South and central Asia
Protesters flood streets of Philippines over state corruption | Philippines
Tens of thousands of Filipinos took to the streets on Sunday to protest against government corruption after it was alleged that taxpayers have lost billions of dollars to bogus flood relief projects. Students, church groups, celebrities, and citizens from different political camps filled the streets in Manila and other cities. Lawmakers and officials are alleged […]
British couple released after detention in Afghanistan say they feared being executed | UK news
A British couple who were reunited with their family in the UK after being released from almost eight months in detention in Afghanistan have said they feared being executed by the Taliban. Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife, Barbie, 76, who arrived at Heathrow on Saturday, said it was never explained to them why they […]
Tulip Siddiq fears plans to use ‘fake’ documents to secure conviction in corruption trial | Politics
The former City minister Tulip Siddiq has said she fears prosecutors could be planning to use “fake” documents to secure her conviction in her trial in Bangladesh on corruption charges. The Labour MP, who is being tried in absentia, spoke out after images of a Bangladeshi national identity card and a passport said to be […]
British couple detained by Taliban in Afghanistan return to UK | UK news
A British couple who were detained without charge for nearly eight months by the Taliban in Afghanistan have arrived in the UK. Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, were released on Friday, having been arrested as they travelled to their home in Bamyan province, central Afghanistan, in February. The couple, pictured smiling by […]
Britons Peter and Barbie Reynolds freed after eight months in Afghan detention | Afghanistan
A British couple have been freed from months of detention in Afghanistan, the UK Foreign Office confirmed. The Taliban released Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband, Peter, 80, after eight months of detention. The couple were arrested in February as they travelled to their home in Bamyan province, central Afghanistan. They had been held since […]
‘Cricket diplomacy’ collapses as India-Pakistan hostility enters field of play | South and central Asia
As nationalistic rivalries go, few run as deep as India and Pakistan. But even as the neighbours fought wars against each other, carried out rival nuclear tests and conducted nightly shows of strength along their heavily militarised border, there was always one thing that brought them together: cricket. But as the two sides came together […]
Mass protest expected in Philippines capital amid public fury over alleged corruption in government projects | Philippines
Thousands of people are expected to join a mass protest in Manila on Sunday amid a groundswell of anger in the Philippines against perceived corruption in government-funded flood control projects. Dubbed the “Trillion Peso March”, the demonstration is named after a Greenpeace estimate of $17.6bn that the environmental organisation alleges is the amount skimmed from […]