Health & Beauty

Media captionIs Turkmenistan’s anti-smoking campaign a sign of political good health? One of the most repressive states in the world is trying to become one of the healthiest. Turkmenistan is promoting fitness and wants to become a smoking-free nation – but when no-one can openly challenge the government’s decisions, how …

Image copyright Ian Lloyd Neubauer Image caption French tourists Anthony Fenech and Pierre Stoar are travelling around Australia in their van Its official name is Tamarama but it’s known as Glamarama for the beautiful people who sunbake on the golden strip of sand wedged between two striking headlands in Sydney’s …

Image copyright AP Image caption Mr Trump (centre) will have to negotiate the delicate relationship with Taiwan, led by Tsai Ing-wen (left), and China, led by Xi Jinping (right) For President-elect Donald Trump, the biggest issue in the US relationship with China is trade. But for Beijing, it’s Taiwan. Mr …

Monthly workshops teaching people how to save stranded dolphins are being run by the government in Oman. The workshops use real-life scenarios and an inflatable replica called Flipper. The government has also outlawed the use of certain types of fishing nets to protect dolphins and whales from getting tangled up …

A year after China rounded up dozens of human rights lawyers and their assistants, some families have received almost no news at all about their loved ones in detention. The BBC’s John Sudworth speaks to three women looking for answers about the cases against their husbands.

An officer from Pakistan has returned to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst to help train its cadets fight militants. Major Ukbah Malik – a graduate of the college – has become the first instructor from Pakistan in Sandhurst’s 300-year history. BBC Asian Network’s Shabnam Mahmood reports.

Cindy and Lana have a son and a daughter and form one of Taiwan’s newest types of family. They hope same-sex marriage will be legalised there, a move that would make Taiwan the first place in Asia to approve it. But opposition is growing, especially from religious groups. The BBC’s …

Image copyright Laugh Factory Malaysian stand-up comedian Harith Iskander has been crowned the “World’s Funniest Person” in 2016. The BBC’s Heather Chen spoke to the 50-year-old funny man by telephone after his win in Levi, Finland. At least one person is laughing as 2016 draws to a close. This year …

Image copyright AFP Image caption The dog was meant as a companion for Yume (left), given to Mr Putin in 2012 – also pictured: Buffy Russian President Vladimir Putin has turned down the offer of a dog as a gift from the Japanese government, according to a Japanese MP. Koichi …

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Anti-Park protesters gathered in Seoul for the seventh consecutive weekend Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters have marched in the South Korean capital, Seoul, to celebrate the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. Gathering for the seventh weekend in a row, demonstrators held candles and …