Iranian women find motorcycle freedom

A new phenomenon is taking over the streets of Iran: women on motorbikes. Legally, women can't obtain motorcycle licenses, but that hasn't stopped them from riding them. For some, riding a motorcycle has become a necessity, as rising living costs have made owning a car increasingly unaffordable. For others, it's an act of defiance against strict rules on what women can and cannot do in public. Taraneh Fathalian from BBC Persian has been speaking to women in Iran.

Russia's recent parliamentary elections are the first since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. President Putin urged Russians to vote, but many Kremlin critics have been sceptical of the elections, claiming that the results were predictable and the figures given were unreliable. One party, Yabloko, which has consistently taken an anti-war stance, was removed from the ballot. Sergey Goryashko observed and reported the elections for BBC Russian.

Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)