Asia

In 2022, India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), classified Tata Sons as an “upper layer non-banking financial company” because of its systemic importance and investment activities. This created a listing obligation on the group. Tata Sons sought to get out of this classification by repaying their debt …

Every summer, Seoul turns a deep green, growing dense and lush under humid skies. But this year, one tree was visibly suffering. “Green leaves were falling to the ground, which shouldn’t happen at that time of year,” recalls Jung, who lives near the streetside ginkgo in Buam-dong, a largely residential …

When the case emerged, it sparked national outrage and questions over whether police had ignored complaints from families whose children had gone missing. Koli and his employer, businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, were arrested in 2006 after body parts were found near Pandher’s home in Nithari. Police alleged the murders took …

Eleven civilians and five police officers have been killed after a vehicle loaded with explosives rammed into a mosque in north-western Pakistan, according to a senior police official in Peshawar. An exchange of gunfire is ongoing between attackers and security forces at the site in the Kohat district of Khyber …

Humpback whale mothers may experience grief when their calves die, a rare observation led by Griffith University and Sea World Foundation has found. The BBC’s Tiffanie Turnbull explains everything you need to know about the sighting off Australia’s Gold Coast, and why it’s so rare. BBC News

Police are searching for a swimmer missing in waters off the west coast of Australia after a suspected shark attack. Emergency crews were called to a “shark-related incident” at Sorrento Beach in Perth, Western Australia around 10.15 local time on Friday. Three St John ambulance crews attended, with local authorities …

This was borne out by a new report, external released by a government panel recently, which highlights the strikingly unequal nature of India’s burgeoning healthcare economy, raising serious concerns about a “deepening affordability crisis” in the country’s private hospitals. The report found that treatment in private hospitals is often between …

Nooria, which is not her real name, still remembers one of the moments that made her want to be a doctor. It was back home in a village in Afghanistan, where she was born. A 13-year-old boy there became sick and died because of appendicitis. “He was completely healthy, but …

India and Pakistan have summoned each other’s top diplomats in Delhi and Islamabad after two of their naval vessels collided in the Arabian Sea. Both sides blamed each other for the collision, which happened on Tuesday. They also accused each other of violating a 1991 bilateral agreement that requires either …

But the DDP sent the family a letter earlier saying the judge’s ruling was correct. “I have reviewed this case afresh to determine if the decision not to proceed further was correct,” she wrote. “As you appreciate, this question turns on whether the exclusion of the recorded interview with Mercury …

The scale of that exposure is considerable. The US imported about $104bn of goods from India in 2025, while two-way US-India trade in goods and services was roughly $240bn, according to the US Trade Representative. India’s exports to the US include electronics, pharmaceuticals, machinery, jewellery, chemicals, textiles and petroleum products. …

A study has found that climate change had contributed to the glacier collapse that unleashed devastating floods on the Nepal-Tibet border. More than 1,400 people were killed and thousands are missing following the deluge on 26 August. There was “absolutely no doubt that human-induced climate change played a role here …

Several people described chaos and confusion in the hospital. “There should have been fire extinguishers and protocols, but no one was doing anything,” Walid said. “Everyone was just running.” Ghafoor said that he was part of a group of seven or eight who tried to find a way to relieve …

Fiji has declared a national emergency as HIV cases surge, and is expanding access to testing, treatment and prevention services. About one in 60 adults in the tiny Pacific archipelago is now living with the bloodborne virus, compared with one in 167 five years ago, with a rising number of …

The continued deaths show the initial emergency campaign was inadequate, public health expert Dr Mushtuq Husain told the BBC. He said it left too many children unprotected and should have reached more regions and age-groups. “There are no shortcuts when it comes to a response,” he said. “The government made …

The charge will not apply to all UPI payments. Person-to-person transfers will remain free, regardless of the amount. Payments of up to 2,000 rupees made to merchants will also remain free. Merchant payments through QR codes in rural and semi-urban areas will not attract MDR either. The government said “approximately …

Unlike the Olympic Games, where there is usually a designated athletes’ village, organisers have opted to use temporary accommodation for competitors. Beyond the container huts, between 4,000 and 5,000 participants will be staying on an Italian cruise ship which docked in Nagoya on Tuesday. The rest of the attendees will …

Through interviews with Phillips’ family members, among others, the inquiry found that he was not completely cut off from the outside world. For instance, he visited his mother without the children in February 2022, during which she handed him NZ$1,000 ($575; £426) in cash and food. He also managed to …

From next year, people who attempt to climb Mount Fuji during off-peak seasons and then require rescue by helicopter will have to pay for the service, authorities governing the northern part of the peak say. The fee is among a series of measures Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture is introducing to deter …

From next year, people who attempt to climb Mount Fuji during off-peak seasons and then require rescue by helicopter will have to pay for the service, authorities governing the northern part of the peak say. The fee is among a series of measures Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture is introducing to deter …