welcome to the programme. last month we brought to you the news that for the first time global warming had exceeded 1.5 celsius across an entire year and that trend is continuing. new data shows that last month was the warmest february ever recorded. figures from the european union's climate service reported global temperatures were 1.77 degrees celsius above preindustrial levels. it's the ninth month in a row that global temperatures have broken record highs. our climate editor justin rowlatt reports. spring begins when the magnolia trees bloom, according to cornish tradition. and spring came early in cornwall and the rest of europe this year. temperatures across the continent this february were almost 3 degrees above average. the exceptional warm weather the world experienced last month did not surprise climate scientists. it coincides with a near—record

increase in co2 concentrations in the atmosphere. the link between c02 and rising temperatures is well established and this year global temperatures got an extra boost thanks to el nino, which brings warmer water to the surface of parts of the tropical pacific. that explains why february was 1.77 degrees warmer than preindustrial temperatures, and why global average temperatures hit a record 1.55 degrees above preindustrial levels over the last 12 months. it means we have temporarily at least breached the 1.5 degrees threshold the world agreed to try and limit temperature rise to, to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. february 2024 was the warmest february on record globally, with an average temperature of 13.54 degrees, above the 1991—2020 temperature. while this is remarkable, because, for instance, it is a tenth of a degree warmer

than the warmest previous february, which was 2016, it's not really surprising, because this has been the el nino year, where temperatures tend to be warmer than usual, and more importantly, we have seen over the last few decades a piling up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which bring up the temperature of the entire planet. we all enjoy warm weather, especially after the downpours this winter, but we should worry when the seasons get out of whack. some plants and animals can struggle to survive. though scientists say urgent action to cut emissions can still slow warming. justin rowlatt, bbc news. dr ella gilbert is with us, she's a climate scientist with the british antarctic survey. thank you for your time. this is the ninth month in a row where we have seen this rise-— ninth month in a row where we have seen this rise— ninth month in a row where we have seen this rise. how concerned should we be? i think, _

seen this rise. how concerned should we be? i think, yeah, _ seen this rise. how concerned should we be? i think, yeah, this— seen this rise. how concerned should we be? i think, yeah, this comes - seen this rise. how concerned should we be? i think, yeah, this comes as i we be? i think, yeah, this comes as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. because as long as we continue to emit greenhouse gases, we are going to continue seeing these records falling. the last nine months have been the hottest on record for each of those months. i think that is almost certain to continue as we go into 2024. . ., certain to continue as we go into 2024.. ., ., ,, , certain to continue as we go into 2024. ., , , 2024. what happens if this continues, _ 2024. what happens if this continues, then, _ 2024. what happens if this continues, then, and - 2024. what happens if this continues, then, and we i 2024. what happens if this i continues, then, and we have 2024. what happens if this - continues, then, and we have this same conversation in a year where it has continued to increase each month? what are the implications of that? , ., , , ., month? what are the implications of that? , , a, , that? the problem is that every tenth of a _ that? the problem is that every tenth of a degree, _ that? the problem is that every tenth of a degree, every - that? the problem is that every | tenth of a degree, every fraction that? the problem is that every . tenth of a degree, every fraction of a degree, means a tangible impact on ecosystems, it means a tangible impact on people's lives and livelihoods. and we are going to see more extreme events. heatwaves like we saw with 40 degrees in 2022. the floods, wildfires and droughts we saw in 2023. this is just going to be a flavour of what's to come and these impacts willjust continue to

become more exaggerated with continued emissions of greenhouse gases and continued warming. so whatever we do has to be to limit those kinds of effects, we have to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. we have to reduce the rate of temperature rise to protect ourselves from these kinds of damaging impacts. we ourselves from these kinds of damaging impacts.— ourselves from these kinds of damaging impacts. we heard in justin's damaging impacts. we heard in justin's report _ damaging impacts. we heard in justin's report that _ damaging impacts. we heard in justin's report that it's - damaging impacts. we heard in justin's report that it's an - damaging impacts. we heard in justin's report that it's an el- damaging impacts. we heard in. justin's report that it's an el nino justin's report that it's an el nino year but is it human behaviour that's the main cause? eli year but is it human behaviour that's the main cause? el nino is aaivin an that's the main cause? el nino is giving an extra — that's the main cause? el nino is giving an extra boost. _ that's the main cause? el nino is giving an extra boost. typically l that's the main cause? el nino is| giving an extra boost. typically el nino can add 0.2 degrees to an ongoing trend but the main driving factor under this is human activity. we saw temperatures were 1.77 degrees above average and that's an astronomical difference from what we would expect without climate change. there is no doubt that climate change is driven almost entirely by human activity. change is driven almost entirely by human activity-— human activity. finally, do you think peeple — human activity. finally, do you think people going _ human activity. finally, do you think people going about - human activity. finally, do you think people going about their| human activity. finally, do you - think people going about their daily business kind of understand the implications of this, because potentially if they are seeing a bit

