Asia

Katy WatsonAustralia correspondent, Sydney Watch: How Australia is trying to protect beachgoers from shark attacks The ocean has always been a big part of Glen Butler’s life. He’s been a surfer for 50 years and, in that time, he says he rarely thought about sharks. “You’re aware you’re stepping into …

A Thai court has sentenced a man to life in prison for killing a prominent Cambodian opposition politician in Bangkok. In January, hours after Lim Kimya arrived in the Thai capital with his wife, he was shot dead in public by Thai national Ekkalak Paenoi. Ekkalak then fled to Cambodia, …

The “area of interest” flagged in a volunteer-led search for the body of a British girl who vanished in Australia 55 years ago has turned out to be a false alarm, New South Wales Police said. A volunteer team who used cadaver detection dogs in search of Cheryl Grimmer had …

Zoya Mateen and Auqib JavedBBC News, London and Srinagar AFP For a long time, the history of tiny Ladakh – a stunning region popular with tourists, nestled high in the Himalayas – has been shaped by notions of spirituality, mysticism and a sense of otherworldliness. But now, its fabled tranquillity …

India and China will restart direct flights between the countries this month, India’s foreign ministry has said, in another step towards ties being gradually normalised. There have been no direct flights between the two countries since 2020, following deadly troop clashes on their shared Himalayan border. But over the past …

Virma Simonette and Ewe Koh Watch: Rescuers search rubble and people queue for aid after deadly earthquake shakes Philippines Two days after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck her hometown in the central Philippines, Arguel Estalicas says she still feels dizzy everytime she stands up. That spinning feeling, coupled with a …

Samira HussainSouth Asia correspondent, Nagpur BBC Organisers say 3,800 volunteers participated in Thursday’s event The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Hindu nationalist organisation whose work played a large role in propelling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to power, has celebrated its centenary with an event attended by thousands of members. …

Phil MercerWollongong, New South Wales Grimmer family Cheryl Grimmer was three when she disappeared from Fairy Meadow beach in January 1970 A volunteer team using cadaver detection dogs to search for the body of a British child who disappeared in Australia more than 50 years ago has found an “area …

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has joined the billionaire club for the first time, becoming one of the world’s richest actors, according to a new list The 59-year-old’s net worth is estimated at a staggering $1.4bn (£1.03bn), according to the Hurun India Rich List 2025, an annual ranking of India’s …

There are “no signs of life” under the wreckage of a collapsed Indonesian school where 59 people are still missing, rescuers have said. Hundreds of students, most of them teenage boys, were inside the two-storey Islamic boarding school in the town of Sidoarjo when it collapsed on Monday. At least …

Getty Images When China first announced a new visa targeting foreign professionals in science and technology in August it largely went unnoticed. But the K visa, which went into effect on Wednesday, was thrust into the public spotlight last week, when an Indian outlet referred to it as “China’s H-1B” …

The Indian women’s team has kicked off their ICC ODI World Cup campaign with a 99-run victory over Sri Lanka. The margin of victory might suggest a facile win, but it was not easy going for Harmanpreet Kaur and her team as the underrated Lankans showed fine skills and abundant …

Australia’s mushroom murderer Erin Patterson intends to appeal against her conviction, her lawyer has told a court in Melbourne. Earlier last month, Patterson was sentenced to life in jail after a jury found her guilty of killing three relatives and attempting to kill another by serving them a toxic beef …

At least 69 people have been killed and dozens injured after a powerful 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the central Philippines late on Tuesday. The province of Cebu, which suffered the brunt of the damage, declared a state of calamity early on Wednesday, after thousands spent the night on the streets …

Silvano HajidSidoarjo and Gavin ButlerSingapore Watch: One street away from collapsed school as relatives wait for news Rescuers in East Java, Indonesia are racing to find 38 people believed to be trapped in the rubble of a school building that collapsed on Monday. Three students were killed and 99 others …

A sunscreen scandal in the world’s biggest skin cancer hotspot is continuing to grow, with 18 products now pulled from shelves in Australia over safety concerns. Analysis by a consumer advocacy group in June found several popular and expensive sunscreens did not provide the protection claimed by their makers. One …

A Chinese national has been convicted of playing a key role in what is believed to be the single largest cryptocurrency seizure in the world, worth more than £5.5bn ($7.4bn). Zhimin Qian, also known as Yadi Zhang, pleaded guilty on Monday at Southwark Crown Court, London of illegally acquiring and …

Nikhil InamdarBBC News, Mumbai Adani Airport Holdings Limited The airport is spread across over 1,100 hectares and will eventually have four terminals carrying 90 million passengers every year For a first-time visitor, landing in India’s financial capital Mumbai can be quite an experience. At approach, as the flight cuts across …

Jon Kaypresenter of Fairy Meadow podcast & BBC Breakfast and George Sandeman Family handout Cheryl Grimmer was three when she disappeared from Fairy Meadow beach in January 1970 The family of a toddler who disappeared from an Australian beach more than 50 years ago have criticised police for not formally …

The Taliban in Afghanistan have imposed a nationwide shut down of telecommunications, weeks after they began severing fibre-optic internet connections to prevent what they call immorality. The country is currently experiencing a total connectivity blackout, internet watchdog, Netblocks reports. International news agency AFP says it lost contact with its office …