Chef Atul Kocchar sacked for Priyanka Chopra terrorism tweet Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Atul Kocchar was the second Indian-born chef to receive a Michelin star Michelin-starred chef Atul Kocchar has been fired for a tweet claiming Muslims have "terrorised" Hindus for thousands of years. The JW Marriott Marquis Hotel in Dubai dropped the chef after he posted the comments, aimed at Indian actress Priyanka Chopra. Ms Chopra has come under fire for a recent episode of her US TV show Quantico, featuring a plot about Hindu nationalists. The chef has apologised for the tweet. In full, Mr Kocchar tweeted on Sunday: "It's sad to see that you [Chopra] have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorized by Islam over 2000 years. Shame on You." He has since deleted the message, and has pinned an image to his Twitter feed expressing his regret. Skip Twitter post by @atulkochhar There is no justification for my tweet, a major error made in the heat of the mome..

University of New Hampshire to accept Chinese exam results Image copyright Reuters Image caption Nearly 10 million people took the Gaokao exam in China last week A US university will begin accepting the Chinese university entrance exam known as the Gaokao in an effort to attract more Chinese students. The University of New Hampshire will be the first state university in the US to accept the standardised placement test. China is the largest exporter of students to the US, with 377,000 currently enrolled in US universities, according to government data. An estimated 10 million students took the nine-hour test in China last week. The exam - which takes place over two days in June each year - is taken by nearly every Chinese pupil and plays a crucial role in determining a person's career and future prospects. A 'life-defining' testHoward Zhang, BBC Chinese Service Editor Gaokao literally means High Exam. It refers to the annual National Higher Education Entrance Exam in Ch..

India stork with beak shut by stopper is rescued near Delhi Image copyright Manoj Nair Image caption The black-necked stork had been able to drink but not eat Indian birdwatchers have rescued a rare stork near Delhi which they feared would starve to death because a piece of rubber had trapped shut its beak. The black-necked stork is being fed fish by hand after the rubber was removed and kept under observation before being released into the wild. Conservationists had been trailing the bird since it was spotted in wetland near the capital on 7 June. It had been able to drink water but could not open its beak further to eat. The stork was rescued about 9am on Wednesday and what was thought to be a plastic ring shutting its beak turned out to be a rubber stopper with holes. "When we found it, it was very weak. It was lying on the ground," said Pankaj Gupta, a bird watcher and member of the Delhi Bird Foundation, who was involved in the rescue mission. He said its condition had rapidly ..

India chess player quits Iran tournament over headscarf rule Image copyright Soumya Swaminathan Indian chess champion Soumya Swaminathan has pulled out of an Asian tournament in Iran over the country's compulsory headscarf rule. The 29-year-old Woman Grandmaster said the rule was a violation of her personal rights. "Under the present circumstances, the only way for me to protect my rights is not to go to Iran," she wrote in a Facebook post, which went viral. The Asian Chess Championship will take place in Iran next month. Ms Swaminathan, who is ranked No 5 in India, told local media that the tournament was originally supposed to be held in Bangladesh. "But once the new dates and new venue came up, I excused myself," she said. When asked if the All India Chess Federation (AICF) should have protested against the decision to shift location, she told the Times of India: "I can't expect everyone to be of the same opinion as me. It's a subjective issue." But in her Facebook p..

Coming of age: Why adults in Japan are getting younger Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Japan's teenagers will get to do some new things - but not others Adulthood is about to come a lot earlier in life for many in Japan. The government has enacted a bill lowering the age of adulthood from 20 to 18, which will affect millions across the country when it takes effect in 2022. It's the first time the age of adulthood has been changed since it was set in 1876. What will 18-year-olds be allowed to do?The biggest change is they will be able to get married without parental consent. Currently, males over the age of 18 and females 16 and over can marry - but only with the say-so of their parents. Otherwise you need to be 20. But the revised Civil Code raises the age at which women can get married and means all 18-year-olds will be able to wed without parental consent. They'll also be able to apply for credit cards and make loans without parental approval and, if the..

What are the US-South Korea war games? Image copyright Getty Images Image caption US and South Korean troops practice a beach landing Joint military exercises between US and South Korean troops have long angered Pyongyang. US President Donald Trump says he has now agreed with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to cancel them. Since the end of the Korean war, when Washington fought alongside Seoul against the North, the US has had troops stationed in South Korea. About 29,000 US soldiers are based in the South, under a security agreement reached after the war ended in 1953. Each year, the two countries conduct military drills, often called war games. Washington has described the drills as defensive in nature, but Pyongyang says they are a rehearsal for invasion and has long called for them to end. 'Gasoline on fire'There are usually two sets of exercises every year, in spring and autumn, involving a massive number of troops and military hardware. Both involve land, sea and ai..