How the Pakistan train hijacking unfolded

AFP More than 400 people were on the train when it was attacked Mehboob Hussain was riding the train home on Tuesday when the tracks under the front car exploded. In the depths of central Pakistan’s Bolan Pass, a pocket of wilderness so remote that there is no internet or mobile network coverage, the nine-coach … Read more

German spy agency ‘believed Covid likely started in lab’

Germany’s foreign intelligence service believed there was a 80-90% chance that coronavirus accidentally leaked from a Chinese lab, German media say. Two German newspapers say they have uncovered details of an assessment carried out by spy agency BND in 2020 but never published. The intelligence service had indications that the Wuhan Institute of Virology had … Read more

Indian health workers protest for better pay and recognition

Ashraf Padanna Thiruvananthapuram Vivek R Nair/BBC Protest co-ordinator Saboora Arifa says the strike is a matter of social justice Thousands of frontline healthcare workers in southern India’s Kerala state, who have been holding demonstrations for the past month seeking better pay and recognition, have vowed to continue their protest. Kerala’s 26,225 female workers, known as … Read more

‘Take a baby crocodile and see how you go there’ warns Australian PM after wombat row

The Australian prime minister has criticised a US influencer after she stole a baby wombat from her mother. “Take a baby crocodile from his mother and see how you go there,” he told journalists during a news conference. Sam Jones, who describes herself as an “outdoor enthusiast and hunter” on Instagram, was filmed picking up … Read more

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana faces political headache

Khanyisile Ngcobo BBC News, Johannesburg Getty Images South Africa has entered unchartered waters following deep divisions in the coalition government over the national budget that has finally been tabled after a month-long delay. This is the view of analysts after Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s budget drew a backlash from various quarters, including a key partner … Read more