The BBC said on Monday it had asked a US federal court in Florida to dismiss a US$10 billion lawsuit brought by US President Donald Trump against the British broadcaster. Trump launched a lawsuit last year over a BBC documentary that edited his 2021 speech ahead of the US Capitol riot. The documentary was “never aired in Florida – or the US” or available to stream there on any platform, a representative for the British Broadcasting Corporation said in a comment sent to Agence France-Presse. It...

Emirates is operating flights to Dubai that are near-empty in some cases as travellers avoid the Persian Gulf, highlighting the challenges for the world’s largest international airline to restore its network amid a protracted war. Flights from destinations in the US and continental Europe have been hit the hardest, with planes returning from Prague or Budapest only about 5 to 10 per cent occupied, according to data compiled by the Dubai-based airline. Several aircraft returning from New York...

Trump’s threat to postpone his Beijing trip unless China helps break Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has fused two crises Beijing had sought to keep apart: the unravelling of Middle East stability and the fragile thaw in US–China relations. China, the world’s largest buyer of Gulf oil, is now being forced to weigh its economic reliance on stable energy routes against its tradition of non‑interference in diplomacy, according to observers. While Beijing is eager to host Trump for a...

Draped in garlands, Bhumika Shrestha on Monday became Nepal’s first transgender woman lawmaker, marking a proud milestone for the marginalised community in the Himalayan nation. Nepal’s Election Commission confirmed the 37-year-old as a proportional representation MP from the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which won a majority in parliament with 182 seats last week. “I am very excited but also feel the responsibility on my shoulders,” said Shrestha, an LGBTQ rights advocate. “Our...

An “evil” UK nursery worker who raped and abused two- and three-year-olds in his care was jailed for at least 24 years on Monday, weeks after another childcare worker was imprisoned in a similar case. Nathan Bennett, 30, was jailed at Bristol Crown Court in southwest England for the serial abuse of five boys at the nursery where he worked. He was described as an “incorrigible and dangerous paedophile” by Judge William Hart, handing down the sentence. “You prioritised your own sexual satisfaction...

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump slams European allies, praises China and continues to justify Iran attack US President Donald Trump used a White House meeting with the German Chancellor on March 3 to blast European allies, praise China, waffle on tariffs and argue that the attack he had launched against Iran days...

Singaporean businessman David Yong was given 12 new charges on Monday for conspiring to make false entries in accounts and for his company’s illegal issuing of loans amounting to more than S$1 million (US$780,000). The 38-year-old, whose name in court papers was indicated as Yong Khung Lin, pleaded not guilty in court. The chief executive officer of multinational business and holding company Evergreen Group Holdings, who is on bail of S$1 million, said he would contest all charges. The new...