Stockholm announces British author Kazuo Ishiguro, best known for his novel "The Remains of the Day" , has won the 2017 Nobel Literature Prize. The 69-year-old author reacts to the news in London.

Beneath the surface of the flat, turquoise waters of Porto Rafti, a popular yachting harbour near Athens, hydraulic drills are hard at work as part of a project to protect a vital species of seagrass. Vital to the health of the Mediterranean, posidonia meadows have been destroyed by decades of boat anchors ripping along the seabed. Now, Greek maritime authorities are working to install new eco-moorings, giving boats somewhere to dock without dropping anchor.

Not far from the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, soundtracked by meows and barks, Toru Akama tends to his house full of animals. The former power plant worker now dedicates his life to the pets left behind in the wake of the triple disaster in March 2011, which saw Japan's strongest-ever earthquake, the resulting tsunami, and a devastating nuclear meltdown. "I felt the duty to protect these animals," says Akama, who has successfully rehomed around 1,000 pets in the last 15 years.

Entomologist Cristian Lucanas is the Philippines' lone expert on cockroaches and says the ubiquitous bugs, which many deride as disgusting pests, deserve more study -- and credit -- for their key role in the planet's ecosystem.

Across the UK, British schoolchildren take part in the annual tradition of dressing up as their favourite fictional character to mark World Book Day. At this primary school in South West London, pupils arrive at the school gates dressed as Hermione Granger, Sherlock Holmes and Pippi Longstocking, all clasping a copy of their chosen book.

With plenty of barks, treats and tail-wagging, the world's biggest and most famous dog show gets underway in Britain, with a record number of overseas entries among those bidding for Crufts glory. More than 20,000 pooches of varying size, shape and personality are competing in the four-day showcase. "It's joy. It's like Disney World, but for dog lovers," says visitor Hayley Ashdown.