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[ad_1] Five southern koalas have been flown half way round the world as part of plans to create a back-up population of the species away from their native Australia. Although not an endangered species, they are considered to be vulnerable, and scientists will be studying them in their new home in the UK to see how to help them thrive. [ad_2]

[ad_1] By Alexandria Reid, Cathy Haenlein & Tom Keatinge Royal United Services Institute Image copyright Getty Images Around the world, the illegal wildlife trade is having a devastating effect on many species of animal. Could targeting profits made by those involved help protect them? Animals - both dead and alive - are being bought and sold on an industrial scale as food, pets, medicines and even ornaments. Global attention is often focused on species such as elephants and rhinos - and in many countries the populations of these animals has plummeted. In Tanzania, for example, elephant numbers fell by 60% from 109,000 in 2009, to just over 43,000 in 2014, according to government figures . Yet the trade also affects many other species, from great apes to helmeted hornbills and pangolins. Pangolins are prized in some countries for their meat and scales and are...

[ad_1] Image caption James Ricketson with daughter Roxanne Holmes, after his release from a Cambodian jail Australian filmmaker James Ricketson was imprisoned in Cambodia in 2016, accused of spying after flying a drone over an opposition rally. His adopted daughter campaigned tirelessly for his release from a cramped, unsanitary prison - until his pardon last month. But years earlier, it was Mr Ricketson who rescued her from a life of abuse and self-harm. Gary Nunn reports from Sydney. As James Ricketson, 69, and his adopted daughter Roxanne Holmes, 52, talk to me, their battle scars are showing. On the arm of Mr Ricketson's shirt sleeve is thick, congealed blood, still seeping through from a fight he had with Cambodian prison guards. It happened on his final day before his sudden release five da...

[ad_1] Image copyright Paul David Drabble Image caption A Xeros commercial washing machine uses polymer balls to lift dirt from materials As water shortages become more common around the world, the laundry industry is under pressure to reduce consumption of this precious resource and generally minimise its environmental impact. When Johannesburg native Charl de Beer moved back to South Africa, he started a company aiming to rent out freshly laundered linens to the 18,000 Airbnb hosts in Cape Town. But then Cape Town experienced a water shortage crisis that threatened his business - his water costs quadrupled in a year. "If you're a business, that's catastrophic," he says. Fortunately for him he came across a new technology - polymer beads to replace water - that could apparently reduce the amount ...

[ad_1] Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The divers were from Malaysia's Fire and Rescue department Six rescue divers have drowned while trying to save a teenager from a disused mining pool in Malaysia. They were searching for a 17-year-old boy who is thought to have fallen into the body of water while fishing with his friends on Wednesday. Authorities said the divers became caught in a "whirlpool" and sudden strong currents caused some of their equipment to come off. The search for the missing boy resumed on Thursday. 'A very sad day' The boy and his friends were about to start fishing at the mining pool in Sepang district in Selangor state when he fell in, reports said. The divers followed all safety procedures as they went into the pool on a search and rescue mission, according to S...