A prolific Vietnamese people smuggler, who entered the UK illegally this year in a small boat, has told the BBC he forges visa documents for other Vietnamese who plan to make the same crossing. The man, whom we are calling Thanh, is now claiming UK asylum and told us he has spent

The coalition led by Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has lost its majority in parliament, its worst result in over a decade. The LDP and its coalition partner, the much smaller Komeito, have taken 215 seats together, falling short of the 233-seat majority needed to

The Philippines is grappling with the aftermath of Tropical Storm Trami, which has resulted in significant flooding and landslides across the archipelago. As of Saturday, the death toll has reached nearly 130, with many individuals still reported missing. President Ferdinand Marcos

The Israeli military launched strikes on military bases in Iran, hitting about 20 sites over several hours in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran. The Iranian army confirmed four soldiers were killed after it said the attacks on Saturday targeted military bases but resulted in only

Dozens of Palestinians have been killed after an Israeli strike destroyed several buildings in a residential area of Beit Lahiya in besieged northern Gaza, with the Health Ministry describing it as a “horrific massacre”. According to witnesses and medical sources, at least

Nineteen people died and six others were injured when a bus crashed on a highway in Mexico’s central state of Zacatecas on Saturday, local authorities said. The accident occurred in the early morning hours when the bus carrying the victims collided with the back of a

Israeli strikes on Iran, in retaliation for Iran's missile attacks earlier this month, have killed four Iranian soldiers, Iran's army said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it targeted missile factories and other sites near Tehran and western Iran early on Saturday.

Japanese voters are today heading to the polls in a snap election, following a tumultuous few years for the ruling party which saw a “cascade” of scandals, widespread voter apathy and record-low approval ratings. The election was announced by Shigeru Ishiba three days after

A suicide bomber detonated at a checkpoint in western Pakistan, killing eight people and wounding five more, officials have said. The suicide bomber set off the blast from the back of a motorbike rickshaw near the town of Mir Ali in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a local police officer

The 56-nation Commonwealth announced Ghana's foreign minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey as the new secretary general of the organisation at a rancorous summit in Samoa on Saturday. Botchwey was one of three candidates vying for the post -- all who have backed calls for European

Homeowners in the northern Philippines used spades and rakes to clear out debris left by Tropical Storm Trami on Friday while rescuers trawled through thick mud looking for the missing as the death toll rose to 76. Tens of thousands of people were displaced by floods fuelled by a

Kamala Harris told a rally in Houston, Texas, that Donald Trump has reversed 50 years of progress on women’s reproductive rights and, if elected, he will make sure abortion is banned across the United States. The Democratic Party nominee said to a boisterous crowd packed into the

The "most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate", King Charles III said this week to Commonwealth leaders in Samoa, as arguments about reparations and apologies over the slave trade rumbled once again. That's become an occupational hazard for the Royal Family,

The United States and UK urged Iran on Saturday to stop attacking Israel to break the cycle of violence after Israel launched strikes against the Islamic republic in retaliation for a missile barrage. “We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can

Israel says it has conducted air strikes against Iran, with its military saying it hit sites in several areas of the country early on Saturday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Israeli aircraft struck military facilities including air defence batteries and missile manufacturing

Donald Trump is narrowly leading Kamala Harris among Arab Americans as the race for president of the United States enters the final stretch, a new poll suggests, the latest sign that the war in Gaza is costing Democrats support among voters with outsized influence in a key battleground

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have held their first formal talks in five years, a sign that icy relations are thawing after a deadly military clash in 2020. The two leaders met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in the Russian city

More than 150 Palestinians were killed and injured Thursday evening in Israeli airstrikes targeting about 10 homes in Jabalia, northern Gaza, where a siege began 20 days ago. “A horrific massacre is unfolding in Jabalia, with over 150 martyrs and injured people due to Israeli

The mostly Muslim ethnic Rohingya are heavily persecuted in Myanmar and thousands risk their lives each year on long and dangerous sea journeys to reach Malaysia or Indonesia. The boat carrying 152 people was anchored a mile (1.6 kilometres) off the coast of South Aceh district for

Israel said Thursday its spy chief will attend Gaza ceasefire talks and Hamas vowed to stop fighting if a truce is reached, as long-stalled efforts to end the war appeared to gain momentum. Previous bids to stop the year-long war have failed, though the United States has voiced hope