At least 28 killed in fire at shoe factory in China, state media reports

A fire at a shoe factory in the south-eastern Chinese city of Jinjiang has killed at least 28 people, according to the state news agency.

Dramatic footage posted by Xinhua showed huge flames and black smoke rising from a building as well as people who appeared to be trapped on the roof.

President Xi Jinping earlier said the fire had caused "significant casualties", indicating large numbers of people may be dead.

Fire and rescue teams sent 35 vehicles to the site and more than 180 officers,


Tensions erupt in Indian state after 11-year-old raped and murdered

The recovery of the body saw anger pour out onto the streets, with a mob vandalising roads, shops and a local railway station. A young man was beaten to death by the crowd - Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has since said he was innocent.

Several police officers were injured and vehicles damaged as they tried to contain the mob. Police have registered three cases and detained 40 people so far.

The area remains tense, with a ban on public gatherings and heavy police and paramilitary deployment to maintain order.

The unrest


Platner's disastrous candidacy exposes rifts that could dampen Democrats' Senate hopes

She is concerned, however, that it will be difficult for voters to coalesce around any new candidate in just three months.

"The thing I'm the most worried about is we run somebody and he or she loses, and then we spend the next four years pointing fingers at whose fault that was," she said.

In primary contests across the country this year, Democrats regularly opted for outsider congressional candidates offering a vivid vision for what the party should stand for and promising to fight for their beliefs in the


Democrat Graham Platner suspends campaign for key US Senate race in Maine

The Maine Democratic Party has announced it will select a new nominee at a convention held sometime in the next two weeks. Media reports indicate hundreds of delegates will weigh in on the choice.

The party will have to tread carefully when nominating a replacement aligned with the policies that Platner successfully ran on, while ensuring the new candidate can take on Collins and her formidable operation.

"There is an unprecedented amount of energy and enthusiasm among Maine Democrats, driven in part by many of the dedicated volunteers and supporters who were inspired by


Do bees have feelings? Study reveals the insects' 'inner life'

In a first-of-its-kind study from Australia's Macquarie University, in collaboration with Southern Medical University in China, researchers observed bees showing "emotion-like behaviours" previously only seen in mammals.

The BBC's Australia reporter Lana Lam explains how their work suggests that bees might have a much richer inner life than ever thought before.


International court tells BBC of breakthrough in Sudan war crimes probe

The ICC has been investigating allegations of war crimes in Darfur for more than 20 years since the previous round of violence in the 2000s .

"What we see is patterns of offending that in fact were the same patterns of offending 20 years ago when this situation was first referred to us by the Security Council," she said.

Khan said the ICC investigation included witness accounts, testimonials and corroborative evidence such as videos, photographs and forensic evidence.

Previous investigations have led to seven arrests and six


It was 'love at first sight' with their adopted baby. Then they were told he may have been trafficked

David and Ally have yet to receive official confirmation from authorities that Marcus is one of the allegedly trafficked babies. But the BBC has found clear signs, which have been shared with the couple.

Going through court documents, we found Marcus's full Indonesian name listed as one of the allegedly trafficked babies.

One woman on trial, who is accused of falsely declaring she is the biological mother of some of the babies, is listed as Marcus's mother in his Indonesian adoption papers.

Separately, the Indonesian branch of


Wealthy AI workers send San Francisco house prices soaring

Meanwhile, as the new AI boom takes hold, the tale of who gets to stay in San Francisco and who doesn't is told by its residents.

Two San Francisco families with school-aged children, who both asked for anonymity to protect their privacy, recently succeeded in buying move-in-ready single-family homes to meet their desperate needs for more space – but only one was able to do so in the city.

That family was able to purchase in the desirable family-friendly neighbourhood where they


Children keep dying in a country that made huge progress on measles

Public health experts are warning the outbreak in Bangladesh is proof of the dangers of any interruption in vaccine coverage.

Three hours outside of the capital Dhaka, we witness the consequences of the vaccine shortage.

Mosammat Nila Akhter and her husband took their 10-month-old child, Maliha, to a clinic for her vaccine in February, but were told there were none left.

In late March, as the outbreak took hold, Maliha was admitted to hospital with pneumonia, but was discharged just days later. Her parents


US launches more strikes on Iran with blasts reported in south of country

The US has launched a new round of strikes on Iran after President Donald Trump signalled he'd "hit them hard again tonight" following an overnight exchange of attacks on Tuesday.

Explosions have been reported by Iranian state media in parts of the country's south, including Sirik and Bandar Abbas - port cities on the Strait of Hormuz.

After the latest strikes, Trump said in a post on Truth Social: "This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again,