BBC News (World)

2022-10-28 09:01:40 Elon Musk completes $44bn Twitter takeover

The world's richest man, Elon Musk, has completed his $44bn (£38.1bn) takeover of Twitter, according to US media and an investor in the firm.

He tweeted "the bird is freed," in an apparent reference to the deal closing.

A number of top executives, including the boss, Parag Agrawal, have reportedly been fired.

It brings to a close a saga that saw Twitter go to court to hold the billionaire to the terms of a takeover deal that he had tried to escape.

Twitter has not yet confirmed the takeover, but an early investor in the company told the BBC that the deal had been completed. read more Open / Comment

2022-10-27 15:01:13 Iran protests rage as thousands defy security forces

- Protests raged overnight in Iran as thousands turned out to mark 40 days since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini
- She died in police custody on 16 September, sparking a wave of unrest
- Young women have since burned their headscarves and confronted security forces in a movement that shows little sign of abating
- Wednesday's marches were some of the largest seen since the protests began
Police are reported to have fired on protesters in Saqqez, Amini's home city
- Mourners marching to her grave chanted "woman, life, freedom" and "death to the dictator"
- Amini was arrested by Iran's notorious morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab "improperly"

read more Open / Comment

2022-10-27 09:00:24 Ukraine war: Russian tactics on eastern front 'crazy', says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian commanders of "craziness" in their efforts to capture the eastern town of Bakhmut.

The town - which sits in the Donetsk region and had a pre-war population of 70,000 - has been the centre of Russian attacks for months.

Despite a looming Ukrainian advance on the key city of Kherson, Mr Zelensky said the attacks continued in force.

Taking the town would be a symbolic victory for Russia.

"This is where the craziness of the Russian command is most evident," Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address from Kyiv. "Day after day, for months, they are driving people to their deaths there, concentrating the highest level of artillery strikes." read more Open / Comment

2022-10-26 17:02:14 Putin watches first Russian nuclear drill since invasion of Ukraine

Vladimir Putin has overseen annual nuclear exercises by Russia's strategic nuclear forces at a time of heightened tensions with the West over his eight-month-long war in Ukraine.

Ballistic and cruise missiles were launched in the Far East and Arctic, the Kremlin said.

The US was told about the drill under the terms of the New Start arms treaty.

The launches took place as Russia makes unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine is plotting to use a "dirty bomb".

It is an explosive device mixed with radioactive material and the Russian allegations have been widely rejected by Western countries as false. read more Open / Comment

2022-10-26 09:00:43 China accused of illegal police stations in Netherlands

The Chinese government has been accused of establishing at least two undeclared "police stations" in the Netherlands.

Dutch media found evidence that the "overseas service stations", which promise to provide diplomatic services, are being used to try to silence Chinese dissidents in Europe.

A spokesperson for the Dutch foreign ministry said the existence of the unofficial police outposts is illegal.

The Chinese embassy says it is not aware of their existence.

The investigation was sparked by a report entitled Chinese Transnational Policing Gone Wild, by the Spain-based NGO Safeguard Defenders. read more Open / Comment

2022-10-25 10:32:44 Several Palestinians killed in major Israel raid in West Bank city of Nablus

Five Palestinians, including several gunmen, have been killed in a major Israeli raid against a militant group in the occupied West Bank.

A sixth Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli troops who were attacked with stones in a protest against the raid, Palestinian medical sources say.

The operation in the northern city of Nablus targeted the recently formed Lion's Den group.

The group killed an Israeli soldier in a shooting earlier this month.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had locked down Nablus for the past two weeks amid an intensive search for the killer of 21-year-old Staff Sergeant Ido Baruch, shot dead in an ambush close to a nearby Israeli settlement. read more Open / Comment

2022-10-24 16:33:34 Sunak is next PM as Mordaunt drops out of Tory leadership race

- Rishi Sunak will be the UK's next prime minister after Penny Mordaunt dropped out of the Tory leadership race in the final minutes before nominations closed
- Sunak will succeed Liz Truss seven weeks after she defeated him in the previous Tory contest
- The ex-chancellor gained the support of well over half of Tory MPs, with Mordaunt struggling to reach the threshold of 100 MPs to get on the ballot
- He will become the UK's first British Asian PM and at 42, the youngest in more than a century
- Labour have reiterated their call for a general election, as have the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats Open / Comment

2022-10-24 09:01:14 Ukraine war: Kyiv denounces Russia's 'dirty bomb' claims

Ukraine has condemned unsubstantiated claims by Russia that Kyiv might use a "dirty bomb" - conventional explosives laced with radioactive material.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said this meant Russia itself could be preparing an attack of this kind.

Ukraine's allies also dismissed the claims, with the US saying it "rejected any pretext for Russian escalation".

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made the dirty bomb remarks in a call with his UK counterpart Ben Wallace.

He said he was "concerned about possible provocations by Kyiv involving the use of a dirty bomb".

On Sunday, Mr Shoigu also held a flurry of phone calls with defence ministers of the US, France and Turkey, voicing Moscow's alarm. He provided no evidence to back up his accusations. read more Open / Comment

2022-10-23 12:00:03 Xi Jinping announces third term in power and new top team

- Xi Jinping has a third term as China's leader, in a break with recent precedent
- He has also introduced his new top team - which includes former Shanghai party chief Li Qiang as the new premier
- Saturday's closing ceremony saw Xi's predecessor Hu Jintao escorted out, apparently unwillingly, with state media later saying he had not been well
- Xi, 69, is arguably the most powerful party chief since the first communist-era leader Mao Zedong who died in 1976 Open / Comment

2022-10-22 17:02:00 Hu Jintao: ex-president escorted out of China party congress

Chinese former leader Hu Jintao has been led out of the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress.

The frail-looking 79-year-old was sitting beside President Xi Jinping when he was approached and led away by officials. No explanation was given.

After its week-long congress, the party is expected to confirm Mr Xi, 69, for a historic third term.

The event, held in Beijing every five years, cemented his position as China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. read more \ Open / Comment