of a hotter summer for example, potentially if they are seeing a bit of a hotter summerfor example, a bit more rain, are they actually understanding, do you think, the implications of this? i understanding, do you think, the implications of this?— understanding, do you think, the implications of this? i think people are starting — implications of this? i think people are starting to _ implications of this? i think people are starting to understand - implications of this? i think people are starting to understand them. l implications of this? i think people i are starting to understand them. we are starting to understand them. we are seeing more and more extreme events. i think nobody expected that crazy 40 degrees heat wave we saw in the uk a couple of years ago. people who were watching the news will have seen all the headlines about things like wild fires or floods, they may have experienced themselves last year. these kind of things are happening more and more frequently so people are already feeling the impacts of climate change and it's not necessarilyjust impacts of climate change and it's not necessarily just about the averages or the general, gentle changes. it's more about the kind of extremes we are experiencing that have real huge impacts. irate extremes we are experiencing that have real huge impacts.— extremes we are experiencing that have real huge impacts. we will have to leave it there, _ have real huge impacts. we will have to leave it there, doctor _ have real huge impacts. we will have to leave it there, doctor ellie - to leave it there, doctor ellie gilbert, thank you for your time. three crew members have been killed in a houthi missile strike on a liberian—owned cargo ship off southern yemen. it's the first deadly attack since the group began targeting international shipping last november. take a look at this footage that

came in just a short while ago — dramatic images of the rescue of the surviving crew. it's the indian navy rescuing those survivors. the owners of the ship that was targeted said it was now drifting and on fire. aru na iyengar reports. houthi attacks in the red sea have now turned deadly. yesterday, a missile strike by the group on a liberian—owned cargo ship resulted in three crew members being killed. there's likely to be calls to step up action like this — joint us and uk air strikes on targets in yemen last month. but so far, the houthis haven't been deterred. these are pictures of its forces actually seizing a ship in november. the iranian—backed group, which controls most of northern yemen, has been targeting ships in the area for months in protest at israel's offensive in the gaza strip. this latest action is a major escalation. the ship hit by houthis yesterday

was the mv true confidence. the bulk carrier was sailing with a crew of 20 who were mainly filipino nationals. the attack happened about 50 nautical miles from the yemeni port, aden. the ship was travelling from china to saudi arabia. the us condemned the attack, saying it went way beyond disruption to navigation in international seas. notjust endangered seafarers but now tragically killed a number of them. so we will continue to hold them accountable and we call on governments around the world to do the same. the houthis say the ship was american and the crew had ignored warnings from the houthi navalforces. the us and uk campaign of air strikes has been targeting houthi launch sites, ammunition depots and control posts. these were strikes in the yemeni capital sanaa last month. following the attack on the mv true confidence, foreign secretary lord cameron said the uk will continue to stand up

for freedom of navigation and back its words with actions. but the houthis have huge supplies of drones and missiles. this cargo ship, the rubymar, was hit by a missile last month. it finally sank at the weekend and now poses an environmental risk. aruna iyengar, bbc news. hisham al—0meisy is senior yemen advisor with the european institute of peace. we asked him whether the us—uk coalition's efforts to stop the houthi attacks had had any impact. unfortunately, it isn't. one of the things, the misconceptions, is that they managed to put a dent in their operations or at some time the houthis will run out of their stockpile. what they don't understand is the houthis over the past nine years, they have developed the capacity to build their own missiles locally. in addition to receiving shipments that are being smuggled from iran through various routes,

to the houthis. so they are not going to run out of their missiles or their drones. if anything, they are actually increasing their stockpile, and also increasing the sophisticated kind of weaponry that is arriving to them. and so you'll see additional weaponry coming into yemen, more sophisticated ones, but also the attacks are going to be more deadly, more fatal, as time passes by. let's speak to our middle east correspondent yolande knell, who's injerusalem. these are the first deaths we have heard of. do you think this could potentially lead to an escalation? we have had the us and british response to this, that this was really inevitable because of what they describe as the reckless attacks being carried out by the houthis. they have gone on since november now. the houthis say they are acting in solidarity with the palestinians in gaza, that they will

