Lebanese seaside city deserted after Israeli strikes

Hello. Thousands of people have fled southern Lebanon, an area that has been heavily hit by Israeli air strikes as the conflict with the armed group Hezbollah intensifies. Orla Guerin reports from Tyre, a south Lebanon city known for its bustling seaside that is now eerily empty. We're also exploring what the deadly floods in Europe last week tell us about climate change, and looking into the century-old history of cat memes.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Deadly floods a glimpse of future climate

The record rains fit into the broader pattern of how Europe’s climate is changing in a warming world. Credit: AFP

Storm Boris has ravaged countries including Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Austria and Italy, leading to at least 24 deaths and billions of pounds of damage. Scientists say the floods were made much worse by climate change, offering a stark glimpse of the future.

How common was an event like Storm Boris?

That kind of rainfall is thankfully still rare – expected to occur about once every 100-300 years in today’s climate, which has warmed by about 1.3C (2.34F) due to greenhouse gas emissions. But scientists at the World Weather Attribution group warned that if warming reaches 2C, similar episodes will become 50% more frequent.

How likely is that scenario?

Without more ambitious climate action, global warming is expected to reach around 3C by the end of the century. The last five years in Europe were on average around 2.3C warmer than the second half of the 19th Century, according to the Copernicus climate service. This not only brings much more frequent and intense heatwaves, but also more extreme rainfall, as a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture – about 7% for every 1C.

How can we mitigate the impact of heavier storms?

Weather forecasts are continually improving, and in this case the huge levels of rainfall that triggered the floods were forecast several days in advance.

That meant flood preparations could be put in place. That's partly why the death toll was not as bad as previous major flooding in 1997 and 2002, even though the recent rain was heavier in many places and the floods covered a larger area.

THE BIG PICTURE

Pakistan's female doctors don't feel safe

Women are afraid to speak openly about harassment and abuse, fearing it will affect their careers and personal lives. Credit: BBC

Following the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at work in an Indian hospital, more than a dozen female medics in Pakistan told BBC Urdu's Farhat Javed they were worried about their own safety. But this is a largely hidden crisis, as many are too scared to come forward to report the crimes.

And finally... in the US

Attendees of an event billed a "Bridgerton-themed ball" were fuming after reality failed to meet expectations, and by quite some margin. Having been charged around $150 (£112) for a ticket, patrons dressed in their best Regency era-inspired outfits found themselves roaming the scantly decorated rooms of Detroit's The Harmonie Club, not quite the luxurious settings of the Netflix series the event promised to emulate.