Real World News

Migrant crisis: Merkel condemns closure of Balkan route 10 March 2016 From the section Europe Image copyright AFP Image caption Mrs Merkel said "Greece cannot bear the weight for long" German Chancellor Angela Merkel has blamed European nations for "unilaterally" shutting the Balkan route for migrants. She said this had put Greece in a "very difficult situat…

Myanmar begins presidential selection as Aung San Suu Kyi ruled out 10 March 2016 From the section Asia Media captionBBC's Myanmar correspondent Jonah Fisher explains who could be the country's next presidentMyanmar's National League for Democracy (NLD) has named two candidates, as the country starts the process of selecting a new president. Correspondents say one of them, Htin Kyaw, is almost certain to be elected president by the NLD-controlled parliament. The nominations confirm that NLD leader Aung San …

Charges filed against Brazil's Lula 10 March 2016 From the section Latin America & Caribbean Image copyright AP Image caption Lula says he is considering running for president again in 2018 Brazilian prosecutors are filing charges against ex-President Lula da Silva in a money laundering investigation, officials say. He denies any wrongdoing and says the …

Swedish doctor given 10 years for bunker kidnapping 23 February 2016 From the section Europe Image copyright Swedish police Image caption Photo released by Swedish police showed two rubber masks allegedly used by the defendant to abduct his victim A Swedish doctor has been sentenced to 10 years in jail after being found guilty of kidnapping a woman and keepin…

EU referendum: Palace complains over Queen 'Brexit' story 9 March 2016 From the section UK Politics Image copyright PA Image caption Nick Clegg called the Sun's story "nonsense" Buckingham Palace has complained to the press watchdog over the Sun newspaper's article claiming the Queen backed "Brexit" from the European Union. The Sun quotes anonymous sources, …

Migrant crisis: Macedonia shuts Balkans route 9 March 2016 From the section Europe Image copyright EPA Image caption Thousands of migrants are stranded on the Greece-Macedonia border Macedonia has said it will no longer let any migrants through its border with Greece, effectively blocking the Balkan route north. The decision came after Slovenia barred access…

US election 2016: Trump wins in Mississippi, Michigan and Hawaii 9 March 2016 From the section US Election 2016 Image caption Sanders won unexpectedly in Michigan while Trump took Michigan and Mississippi Donald Trump has won three more states, Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii, in his bid to be the Republican White House nomination. In the Democratic race, Bernie Sanders had a surprise victory in Michig…

'Fifth Beatle' Sir George Martin dies, aged 90 9 March 2016 From the section Entertainment & Arts Image copyright Getty Images Record producer Sir George Martin, known as the "fifth Beatle", has died, aged 90. Breaking the news on Twitter, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, 75, said: "God bless George Martin peace and love to Judy and his family love Ringo and Barbara George will be missed." In a career spanning five decades, S…

Migrant crisis: Slovenia moves to 'shut down' Balkans route 8 March 2016 From the section Europe Image copyright EPA Image caption Several countries along the Balkan route have already closed their borders to large numbers of migrants Slovenia has introduced new border restrictions for migrants as part of efforts to close the Balkans route from Greece to West…

Bank of England governor says EU has helped UK economy 8 March 2016 From the section Business Image copyright AFP The governor of the Bank of England has said that Britain's membership of the EU has re-inforced the "dynamism of the UK economy". In a pre-hearing letter to the Treasury Committee, Mark Carney said that the relationship had helped the UK to grow. In a sometimes fractious exchange with MPs on the committee, Mr Car…

Migrant crisis: UN legal concerns over EU-Turkey plan 8 March 2016 From the section Europe Media captionThe BBC's Ian Pannell: "For many migrants the fear of staying behind outweighs the fear of the journey they must take"The UN has expressed concern over a radical EU-Turkey plan to ease the migrant crisis, saying it could contravene international law. Under the plan, all migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey would be returned and for each Syrian sent back, a Syrian in Turkey would be resettled in the EU. …

EU referendum: Boris Johnson tells staff to back his stance By Laura Kuenssberg BBC political editor 8 March 2016 From the section EU Referendum Image copyright PA Boris Johnson's office has warned senior officials at London's City Hall not to speak out in favour of staying in the European Union. An email from his chief of staff, Edward Lister, seen by the BBC, tells deputy mayors and senior advi…

Migrant crisis: EU and Turkey seek to break deadlock 7 March 2016 From the section Europe Media caption"It would have been better to stay in Syria and die"The EU and Turkey have so far failed to agree on a way to ease the migrant crisis during a summit in Brussels. They are discussing an offer by Turkey to do more to stop illegal migration in return for more EU aid and accelerated EU membership talks. An EU official said "good progress" had been made but EU leaders needed more time to study the Turkish prop…

Migrant crisis: UK to send ships to tackle people smugglers 7 March 2016 From the section UK Image copyright AP Image caption More than a million migrants entered the EU illegally by boat last year The UK will provide "vital military assets" to help a Nato mission tackling people smugglers in the Aegean Sea, David Cameron has said. The PM announced the amphi…

Migrant crisis: Leaders gather for Turkey-EU summit 7 March 2016 From the section Europe Image copyright EPA Image caption (L-R) German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte met at the Turkish embassy in Brussels on Sunday Turkish and EU leaders have gathered in Brussels for an emergency summit on…