Why the iconic English painting The Hay Wain by John Constable is not what it seems

John Constable’s The Hay Wain presents a bucolic view of England – but there’s a dark side to the idealised rural image. Widely satirised and reproduced on everything from bath towels to biscuit tins, John…

Baby Driver teenage actor dies after falling from moving vehicle

Tributes have been paid to Baby Driver actor Hudson Meek, who died after falling from a moving vehicle in Alabama. The 16-year-old actor also appeared in TV series including the…

Estonia navy to protect undersea power link after main cable damaged

Nato has said it will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea, and Estonia has sent a patrol ship to protect its Estlink1 undersea power cable, after Russia was…

At least 69 dead after boat sinks in Morocco waters

At least 69 people, including 25 Malians, have died after a boat bound for Spain from West Africa capsized off Morocco, Mali’s authorities have confirmed. The “makeshift boat” was carrying…

South Korea votes to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo

South Korea has voted to impeach its acting president Han Duck-soo, two weeks after parliament voted to impeach its President Yoon Suk Yeol. A total of 192 lawmakers voted for…

Ukraine’s war stamps put humour, patriotism and swearing in the post

Rude gestures are rare on postage stamps, but Ukraine’s best known stamp has one. It shows a soldier raising the middle finger to a Russian warship in reference to a…

Taiwan’s ex-presidential candidate charged with corruption

Ko Wen-je, once a rising star in Taiwanese politics and a presidential contender, was indicted Thursday on corruption charges. The 65-year-old is accused of accepting half a million dollars in…

Chinese man in school attack gets suspended death sentence

A Chinese court has handed a suspended death sentence to a man who injured over a dozen children by ramming his car into a crowd outside a primary school in central China.…

Father of teen who died in Laos poisonings: She was full of life

The father of 19-year-old Holly Bowles, who died of suspected methanol poisoning in Laos last month, has said he was in “disbelief” when he realised his daughter would not pull…

Soldier-spies in Myanmar help pro-democracy rebels make crucial gains

The once formidable Myanmar military is cracking from within – riddled with spies secretly working for the pro-democracy rebels, the BBC has found. The military only has full control of…