Author: BBC

At least six people have been killed in landslides in the central Ecuadorean city of Baños.Several homes were buried underneath tonnes of mud which careered down a hillside following days of torrential rain.More than a dozen people were injured and a main road was cut off.A state of emergency has been declared in Baños.Some 30 people who had been reported missing after the landslide have been found alive, officials said. Heavy machinery has been sent to the area to clear roads which have been blocked by rocks and mud. Local media reported that of the six people confirmed to have…

Just nowBy Tom Gerken, Technology reporterGetty ImagesOne of America’s most senior health officials has called on the country to impose smoking-style warning labels on social media platforms.Writing in the New York Times, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said social media increased the risk that children would experience symptoms of anxiety and depression.He wants people who visit these platforms to be shown a message warning that they are “associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents”.He said such a label would “regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe”.The BBC has approached Youtube, TikTok, X and Meta, which owns…

6 minutes agoBy Mark Savage, Music correspondentAnna LeeColdplay are one of the world’s biggest-selling bandsColdplay say they are aiming to make the most eco-friendly album yet, with their newly-announced 10th record, Moon Music.Each vinyl copy of the album will be pressed onto discs made from nine plastic bottles, recovered from consumer waste.A special “notebook” edition will also be comprised of 70% river plastic, taken from the Rio Las Vacas in Guatemala.The band say this will reduce carbon emissions by 85% and prevent the manufacture of more than 25 metric tonnes of virgin plastic. The group has been at the forefront of the…

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved his six-member war cabinet, a widely expected decision that follows the departure of centrist opposition leader Benny Gantz and his ally Gadi Eisenkot.Israeli media report that sensitive issues about the war with Hamas in Gaza will now be decided by a smaller forum.Since Mr Gantz quit eight days ago over what he said was the lack of strategy for the war, there have been calls from far-right ministers to take his place.By dissolving the war cabinet, Mr Netanyahu avoids a tricky situation with his coalition partners and international allies.A spokesman for the Israel…

18 minutes agoBy Henry Zeffman, @hzeffman, Chief Political CorrespondentReutersLabour has accused the Conservatives of proposing unfunded tax cuts after Jeremy Hunt suggested key manifesto promises on welfare cuts had already been announced.The Conservative manifesto is funded in large part by proposed cuts to spending on benefits, which the party says are not currently government policy.But the chancellor wrote in a newsletter to constituents last week that the tax cuts in the Conservative manifesto would be funded by savings from “an enormous back to work programme (which I announced in the Autumn Statement last year)”.Labour seized on his comments as evidence that the welfare…

1 hour agoBy Andrew Rogers, BBC NewsbeatStephanie LindgrenTeam Spirit took home the trophy at this year’s Blast Premier Spring FinalNo matter what sport you love, when you’re watching and cheering on your team you don’t want to miss a second of the action.That’s why one of the most important, and often least appreciated jobs, is being one of the many camera operators.It’s no different in esports, and that’s where people like Jake come in.The 25-year-old, also known as zarx online, is one of a team of four “observers” who act a bit like cameramen on the virtual battlefield.They work together to give…

Four people, including a pregnant woman, were killed after a vehicle in the convoy carrying the body of the late Malawi Vice-President Saulos Chilima hit mourners, police say.Twelve other people were injured in the incident on Sunday night and were being treated in hospital.It followed clashes between local people, the police and soldiers escorting the late vice-president’s funeral convoy from the capital, Lilongwe, to his home village for burial.Mr Chilima died in a plane crash a week ago and is due to be buried later on Monday in his home district of Ntcheu, some 180 km (112 miles) south of…

Getty ImagesBritish drivers are facing petrol and diesel prices that are “far higher than they should be”, according to the RAC.The motoring group said fuel retailers were using the “distraction” of the general election to keep profit margins “persistently high”.It called on the UK’s competition body to bring retailers “into line as soon as it’s able to”.However, a body representing fuel retailers said businesses were facing higher costs and also having to invest in new technology for electric vehicles.Concerns about the high price of fuel prompted the competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), to look into the sector…

ReutersThe Reuters Institute’s report suggests some people avoid the news because of the war in GazaMore people are turning away from news, describing it as depressing, relentless and boring, a global study suggests.Almost four in 10 (39%) people worldwide said they sometimes or often actively avoid the news, compared with 29% in 2017, according to the report by Oxford University’s Reuters Institute.Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East may have contributed to people’s desire to switch off the news, the report’s authors said.It said that news avoidance is now at record high levels.A total of 94,943 adults across 47 countries…

1 hour agoBy Meryl Sebastian, BBC News, KochiGetty ImagesThe accident took place in West Bengal’s New Jalpaiguri area on Monday morningEight people have died and around 60 have been injured in a train crash in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.The accident occurred when a goods train hit a stationary passenger train, the Kanchenjungha Express, in the New Jalpaiguri area on Monday morning.Dramatic visuals from the accident site showed one wagon of the express train suspended in the air.Authorities say “human error” may have led to the crash and a detailed investigation will be held. Officials said ambulances and disaster teams…