Hangzhou Zoo By Adam Durbin BBC News A zoo in eastern China has reassured visitors its sun bears are real rather than humans in disguise, after footage of one animal standing like a person sent rumours flying online. Responding to a viral video of a bear on its hind legs, Hangzhou Zoo said people “don’t…

Getty Images By Shaimaa Khalil BBC News, Auckland Fans of the US women’s team are unusually on edge as their crunch World Cup game against Portugal looms. Some are even thinking the unthinkable. “I think I gained about 13,000 more grey hairs from this last match,” says fan Chris Lawler as he reflects in Auckland.…

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Getty Images By Sam Cabral BBC News, Washington DC He is currently overseeing two separate criminal investigations into a former American president, but Jack Smith is no stranger to bringing high-stakes cases. Over the past two decades, Mr Smith, 54, has pursued public officials in the US and abroad – with a mixed record of…

Reuters By Kathryn Armstrong in London & Geeta Pandey in Delhi BBC News India has confirmed that an object that washed up on a Western Australian beach recently was from one of its rockets. The giant metal dome was found at Green Head beach, about 250km (155 miles) north of Perth, in mid-July – prompting…

Work has begun to remove a Soviet-era hammer and sickle emblem on Kyiv’s Motherland monument. It will be replaced by a tryzub (a three-pronged emblem of Ukraine), with the works set to be completed by Ukraine’s Independence Day on 24 August. The BBC’s James Waterhouse visited the scene.

EPA By Kelly Ng BBC News The Taliban have burned musical instruments in Afghanistan, claiming music “causes moral corruption”. Thousands of dollars worth of musical equipment went up in smoke on a bonfire on Saturday in western Herat province. Since taking power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed numerous restrictions, including on playing music in…

Getty Images By Carrie Davies in Islamabad BBC News “Doomsday scenes” unfolded in Pakistan after a suicide bomber targeted a political rally, killing at least 45 people, an eyewitness has told the BBC. People screamed for help as rescuers rushed to the scene in the north-west Bajaur district on Sunday, rally organiser Imran Mahir said.…

A man was rescued by firefighters in Wu’an city in Hebei, China, after he was trapped in his car in a flooded river. The rescue was captured on state television as devastating floods hit the region in the wake of Typhoon Doksuri. Read more on storms in China: Two dead as Beijing is battered by…

Chad presidency By Farouk Chothia BBC News Niger’s ousted president has been seen for the first time since the military detained him after staging a coup last week. Mohamed Bazoum met Chad’s leader Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno in Niger’s capital, Niamey. Mr Déby is spearheading mediation efforts to end the crisis after West African leaders…