World

An Algerian court has sentenced an 80-year-old writer to five years in prison after accusing him of undermining the country’s territorial integrity. Boualem Sansal was arrested last year after saying in an interview with a far-right French media outlet that, during the colonial era, France gave too much land to…

Getty Images Strong wind, dry land and pine trees are a dangerous combination for wildfires, experts say Strong winds, dense forest and unusually dry weather – that’s the deadly combination that experts say is fuelling the largest wildfires in South Korea’s history. The inferno in the south-east has burned through…

South Sudan’s First Vice-President Riek Machar, a long-time rival of the country’s President Salva Kiir, has been placed under house arrest, his party says. An armed convoy led by top security officials, including the defence minister, entered Machar’s residence in the capital, Juba, and disarmed his bodyguards late on Wednesday,…

Nikhil Inamdar BBC News, Mumbai Getty Private sector expenditure in overall investments in India’s economy dipped to a decadal low What will it take for India’s private companies to begin investing in building new factories and firms? It’s a question that’s confounded policymakers for years. As a share of gross…

Watch: ‘Why did they invite me?’ – Goldberg says Trump officials should accept mistake When Jeffrey Goldberg published a bombshell story outlining how some of the most senior US officials had mistakenly shared sensitive information with him, he obtained the biggest scoop of the year. The Atlantic editor also became…

Jack Lau Global China Unit, BBC World Service Getty Images Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have taken control of two major cities in eastern DR Congo in the past two months China’s efforts to build up huge business interests across Africa have been accompanied by a careful policy of maintaining neutrality –…

Getty Images The world’s most populous country is ranked 90th in the men’s Fifa world rankings – just ahead of Curaçao and Luxembourg On a hot, humid Thursday night in Saitama, China’s national football team hit its lowest ebb. With a minute left on the clock and trailing Japan 6-0,…

Jeremy Bowen International Editor in Paris Watch: BBC asks Zelensky about Russian conditions for a ceasefire deal Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he hopes the US will “stand strong” in the face of Russian demands to lift sanctions as a condition for a ceasefire in the Black Sea. Moscow…

Donald Trump has announced new trade taxes of 25% on cars being imported to the US. The US President said the latest tariffs would come into effect on 2 April, with collections starting the next day. Trump claimed the measure would lead to “tremendous growth” for the car industry, promising…

The Lithuanian army says it is searching for four US soldiers missing for two days during drills in the Baltic state amid reports they had died. The four soldiers and their tracked vehicle had gone missing on Tuesday afternoon near the border with Belarus, the military said earlier. The US…