conditions. the bbc investigates the impact a warming planet could have, on those already working in unbearably hot conditions. there are hundreds of thousands of people who work in kilns across central and southern asia for whom a tiny degree of temperature change could mean the difference between life and death. and beloved sesame street character elmo hits a nerve online, after asking everyone how they were doing. the answer it seems, is not good. welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. we begin in washington where the heads of some of the world's biggest social media companies were grilled by politicians in the us senate. they've accused the internet bosses of not doing enough to protect children from harm online. one senator told the heads of meta, tiktok, x, snap and discord that they had blood on their hands. the head of meta, mark

zuckerberg, insisted they were investing billions in safety and trust. here's our technology editor, zoe kleinman. today's vast social media empires are managed by a handful of big names — meta, snap, tiktok, discord and x. their bosses faced angry lawmakers in washington for a tense grilling about why children continue to be exposed to harm on their platforms. as a mother, this is personal and i share the sense of urgency. words cannot begin to express the profound sorrow i feel that a service we designed to bring people happiness and joy has been abused to cause harm. it may have been heartfelt, but the senators weren't buying it. mr zuckerberg, you and i the companies before us, i know you don't mean it to be so, but you have _ blood on your hands. mark zuckerberg from meta, which owns facebook and instagram, came under the heaviest fire. these results may contain images of child sexual abuse,

and then you gave users two choices — get resources, or see results anyway. mr zuckerberg, what the hell were you thinking? all right, senator, the basic science behind that is that when people are searching for something that is problematic, it's often helpful to, rather thanjust blocking it, to help direct them towards something that could be helpful for getting them to get help. i understand 'get resources'. in what sane universe is there a link for- 'see results anyway'?! while tiktok�*s shou zi chew faced tough questions about china. your platform is basically an espionage arm for the chinese communist party. why should you not be banned in the united states of america? senator, i disagree with your characterisation. many of what you have said, we have explained

in a lot of detail. tiktok is used by 170 million americans. also in the room were devastated parents who'd lost their children to online harms. mark zuckerberg stood to address them. continue doing industry —leading efforts to make sure that no one has to go through the types of things that your families have had to suffer. for ages, the us has had plenty of proposed legislation aimed at tackling the problem, but none of it's got over the line. it's clear that the tech firms' toolkits aren't working well enough either, and parents are struggling to cope. one parent summed up to a senator how helpless they felt. "it's like a tap is overflowing and all we've got is a mop." zoe kleinman, bbc news. vittoria elliott at wired magazine in new york. our correspondent was in washington and sent us this update.

it's quite the hearing and notjust because of the extraordinary collection of the big ceos of these social media companies, but also the combative nature of the hearing. i don't think i've seen republicans and democrats in recent years so united and joined up in really holding these tech giants feet to the fire. but something that really stood out as well was the presence of families. families who say they've lost children to social media. they were inside the room holding up pictures of their loved ones. they were there from the beginning. they hissed at the ceos when they entered and throughout the testimony they would laugh and applaud when senators asked tough questions. and in many ways it actually fuelled the tension we saw. and it culminated in that extraordinary dramatic moment when meta boss, mark zuckerberg, turned around, prompted by the republican senatorjosh hawley, to address the families and apologise to them for their suffering. but he also said that is why his company is doing so much to try and protect children. that's, in fact, what all of the ceos were saying. but one of the big questions hanging over the hearing is,

will anything get done? congress hasn't passed much legislation to do with child safety in years, but i think the fact the families were present gave it an added sense of urgency. vittoria elliott at wired magazine in new york. she told me more about questions faced by tech bosses. a lot of the senators took the opportunity while they were grilling the ceos to highlight various legislation that they themselves are backing whether themselves are backing whether the online kids safety act or appeals to repeal the law that allows tech companies to not be held liable for user generated content on their platforms. so i think you are correct that so far we have not necessarily seen the legislation across the line, but none of the ceos necessarily or willing to say they outright oppose them, but they outright oppose them, but they are willing to work with senators to try and make them more feasible and implementable

