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Kew Gardens Announces New Giant Waterlily Species

Head gardener Petra Putova, at the Liberec Botanical Garden in the Czech Republic, shows the smallest water lily in the world, Nymphaea thermarum, next to the largest, the giant Amazonian water lily (Victoria amazonica). PHOTOGRAPH BY RADEK PETRASEK, CTK/AP IMAGES
Head gardener Petra Putova, at the Liberec Botanical Garden in the Czech Republic, shows the smallest water lily in the world, Nymphaea thermarum, next to the largest, the giant Amazonian water lily (Victoria amazonica). PHOTOGRAPH BY RADEK PETRASEK, CTK/AP IMAGES
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Kew Gardens Announces New Giant Waterlily Species

Head gardener Petra Putova, at the Liberec Botanical Garden in the Czech Republic, shows the smallest water lily in the world, Nymphaea thermarum, next to the largest, the giant Amazonian water lily (Victoria amazonica). PHOTOGRAPH BY RADEK PETRASEK, CTK/AP IMAGES
Head gardener Petra Putova, at the Liberec Botanical Garden in the Czech Republic, shows the smallest water lily in the world, Nymphaea thermarum, next to the largest, the giant Amazonian water lily (Victoria amazonica). PHOTOGRAPH BY RADEK PETRASEK, CTK/AP IMAGES

Experts at London's Kew Gardens on Monday revealed they have discovered the first new giant waterlily species since the mid-19th century -- after it was initially mistaken for another.

Specimens of the new species had lain undiscovered at the botanical garden for 177 years and in the National Herbarium of Bolivia for 34 years, AFP said.

It had been thought they were from the "Victoria amazonica", one of the two known varieties of giant waterlilies whose genus was named after queen Victoria in 1852.

But their true identity was revealed after experts at Kew worked with a team from the Latin American country to establish they were in fact a third variety.

As well as being the newest species of giant waterlily, "Victoria boliviana", whose leaves grow as wide as three meters in the wild, is also the largest in the world.

A paper detailing the years of detective work is outlined in a paper in the journal Frontiers in Plant Sciences, published on Monday.

Seeds from the suspected third giant waterlily species were donated by Santa Cruz de La Sierra Botanic Garden and La Rinconada Gardens in Bolivia.

Botanical artist Lucy Smith said they had been growing -- unlabeled -- in a glasshouse at Kew for the last four years.

"A few people have asked, why does this one look so different from the others? But we've had to say, well, we think it's similar to this or similar to that," she told AFP.

"So in fact, we've had this wonderful secret hiding in plain sight all this time."

Carlos Magdalena, a research horticulturalist who specializes in saving plant species that are near extinction, described the plant as "one of the botanical wonders of the world".

Magdalena said some 2,000 new plant species are identified every year but he added: "What I think is very unusual is a plant (this) size with this level of fame to be discovered in the year 2022.

"That is quite unusual. It also highlights how many things could be out there.

"It really highlights how little we know in the end about our natural world."

Giant waterlilies bloom and turn from white to pink at night.

"Victoria boliviana" is named in honor of the Bolivian partners on the team and the plant's natural ecosystem.

Kew is the only place in the world where all three species of the Victoria genus -- "amazonica", "cruziana" and now "boliviana" -- can be seen side by side.

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Varieties

Rare Diamond Changes Lives of Two Indian Friends

Satish Khatik and Sajid Mohammed found a 15.34-carat gem-quality diamond in Panna (Amit Rathaur)
Satish Khatik and Sajid Mohammed found a 15.34-carat gem-quality diamond in Panna (Amit Rathaur)
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Rare Diamond Changes Lives of Two Indian Friends

Satish Khatik and Sajid Mohammed found a 15.34-carat gem-quality diamond in Panna (Amit Rathaur)
Satish Khatik and Sajid Mohammed found a 15.34-carat gem-quality diamond in Panna (Amit Rathaur)

On a recent winter morning in Panna, a diamond mining region in central India, two childhood friends made a discovery that they think could change their lives forever.

Satish Khatik and Sajid Mohammed stumbled upon a large, glistening rock on a plot of land they had leased just weeks earlier, according to BBC India.

When they took the stone to the city's official diamond evaluator, they learnt they had found a 15.34-carat gem-quality diamond - one of the finest varieties of natural diamonds that exist.

“The estimated market price of the stone is around five to six million rupees [$55,000 - $66,000] and it will be auctioned soon,” Anupam Singh, the diamond evaluator, told BBC Hindi.

The government holds quarterly auctions, drawing buyers from across India and abroad to bid for the diamonds.

“Estimated prices depend on the dollar rate and benchmarks set by the Rapaport report,” Singh said. Rapaport is widely regarded as a leading authority on independent diamond and jewelry market analysis.

Khatik and Mohammed say they are over the moon. “We can now get our sisters married,” they said.

Khatik, 24, who runs a meat shop and Mohammed, 23 who sells fruits, come from poor backgrounds and are the youngest sons in their families.

For generations, their families have been trying their luck at finding diamonds, which is a common quest among the district's residents.

Panna, which is in Madhya Pradesh state, is among India's least developed districts - its residents face poverty, water scarcity and unemployment.

