Asia

India’s second richest man Mukesh Ambani’s digital and telecommunications venture is tapping public investors for the first time in what’s expected to be the country’s largest share sale. Jio Platforms, a unit of conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd, aims to raise 302bn rupees ($3.2bn; £2.8bn) in the initial public offering (IPO) …

Pakistan’s cybercrime agency has arrested a man accused of running a counterfeit operation that caused $126 million (£94m) in losses to the US Postal service. Faheem Akram is accused of having sold fake stamps via a fraudulent website in the US since 2023. He was indicted by a federal grand …

It was another Trump initiative last year, though, which has arguably had a much greater impact on Myanmar: the dismantling of USAID, which slashed aid to opposition groups, dissident media and refugees by more than half. There was also the decision, decried by human rights groups, to withdraw Temporary Protected …

There would probably be signs beyond North Korea’s borders if there were a sudden collapse in Kim’s health. China could tighten security along its frontier to prepare for potential instability or refugee flows. Activity around North Korean diplomatic missions might also increase. Defectors in South Korea often receive information through …

King Charles III has sent two books to detained Burmese leader Aung San ​Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s military government said, as it released photographs of officials delivering the books and a sealed letter to her on Monday. Suu Kyi, 81, has been detained since the military ousted her government in 2021 …

An Australian Greens senator has denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women and accused his party of “nasty political games”, days after the claims emerged. Last Thursday, Greens leader David Shoebridge said Senator Jordon Steele-John, 32, had taken leave from the party room after a letter from seven current and …

As Indonesia battles its worst wildfire season in a decade, a toxic haze is choking millions of residents in the region. The BBC’s Liza Tambunan is in central Kalimantan, where air pollution levels have plunged to hazardous levels. The haze has been linked to hundreds of thousands of respiratory illnesses …

Bringing material from Mars back to Earth has long been an ambition of space scientists. The Nasa Perseverance rover, which has been exploring Mars since 2021, has been carefully collecting samples on Mars and storing them in canisters. But a second Nasa/ESA mission, called Mars Sample Return, that would have …

At least 17 people have been killed and many more injured in a crush at an event in the Indian city of Kolkata to mark the Hindu festival of Durga Puja, officials say. The incident occurred during sudden rainfall, which witnesses say prompted a surge of people to try to …

What is the point of a protest? To raise your voice against injustice? To draw attention to a cause? Or to make those in power uncomfortable enough to listen? For more than three decades, Indians have tried to do all three in a narrow, tree-lined road near Jantar Mantar, an …

The founder of India’s “cockroach” protest movement, Abhijeet Dipke, has been detained in Delhi ahead of a planned march in the heart of the capital. His detention follows a police warning against holding Friday’s march, with thousands of security personnel deployed across the city to prevent the gathering. Dipke’s youth-led …

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has told Israel to stop its “forced establishment” of settlements in the West Bank and reverse its actions, his office said. The “Palestinian question” is “the greatest historical injustice of this century”, Wang told Israeli President Isaac Herzog in a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines …

Filipino authorities say they have fined six companies 1.76 billion pesos ($27.9m; £21m) for forming an “onion cartel” that caused the price of the vegetable to skyrocket. In 2022 the price of onions, a staple of Philippine kitchens, surged to a record 800 pesos per 1kg, surpassing the country’s daily …

As toxic smog continues to billow from wildfires in Indonesia’s forests and peatlands, authorities are looking at an experimental way to disperse the haze. A trial on Thursday will see an aircraft scatter pellets of dry ice – solid carbon dioxide – in the air above South Sumatra province, one …

A long-delayed road bridge linking China and North Korea has opened, Chinese state media report, amid rapidly warming trade ties between the two longtime allies. The New Yalu River Bridge spans 3km (1.9 miles) from the Chinese border city of Dandong to Sinuiju in North Korea, and is set to …

Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah used much of his speech at the recent UN General Assembly to warn of the growing threat of climate-related disasters in the Himalayas, recalling the devastating debris floods that struck his country in August. But it was his ambitious proposal to bring together regional rivals …

Australia has been awarded its first Michelin stars, with 11 restaurants in the state of South Australia receiving the distinction. Magill Estate Restaurant in Adelaide was the only venue to receive two stars, while 10 others were awarded one star each. South Australia’s government paid for incognito inspectors to visit …

Two top leaders of India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have been sent to jail for five days after being arrested for allegedly trespassing at a protest site in Delhi. Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka appeared before a magistrate on Wednesday after being detained at Jantar Mantar, a longstanding venue for …

One of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings not seen publicly for more than 60 years has drawn crowds in Hong Kong, where it has been displayed ahead of auction this weekend in New York. Van Gogh painted Châtaigniers en fleurs (Chestnut Trees in Blossom) in the French village of Auvers-sur-Oise, about …

But Indonesia has in the past also apologised to its neighbours for causing the haze. This year, Indonesian officials have thanked Singapore and Malaysia for offering to help tackle the wildfires – though it has not officially requested international support. In Indonesia, there have been efforts by civil society to …