it i think part of that is issues across the political spectrum, but part is also that i think many times when these pieces of legislation are being written, they are not necessarily done with an eye towards the systems of the companies have in place and how that may be implemented. that is partly because a lot of the ways these companies work, it is a black box. their systems are algorithms, they don't necessarily make those public and it is hard to scrutinise them and one of the proposals i did here today was some sort of oversight body for the companies that may actually be able to better understand these types of systems that the platforms have in place. but no, nothing has gone over the line yet and i think despite a lot of the public pressure that may still be unlikely. the tiktok cso _ may still be unlikely. the tiktok ceo said - may still be unlikely. the tiktok ceo said his - may still be unlikely. the tiktok ceo said his company had not been asked for any data by the chinese government and that they had provided it, what is they had provided it, what is the main concern at the committee have with tiktok and

its relationship with china? obviously bite dance is a chinese company in there is a concern the us user data could be used by the chinese government. the fact that internet the relationship between business in government is more fluid than in other countries —— bytedance. it is obviously a concern. tiktok, for its part, set it is setting up for its part, set it is setting up separate data centres within the us where none of us data will be intermingled where the ccp will not have access to it. whether or not but it is true or whether or not that will be feasible in the long run remains to be seen, but i do think that and we also have seen that tiktok has staffed up a lot of its rules in dc, probably to handle communicating with legislators in dealing with possible regulation that they may face because they are a chinese company and because many us legislators perceive that as a security risk.—

legislators perceive that as a security risk. there were many families saying _ security risk. there were many families saying their— security risk. there were many families saying their loved - families saying their loved ones or harmed by social media in the room, what presence did they have? i in the room, what presence did they have?— they have? i think of really arresting — they have? i think of really arresting moment - they have? i think of really arresting moment was - they have? i think of really. arresting moment was when they have? i think of really - arresting moment was when one of the senators asked mark zuckerberg to turn around and apologise to those families. obviously it is a moment of political theatre, obviously it is a moment of politicaltheatre, but obviously it is a moment of political theatre, but it is also a very symbolic moment and, i think one of the things that the legislators it really did do a good job of it is, these companies like to talk about how their products don't necessarily cause harm on population levels, they say, based on data, we are not seeing real harm to 99%, 99 —— 95%, a large percentage of users but there is something powerful that saying, may be on a population or global level, we are not seeing harms at a degree that might be at a massive percentage that may cause concern, but that change

the fact that even if it is a small percentage of users that are harmed, those are real people with real lives. i think having families in the room was probably very salient to that point. let's bring you a breaking story from london. nine people — including a woman and her two young children — have been taken to hospital after what police called a "corrosive substance" was thrown in south london. a man was seen fleeing the incident in lambeth. three police officers, who responded to the incident, sustained what are believed to be minor injuries. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines... a court in india has given permission for hindu worshippers to pray inside a mosque in the northern city of varanasi. hindu activists, who are supported by the prime minister narendra modi, believe the seventeenth century mosque replaced an earlier temple dedicated to the deity shiva. it's the latest example of hindu groups claiming access to muslim sites of worship they say were built over ancient temples. argentinian president javier milei is currently racing to get his flagship

economic reform bill through the country's congress amid widespread protests. the bill will mean much of the argentinian state will be privatised. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has called for the main un humanitarian relief agency for palestinians to be shut down. he told visiting delegates unrwa should be replaced by other aid agencies. israel has accused at least 12 staff members of taking part in the hamas attacks on 7 october. the un has fired several members of staff in response to the allegatins and says an investigation is under way. president putin has praised a group of russian veterans who have reached the outskirts of the heavily damaged town of avdiivka, near the ukrainian city of donestk. hundreds of civilians remain there, living in desperate conditions under relentless bombardment. a special police unit is trying to help the last people out, mainly elderly women. from that town, our correspondent abdujalil abdurasulov has this special report.

