Author: BBC

Iran’s president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian stood as a wildcard candidate, and defied expectations to win the presidency against hardline rival Saeed Jalili.Mr Pezeshkian is notable because he is “a reformist”. But not the liberal-minded, democracy-loving kind of reformist, in the universal sense.In Iran, “the reformists” are one ideological faction of the Islamic Republic’s ruling elite. They are Islamists, like their conservative rivals, but believe a more moderate version of the regime’s ideology could better serve both the ruling clergy and Iranian society.Reformists led the administration from 1997 until 2005 and were part of a de facto coalition when Hassan Rouhani, a…

China’s biggest electric car maker BYD has agreed a $1bn (£780m) deal to set up a manufacturing plant in Turkey, as it continues to expand outside its home country.The new plant will be able to produce up to 150,000 vehicles a year, according to Turkish state news agency Anadolu.The facility is expected to create around 5,000 jobs and start production by the end of 2026.The deal was signed at an event in Istanbul attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and BYD’s chief executive Wang Chuanfu.BYD did not immediately respond to a BBC request for further details on the deal.The announcement…

A day of mourning is being observed in Ukraine after one of the worst waves of Russian missile strikes in months, with at least 41 people killed and 166 injured.The main children’s hospital in the capital Kyiv was among buildings hit in cities across the country on Monday.Two people died when a missile flattened part of the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital – Ukraine’s biggest paediatrics facility – and a search for survivors beneath the rubble continued into the early hours of Tuesday.Russia denied targeting the hospital, saying it had been hit by fragments of a Ukrainian air defence missile, while Ukraine…

Brazil has blocked Meta from using Brazilians’ Instagram and Facebook posts to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models.It comes weeks after the company abandoned similar plans to use UK and European users’ posts for the same purpose.On Tuesday, Brazil’s national data protection agency (ANPD) said it would immediately suspend Meta’s latest privacy policy, which allows it to train generative AI models such as chatbots based on posts from its users.A Meta spokesperson told the BBC the company was “disappointed by the decision”, adding that their approach complied with local privacy laws.”This is a step backwards for innovation, competition in AI…

31 minutes agoBy Nadine Yousif, BBC News, TorontoHow car thieves in Canada targeted the same owner twiceLogan LaFarniere woke up one October morning in 2022 to an empty driveway.His brand new Ram Rebel truck, which he’d bought a year and a half ago, was missing. His security camera captured two hooded men breaking into the pickup in the dead of night outside of his Milton, Ontario home, and driving it away with ease.A few months later, that very same truck appeared on a website of vehicles for sale in Ghana, an ocean and some 8,500km away.“The dead giveaway was the laptop holder…

1 day agoBy Natalie Sherman and Nathalie Jimenez, BBC News, New YorkBBC Stacey Ellis works two jobs, but needs to economiseStacey Ellis, a lifelong Democrat from Pennsylvania, should be the kind of voter that US President Joe Biden can count on.But after four years of rising prices, her support has worn thin – and every time she shops at the supermarket, she is reminded how things have changed for the worse.Ms Ellis works full-time as a nurse’s assistant and has a second part-time job.But she needs to economise. She has switched stores, cut out brand-name items like Dove soap and Stroehmann bread,…

1 hour agoBy Pedro Garcia, Technology ReporterGetty ImagesGovernments are exploring whether AI can give reliable adviceLong before ChatGPT came along, governments were keen to use chatbots to automate their services and advice.Those early chatbots “tended to be simpler, with limited conversational abilities,” says Colin van Noordt, a researcher on the use of AI in government, and based in the Netherlands.But the emergence of generative AI in the last two years, has revived a vision of more efficient public service, where human-like advisors can work all hours, replying to questions over benefits, taxes and other areas where the government interacts with the public.Generative…

There is shocking bullying, racism and incompetence in the organisation responsible for ensuring NHS nurses and midwives in the UK are safe to have around patients, a damning report says.The independent review warns of a dangerously toxic culture within the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which oversees and regulates hundreds of thousands of nurses and midwives. Good nurses find themselves investigated for years over minor issues, while some bad ones escape sanction, it says. Meanwhile, some NMC staff feel stressed, frustrated and unsupported. The NMC said it was “profoundly sorry” and fully accepted the recommendations for urgent change. It had…

A Russian playwright and a theatre director have been found guilty of “justifying terrorism” by a military court in Moscow.Director Yevgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petrichuk were sentenced to six years each for the production of their play The Brave Falcon Finist.Loosely based on true events, the play tells the story of Russian women who travelled to Syria during the country’s civil war to marry members of the Islamic State group.The two women’s defence lawyer vowed to appeal against the verdict.Held partly behind closed doors, the trial heightened alarm about freedom of expression in Russia among members of the country’s…

3 hours agoBy Flora Drury, BBC News ReutersAnant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding party has been going on for monthsJustin Bieber has become the latest in a string of international stars to perform for the son of India’s richest man and his wife-to-be as they celebrate their upcoming wedding.The Canadian singer flew in to perform for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant – along with their guests – in Mumbai at the weekend.He had a lot to live up to. The couple’s first pre-wedding party featured Rihanna, while the second – a cruise around the Mediterranean – had performances from 90s teen heartthrobs…