ECB holds interest rate at record 0% low

Officials in Nigeria - a hub for illegal wildlife trafficking - have seized a record amount of pangolin scales and claws and elephant tusks as the government attempts to combat the trade, the head of customs said on Wednesday (August 4). The seizure, worth 22 billion naira ($54 million), included 17,134 kg of pangolin scales, 870 kg of elephant tusks and 4.60 kg in pangolin claws, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali, comptroller-general of customs, said in a statement to the press.

Endless rows of mud-caked vehicles damaged during deadly floods last month sit abandoned in a parking lot in the central city of Zhengzhou, a monument to the power of last months' record floods to hit Henan province.

Teenage pilot Zara Rutherford has set off in her ultralight sports plane on the first leg of a 52-country, five-continent flight around the world. The first leg is a short hop across the Channel from her Belgian hometown of Kortrijk to England. Her three-month voyage will then take her over oceans, deserts and the vast Siberian wilderness.

India's economy grew by a record 20.1 percent between April and June, compared to the same period last year when the country was experiencing a deep recession. The strong growth comes despite India seeing a surge in Covid-19 cases during that period. Also today, we hear how French luxury giants saw tens of billions of euros wiped off their market value after a warning that China's rich may have to pay more tax.

The high temperatures were particularly severe in countries such as Italy, Greece and Spain. The continent experienced a variety of extreme weather events this summer, including deadly flooding and wildfires.

The European Central Bank will slow the rate of its pandemic stimulus as the eurozone economy shows signs of recovery. Inflation worries have spawned debate over when to end the emergency support.

Sumo's greatest-ever champion Hakuho has decided to retire over persistent knee trouble, Japanese media report, leaving a gaping hole at the top of the ancient sport.

Numbers of migrant arrivals in Lampedusa have jumped. The arrival of 686 people on one rusty fishing boat is the largest single arrival in 2021.

At the Rennes women's prison in western France, a team of inmates and guards are working hard to beat the French indoor rowing record for the most kilometres covered in 24 hours, a challenge that offers a moment of escape, cohesion and self-improvement.

35-year-old double world champion Jennifer Wendland gives an insight into freediving while competing at the AIDA World Championships off the coast of the Cypriot port town of Limassol.

There was a great deal of interest among investors as the EU's first "green bonds" went on sale. The investments will go towards funding sustainable projects.

An Australian long-distance swimmer breaks the world record for the most number of swims across the Channel between England and France. Chloe McCardel, 36, made the swim for the 44th time, breaking the previous record of 43 she had held jointly with British swimmer Alison Streeter.