business

A Kenyan court has sentenced four men to one year in prison or pay a fine of $7,700 (£5,800) for trying to smuggle thousands of live ants out of the country. The four suspects – two Belgians, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan – were arrested last month with 5,000 ants at a guest house in … Read more

Four anonymous housekeepers are suing Motown legend Smokey Robinson for $50 million (£37 million), accusing him of sexual assault. A complaint filed in Los Angeles superior court accuses the 85-year-old of sexual battery, false imprisonment, negligence and gender violence, in addition to a number of labour violations related to wages, breaks, meal times and overtime … Read more

In Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir, a road, normally busy with tourists and travellers, lies deserted. All flights in and out of the region’s main city have been suspended for civilians and the airport is reserved for military use only. Many locals have been hiding inside bunkers and some have fled the area to find safer … Read more

EPA An Indian paramilitary soldier keeps watch from behind a fence in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir Mohammed Waheed was fast asleep at his home in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the early hours of Wednesday morning when a huge blast shook his home. “Before we could even process what was happening, more missiles struck, … Read more

BBC Urdu correspondent Farhat Javed reports from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir where an Indian air strike damaged a mosque and some houses. Though many people had left the area last night, some residents have been able to return to assess the damage to their properties, locals told the BBC. A sense of fear and uncertainty … Read more

The UK government has hit back against claims by opposition parties that the newly-agreed trade deal with India could disadvantage British workers. Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told the BBC there was “no situation” in which he would “ever tolerate” British workers being undercut as a result of a trade agreement. Under the terms … Read more

Australia has announced a National Rugby League (NRL) team will be established in Western Australia (WA) for the first time. The WA state government will invest A$65m (£31m; $42m) to set up and support the new club over the next seven years. WA premier Roger Cook said the announcement is “great news for sports fans” … Read more

BBC Urdu’s Umer Draz Nangiana reports from outside a building complex in Pakistan’s Muridke, which was targeted by India in its overnight air strikes. The building, which lies in a densely-populated area, remains cordoned off by security forces. Indian officials say that they “destroyed terror camps” in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Wednesday. India blames … Read more

Debris from an unidentified aircraft has been found in Pampore in Indian-administered Kashmir. There is no official confirmation yet on which aircraft has crashed or who it belongs to. Pakistan’s military claims it has shot down five Indian fighter jets but India has not commented yet. The BBC’s Riyaz Masroor reports from the ground. Video … Read more

Within moments of the briefing with the business secretary beginning, Jonathan Reynolds described it to us as a case study in the government’s claim to be going further and faster in doing what it can to improve living standards. Little wonder ministers want to lean into this deal with Delhi, grappling as they are with … Read more