Inmates in six Ecuadorian prisons have released 50 guards and seven police officers they had taken hostage, the prison service (SNAI) has said. The 57 freed hostages are “undergoing medical evaluation” but appear to be in good health, according to SNAI. Officials say the kidnappings were coordinated by criminal gangs angry at attempts to curb…

By James Clayton North America technology reporter Social media companies have failed to stop “large-scale” Russian disinformation campaigns since the invasion of Ukraine, the EU has said. The EU Commission’s report said the “reach and influence of Kremlin-backed accounts” had grown further in 2023. Russian disinformation has increased on X, formerly Twitter, since Elon Musk…

By Max Matza BBC News Donald Trump’s longtime confidante Rudy Giuliani and six other alleged co-conspirators have pleaded not guilty to state charges in Georgia. Mr Giuliani is charged with 13 crimes related to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state. They join Mr Trump and several other co-defendants in entering not…

By Nadine Yousif BBC News The union representing actors in the US is looking to authorise a second strike against major video game companies. Talks between SAG-AFTRA and companies like Activision and Electronic Arts have reached a “stalemate”, the union said on Friday, particularly on wage increases and artificial intelligence. Hollywood actors have been on…

By George Torr BBC News Mahek Bukhari was a burgeoning TikTok star, with a mother who enthusiastically supported her influencer daughter. But an ill-fated affair saw both their lives unravel into deceit, blackmail, and ultimately murder. Mahek, from Stoke-on-Trent, had set her sights on a social media career after dropping out of university. It was…

By Sean Coughlan Royal correspondent Is Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, quietly being rehabilitated? That was the speculation after he was photographed in a car with the Prince and Princess of Wales, on their way to a church service near Balmoral, on the Royal Family’s annual stay in Scotland. The grainy photo of him…

By James Gregory BBC News Gabon’s new military leader has pledged to return the country to democracy, but has refused to provide a timelines for fresh elections. Gen Brice Oligui Nguema said the country’s state institutions would be made more democratic and their suspension was only “temporary”. But Gabon’s opposition coalition says the military shows…

A selection of powerful news photographs taken around the world this week. All photos subject to copyright.

By Myriam Francois In Essaouira Gnawa music is a Moroccan spiritual musical tradition developed by descendants of enslaved people from sub-Saharan Africa. Combining ritual poetry with traditional music and dance, the Gnawa master is centre-stage, playing the main guitar-like instrument, the ghembri. The Gnawa master was always a man in the deeply patriarchal society, but…

By Erika Benke Oulu, Finland Eleven-year-old Valo’s face bursts into a big smile as a man wearing a yellow high-viz jacket and a pink baseball cap approaches his house to return his bike, which was stolen a month ago. The man’s name is Ilkka Pulkkinen. He’s not a policeman but an ordinary citizen who leads…