Deaths from opioid use in the US have skyrocketed over the last year. Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that 88,000 people had died from drug overdoses in the 12 month period ending in August 2020 – an increase of 27% on the previous year. The US authorities say…

White House coronavirus adviser Dr Anthony Fauci tells the BBC the Delta variant will spread unless more Americans get the jab. But Dr Fauci says there would be regional surges of the coronavirus, instead of the nationwide spikes in transmission seen last year.

Rebel Wilson made a name for herself as one of Hollywood’s top comedy actresses after appearing in the 2011 box-office hit Bridesmaids and the successful Pitch Perfect franchise. Now a producer and director, she’s been named one of the BBC’s 100 Women of 2021. In an exclusive BBC interview, Rebel reflects on her decision to…

Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, says there has been some “positive” contact with the Taliban. He told BBC World News the UNHCR had been dealing with the Taliban at both provincial and ground level. “I remember the interactions 25 years ago. If I compare those interactions with those that are happening…

Many countries have started to roll out fresh restrictions to limit the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant and BBC World News viewers have been sending in questions about the new variant and the Covid pandemic in general. How much more do we know about Omicron? If Omicron is less fatal, but more transmissible than…