Author: BBC News

Major Wall Street indexes have tumbled as fears of a US economic recession grow. The drop comes amid a global market selloff, including in Europe and Asia. Weaker-than-expected economic data from the US, including a jobs report on Friday, has fuelled speculation that the world’s largest economy is slowing. Elsewhere, Japan’s market plummeted to its biggest fall by points in history and in London, the FTSE 100 index fell by 2.8%. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #StockMarket #Business #WallStreet source

Authorities in Bangladesh have imposed a nationwide curfew, as protests and rioting have continued. At least 67 people have now died in violence, which was sparked by students calling for the government to axe a rule reserving scores of public jobs for the families of veterans of the country’s independence war in 1971. The prime minister’s office announced the curfew after an attack on the Narsingdi prison on Friday saw hundreds of inmates released. Schools and universities across Bangladesh have also been shut until further notice. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #Bangladesh #BBCNews source

Travellers should consider getting vaccinated against mpox if they will be visiting affected areas in Africa, new advice says. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has updated its recommendations in response to outbreaks of a new strain of the virus. Other continents, including Europe, can expect some cases too, it says. EDC says the risk of it spreading everywhere is low, despite the World Health Organization recently declaring the mpox situation a global emergency. The disease – formerly known as monkeypox – can be passed on by close contact with anyone with the infection. Subscribe here: For…

Russia has imposed a “counter-terrorism operation” regime in three regions to try to halt a surprise cross-border incursion by Ukrainian troops. The authorities in the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions on the border with Ukraine now can restrict the movement of people and vehicles and use phone tapping among other measures. This comes as the Ukrainian offensive into the Kursk region is now in its fifth day. Kyiv has not openly admitted the incursion. The UN nuclear agency has urged Russia and Ukraine to exercise “maximum restraint” as fighting nears a nuclear power plant. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis…

A number of students in Bangladesh have vowed to continue protesting, despite the Supreme Court’s decision to change the controversial government job quotas which sparked last week’s protests across the country. The court ruled just 5% of the roles can be reserved for veterans’ relatives. However, protestors are calling for the court order to be implemented before more protests are called off. A third of public sector jobs had been reserved for the relatives of veterans from the country’s war for independence from Pakistan in 1971. Authorities in Bangladesh have imposed a nationwide curfew and communication blackout has been imposed.…

Heavy fighting in Russia’s Kursk region has entered a third day, with efforts “ongoing” to expel Ukrainian forces from the country, Moscow’s defence ministry has said. At least 1,000 Ukrainian troops, supported by tanks and armoured vehicles, crossed the border on Tuesday, Russia has said. Some 3,000 people have had to evacuate the region, as ongoing military altercations have killed at least four people, Kursk’s deputy Governor Andrei Belostotsky said. Ukraine’s military is yet to directly comment on the reports, but President Volodymyr Zelensky said, without referencing the assault: “Everyone can see that the Ukrainian army knows how to surprise…

The world’s most important climate meeting is being hosted in Dubai by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – one of the world’s top ten oil producers. COP28 is the biggest gathering of world leaders of the year. King Charles III and Rishi Sunak will be there, along with dozens of other world leaders and some 70,000 other attendees. One attendee, the billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, spoke to BBC News. Gates chose to attend COP 28 to share his message of “funding more innovations that reduce carbon emissions while making clean energy affordable for everyone, help people (especially in poor countries)…

A Vietnamese property developer was sentenced to death on Thursday for looting one of the country’s largest banks over a period of 11 years. Truong My Lan was convicted for taking out $44bn (£35bn) in loans from the Saigon Commercial Bank. Prosecutors said $27bn may never be recovered. Authorities said 2,700 people were summoned to testify, while 10 state prosecutors and around 200 lawyers were involved. The evidence was in 104 boxes weighing a total of six tonnes. Eighty-five defendants were tried with Truong My Lan, who denied the charges. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news…

India has used traditional methods of agriculture for generations, but with 1.4 billion people now dependant on the crops farmers produce, some are turning to technology to boost productivity and profit. For example on one vineyard, sensor devices are being used to check weather and soil health. Artificial intelligence (AI) can then figure out when it’s time to water the crops, add fertiliser and tackle pests. Nitin Patil, who works at the vineyard, says the AI advice has helped “save 50% of the water” the farm had been using previously. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news…

At a meeting with security officials earlier, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that “the defence ministry’s main task is to push, to kick the enemy out of our territory”. He also said that Ukraine’s motivation for its surprise offensive inside Russia was to improve its negotiating position. Some 121,000 people have evacuated from Russia’s western Kursk region, officials say, with another 59,000 told to leave. Ukrainian forces have advanced up to 18 miles (30km) inside Russia – the deepest incursion since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #Russia #Ukraine #BBCNews source