Indonesia volcano: BBC reporter surrounded by houses buried in ash

Indonesia volcano: BBC reporter surrounded by houses buried in ash

Houses have been buried by hot ash after a volcano erupted in Indonesia on Saturday. Mount Semeru on the island of Java engulfed villages, submerging vehicles and leaving glimpses of rooftops behind. Fourteen people are known to have died and dozens were injured, authorities said. Watch the BBC’s Valdya Baraputri, surrounded by buried buildings, describe…

Hollywood legend Mel Brooks’ autobiography published

Hollywood legend Mel Brooks’ autobiography published

Mel Brooks, an all-round Hollywood legend, responsible for films like The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, has produced his first autobiography, at the age of 95. His son Max encouraged him to write the 450-page All About Me! during the first lockdown. The BBC’s Alan Yentob, who has made several documentaries with the entertainer,…

Rebel Wilson on weight loss: I know what it’s like to be invisible

Rebel Wilson on weight loss: I know what it’s like to be invisible

Rebel Wilson made a name for herself as one of Hollywood’s top comedy actresses after appearing in the 2011 box-office hit Bridesmaids and the successful Pitch Perfect franchise. Now a producer and director, she’s been named one of the BBC’s 100 Women of 2021. In an exclusive BBC interview, Rebel reflects on her decision to…

Virtual yacht sells for $650,000 and other tech news

Virtual yacht sells for $650,000 and other tech news

LJ Rich looks at the best of the week’s technology news stories including: UK’s Competition and Markets Authority orders Meta, Facebook’s parent company, to sell Giphy – a Gif-sharing search engine Co-founder and CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, steps down as chief executive of the company A virtual yacht sells for $650,000 (£490,000) inside building…

NunTok: How religion is booming on TikTok and Instagram

NunTok: How religion is booming on TikTok and Instagram

Nuns, imams and Buddhist monks are among those sharing successful – and often fun – short-form videos on social media. On TikTok, the hashtags #ChristianTikTok, #Diwali and #Islam have been used billions of times. The “media nuns” of the Daughters of St Paul in Boston, London imam Sabah Ahmedi, and Orthodox Jewish influencer Melinda Strauss…

The drought ravaging East African wildlife and livestock

The drought ravaging East African wildlife and livestock

At least 26 million people are struggling for food following consecutive poor rainfall seasons in the Horn of Africa. Drought conditions in northern Kenya, much of Somalia and southern Ethiopia are predicted to persist until at least mid-2022, putting lives at risk. The situation is already so bad that wild animals are dying in their…