Plus: Netanyahu says Israel has date for Rafah offensive, and our correspondent returns home to Syria ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Today climate scientists tell us why the next months could bring our climate into "uncharted territory", after another monthly heat record was broken in March. We're also hearing from our correspondent Lina Sinjab, who visited Syria for the first time after she left her Damascus home 11 years ago. And of course, I have more eclipse material for you, as well as night train recommendations. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | March heat record fuels concern of tipping point | | Several parts of India have reported heatwave conditions in recent weeks. Credit: Getty Images | Last month was the world's warmest March ever measured, breaking the global temperature records for a tenth month in a row. March 2024 was 1.68C (3.02F) warmer than "pre-industrial" times. This all-time high was expected, partly because the El Niño weather system, which peaked in December, caused some of the extra warmth. But even El Niño can't explain why records were broken with such large margins over the past months. The climate phenomenon is waning, but scientists are worried that average temperatures might not cool down. "By the end of the summer, if we're still looking at record breaking temperatures in the North Atlantic or elsewhere, then we really have kind of moved into uncharted territory," said Gavin Schmidt, the director of Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. The next few months will tell researchers if the past year was just out of the norm, or the sign of a sea change in our climate. But scientists are certain about one thing: the way to stop the world warming is to rapidly cut emissions of planet-warming gases.
Breaking: A group of elderly Swiss women have won a partial victory in the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that Switzerland's government violated their human rights by failing to act quickly enough to address climate change.
For the weather buffs: Here's a detailed explanation of how El Niño - and its opposite La Niña - affect global temperatures.
The basics: If you only read one thing, our very simple guide on climate change is the best place to start - and our best piece to share. | |
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| Returning home to a changed country | | Posters of President Bashar al-Assad are everywhere in government-controlled parts of Syria. Credit: Getty Images | BBC Middle East correspondent Lina Sinjab left her home in the Syrian capital Damascus in 2013, soon after the start of the civil war. Recently she was able to travel back for the first time in years, finding a country both very familiar and utterly changed. |
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| | Lina Sinjab, Middle East correspondent |
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| | Arriving in Damascus at night, the city lies in darkness. Even the fanciest neighbourhoods are blacked out. This has been the case for years. Nearly everything is in short supply, forcing Syrians to stand in long queues to secure their basic needs. You need a smart card with your data on it to get your subsidised bread or allocation of fuel or gas - a text tells you when it's time to join the queue. The government seems determined to present Syria as a modern state just as everything collapses. |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | A 'game of Jenga you don't want to lose' |
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| | | Workers plan to use specialised cutting tools and hydraulic shears to remove parts of the Key Bridge. Credit: Getty Images | As many as 15,000 jobs depend on the port of Baltimore, which can't operate since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed over a container ship. Now salvage crews are working to untangle thousands of tonnes of warped steel. Bernd Debusmann Jr reports on the risky - and costly - operation to reopen the channel by the end of May. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Night train through Europe | The Brussels-to-Berlin sleeper train has now been extended to Prague. | |
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And finally... | Troops swapped places in Paris and London on Monday to mark 120 years since the Entente Cordiale, a series of four agreements aimed to end conflict and improve diplomatic ties between the UK and France, was signed. British troops from Number 7 Company took part in a changing of the guard ceremony at the Élysée Palace, while members of French Republican Guard did the same at Buckingham Palace. Take a look at the parallel ceremonies. | |
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In History newsletter | The past comes to life through the BBC's unique audio, video and written archive, each Thursday. | |
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MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS | US Election Unspun: Cut through the noise in the race for the White House, every Wednesday. Subscribe. | Future Earth: Essential global climate news and hopeful developments, every Tuesday. Subscribe. | Football Extra: Latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League, weekdays. Subscribe. | |
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Thank you, as ever, for reading. Send us suggestions for topics or areas of the world to cover in this newsletter. Tell your friends and family about it! They can sign up here. You can take a look at all our newsletters here. By the way, you can add newsbriefing@email.bbc.com to your contacts list and, if you're on Gmail, pop the email into your “Primary” tab for uninterrupted service. Thanks for reading! – Jules | | | |
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