gunfire evacuation from avdiivka is literally a matter of life and death. policemen are running out of time to save this wounded woman. and not only because she is bleeding heavily. explosion. she screams. bleep. a russian drone drops a grenade aiming fortheir car. it just misses. "hurry up — a drone is hovering above," an officer shouts. gennady and dmitri'sjob is to help civilians facing daily bombardments and air strikes. they are the white angels, a special police unit in avdiivka, a front line town in eastern ukraine. they gave me their footage from the past month inside the town. it shows how people survive

in desperate conditions. the town is being razed to the ground, and yet some residents are still willing to stay. gennady begs this old lady to leave the town. this is her answer. "let me die here," she says. in some cases, they use the help of a person's relatives, and sometimes it works. "we've come here and they're refusing to go," he says. "mum, please go," the voice on the other end begs the woman. "what if dad dies after we leave? "what will i do?" she asks.

eventually, the woman's daughter manages to convince her to leave. opportunities to escape are slipping away. small russian groups have already entered the southern outskirts of the town and evacuation from there is no longer possible. ukrainian troops are desperately trying to stop russian attacks around avdiivka, but they are running out of supplies as military aid has decreased. as a result, there are huge shortages of ammunition, guns and spare parts. this is a german bergepanzer, and its main purpose is to evacuate damaged armoured vehicles from the front line. its track and road wheels are broken. but because there are not enough spare parts, this group has to scavenge. they're taking the track from the other vehicle and putting it on this one. for now, the ukrainian forces are holding on in avdiivka,

but those residents who refuse to leave the town may soon no longer have a choice. abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, eastern ukraine. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. scotland's former first minister nicola sturgeon fought back tears at the uk covid inquiry in edinburgh — admitting that at times she'd felt overwhelmed during the pandemic. she rejected claims that the decisions she made were politically motivated to try to advance the cause of independence. ms sturgeon also admitted deleting whatsapp messages from her phone. the number of confirmed cases of measles in the west midlands has doubled within three weeks, according to the latest figures. the region is experiencing its worst outbreak of the disease in three decades — and it accounts for three quarters of all confirmed cases in england during this latest outbreak. vaccination rates have fallen in recent years. the first drone footage of the monkey on the run

in the highlands has been released — strong winds today hampered the ongoing search but this is what was filmed yesterday by the thermal imaging drone. it spotted the japanese macack which escaped from a highland wildlife park at the weekend. it was seen just south of aviemore ? but evaded capture. you're live with bbc news. myanmar�*s miliaryjunta has extended a state of emergency for six more months, delaying the promised elections by another six months. the acting president said the extension was so that the junta could continue combating what he called "terrorists". myanmar�*s military government has been severely weakened by a series of victories scored by armed ethnic groups in recent months. live now to scot marciel, former us ambassador to myanmar, from stanford california. it's no surprise is it, that the state of emergency has

been extended 6 months? it is not a surprise at all. this is the military stand. no one in myanmarand this is the military stand. no one in myanmar and no one in the international community believes that elections held by the military would do anything to solve this problem. it is now three _ to solve this problem. it is now three years _ to solve this problem. it is now three years since - now three years since the military took charge. tell us what the current state in myanmar. what the current state in myanmar-— what the current state in myanmar. what the current state in m anmar. ~ ., ., , myanmar. what you have seen since the military _ myanmar. what you have seen since the military coup - myanmar. what you have seen since the military coup three . since the military coup three years ago is what i would call a national uprising. where the overwhelming majority of the population which hates the military, has been working to force the military out of power. some with weapons, some with other means. i think initially people thought the military would quickly suppress it, but as it turned out, the military has struggled. it seems to be in retreat, morale is low. the economy is very bad. there is a taller shortage

