Author: BBC

Google’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 were 48% higher than in 2019, according to its latest environmental report.The tech giant puts it down to the increasing amounts of energy needed by its data centres, exacerbated by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI).AI-powered services involve considerably more computer power – and so electricity – than standard online activity, prompting a series of warnings about the technology’s environmental impact.Google’s target is to reach net zero emissions by 2030 but it admits that “as we further integrate AI into our products, reducing emissions may be challenging.”In its 2024 Environmental Report, Google says…

4 hours agoBy Sophie Law, Charlotte Andrews & Marcus White, BBC NewsPA MediaHamish had neuroblastoma and was given three months to live A mother has admitted giving her terminally ill seven-year-old son a large dose of morphine to stop his suffering and “quietly end his life”.Antonya Cooper, from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, said her son Hamish had stage 4 cancer and was in “a lot of pain” before his death in 1981.Now facing a terminal diagnosis herself, she made the admission to BBC Radio Oxford as part of an effort to change the law on assisted dying.Assisted suicide – intentionally helping another person to…

14 hours agoBy Sarah Turnnidge & PA Media, BBC News, West of England CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2024A painting described as a masterpiece which was found in a plastic bag after being stolen has sold for £17.6m at auction.Rest On The Flight Into Egypt, painted by Venetian master Titian when he was aged just 20 in 1510, was sold by London auction house Christie’s. The work was stolen from the drawing room of stately home Longleat in Wiltshire in 1995, but was found seven years later without its frame in a plastic carrier bag in London. Its sale sets a new world auction…

15 minutes agoBy Cherylann Mollan, BBC News, Mumbai • Salman Ravi, BBC Hindi, HathrasWatch: Survivors recount the horror of India religious event crushThe number of people killed in a crush at a religious gathering in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has risen to 121, making it one of the deadliest such disasters in more than a decade.The incident took place during a satsang (a Hindu religious festival) in Hathras district on Tuesday. Police said the number of people present at the venue was three times the permitted limit and most of those who died or were injured were women.A case has been registered…

A comedian has delayed the start of a show taking place on the day of the general election so people have more time to vote.Ed Byrne was due on stage at Middlesbrough Town Hall at 19:30 BST on Thursday as part of a nationwide tour. But his performance of Tragedy Plus Time will now begin half an hour later.Mr Byrne said: “I’d hate to be the reason people gave for why they didn’t vote.” Middlesbrough Town Hall general manager Kesia Bruce said the venue was “happy to support” Mr Byrne’s suggestion and the venue would still be open from 19:00…

A desperate search is under way in northern Australia for a child feared to have been taken by a crocodile.The 12-year-old was last seen around dusk on Tuesday, swimming near the remote town of Nganmarriyanga – about a 7-hour drive south west of Darwin in the Northern Territory (NT).Police say a specialist search and rescue team has been deployed after “initial reports stated the child had been attacked by a crocodile”.The NT is home to an estimated 100,000 saltwater crocodiles, more than anywhere else in the world, but attacks are uncommon.Community members in Nganmarriyanga – previously known as Palumpa and…

59 minutes agoBy Steven McKenzie, BBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporterMichael ForbesA Scottish artist has painted over some of his artwork in protest against what he says are negative impacts of Artificial intelligence (AI) on Art.Black Isle-based pop artist Michael Forbes’ fans include singer Madonna, Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam and comedian Ricky Gervais.He said AI was saturating the internet with images, and also harvesting artists’ work to create new pictures without any acknowledgement of the source material.Forbes, who has “redacted” parts of four paintings so far, said: “Underneath the black paint is hours of work I’m proud of – in some respects…

Turkey is reported to have closed its main border crossings into northwest Syria after its troops were attacked by Syrians angered by violence against their countrymen in Turkey.Turkish police had earlier announced the arrest of nearly 500 people following attacks on Syrian properties and vehicles in several Turkish cities.The country is now home to more than three million Syrian refugees and tensions with local communities have been growing.At least four people were killed in the Syrian border city of Afrin in an exchange of fire between Turkish troops and armed protesters. Angry Syrian civilians have also hurled stones at Turkish…

13 hours agoBy Hannah Ritchie, BBC News, SydneyHeidi MetcalfA recent government survey found that two thirds of women, like Heidi Metcalf, have encountered gender bias or discrimination in Australian healthcareThere’s a memory, or more specifically a moment, that came to define Heidi Metcalf’s second birth.It wasn’t saying goodbye to her husband and newborn before being wheeled into an operating theatre, or the heart attack she thought she was having as she lay there on the table.It was when a male obstetrician “ripped the placenta” out of her body, without word or warning.A nurse, Ms Metcalf knows the intervention – while immensely painful…

Twelve former Biden administration officials who resigned over policy on Israel and the Gaza war say the government’s actions have endangered US national security.The policies have further destabilised the region and “put a target on America’s back”, they say in a joint statement.One of the 12 resigned only on Tuesday from the US Department of the Interior.The US Department of State has previously denied such claims, pointing to its criticism of civilian casualties in Gaza and its efforts to boost humanitarian aid.The joint statement by the former officials says: “America’s diplomatic cover for, and continuous flow of arms to Israel…