Tag: bbc.com

Technology giant Meta is set to trial premium subscriptions for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp users in the coming months in its latest experiment with paid services. The new offerings would give access to features including expanded artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Under the plan, access to the platforms’ core services would remain free to use. The…

The man who was shot dead by federal agents in Minneapolis has been identified by his family as 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti. He has been described as an avid outdoorsman who loved mountain biking and is understood to have joined protests after Renee Good, also 37, was shot dead by an Immigration and…

US President Donald Trump has announced he is raising tariffs on South Korean imports to 25% after accusing Seoul of “not living up” to a trade deal reached last year. In a post on social media, Trump said he would increase levies on South Korea from 15% across a range of products including automobiles, lumber,…

Both of Westminster’s mega brands, Labour and the Conservatives, feel discombobulated and the discombobulator-in-chief is the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage. The thing that ties together the big political stories of the last few days – the stymied manoeuvring of the Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, and the shimmying of Suella Braverman out of one…

A Tokyo court has asked Pyongyang to pay 88 million Japanese yen ($570,000; £416,000) to four people who were lured to North Korea decades ago by a propaganda scheme. The plaintiffs said the North was marketed to them as “paradise on Earth”, but they instead found themselves subject to harsh conditions, including forced labour. They…

An affair, a stalker and a sudden act of violence are undeniably big, disruptive events. For three people, they didn’t just alter the course of their lives – they reshaped them completely. Over time, the have rebuilt their confidence and identity. They share how they did it with Dr Sian Williams, host of Radio 4’s…

Airlines are paying out millions of pounds in compensation to passengers every year after initially saying no as consumer groups accuse firms of trying to put customers off making claims for severe delays or cancellations. Almost £11m was paid to passengers in the year to October 2025, whose claims were rejected or left unresolved before…

France’s National Assembly has backed a bill that would bansocial media access for under-15s, a proposal supported by President Emmanuel Macron. Lawmakers in the lower house on Monday agreed key elements of the bill, before voting 116-23 in its favour. Next, the bill will go to the upper house, the Senate, for approval. If it…

The menopause is linked to changes in the brain similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s, according to a large UK study. The loss of grey matter in areas involved with memory and emotion might partly explain why women are generally at greater risk of dementia than men, researchers speculate. The findings come from nearly 125,000…

Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding has pleaded not guilty to all 17 felony charges against him including drug trafficking, witness tampering and conspiracy to commit murder. In his first court appearance since being arrested in Mexico last week, Wedding appeared relaxed, smiling with his attorney and occasionally at the media and FBI agents as he…