banking crisis at the resistance seems to have the momentum. the resistance made a variety of groups, ethnic groups, international unity government is working hard to try to increase cooperation and coordination among themselves including with a very important statement issued by the national unity government into three of the armed resistance groups just today.— groupsjust today. while internal _ groups just today. while internal forces _ groupsjust today. while internal forces in - groupsjust today. while i internal forces in myanmar groupsjust today. while - internal forces in myanmar try to unify it, is the more the international community could be doing to build bring more stability to myanmar? first recognised _ stability to myanmar? first recognised the _ stability to myanmar? first recognised the military - stability to myanmar? f "st recognised the militaryjunta recognised the military junta is recognised the militaryjunta is incapable of bringing stability to the country. that has been proven. the only hope is for the military to be forced out of power. with the international community can do is double down on efforts to squeeze the military financially to pressure the military into making huge political concessions and offer more support for the forces that are trying to build

democracy and federalism including financial assistance, but also diplomatic support. what are your views on the responses are from china and the us to this crisis, arguably, china could have potentially the most influence on what happens in myanmar. i think china has so far back to the militaryjunta although i do not think it is wedded to them in any way. i think there is increasing signs of the militaryjunta, skews me, my lightsjust went out. militaryjunta, skews me, my lights just went out. that china is concerned about their inability to restore stability. so one would hope that china would back away from supporting the militaryjunta. the united states has been rhetorically and to some extent diplomatically very supportive of the resistance, but has not actually put a lot of effort or resources and, to its credit, has imposed a number of

sanctions against the military, but i think there is more a could do. scot marciel, former us ambassador to myanmar. thousands of workers in south—east asia are being forced to work in conditions so hot that their lives are being put at risk, according to uk research. the study of brick kiln and garment workers in cambodia, the first of its kind in the world, highlights the risks climate change will pose to those already struggling in hot countries. the bbc also discovered that conditions in cambodia's brick kilns were even more toxic. our correspondent laura bicker gained rare access to the industry for this report — the names of the workers she spoke to have been changed to protect them. workers in cambodia's brick factories are trapped in a never ending cycle of heat. production rarely stops. researchers secretly recorded workers body temperature. in some cases, it was life—threateningly high.

heat in here is intense. it is impressive. the only way i can describe it is like being in an oven. the fire is just behind these bricks and they spend hours at a time. this isn'tjust about brick workers here in cambodia, that are hundreds of thousands of people who work in kilns right across central and southern asia, for whom a tiny degree of temperature change can mean the difference between life and death. translation: it is like working inside a burning prison - and it is so hot it impacts our internal organs. i have asked the owner to provide us with more funds, but they don't do it because they are afraid of spending on electricity. last year was the hottest on record and researchers fear climate change is placing the most vulnerable in an everyday state of emergency. the people who are most vulnerable socially, economically will tend to be the people who are also most vulnerable to climate change.

so what we need to do is to consider how climate change impacts people through the lens of labour and inequality, and recognise that labour exploitation is a major factor in the worst impacts of climate change. but in cambodia, heat is not the only problem. this father of two scoops up a mix of fabric, plastic and rubber to keep the kiln fires burning. some factory owners use piles of waste from the garment industry instead of wood to save money. but the fumes are toxic. this is against protocols for major western brands. we found labels from the disney store clerks and h&m, among others. all promised the bbc that they would investigate. no matter how toxic or hot the kilns become, she can never leave.

the owner has paid off her debts, now she and her children are trapped. translation: we have a debt with them. - if we leave, we are afraid of being arrested and imprisoned. so we must struggle here. if they ask us to enter the fire, we will do it. the majority of brick workers were farmers, forced to migrate to the city after droughts devastated their crops, driving them into debt. they earn so little that the debt will never be repaid. the kilns of cambodia have fed the capital's construction boom. but as phnom penh reaches towards the sky, it's left behind those who've helped build it. laura bicker, bbc news, cambodia. now for something completely different — the sesame street character elmo has become the internet�*s therapist... after posing a casual

question on x — formerly known as twitter — asking how is everybody doing? that was enough to prompt thousands of people to unload their woes on elmo... saying they weren't ok at all. our reporter, courtney bembridge, has more from the newsroom. it's a simple question, but it's hit a nerve online. almost 180 million people have seen this post on x from elmo, and thousands of users have unleashed their grief and despair on the small red muppet, as the new york times put it. elmo asked an innocuous question. elmo was not expecting to open a yawning chasm of despair, and someone else posted this image with the caption elmo after seeing the replies. but there has been an overwhelmingly positive response to elmo asking about everyone's emotional well—being. the un posted... and nasa said...

