Real World News

Japan 'paternity leave' lawmaker quits amid affair scandal 12 February 2016 From the section Asia Image copyright Kensuke Miyazaki Image caption Lawmakers Kensuke Miyazaki (R) and Megumi Kaneko (L) had sparked a debate on paternity leave A Japanese politician who sparked a national discussion on paternity leave has quit, amid revelations that he had an affair…

Japanese shares plunge amid global economic worries 12 February 2016 From the section Business Image copyright Getty Images Japan's markets were trading sharply lower on Friday amid concerns over the global economy and following steep falls in Europe and the US. The benchmark Nikkei 225 opened down more than 3.5% at 15,122.06 points. It continued to fall in early trade to below the psychologically important level of 15,000 …

Oregon stand-off: FBI surrounds last occupiers 11 February 2016 From the section US & Canada Image copyright Reuters Image caption Agents had kept their distance from the reserve until now The FBI has moved in on the last four occupiers of a wildlife reserve in Oregon who are protesting against federal control of local land. Agents have been placed behin…

Mexico prison riot leaves 52 dead near Monterrey 11 February 2016 From the section Latin America & Caribbean Media captionStreets outside the prison were blocked by families worried about relatives insideA riot and a fire at a prison near Monterrey in northern Mexico has left 52 people dead. Nuevo Leon state Governor Jaime Rodriguez said 12 other people were injured in Topo Chico jail after violence broke out overnight between prisoners belonging to rival factions. Officials say the situation is under c…

Gravitational waves from black holes detected By Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent, BBC News 11 February 2016 From the section Science & Environment Media captionPallab Ghosh explains the sound of the gravitational wave and a computer visualisationScientists are claiming a stunning discovery in their quest to fully understand gravity. They have observed the warping of space-time generated by the collision of two black holes more than a billion light-years from Earth. The …

Migrant crisis: Nato deploys Aegean people-smuggling patrols 11 February 2016 From the section Europe Image copyright Reuters Image caption NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made the announcement at a defence ministers' meeting in Brussels Nato ships are being deployed to the Aegean sea to deter people-smugglers taking migrants from Turkey to Greece, Na…

North Korea to cut hotlines with South amid Kaesong shutdown 11 February 2016 From the section Asia Media captionThe BBC's Steve Evans reports from the border between North and South Korea.North Korea has vowed to cut two key communication hotlines with the South, amid rising tensions after Pyongyang's recent rocket and nuclear tests. It comes after Seoul suspended its operations at the jointly-run Kaesong industrial complex in the North. Kaesong is one of the last points of co-operation between the two K…

Aleppo fighting displaces 50,000 people, says Red Cross 11 February 2016 From the section Middle East Image copyright Reuters Image caption Many of those fleeing the fighting have massed at the Turkish border A surge in fighting in Syria's Aleppo province has displaced about 50,000 people, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned. The …

US election 2016: Trump and Sanders win New Hampshire 10 February 2016 From the section US & Canada Image copyright Getty Images Image caption New Hampshire marks a dramatic win for two outsiders: Democrat Bernie Sanders (L) and Republican Donald Trump (R) Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders have shaken up the US presidential race with dec…

Junior doctors' row: BMA rejects 'final' contract offer By Nick Triggle Health correspondent 10 February 2016 From the section Health Image copyright AFP Image caption Junior doctors are taking part in their second strike in a contract dispute Junior doctors' leaders have rejected a "final take-it-or-leave-it" offer made by the g…

Zika virus: 'Strongest evidence yet' of effect on babies 10 February 2016 From the section Latin America & Caribbean Image copyright AFP Image caption Authorities in some countries affected by the virus have advised women to delay pregnancy One of the US's most senior public health officials has revealed the "strongest evidence to date" of the effect on b…

Turkey's Erdogan denounces US support for Syrian Kurds 10 February 2016 From the section Middle East Image copyright AP Image caption The US is relying on Kurdish fighters to battle IS militants on the ground in Syria Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at the US over its support for Syria's main Kurdish group. The failure to recognise the …

Germany train crash: Controller error theory dismissed 10 February 2016 From the section Europe Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Initial reports that an 11th victim had been recovered from the train were discounted German police have rejected as speculation a report that a line controller turned off an automatic safety system shortly before two pass…

Obama climate initiative: Supreme Court calls halt By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent 10 February 2016 From the section Science & Environment Image copyright AP Image caption US power stations are the country's largest source of greenhouse gases President Barack Obama's plans to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide fro…

Mexico students: Report disputes official version of events 10 February 2016 From the section Latin America & Caribbean Image copyright AFP Image caption The team of scientists said there was no physical evidence the students had been at the rubbish dump A second report into the disappearance of 43 students in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero says t…