When police in Rio de Janeiro seize blocks of cocaine and bundles of marijuana they may well find them branded with a religious symbol – the Star of David. This is not…
One woman’s 56-year fight to free her innocent brother from death sentence
When a court declared Iwao Hakamata innocent in September, the world’s longest-serving death row inmate seemed unable to comprehend, much less savour the moment. “I told him he was acquitted, and he…
Is the US government going to shut down? What happens if it does
The US is edging towards another government shutdown after the lower chamber of Congress failed to pass a spending bill to keep federal agencies open. Funding is set to lapse at midnight…
‘I’d rather die than leave my mum’: Survivors describe Mayotte cyclone horror
On the night Cyclone Chido hit the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, Zinedine was in his home, a small house made of corrugated iron and wood where he lives with eight…
‘Danger of IS resurgence has doubled’ – Syria’s Kurds warn of group’s comeback
As the new Syria struggles to take shape, old threats are re-emerging. The chaos since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad is “paving the way” for the so-called Islamic State (IS) to make…
Dominique Pelicot’s double life: Who is the man who plotted his wife’s mass rape?
It was something in Dominique Pelicot’s swagger, his “élan” – as the French might put it – that immediately struck the psychiatrist as odd. There he stood. A 68-year-old pensioner who had…
Court steps in to sort Indian couple’s three-year baby name battle
It is not unusual for couples to argue over naming their baby, but it rarely ends up in court. But a couple from India’s southern state of Karnataka found themselves needing the…
Syria’s rebel leaders say they’ve broken with their jihadist past – can they be trusted?
Last week, while touring Damascus, Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani) was approached by a young woman who asked for a photo with him. He gently requested…
Musk flexes influence over Congress in shutdown drama
A funny thing happened on the way to a bipartisan agreement to fund US government operations and avoid a partial shutdown this week. Conservatives in Congress – encouraged by tech multi-billionaire Elon…
Don’t underestimate North Korean troops in Russia, ex-soldiers tell BBC
What Haneul remembers most about his time in the North Korean military is the gnawing, continuous hunger. He lost 10kg in his first month of service, due to a diet of cracked…