While most mines are run by the federal government, state authorities lease small plots to locals each year at nominal rates. With few job opportunities in the city, residents hope for a prized find to improve their fortunes - but most come up empty-handed.

Mohammed said his father and grandfather had dug through these plots for decades but discovered nothing more that “dust and slivers of quartz.”

His father Nafees said that the “gods have finally rewarded their hard work and patience.”

They leased a plot in search of diamonds partly out of desperation, as their meagre incomes could not keep pace with rising household costs - let alone pay for a wedding, Mohammed told the BBC.

Varieties

SpaceX Loses Contact with Starlink Satellite after Mishap

FILE PHOTO: SpaceX logo and Elon Musk silhouette are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: SpaceX logo and Elon Musk silhouette are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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SpaceX Loses Contact with Starlink Satellite after Mishap

FILE PHOTO: SpaceX logo and Elon Musk silhouette are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: SpaceX logo and Elon Musk silhouette are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

SpaceX's Starlink said one of its satellites experienced an anomaly in space on Wednesday that created a "small number" of debris and cut off communications with the spacecraft at 418 km (259.73 miles) in altitude, a rare kinetic accident in orbit for the satellite internet giant.

"The satellite is largely intact, tumbling, and will reenter the Earth's atmosphere and fully demise within weeks," Starlink said in a post on X.

The company said it was working with the US Space Force and NASA to monitor the debris pieces, the number of which SpaceX did not say.

Space Force's space-tracking unit did not immediately return a Reuters request for comment on the number of trackable debris, which could pose risks for other active satellites in orbit.

With the Starlink satellite still somewhat intact, the event seemed smaller in scale than other orbital mishaps such as the breakup of an Intelsat satellite that created more than 700 pieces, or the breakup of a Chinese rocket body last year.

Varieties

Lion, Bear Kept as Pets in Albania Find New Homes in German Wildlife Sanctuaries

In this photo, released on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 by Four Paws, veterinarians prepare Erion, a three-year-old lion for its transportation from Tirana to Germany after its illegal keeping in Albania. (Four Paws via AP)
In this photo, released on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 by Four Paws, veterinarians prepare Erion, a three-year-old lion for its transportation from Tirana to Germany after its illegal keeping in Albania. (Four Paws via AP)
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Lion, Bear Kept as Pets in Albania Find New Homes in German Wildlife Sanctuaries

In this photo, released on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 by Four Paws, veterinarians prepare Erion, a three-year-old lion for its transportation from Tirana to Germany after its illegal keeping in Albania. (Four Paws via AP)
In this photo, released on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 by Four Paws, veterinarians prepare Erion, a three-year-old lion for its transportation from Tirana to Germany after its illegal keeping in Albania. (Four Paws via AP)

A lion and bear rescued from captivity in northern Albania arrived in animal sanctuaries in Germany in early December after authorities in Tirana discovered they were being illegally kept as pets on a private estate.

Erion, a 3-year-old lion, and Flora, a 2-year-old bear, are now both starting a new life.

“We are very happy that the authorities confiscated the animals and that we now have the chance to bring them to Germany, where they can start over and live in species-appropriate conditions,” said Magdalena Scherk-Trettin, a senior project manager responsible for rescues at the international animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS.

A team from FOUR PAWS carried out the rescue after Albania’s National Forestry Agency located the lion based on videos posted on TikTok by its owner.

Neither authorities nor the organization have named the person who was keeping them as pets.

Veterinarians administered anesthesia before the animals were loaded into crates for their long trip to new homes. On Dec. 13, they ended a 70-hour journey through several European countries, with Erion now housed in a wild animal sanctuary in southeast Germany and Flora in a bear sanctuary in the north of the country, FOUR PAWS said.

The organization said both animals had been in poor condition.

“An initial visual check determined that Flora is malnourished and has dental issues, so her recovery plan is already underway,” the organization said.

And when Erion was rescued, his mane had fallen out, for reasons that the veterinarians have not yet been able to determine, it said.

Despite the challenging journey, the rescue was worth it, said Scherk-Trettin. “We are delighted to see these animals begin their new lives.”

Illegal wildlife trade remains a systemic problem in Albania and across the region, where bears in particular, as well as exotic animals, are kept in cages at restaurants or on private properties with little or no expert care.

Erion's and Flora's origins remain unclear. FOUR PAWS said it believes the lion is a victim of illegal wildlife trafficking, while the bear was likely poached from the wild.

“The rescue highlights Albania’s urgent need to tackle illegal wildlife trade and private keeping,” The Associated Press quoted the organization as saying in a statement.

Weak legislation, legal loopholes and poor enforcement have contributed to the widespread private captivity and trade of wild animals in Albania, according to FOUR PAWS, which estimates that more than 60 big cats are still being kept in poor conditions in Albania.

Albanian law allows for individuals or organizations to keep specimens of wild animals if they were born in captivity – for example in a zoo or a specialized facility. Non-native species born outside of Albania can also be kept if documents can be provided proving they were acquired from specialized breeding and trade centers.

Sajmir Shehu, a project manager at Four Paws, said the law lacks a stringent framework based on which organizations like his could prevent wild animals being kept in captivity.

The law also allows for animals to be confiscated if welfare or veterinary standards are not met, but imposes no sanctions on the owners of exotic pets.