US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Sudan and Ethiopia

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Sudan and Ethiopia

The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has condemned the violence against pro-democracy protesters in Sudan and reiterated calls to reinstate the ousted Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. The Sudanese doctors’ union said at least 14 people were killed on Wednesday when security forces opened fire on the crowds of demonstrators. In an interview with the…

Ros Atkins on… the missing Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai

Ros Atkins on… the missing Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai

On November 2nd, a Chinese tennis star accused a top Chinese government official of sexual assault. Peng Shuai was one of the leading doubles players in the world. And since her allegations, we’ve heard nothing. Until an email was released – apparently from her – saying the allegations weren’t true. But many questions remain. Producer:…

Afghanistan: The teenage girls returning to school under the Taliban

Afghanistan: The teenage girls returning to school under the Taliban

Female education – or the lack of it – has been seen as one of the biggest obstacles to the Taliban being officially recognised as Afghanistan’s new government. The Taliban have told secondary schools to open only for boys, but say their restrictions on girls studying are “temporary” in order to ensure learning environments are…

Why Mexico is not prepared for the migrant caravan

Why Mexico is not prepared for the migrant caravan

A single issue has dominated the US-Mexico relationship in recent years: immigration. For President Donald Trump, it was almost the only lens through which the White House considered its relationship with its neighbour to the south. Now, under President Joe Biden, migration remains the priority as record numbers make the journey north, often expecting entry…

South Korea Suneung exam: ‘I wanted to cry and quit everything’

South Korea Suneung exam: ‘I wanted to cry and quit everything’

Students in South Korea are sitting the college entrance exam, the Suneung, a gruelling eight-hour marathon. The stakes are really high, with students feeling the pressure to perform well to secure university placements, jobs and even future relationships. Three Korean students documented their journey for the BBC preparing for one of the hardest exams in…

Afghan judges in UK fear for colleagues left behind

Afghan judges in UK fear for colleagues left behind

Under Taliban rule, female judges in Afghanistan have reportedly been tortured and received death threats. Hundreds were forced into hiding, worried that those they’d convicted would now come to seek their revenge after being released from prison. BBC Newsnight’s Sima Kotecha spoke exclusively to female judges who have just arrived in the UK as part…

Poland border crisis: Tense stand-off with hundreds of migrants

Poland border crisis: Tense stand-off with hundreds of migrants

Hundreds of migrants have gathered at a crossing on the Poland-Belarus border but are being stopped from entering the EU by Polish troops. The EU has accused Belarus of pushing migrants towards its eastern borders to undermine security, a charge it denies. The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg reports from the scene, where the migrants are trapped…