The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland has appeared in the world top ten for performing arts education in the QS World University Rankings 2024 published today, April 10, 2024. (Photo by The Times)

Indian commuters wade through floodwaters during the continuous rain shower in Calcutta, India, July 10, 2015. A monsoon shower hit the city and disrupted daily life. The Indian monsoon, takes place between May and September. (Photo by Piyal Adhikary/EPA)

In this photo provided by Jean Revillard, Solar Impulse 2, a plane powered by the sun's rays and piloted by Andre Borschberg, approaches Kalaeloa Airport near Honolulu, Friday, July 3, 2015. His 120-hour voyage from Nagoya, Japan broke the record for the world's longest nonstop solo flight, his team said. (Photo by Jean Revillard/Global Newsroom via AP Photo)

A dramatic rise in owning exotic pets in China is fuelling global demand for threatened species. The growing trade in alligators, snakes, monkeys, crocodiles and spiders is directly linked to species loss in some of the world’s most threatened ecosystems. Here: A fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) is groomed in a pet store in central Beijing. Native to the Sahara in North Africa, the species became a popular pet after being depicted as a character in Disney’s 2016 animated movie Zootopia. Individuals can cost between $2,000–$3,000. (Photo by Sean Gallagher/The Guardian)

A worker assembles a sеx doll at the WMDOLL factory in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China, July 11, 2018. The factory has over 200 full-time workers, all dolls are handmade and each requires the cooperation of at least five workers. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

Cookie the cockapoo dog is enjoying herself on the beach by jumping over a sea defence as the sun shines at Heacham, West Norfolk, England on July 14, 2020. (Photo by Paul Marriott/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A group of young men use a selfie stick to take a picture of themselves in shallow waters known as the first cataract of the River Nile outside Khartoum, Sudan, May 22, 2015. In Sudan, which faces insurgences in the western region of Darfur and along its border with breakaway South Sudan, as well as double-digit inflation and high unemployment, life goes on for young people in the capital Khartoum. (Photo by Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters)

A young girl sits on a mat, as worshippers arrive to pray to mark the Muslim Eid-al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifices) without observationg precautionary measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, in Kara, Ogun State in southwest Nigeria, on July 31, 2020. Nigerian Muslim faithfuls joined their counterparts across the world to celebrate Eid-El-Adha, Islamic festival of sacrifice. (Photo by Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP Photo)