not stop until there is a ceasefire there. this isjust a very not stop until there is a ceasefire there. this is just a very powerful reminder of the global impact that is being had by the gaza war. you have the fact this is notjust is being had by the gaza war. you have the fact this is not just about the killing of these three sailors. it has been four months now the disruption and danger to international shipping in one of the world's busiest sea routes. already we have seen many shipping companies diverting their vessels, going on a longer and more expensive route around southern africa. it has an impact on consumers all around the world. �* , ., impact on consumers all around the world. �*, ., , ., ., world. let's turn to the situation on the ground — world. let's turn to the situation on the ground in _ world. let's turn to the situation on the ground in gaza. - world. let's turn to the situation on the ground in gaza. the - world. let's turn to the situation on the ground in gaza. the un l world. let's turn to the situation l on the ground in gaza. the un say half a million people are on the brink of famine. what's the latest situation with ade? in brink of famine. what's the latest situation with ade?— brink of famine. what's the latest situation with ade? in recent days we have had _ situation with ade? in recent days we have had really _ situation with ade? in recent days we have had really shocking - situation with ade? in recent days i we have had really shocking pictures coming out, particularly from northern gaza where the situation is worse, of emaciated children come with local health officials saying

some 20 people have died in the past week or so from malnutrition and as a result of starvation. we know that just a day ago, there are 250 lorry loads of aid that went into gaza, that's what the un are saying and that's what the un are saying and that's a big increase of what has happened in prior days. we have also had a continuation of air into gaza reaching the north also. but this is not a very effective way of distributing aid. still much more needs to be done. they are reinforcing the calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, so that this problem can really be addressed. israel says it is not blocking aid and blames the un for issues with distribution. but we have had the british foreign secretary, we have had the us state department, coming out saying that israel needs to do more to increase the flow of aid into gaza. there are other things being looked out and out, quite extreme measures such as taking an

aid by sea. also opening up other crossings and roads which are used by the israeli military at the edge of gaza as ways to try to get aid in more quickly and try to distribute it particularly to the north. yolande knell injerusalem, thank you. here in the uk, the chancellor has cut national insurance contributions and raised the threshold for claiming child benefit in his last spring budget before the general election. jeremy hunt says the measures have been paid for by putting up taxes on business class flights, vaping and smoking, but the office for budget responsibility warns the government could find it hard to balance the books. here's the chancellor talking to the bbcjust an hour ago. well, i don't think people want gimmicks. the reason they vote for the conservative party is they trust us to be sensible with the economy, to take the right long—term decisions. what i did yesterday was show how we are growing the economy, how our plan is working. and we are doing that partly

because we are bringing down taxes. and the big divide in british politics, we've had to put up taxes, of course, because we wanted to support families in the pandemic and through the cost of living crisis. do we want those taxes to stay high? what conservatives say, is we look around the world and we see the economies that are growing the fastest, in north america, asia, are ones with lower taxes, and we think it's time to start bringing down taxes, which is what i did with the national insurance cut. combined with what i did in the autumn, it will bring about 200,000 people, or the equivalent of, into the workforce, filling about one in five vacancies across the country. so it's really good for economic growth. i'm in liverpool, astrazeneca. where they are investing £650 million to build a vaccines manufacturing hub, right here. that's the kind of investment that's going to grow the economy, and that's what i'm supporting in the budget. chancellorjeremy chancellor jeremy hunt there.

earlier, the shadow chancellor rachel reeves told bbc breakfast thatjeremy hunt needs to explain "where the money is going to come from". we need to get people back to work. there are 700,000 more people due to be on sickness benefits, and that of course is a huge cost to the economy, with the benefits paid out. but also a huge loss in terms of what they could be contributing. so we need to be getting people back to work. that means getting our nhs waiting lists down, it means more targeted support. it means reforming the apprenticeship levies so businesses can get the workers with the skills they need to give young people the chance to build a career and build their skills. we need to be investing alongside business in the jobs and the industries of the future, in towns and cities around the uk, in industries like carbon capture, gigafactories for electric vehicles, floating offshore wind. huge potential, and yet it's not being realised today. and if we can grow our economy, we can get taxes down, and despite the tax cuts yesterday, the truth is taxes are still going up.

