Plus: Modi's opponents have not accepted defeat yet, and can Australia really go green? ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Today I'm sharing a piece from Yolande Knell and Rushdi Abu Alouf, looking at the aftermath of Israel's second raid on the al-Shifa hospital complex in Gaza. We also have two stories on environmental policy - one about renewable energy in Australia, the other focusing on the green parties on the back foot in the European Union. I'm wrapping up your newsletter with some royal pottery. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Mass graves and body bags in al-Shifa | | Many bodies "are decomposed and completely unidentifiable", one rescue worker said. Credit: Reuters | On 1 April, Israeli forces pulled out of Gaza's vast al-Shifa hospital complex, following a surprise raid described by the Israeli government as "precise and surgical". In the weeks that followed, Palestinian search teams pored over burnt-out ruins, finding four mass graves. They say several hundred bodies have been found. Working with a journalist in Gaza, Yolande Knell and Rushdi Abu Alouf have heard from many Gazans about their experience coming back to al-Shifa, which they said reeked of death. Israel has said that “over 200 terrorists” were killed in and around the complex, and that there was “not a single civilian casualty” from its raid. However, my colleagues have been given strong testimony that there were Palestinian civilians killed by heavy Israeli bombardment and intense shooting in the surrounding neighbourhood. The UN Security Council, US and European Union have called for an independent investigation into possible war crimes. Our report contains distressing content.
Scenes of destruction: Footage shot after the Israeli raid shows the hospital buildings in ruin and its courtyard filled with rubble.
In Washington: The House of Representatives has voted to pass legislation that would sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) after its prosecutor applied for arrest warrants against Israeli officials.
In northern Israel: Rockets fired across the border by Lebanese group Hezbollah have sparked days of bushfires, with swathes of forest reserve destroyed and 11 people hospitalised for smoke inhalation. | |
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UK ELECTION LATEST | The first debate between Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was a punchy scrap over fiscal policy, private healthcare, private education and the UK’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights. The BBC's political editor Chris Mason gives us his take. | |
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| Can Australia really go green? | Australia’s economy has long been powered by its natural resources and fossil-fuel exports. Now, a $A22.7bn ($15bn; £11.8bn) investment aims to turn the country into a "renewable energy superpower". Critics doubt it will be enough but start-ups say it could prove transformational. |
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| | | Hidden among thick bushland in the outer suburbs of southern Sydney sits an expansive facility housing a technological breakthrough. SunDrive Solar is finding a way to replace the silver used in solar cells with copper, which was previously thought impossible. “Silver is expensive, scarce and environmentally disastrous, and it limits how much solar [power] can be rolled out around the world,” explains chief commercial officer Maia Schweizer. "Copper is... 1,000 times more abundant, and 100 times lower cost." |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | It's not easy being green (in Europe) |
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| | | Most polls suggest green parties could lose as much as 30% of their seats in the European parliament. Credit: EPA | People in the European Union are voting this week for the bloc's parliamentary elections. But unlike five years ago, when a vocal subset of young Europeans demanded action against climate change, this year's contest takes place amid growing resistance to green polices. Barbara Tasch spells out what this means for green parties across the continent. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | June's must-watch | A new Star Wars series is among the 10 best shows to check out this month. | |
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And finally... | King Charles is more often known as the subject of artists rather than being the creator himself. But while studying at Cambridge University, the then Prince tried his hand at pottery. One of his artworks, a ceramic goat, has been sold at an auction this week for £8,500 ($10,870). | |
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The Essential List newsletter | The week's best stories, handpicked by BBC editors, in your inbox twice a week. | |
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MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS | | In History: The past comes to life through the BBC's unique audio, video and written archive, each Thursday. Subscribe. | | US Election Unspun: Cut through the noise in the race for the White House, every Wednesday. 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.
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– Jules | | | | |
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