BBC ‘deeply concerned’ for journalist’s wellbeing after Vietnamese police withhold their ID card and passport Vietnamese authorities have barred a BBC journalist from leaving the country and subjected them to days of interrogation, in a press freedom case that comes to light during a high-profile visit by Vietnam’s leader to the UK. The journalist, a … Read more
State funding for the project has plunged, while construction has slowed and few civil servants have been eager to move away from Jakarta Indonesia’s utopian new capital Nusantara seems to appear out of nowhere. Deep in the forest, a multilane highway abruptly opens up through the trees, leading to a palace topped by a winged … Read more
Seoul says it has reached broad agreement on investment and shipbuilding as attention shifts to US-China meeting Just two weeks after millions of Americans joined No Kings protests against Donald Trump, the US president was presented with a golden crown by South Korea. After arriving on Wednesday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings, Trump … Read more
Maga-inspired protests regularly take place on streets of Seoul amid chants of ‘Korea for Koreans’ as South prepares to host crucial Apec summit Thousands of protesters flooded central Seoul on Saturday, waving Korean and American flags, Maga hats, and banners honouring slain rightwing activist Charlie Kirk. They held placards reading “Korea for Koreans” as chants … Read more
Modi’s Ayushman Bharat scheme put hospital treatment within reach of tens of millions of Indians for the first time. But the government’s unpaid bills may derail the reforms When the world’s biggest healthcare scheme works, it allows tens of thousands of Indians petrified of the catastrophic cost of hospital treatment to breathe easy – Indians … Read more
Big win leaves many wondering if result reflects genuine support for president or corrosive US influence Opposition posters scattered across Buenos Aires before Sunday’s midterms showed president Javier Milei’s name plastered over a US flag, in a bid to tap into anti-American sentiment over Donald Trump’s alleged interference in Argentina’s election. Days before the vote, … Read more
Industry body says reserves of Nexperia semiconductors are dwindling after Beijing bans exports of key components Carmakers in the EU are “days away” from closing production lines, the industry has warned, as a crisis over computer chip supplies from China escalates. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) issued an urgent warning on Wednesday saying its … Read more
Prime minister fails to answer Tory leader’s questions about manifesto pledge not to raise income tax Keir Starmer has refused to rule out tax rises in next month’s budget, which would breach Labour’s manifesto promises, boosting speculation that Rachel Reeves is considering raising income tax to reduce a shortfall. The prime minister pointedly ignored questions … Read more
Lee Anderson says ‘gaming the system’ is too common and jokes about symptoms of anxiety and depression Reform UK has set out plans for changes to personal independence payments (Pip) that the party says could save up to £9bn a year, with Lee Anderson, one of its MPs, saying he used to “game the system” … Read more
Richard Hermer says failure by Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly to describe China as a threat would have been seized on in trial Defence lawyers would have used Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly’s statements about China to dismiss a case against two men charged with spying for Beijing, the attorney general has argued. Richard Hermer … Read more