
-
Booker agrees to record $145 mn extension with Suns: reports
-
Sabalenka criticises Anisimova behaviour after shock Wimbledon exit
-
Russia and US hold 'frank' talks on Ukraine war
-
Swiatek swats Bencic aside to reach Wimbledon final against Anisimova
-
Root's 99 not out keeps India at bay in third Test
-
Delta offers upbeat outlook on travel demand, lifting shares
-
Sara Netanyahu: the ever-present wife of Israel's prime minister
-
Italy can hurt rampant Spain, says coach Soncin
-
Djokovic faces Sinner in Wimbledon blockbuster as Alcaraz meets Fritz
-
Rebooted and 'vulnerable': Superman is back on screens
-
Sri Lanka steamroll Bangladesh to win first T20
-
Swiatek routs Bencic to reach first Wimbledon final
-
Anisimova shocks Sabalenka to reach Wimbledon final, Swiatek in action
-
Europe court says S.African Semenya's gender eligibility trial wasn't fair
-
Ten rescued after deadly Huthi ship sinking off Yemen
-
Scrutiny over Texas flood response mounts as death toll hits 120
-
Rami Al Ali becomes first Syrian in Paris fashion programme
-
London stocks hit record high on tariff optimism
-
Ireland's Healy pulls off solo win at Tour de France
-
French appeals court clears two over first lady gender rumours
-
French appeals court court clears two over first lady gender rumours
-
Barry Callebaut cuts outlook as chocolate sales volumes melt away
-
The $10 mn bag: Original Birkin smashes records at Paris auction
-
Anisimova stuns Sabalenka to reach Wimbledon final
-
Root leads England revival after Reddy's double strike for India
-
Snap, crackle and pay: Ferrero to buy WK Kellogg for $3.1 bn
-
Shein faces 150-mn-euro fine in France
-
Rubio says Asia might get 'better' tariffs than others
-
India wicketkeeper Pant leaves field injured in third Test
-
Russia says holds 'frank exchange' with US on Ukraine war
-
Tendulkar says 'life has come full circle' with Lord's portrait
-
Wall Street stocks stall, London hits record high
-
Duplantis unfazed by late world champs in Tokyo
-
Europe court says S.African athlete's gender eligibility trial wasn't fair
-
Dzeko, 39, returns to Serie A with Fiorentina
-
Scrutiny over Texas flood response mounts as death toll tops 120
-
Iran threats in UK 'significantly increased': Intel watchdog
-
Volkswagen halts electric minivan exports to the United States
-
EU chief von der Leyen comfortably survives confidence vote
-
India's Reddy strikes twice to rock England
-
EU opens new probe into TikTok data transfer to China
-
Italy probes UK online bank Revolut for 'misleading' clients
-
Arsenal sign midfielder Norgaard from Brentford
-
Explosions, fires rock Kyiv in deadly Russian barrage
-
Fatigued Afghan taxi drivers take novel approach to AC
-
Rubio meets Russia's Lavrov at ASEAN talks
-
Stocks rise on tariff optimism, London hits record high
-
Hamas says Israeli troops sticking point in truce talks as Gaza pounded
-
EU chief von der Leyen survives confidence vote by large margin
-
Europe court says S.African athlete's trial wasn't fair in gender testing case

Hippo birthday: Thai internet sensation Moo Deng is a year old
Thailand's pygmy hippo Moo Deng marked her first birthday on Thursday, drawing crowds of diehard fans even as she left behind the cute animal infancy that earned her worldwide internet fame.
Big crowds are expected at a four-day festival at Khao Kheow Open Zoo where Moo Deng -- meaning "Bouncy Pork" in Thai -- frolicked to stardom and amassed five million social media followers.
The first day of the extravaganza fell on a Thai public holiday with an agenda including a lecture on "Moo Deng's cheekiness", while a skincare beautician paid $3,000 to sponsor her fruit-festooned birthday cake.
Around 100 fans gathered outside her enclosure on Thursday morning -- fewer than the hordes she commanded at the height of her fame, but still animated with adoration.
Jennifer Tang took a week off her work in Malaysia to make the pilgrimage, telling AFP she was "a little bit obsessed" with the calf she described as a "chaos rage potato".
"She's really special to me, she makes me happy," she said. Tang insisted Moo Deng is "still really sassy and funny" despite approaching maturity.
"Take a look at the crowd today -- she's still a legend," she told AFP.
Moo Deng has swollen from five kilograms (11 pounds) at birth to 93 kilograms today.
She spent her birthday plodding in her enclosure, munching fruit and vegetables -- a stark contrast to the energetic yet clumsy antics that earned her fame as a pint-sized pachyderm.
"Moo Deng used to be very naughty and jumped around all the time," said Attaphol Nundee, one of her six handlers. "Now she only eats and sleeps."
"Her popularity has slowed," admitted the 32-year-old. "But some old fans have returned, and there are new ones too."
Despite her waning fame "her eyes light up when people take photos of her", he said.
Her handlers are set later to auction her belongings, but it is unclear what possessions she has accumulated in her short life at the Chonburi province zoo, a two-hour drive from Bangkok.
- 'Cute doesn't last long' -
Moo Deng's blubbery rose-blushed face launched a thousand memes and a plethora of merchandise including piggy banks, party shirts and popsicles -- prompting her owners to trademark her likeness.
She once quadrupled ticket sales for the zoo where she resides in a sparse, stone, five square metre (54 square feet) public enclosure, once livestreamed 24/7 to sate the internet's appetite for her.
There were hopes her stardom would spotlight the plight of the endangered pygmy hippo, native to West Africa with only around 2,500 left alive according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature
But social media and search engine metrics suggest Moo Deng's popularity peaked around late September last year before dramatically declining.
"Moo Deng went viral very quickly when she was born," said Joshua Paul Dale, an academic who teaches courses on the phenomenon of "cuteness" at Japan's Chuo University.
"Maybe part of our appreciation of cuteness is knowing that it's something that doesn't last very long," he told AFP.
Moo Deng is part of a pantheon of captive animals who have enjoyed flash-in-the-pan popularity for their cuteness online, including Australia's Pesto the penguin and China's Hua Hua the panda.
Pygmy hippos have a lifespan of between 30 and 50 years.
"Moo Deng won't be the most popular forever," admitted her handler Attaphol. "One day there will be a new generation of Moo Deng."
G.Stevens--AMWN