Author: BBC

Human-induced climate change made recent extreme heat in the US south-west, Mexico and Central America around 35 times more likely, scientists say.The World Weather Attribution (WWA) group studied excess heat between May and early June, when the US heatwave was concentrated in south-west states including California, Nevada and Arizona. Extreme temperatures in Mexico also claimed lives during the period.Such attribution studies take some time to complete, so it is too soon for scientists to say how much of a role climate change is playing in the current heatwave stretching from the centre of the US through to the north-east and…

The Bank of England has opened the door to cutting interest rates in August in what would be the first drop in borrowing costs for more than four years.On Thursday, the Bank voted to hold interest rates at 5.25% in a decision that was widely expected.Earlier this week, figures revealed that inflation – which measures the pace of price rises – had slowed to 2% in May, which is in line with the Bank of England’s target. There are risks that some areas of inflation remain high.But minutes from a gathering of the Bank’s rate-setting committee show that when they…

46 minutes agoBy Tom Gerken, Technology reporterGetty ImagesBooking.com internet safety boss Marnie WilkingBooking.com is warning artificial intelligence (AI) is driving an explosion in travel scams.The firm’s internet safety boss, Marnie Wilking, said there had been “anywhere from a 500 to a 900% increase” in the past 18 months.She said there had been a particularly marked increase in phishing – where people are tricked into handing over their financial details – since generative AI tools like ChatGPT burst onto the market.”Of course, we’ve had phishing since the dawn of email, but the uptick started shortly after ChatGPT got launched,” she said. “The attackers…

6 hours agoBy Jim Reed, @jim_reed, Health reporter, BBC NewsBBCGentle shockwaves could regenerate the heart tissue of patients after bypass surgery, research suggests.A study of 63 people in Austria found those given the new treatment could walk further – and their hearts could pump more blood.“For the first time, we are seeing the heart muscle regenerate in a clinical setting, which could help millions of people,” Prof Johannes Holfeld, from Innsbruck Medical University, said.Larger trials of the device, dubbed a “space hairdryer” by researchers, are now planned to try to replicate the results in a wider group of patients.Blocked arteryEvery year, 18 million…

1 hour agoBy Mark Savage, Music CorrespondentGetty ImagesKendrick Lamar is the only hip-hop star to win the Pulitzer Prize for musicKendrick Lamar hosted a star-studded concert in Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on Wednesday, intended as a show of unity for the West Coast rap fraternity.More than 20 musicians made guest appearances, including Dr Dre, Roddy Ricch, Ty Dolla $ign, Tyler The Creator and Steve Lacy.But the highlight of the night was the live debut of Lamar’s song Not Like Us – an eviscerating take-down of Canadian star Drake, which brought their long-running feud to a decisive end last month.Encouraged by the crowd,…

The leaders of Vietnam and Russia have said they want to boost ties as the pair met in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. Vietnamese President To Lam was full of praise for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, congratulating him on his recent re-election. Mr Putin, in return, said strengthening a strategic partnership with the south-east Asian country was one of Russia’s priorities.His trip to Vietnam, which comes on the heels of his lavish visit to North Korea, is being interpreted as a demonstration of the diplomatic support Russia still enjoys in the region. “Congratulations to our comrade for receiving overwhelming…

NatWest is to buy the main banking business of Sainsbury’s as the supermarket chain withdraws from the sector.Under the deal, NatWest will take on the credit cards, loans and savings accounts of Sainsbury’s Bank.However, it is not buying the Sainsbury’s Bank brand, or its cash machines, insurance or travel money businesses.Customers will see no immediate change as a result of the deal, the two companies said.Sainsbury’s will seek to redeploy employees at risk of losing their jobs as part of a consultation process.The supermarket had said in Januray that it planned to wind down its banking division as it continues…

This Morning presenter Cat Deeley has apologised to viewers after she joked about having a seizure on Monday’s show.Deeley drew criticism after co-host Ben Shephard asked if she was all right after she began dancing on the ITV programme, and she responded: “I’m fine, I’m just having a seizure.”The Epilepsy Society charity wrote on X: “Seizures are no laughing matter for people with #epilepsy @catdeeley. Please do better and educate yourselves about this difficult and poorly understood condition, @thismorning.”On Tuesday, Deeley said during the start of the show: “I just wanted to apologise to anyone who was offended yesterday when…

30 minutes agoBy Laura Bicker, @BBCLBicker, China Correspondent, BBC NewsReutersThe welcome hug on the tarmac at 03:00, the honour guard of mounted soldiers, the huge portraits of Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin hanging side by side in the centre of Pyongyang – all of this was designed to worry the West.Mr Putin’s first visit to Pyongyang since 2000 was a chance for Russia and North Korea to flaunt their friendship. And flaunt it they did, with Mr Kim declaring his “full support” for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Seoul, Tokyo, Washington and Brussels will see great peril in those words and in the stage-managed…

3 days agoBy Guy Hedgecoe, BBC News, in central SpainGuy HedgecoeSpain has invested heavily in wind farms, such as the one at Sierra del RomeralThe patchwork plains of Castilla-La Mancha, in central Spain, were once known for their windmills.But now it is wind turbines, their modern-day equivalent, which are much more visible on the region’s skyline.The 28 vast turbines of the Sierra del Romeral windfarm, perched on hills not far from the historic city of Toledo, look out over this landscape.Operated by Spanish firm Iberdrola, they are part of a trend that has accelerated Spain’s renewable energy output over the past half-decade,…