World

Survivors of a deadly air strike on a migrant detention centre in Tripoli in July have told the BBC they feel abandoned by the United Nations, and are desperate to escape Libya. Fifty-three migrants and refugees were killed in the air strike which was blamed on rebel forces trying to get control of the capital. […]

You’ve got to work hard to survive in the wild and for birds, that can mean developing a gimmick. Some birds have evolved with beautiful feathers, others have elaborate courtship rituals – and the white bellbird makes a noise louder than an industrial drill. It’s the loudest bird song ever recorded, a study published in

Violence has broken out on the streets of Bolivia as President Evo Morales appeared set to win re-election in controversial circumstances. Protesters clashed with police in La Paz and other cities, as they vowed not to recognise the result. Counting was halted on Sunday as it looked as if the vote was heading towards a

University students in Europe and the US are paying Kenyans to do their academic work for them. The global market for academic writing is estimated to be worth $1bn (£770m) annually. For some, ghostwriting university essays for students who don’t have the time or desire to do them can be lucrative, especially in countries with

A temporary truce has put a end to fierce fighting in northern Syria, after Turkey launched an offensive on 9 October. Turkey says the move, which took place after a US troop withdrawal, aims to create a 32km (20-mile) ‘safe zone’ in areas of Kurdish control. The BBC’s Aleem Maqbool meets a bereaved mother, fleeing

Indonesian climber Aries Susanti Rahayu became the first woman to climb a 15m wall in under seven seconds. She did it at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Speed World Cup event of the year in Xiamen, China. She beat previous record holder YiLing Song of China in the women’s final, reaching the top

US troops have been bombarded with potatoes by civilians angry at their pullout from the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in north-east Syria. Residents pelted armoured vehicles as troops left in line with Donald Trump’s surprise decision to withdraw US forces form the area. The president’s move is seen as having cleared the way for Turkish

Scientist Dr Katie Bouman, 29, was a key leader on the team that captured the first ever image of a black hole earlier this year. The celebratory image she posted online ended up on the receiving end of misogynistic trolling – but her team rallied round to support her. A video by Angelica Casas and

Six months ago, on Easter Sunday, Sri Lanka was hit by one of the world’s worst terrorist attacks this century. The town of Negombo suffered the deadliest bombing, when 115 people died while attending mass. Hasura Jayakody lost his mother in the explosion – and spent his 17th birthday recovering from shrapnel injuries in hospital.

The US president still considers himself to be in the hospitality business, his chief of staff has said. Mick Mulvaney was explaining why President Trump had wanted to host next year’s G7 summit at one of his resorts in Florida. Mr Trump abandoned the plan after bipartisan criticism. In a series of tweets, the president