World

For decades, hundreds of Muslims have been forging their own identity in predominantly Catholic southern Mexico. Catholicism was brought to the mainly Maya indigenous region during the Spanish conquest, and in recent decades evangelical Christians have increased in number, but Muslims from Spain also came to Chiapas in the 1990s, bringing their religion with them. […]

Last month Israel’s Supreme Court refused to hear a petition by a human rights group demanding that Palestinian children detained in Israeli jails be allowed to telephone their parents. The case cast a spotlight on children tried in military courts for crimes committed in the occupied West Bank. Israel is believed to be the only

Maria Ressa is a veteran journalist from the Philippines – and an outspoken critic of President Duterte. She’s been arrested twice this year, accused of ‘cyber libel’, violating security laws and corporate tax evasion. Ms Ressa – who is being represented by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney – says the arrests and threats online, are

Sailors Shannon Lenz and Tom Whitehead have recalled their encounter with a huge sea of floating pumice in the Pacific Ocean in early August. They said the volcanic rocks stretched “to the horizon on all sides”. The “pumice raft”, likely to have formed from an underwater eruption, spans over 150 sq km (93 sq miles)

It’s a hot evening – often near water – and you hear that familiar mosquito buzz… That noise is actually a love song for the bug, with both female and male mosquitoes belting out different tones to find mates. Researchers are trying to learn to “speak mosquito” so they can lure them away from populated

Hong Kong police have fired a gunshot during protests for the first time since demonstrations broke out in June. In another first, water cannon were deployed against protesters, who had earlier thrown projectiles at police, including bricks and petrol bombs. Police told local media that the gunshot was fired as a warning to protesters, and

A Japanese immigration scheme has come under fire for widespread reports of the exploitation of workers. The BBC spoke to migrant workers who claim they were overworked and underpaid and found some were making clothes for big, international brands. And as the BBC’s Population Reporter Stephanie Hegarty found, workers in other industries have reported abuses

When pets get old and need intensive care, few places will take them in. In Tokyo, a growing number of pet homes have opened to give elderly and sick pets the love and attention their human carers no longer can. A change in Japanese law in 2013, which obliges owners to look after ageing pets,

Demonstrators gathered outside Brazilian embassies on Friday to protest against inaction on Amazon fires. Hundreds gathered in cities including London, Madrid and Bogota, calling for Brazilian president Jairo Bolsonaro to act. Brazil’s president has since ordered the armed forces to help tackle the forest fires. There are currently a record number of fires in the

Thousands of people held hands to form a human chain of peaceful protest against a suspended extradition bill. Demonstrators believe the bill could undermine Hong Kong’s legal freedoms and might be used to intimidate or silence dissidents. There have been nearly three months of pro-democracy protests. Clashes between police and demonstrators have led to claims