What to look out for at the National People’s Congress

The BBC’s Stephen McDonell explains what to look out for at China’s annual National People’s Congress (NPC), which began on Wednesday. The week-long meeting is attended by nearly 3,000 delegates from provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities and the armed forces. They usher through decisions that have already been made behind closed doors by party leaders. Still, … Read more

US Representative Al Green is removed from chamber during Trump address

Representative Al Green was ejected from the House chamber for heckling President Donald Trump during his joint address to Congress on Tuesday night. Green, a Democratic lawmaker from Houston in Texas, stood up and shouted ‘Mr President, you don’t have a mandate!’ just minutes into Trump’s address, referring to Medicaid cuts. He was immediately drowned … Read more

Officers charged in ‘Gladiator fights’ in youth detention centre

Thirty officers have been charged in connection with ‘gladiator fights’ they sometimes ‘encouraged’ inside a California youth detention centre, the state’s attorney general said. Charges against them include child endangerment and abuse, conspiracy, and battery, attorney general Rob Bonta’s office announced in a press release on Monday. Officials tallied 69 fights at Los Padrinos Juvenile … Read more

What Canadians make of Trump’s 25% tariffs

US President Donald Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on products entering the US from Canada and Mexico and has increased a levy on goods coming from China. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced retaliatory tariffs on US exports and warned that a trade war would be costly for both countries. “This is a time to … Read more

Can Europe provide a credible answer on Ukraine?

PARSA/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Over the weekend, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hosted what he called a ‘coalition of the willing’ “It’s certainly one way of focusing our minds — and wallets! Donald Trump is doing us a favour, if we choose to think about it that way. And we may as well look on the bright … Read more

Men risk drowning to flee conscription by rebels

Nomsa Maseko BBC News, Rugombo BBC Jordan Bita says he kept away from main roads, trekking through bush, to avoid the advancing rebels Jordan Bita preferred to risk his life swimming across a roaring river than stay at home and be conscripted by rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The 25-year-old clung on to … Read more

Trump threatens to jail or deport students for ‘illegal protests’

US President Donald Trump said he would cut funding for universities that allow what he called “illegal” protests and prosecute and deport foreign students who participate. On his Truth Social social media platform, Trump said that “all federal funding will STOP” for schools that permit students to protest illegally. Trump’s announcement comes less than a … Read more