At least 55 people have died in an ambush in Papua New Guinea’s remote Highlands region. The victims were shot dead in the Enga Province during a dispute between two tribes, a national police force spokesman told the BBC. Police are at the scene but are yet to determine the “full information” of the event,…
Thailand’s convicted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has arrived at his mansion in the capital Bangkok after being released on parole. The billionaire was freed from a police hospital, where he had been serving a one-year jail sentence for corruption and abuse of power. Thaksin, 74, was detained as soon as he returned to Thailand…
When the story of Ridge Alkonis first broke on 29 May 2021, it did not initially attract much attention in Japan. The US Navy officer had killed two Japanese citizens in a car accident during a trip to Mount Fuji – the victims were an 85-year-old woman and her son-in-law, aged 54. After pleading guilty…
New recruits to the Japanese military will be allowed to have longer hair in a bid to attract more young people, the country’s defence ministry has said. The announcement comes as Japan struggles with a shortage of soldiers in the face of growing concerns about China and North Korea. Only buzz cuts were allowed for…
A South Korean pastor once hailed as a hero for smuggling out hundreds of North Koreans has been jailed for sexually abusing teenage defectors. Chun Ki-won, 67, has been sentenced to five years for molesting minors at his boarding school in Seoul. The pastor had been viewed as a saviour figure for decades with people…
Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has picked one of his party’s leaders as PM candidate. Omar Ayub Khan will run against the candidate of Imran Khan’s rivals, who have agreed to a coalition. Khan-backed independents unexpectedly won the most seats in last week’s election, but they did not have enough seats to form…
One of the worst methane leaks ever recorded took place last year at a remote well in Kazakhstan, new analysis shared with BBC Verify has shown. It is estimated that 127,000 tonnes of the gas escaped when a blowout started a fire that raged for over six months. Methane is much more potent a greenhouse…
Two Chinese fishermen have drowned while being chased by the Taiwanese coastguard off Taiwan’s northernmost Kinmen archipelago. Taipei said the fishing boat trespassed into Taiwanese waters on Wednesday. The four fishermen on board resisted an inspection and the boat capsized when authorities gave chase. Beijing “strongly condemned” the incident, saying it “seriously hurt the feelings…
Young people in Cambodia have been urged to avoid “losing dignity” this Valentine’s Day, as authorities issued warnings about the pitfalls of premarital sex. The education ministry ordered schools to “take measures to prevent inappropriate activities on Valentine’s Day”. It added that the occasion was “not tradition of our Khmer nationality”. Sex before marriage, particularly…
North Korea hacked into the personal emails of an aide to the South Korean President, his office has confirmed to the BBC. The breach occurred in the run up to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the UK last November. The staff member was hacked after using a personal email account for official work,…