Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev has told a Delhi court that he will take down adverts in which he made controversial remarks about a rival firm’s drink, criticised by a judge as “indefensible”. Ramdev alleged that some brands used their profits to build mosques and madrassas in a video promoting a sweet drink made by … Read more
At least five people have been killed after gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists visiting a popular beauty spot in Indian-administered Kashmir, authorities have told the BBC. The attack took place in Pahalgam, a picturesque town in the Himalayas often described as the “Switzerland of India”. The region’s chief minister, Omar Abdullah, said … Read more
Reuters Tsereteli was known for his larger-than-life sculptures, including this one of Russian President Vladimir Putin Georgian-Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli, known for his gigantic and often controversial monuments, has died aged 91. The Tbilisi-born sculptor, painter and architect divided opinion with a series of large-scale projects in Moscow, including a massive 98m (321ft) monument to … Read more
Pope Francis’s funeral will take place on Saturday at 10:00 local time (08:00 GMT) in front of St Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican says. The date was decided after cardinals met in Vatican City on Tuesday morning to discuss the funeral’s timing. Ahead of the funeral, Pope Francis’s body will lie in an open casket in … Read more
Burkina Faso’s military government has said it foiled a “major plot” to overthrow junta leader Capt Ibrahim Traoré, with the army alleging the plotters were based in neighbouring Ivory Coast. Security Minister Mahamadou Sana said the coup attempt was led by current and former soldiers working with “terrorist leaders”. The intention was to attack the … Read more
A swimmer is missing following an extremely rare shark attack off the coast of northern Israel on Monday. It happened in the sea at Hadera, about 40km (25 miles) north of Tel Aviv. The incident was witnessed by people on Olga Beach, who can be heard yelling in shock in footage posted on social media. … Read more
As the world mourns the death of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church faces a critical moment in choosing its next spiritual leader. Three African cardinals from DRC, Ghana and Guinea are among the contenders for the papacy so could the continent provide the first black Pope of modern times? The Archbishop of Abuja Ignatius Kaigama … Read more
China has executed a man for fatally stabbing a 10-year-old Japanese boy last September, the Japanese embassy in China has told the BBC. Zhong Changchun was sentenced to death in January for attacking the boy, who had been walking to a Japanese school in south-eastern Chinese city of Shenzhen. The case had sent shockwaves through … Read more
Harvard University filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration to stop billions of dollars in proposed cuts. The suit filed Monday is part of a feud that escalated last week when the elite institution rejected a list of demands that the Trump administration said was designed to curb diversity initiatives and fight anti-semitism at … Read more
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signalled he is open to bilateral talks with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time since the early stages of the war. Speaking to Russian state TV on Monday, Putin said Russia has “always looked positively on any peace initiatives. We hope that representatives of the Kyiv regime will … Read more