posting on social media, after Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes warned of the possibility of ordering his immediate arrest. IMAGES
Brasilia (AFP) – Images of exterior of condominium where former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro lives. Bolsonaro is waiting for Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes’ decision on whether or not to order his preventive detention. De Moraes has threatened him with imprisonment, arguing that the sharing of a speech of his by online users was a “violation” of a social media ban. IMAGES
Brasília (AFP) – “You know I can’t talk,” says former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro to the journalists as he arrives at the PL (Liberal Party) headquarters to meet with members of his party in Brasilia. Bolsonaro is waiting for Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes’ decision on whether or not to order his preventive detention. De Moraes has threatened him with imprisonment, arguing that the sharing of a speech of his by online users was a “violation” of a social media ban. IMAGES