even the us president has weighed in, saying... elmo's co—stars on sesame street have also weighed in. cookie monster, saying, "me here to talk it out whenever you want, me will also supply cookies". and that will go quite nicely with the warm cup of tea that bert is offering. well, elmo has responded to all of this saying, "wow, elmo is glad he asked. "elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they're doing," but he also said he'll be taking a little break, but he will be back to check in on all of us again soon. a reminder of that breaking story from london. nine women including two young children

have been taken to hospital after what please call a corrosive substance was thrown in south london. a man was seen fleeing the scene of the incident in lambeth. police officers have sustained minor injuries. that is all for now on bbc news. hello. a powerful storm passed to the north of the uk on wednesday. storm ingunn, named by the norwegian weather service. across the faro islands, it brought wind gusts in excess of 120 mph. then it slammed into the west coast of norway with gusts of more than 100 mph. there's our storm system moving away as we head into thursday. now, across shetland, we saw wind gusts of 78 mph, but even those winds have been easing a little. and through thursday, it's a quieter day ahead. some hazy sunshine, dry for many, still quite windy up towards the north, but not as windy as it has been. some wintry showers across the north west of scotland and a touch of frost for some

of us first thing. for the majority, we'll see spells of hazy sunshine with high cloud streaming across the sky, thicker cloud into northern england, northern ireland and scotland, with rain returning to the north west of scotland later. temperatures across the board, eight, nine or ten degrees. now during thursday evening and overnight, we'll see this band of rain pushing across the north of scotland. behind that, we see lots and lots of cloud filtering in from the west. it'll turn really misty and murky for coasts and hills, some spots of drizzle. but look at these temperatures by the end of the night, by the start of friday morning, some spots up in double digits. that's because we will be between these two weather fronts, between this warm front and this cold front in what we call a warm sector — a wedge of very warm or at least very mild air. but these south—westerly winds, not only mild, also laden with moisture. so, a lot of cloud on friday, some mist and murk for western coasts and hills, where there will also be some bits and pieces of rain. best chance of any sunshine to the east of higher ground, although the winds here will be pretty gusty. but look at the afternoon temperatures, 13, 111,

we may see highs of 15 celsius. now during friday night, we see a weak cold front pushing its way southwards. that will bring a lot of cloud. it will bring some bits and pieces of showery rain. nothing much, really, on this weather front to look at for saturday. to the south of it, we're still in that very mild but rather cloudy and damp regime. to the north of the weather front, something a little bit brighter, but with some showers still not particularly cold. temperatures north to south, 7 to 14 celsius. into sunday, mild air, if anything, pushes northwards again. a lot of clouds and bits and pieces of rain. highs of 14 celsius.

an interest rate cut is coming but notjust yet... the us federal reserve pours cold water on the hopes of rate—weary americans. plus... mr zuckerberg, you and the companies before us, i know you don't mean it to be so, but you have blood on your hands. social media bosses face the heat in a senate hearing on child safety online. we'll have the details. hello and welcome to asia business report. i'm steve lai. we begin in the us where the federal reserve held interest rates steady leaving

them at a 23 year high. with inflation cooling and solid economic growth, the question on the minds of many economists, consumers and businesses was when the central bank might start cutting rates. but the guidance offered by the fed chairjerome powell disappointed those on wall street who were hoping for a rate cut as soon as march.. powell's warning that it is unlikely the central bank will be in a position to lower borrowing costs at its next meeting sent shares lower, with the dow losing more than 300 points and the nasdaq down by more than 2—percent. from new york, here 5 the bbc 5 north america business correspondent michelle fleury. the fourth meeting in a row, the federal reserve did not raise interest rates. this is the longest pies since policymakers began their aggressive rate campaign to tame inflation back in march of 2022. but for rate weary americans, well, they will likely have to wait a few more months to see any relief,

getting these comments by the federal chair.