By Fan Wang BBC News A part of China’s Great Wall has been severely damaged by construction workers in central Shanxi province, who used an excavator to dig through it. Police say two people are suspected of trying to create a shortcut for their construction work. The two have been detained and the case is…

By Kelly Ng BBC News A device “the size of a dinner plate” was left in the abdomen of a woman in New Zealand after she gave birth via a Caesarean in an Auckland hospital. The Alexis wound retractor – a soft tubal instrument used to hold open surgical wounds – was only removed 18…

By Yalda Hakim & Mattea Bubalo BBC News Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska has told the BBC of the emotional impact Russia’s invasion and the resulting war has had on her family. In a highly personal interview, she said it was hard to see her children live in uncertainty, unable to plan for their futures.…

By George Wright BBC News A photo posted online appears to show a Russian general who has not been seen in public since a mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group in June. Sergei Surovikin is said to have been close to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in a plane crash last month. There have…

By Ed Thomas Special correspondent A growing number of women who say their children were handed to abusive partners by England and Wales’ family courts have abducted them and fled to Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus. The BBC spoke to six of them to investigate some of their stories. “I’m told there is an arrest warrant out…

By Mariko Oi Business reporter The maker of weight-loss drug, Wegovy, has become Europe’s most valuable firm dethroning the French luxury conglomerate LVMH. Shares rose after the Danish pharmaceutical giant, Novo Nordisk, launched the popular drug in the UK. At the close of trading on Monday, the firm had a stock market valuation of $428bn…

By Esme Stallard, Becky Dale, Jonah Fisher and Sophie Woodcock BBC Climate and BBC Verify Three major water companies illegally discharged sewage hundreds of times last year on days when it was not raining, a BBC investigation suggests. The practice, known as “dry spilling”, is banned because it can lead to higher concentrations of sewage…

Photographer Jack Zhi’s dramatic picture of a female peregrine falcon protecting her young has won this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year award. The picture was taken in California and beat more than 20,000 entries to claim the prize. “For four years, I attempted to capture the rare sight of the female falcon attacking large…

By Tiffanie Turnbull BBC News, Sydney Qantas boss Alan Joyce will depart the airline two months earlier than scheduled amid mounting controversies. Mr Joyce was set to leave in November, after 15 years as chief executive, but will now exit the role immediately. He said recent attention on “events of the past” made it clear…

Florida’s Babcock Ranch was built to survive a storm. Hurricane Ian was the town’s first test. Incredibly, the community weathered the storm – emerging almost unscathed. When Hurricane Ian made landfall on the southwest Florida coast, it brought 150mph (241km/h) winds, 17 inches (43cm) of rain within 24 hours, and storm surges of up to…