BBC News Briefing

13 August, 2024

Jules Darmanin

Hello. Today our science correspondent Victoria Gill is sharing Martian news - researchers have found evidence of liquid water in the outer crust of the planet. We also have updates on the Ukrainian incursion in Russia and on tensions in the Middle East - as well as news from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and the Titanic.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Liquid water found deep in Martian rocks

The Insight lander on the surface of Mars.

The discovery comes from analysis of data from Nasa's Insight lander, which took a seismometer to Mars. Credit: Nasa

Scientists have discovered a reservoir of liquid water on Mars - deep in the rocky outer crust of the planet. While there is water frozen at the Martian poles and evidence of vapour in the atmosphere, this is the first time liquid water has been found on the planet. Researchers have analysed Mars quakes - seismic activity - to reveal reservoirs of water at depths of about six to 12 miles (10 to 20km) in the Martian crust. Prof Michael Manga, from the University of California, Berkeley, said that water was "the most important molecule in shaping the evolution of a planet". This finding, he said, answers a big question of "where did all the Martian water go?". However, the location of the groundwater is not good news for billionaires with Mars colonisation plans who might want to tap into it, scientists said. "Drilling a hole 10km deep on Mars - even for [Elon] Musk - would be difficult," Prof Manga told the BBC's Victoria Gill.

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Listen: Victoria tells us more about the discovery on the 5 Questions On podcast.

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Earlier this year: Water frost has been discovered on top of volcanoes found near Mars's equator for the very first time.

WORLD HEADLINES

Ukrainian offensive: The country's top commander says its troops now control 1,000 sq km (386 sq miles) of Russian territory. All the updates are on our live page.

Middle East tensions: UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged Iran to "refrain" from attacking Israel during a phone call with Iran's new president.

From BBC Persian: A mother of two has been left paralysed after being shot by Iranian police over an alleged violation of the country's strict hijab rules, a source with knowledge of the case has said.

Attica wildfires: A new evacuation alert for the Greek seaside town of Nea Makri has been ordered on Tuesday, as violent fires continue to affect the suburbs of Athens.

Paralympics: Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo is set to become the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Paralympic Games in Paris.

AT THE SCENE

Dhaka, Bangladesh

A new leader with a daunting task

Muhammad Yunus, an 84-year-old economist and Nobel laureate, was sworn in on Thursday to lead the Bangladeshi interim government. He's filling the vacuum left by the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, following months of student-led protests.

Samira Hussain, South Asia correspondent, with Flora Drury

Bangladesh’s new leader is clear: this was not his revolution, and this was not his dream. But Muhammad Yunus knew the second he took the call from the student on the other end of the phone last week that he would do whatever it took to see it through. “I'm doing this because this is what the youth of the country wanted, and I wanted to help them to do it,” he explains during a private briefing for select journalists at his office in the Jamuna State House. “It's not my dream, it’s their dream. So I'm kind of helping them to make it come true.”

Keep reading

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Grumbling cabbies get polite ambassadors

A man and a woman wearing an orange branded vest are standing in front of a red taxi.

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Hong Kong's taxi industry has been plagued by stories of rude of misbehaving cabbies, drawing complaints from locals and tourists alike. But now the Hong Kong Taxi Council is on a mission to transform this image, using "courtesy ambassadors" to share "best practices" with drivers. Will it manage to reconcile cabbies with passengers?

Read the story

A Tourist office is seen at the end of a street in the town of Killarney

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

An Irish town's reinvention

Killarney was once known as all that was bad in mini-break getaways. Not anymore.

How it changed

And finally...

The BBC has been granted access to a secret warehouse holding thousands of artefacts recovered from the Titanic shipwreck. A fashionable alligator handbag and an upturned bathtub are just some of the objects kept in this confidential storage facility. Take a look.

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– Jules

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