The world’s longest commercial long-haul flight has been announced, a non-stop trek from Sydney to London that can take up to 22 hours. Australian airline Qantas announced the direct flight route will start from October 2027, billing passengers approximately 20% more for the long-haul journey compared with a traditional layover. The BBC’s Harry Sekulich asks…
The H5N1 strain of bird flu has for the first time been found in Australia, the country’s agriculture ministry confirmed. It means the highly contagious variant has now reached every continent. The disease was found in a migratory seabird, a brown skua, in remote Western Australia, Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said on Saturday. The bird…
Millions of hopeful medical students across India are resitting a crucial exam under unprecedented security, after the first paper was cancelled following allegations that the questions had been leaked. Nervous students were met with biometric identification checks, metal detectors, armoured patrols and frisking at exam centres on Sunday morning. Leaving nothing to chance this time,…
“The market is clearly showing signs of slowing down. We’ve already seen enrolments to the UK and US fall by 20% over the last two years, and I expect another 10-15% decline from those levels going forward,” Sushil Sukhwani, founder of Edwise International, which sends thousands of Indian students to universities abroad each year, told…
The tour, which kicked off in April and stretches well into 2027, will span 34 cities. BTS and their record label Hybe stand to make nearly $2bn (£1.5bn) from their reunion, derived from concerts, merchandise, licensing, album sales and streaming revenue, some analysts told Reuters news agency. Across Asia, the number of people vying for…
Australian police have seized 2.7 tonnes of cocaine – the country’s largest ever such bust – from an underground bunker system in western Sydney. The drugs, with an estimated street value of A$816m (£433m, €500m), were found on Friday in compartments concealed beneath false floors in three shipping containers at a property in Londonderry. Two…
Japan has implemented a five-fold increase to visa fees for all foreigners, marking the first price hike in nearly 50 years. From 1 July, single-entry visa fees will be raised from the current 3,000 yen ($18.69; £14) to 15,000 yen, while multi-entry visas will now cost 30,000 yen, up from 6,000 yen. The visa fee…
A scaly, heart-shaped fruit could become the latest cause of friction between China and Taiwan, as the latter warned farmers against Beijing’s plan to step up imports of the crop. The atemoya, a hybrid of different custard apple species with creamy white flesh encased in a rough green exterior, is a specialty of Taiwan’s Taitung…
Hundreds of students, young professionals and job seekers have gathered in India’s capital for a third day of protests demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over a controversial medical exam. The demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar is being led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a new collective that gained attention online for its satirical…
Three students have been killed and more injured after two of their peers opened fire at a high school in central Philippines, police say. Investigators believe the suspects, aged 14 and 15, were motivated by a “grudge” over bullying. One was arrested soon after the shooting at the San Jose National High School in Tacloban…