By Laura Bicker Asia Pacific correspondent “We’re scared of China,” fisherman Benjo Atay says as wind and rain batter his small bamboo boat on the island of Palawan in the Philippines. He shouts orders at his young crew, most of them family, as they haul on ropes to navigate out of the port. They are…

It’s the weekly news quiz – how closely have you been paying attention to what’s been going on in the world over the past seven days? Some mobile users may be experiencing difficulties. If you cannot see the quiz, try this link. Try last week’s quiz via this link. Compiled by Ben Fell What information…

By Sam Cabral BBC News, Washington US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has acknowledged he took three trips aboard a Republican donor’s plane last year, as an ethics row grips the top court. The conservative judge said failing to previously report receiving such hospitality had been “inadvertent”. Supreme Court judges are required to file annual…

By Paul Adams International affairs correspondent A Ukrainian government official has confirmed to the BBC that Ukraine was behind Wednesday’s drone attack on a Russian airbase at Pskov. A number of Ilyushin transport planes were said to be damaged or destroyed. The official, from the Ministry of Defence, confirmed local reports that Ukrainian military intelligence…

Blood clots in the brain or the lungs might explain some common symptoms of “long Covid”, including brain fog and fatigue, a UK study suggests. In the study, of 1,837 people admitted to hospital because of Covid, researchers say two blood proteins point to clots being one cause. It is thought 16% of such patients…

By Bernd Debusmann Jr BBC News, Washington Former US President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty in his Georgia election fraud case, waiving the right to appear in court next week. Mr Trump is among 19 people charged with a conspiracy to overturn the US state’s 2020 vote results. He turned himself in at Fulton…

Grant Shapps is the UK’s new defence secretary. His new role is the fifth big government job he’s held in the past year – under three different prime ministers. Here’s a 60-second recap of the jobs he’s had in the last 12 months. Who is the new defence secretary?

By Yolande Knell BBC News, Jerusalem An Israeli soldier has been killed and several other people wounded in a suspected lorry ramming attack by a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank. It comes at a tense time where deadly violence there has surged to a level not seen for some two decades. Overnight, Palestinian militants…

By Lucy Fleming BBC News Many buildings in the centre of the South African city of Johannesburg, where a horrific fire has killed more than 70 people, are deemed unfit to live in. Yet these old blocks, abandoned by their owners or the city authorities, are full of families often paying rent to criminal gangs…

By Samantha Granville Johannesburg Mussi Hamissa woke up to the sound of a massive roar. His bed was shaking and he heard people shouting: “Fire! Fire! Fire!” In shock, he rubbed his eyes open to see the orange glow of flames coming into his makeshift apartment on the third floor of the building, formerly owned…