World

General Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force, has been killed by US forces in Iraq. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, called the attack an “act of international terrorism”, tweeting that the US “bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism.” The Pentagon said in a statement: “This strike […]

A week-long state of emergency has been declared in New South Wales (NSW) in response to the escalating bushfire threat. High temperatures and strong winds are forecast for the weekend, leading to “widespread extreme fire danger” in the eastern Australian state. Troops have been evacuating people trapped by the fires in neighbouring Victoria state. Since

Thousands of people have fled to a beach in Victoria, Australia to escape bushfires racing towards the coast. Locals in Mallacoota have described heading for the sea to escape the heat under blood-red skies. Officials confirmed another two people have been killed by fires in New South Wales (NSW) – there are now 12 deaths

London-born spoken word artist and award-winning podcast creator George the Poet reflects on belonging, diaspora and his Ugandan heritage in an interview with the BBC before his first gig in the country. George, real name George Mpanga, turned down an MBE because of the “pure evil” of the British Empire. He said the “colonial trauma

Greta Thunberg and Sir David Attenborough have met for the first time (via Skype as they did not want to add to their carbon footprints) to discuss the climate crisis and share their thoughts on how to make an environmental impact. Greta, who spoke to Sir David from Stockholm, is guest editing the BBC’s Today

Some volunteer firefighters in New South Wales, Australia, have welcomed news that privately-employed volunteers will be offered compensation for lost income. Volunteers have been fighting the bushfires for weeks, using their spare time and in some cases annual leave to work 12 hour shifts battling the flames. Volunteers who are employed by small- and medium-sized

More than 40,000 people attended U2’s concert in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, earlier this month. The Irish band is one among many flocking to the country – Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and Bryan Adams have all performed in India in recent years. And it looks like the list may get longer as

At least 19 people have died in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in the past week, amid violent protests over a controversial new citizenship law. The police are accused of using excessive force, and Muslims say they fear losing their rights in the world’s largest democracy. Vikas Pandey and Anshul Verma report from one

Juha Mieto is Finland’s skiing legend: he’s won five Olympic medals, including a gold. But he’s made sporting history with a silver in Lake Placid in 1980 when he was beaten by one-hundredth of a second in the 15km event. Now 70 years old, Juha Mieto shows no signs of slowing down. His relaxed philosophy

The #MeToo movement came to India more than a year ago, and Bollywood was one of the first industries to be hit by allegations of sexual harassment and assault. It all started when a 10-year-old allegation by actress Tanushree Dutta against a Bollywood actor resurfaced – and it drew both attention and support. Several other