The Philippines has condemned China after a video emerged appearing to show a Chinese naval crew striking officers on board a Philippine rubber boat, which was trying to escort them away. According to the Philippine Armed Forces, one of its sailors suffered a 1.5-inch open head wound after being hit by a baton. The military…
Thousands of people are attempting to march to India’s parliament after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called a protest demanding reforms to the education system. The group, which is not a real political party, started out as satire. But on Monday, it held its biggest protest yet. BBC correspondent Azadeh Moshiri, who attended the group’s…
A collection of poems, some scribbled on slips of paper between food deliveries, has won Wang Jibing one of China’s top literary honours. Low Flight, inspired by the everyday challenges delivery riders face, has bagged the Lu Xun Literary Prize – named after a writer who has been referred to as the father of modern…
Even though Wangchuk will not be able to participate, Dipke has said that Monday’s march will happen as planned. “If they think that taking Wangchuk away will end this movement, they are mistaken. We will remain here, and will march to parliament on 20 July,” he said. Dipke has also begun an indefinite fast since…
Laos says it cannot determine blame or cause for the deaths of six deaths linked to methanol-tainted alcohol. A Briton, two Australians, two Danish citizens and an American died in November 2024 following a night out in Vang Vieng. Laos Ministry of Public Security said they did not have evidence to establish if the deaths…
The rocket – named after Vikram Sarabhai, who is called the father of India’s space programme – is small and has the capacity to carry payloads of up to 350kg, Skyroot co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana told the BBC. Chandana says today, access to space remains “a major bottleneck, with satellite operators often waiting…
The Philippines has condemned the “dehumanising and racist” portrayal of the country as a timid monkey strong-armed by the US and Japan to take Beijing on over the South China Sea. Last week, China Daily posted an AI-generated video featuring a monkey in a Filipino shirt. It screams as arms bearing the Japanese and US…
China has hit out at the nationalisation of British Steel, saying it “firmly opposes and is strongly dissatisfied with the British government’s decision”. On Thursday, the UK government said that taking the loss-making firm into public hands would protect jobs and safeguard a “vital national capability”. The UK took control of British Steel’s operations in…
The Australian government has said it is “deeply frustrated and bitterly disappointed” that Laos is not pursuing more serious charges in relation to the deaths of six backpackers who died after drinking methanol-laced alcohol in 2024. Australians Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, were among six people who died at a hostel in Vang…
Two boats carrying an estimated 530 Rohingya asylum seekers left Myanmar’s Rakhine state on 29 June, and have not been heard from since. The equivalent of a jumbo jet full of people has vanished. It is very likely that they both capsized. The monsoon has started, the seas are rough, and the boats – usually…