and by the end of the forecast, and again this was confirmed yesterday, the average family is going to be paying £870 more a year in tax. the government gave with one hand yesterday, but they are taking much more with the other. rachel reeves there. let's speak to our chief political correspondent henry zaffman from westminister. we have had the evening to crunch through some of what the budget really means. what has been the analysis overnight? 0ne really means. what has been the analysis overnight? one of the funny things is that actually the biggest announcement was known the evening before, let alone after the budget. conservative mps were in the house of commons waiting for something that would be a big surprise, often in westminster known as the rabbit out of a hat, but actually the biggest announcement was the 2% cut in the rate of national insurance, the tax paid by those in employment, which had leaked the day before. so

it had a sort of slightly odd political landing, the budget, because it became kind of a bit of a flat one for conservative mps. i'm emphasising conservative mps because the budget is of course a big economic event for people up and down the uk, but it is also, especially in a general election year, a political event. and some conservatives want to jeremy hunt not to cut national insurance but cut income tax because that is paid by a wider range of people including pensioners, who are a big part of the conservative electoral coalition. i think the reception on the conservative site has been reasonably well welcomed but certainly not rapturously welcome. 0n the other side, the labour side, they say that the tax cuts jeremy hunt has offered are completely dwarfed by what's known as fiscal drag, the fact that lots of people have been dragged into higher rates of tax by inflation because the

threshold so not moved up with inflation. irate threshold so not moved up with inflation. ~ . ., threshold so not moved up with inflation. ~ . ,, ., ., inflation. we talk about the fact an election is expected _ inflation. we talk about the fact an election is expected this _ inflation. we talk about the fact an election is expected this year. - inflation. we talk about the fact an j election is expected this year. how do you think that budget could potentially affect what voters will think? because i guess those are the ones that the conservative party is hoping will stick with them. {iii hoping will stick with them. of course they are. jeremy hunt tried to cast the budget as a sign that britain was at a turning point, that after notjust britain was at a turning point, that after not just the britain was at a turning point, that after notjust the covid pandemic but the economic problems caused by the russian invasion of ukraine, that things are starting to improve, that things are starting to improve, that inflation is starting to come down and the forecasts published alongside the budget suggested it is coming down, that growth is starting to nudge up. but i think the big political question forjeremy hunt, rishi sunak, the government and conservative party heading into the election, whenever it comes, is do the british public really feel like a corner has been turned? do they

feel like this is a turning point? because i think that rhetoric works for the government only if the public feels it reflects their experiences. if they feel that actually things are still very tough, they are still struggling with the cost of living, with inflation, with living standards and flatlining wages, then there is a political risk for the government, for the conservative party, that they simply look out of touch. henry zeffman, political— they simply look out of touch. henry zeffman, political correspondent - they simply look out of touch. henry zeffman, political correspondent in westminster, thank you. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news here in the uk. the nationwide building society has reached an agreement to buy virgin money in a £2.9 billion deal which would see the brand eventually disappear. it would create one of the uk's largest mortgage and savings groups. nationwide said it would not make any material changes to virgin money's 7,300 employees �*in the near term'.

the metropolitan police is appealing for help in finding a wanted man believed to be hiding in west london. jake muir of feltham is wanted after having been recalled to prison and he's thought to be in the feltham or hanworth areas. he's also wanted for alleged possession of an offensive weapon and theft of a motor vehicle. the high court says an afghan judge who has been forced to go into hiding from the taliban was wrongly refused relocation to the uk. the anonymous claimant prosecuted taliban and islamic state group members and has since avoided an assassination attempt. the uk government argued he hadn't worked closely enough with the uk in afghanistan to qualify for relocation. you're live with bbc news. the indian prime minister, narendra modi, has held a rally in indian—administrated kashmir. it's his first visit to the muslim—majority region in five years since the region was stripped of its special status. the visit comes ahead of india s national election, due by may. vehicles moving in and out of kashmir�*s largest city srinagar are being checked and people frisked, with thousands extra security deployed

across the region and the city. prior to mr modi's visit, the streets of srinagar were cleaned and billboards put up to welcome him. let's speak to our south asia regional editor, anbarasan ethirajan. how significant is this visit? the indian how significant is this visit? the indian prime — how significant is this visit? tie: indian prime minister how significant is this visit? tte: indian prime minister narendra how significant is this visit? "tte: indian prime minister narendra modi is visiting this region for the first time since 2019 when he withdrew the special status in the kashmir region administered decades ago, triggering protests, and this is his first visit since then. the covenant wants to betray that normalcy has returned to the region that has been hit by decades of insurgency in which tens of thousands of people have been killed. kashmir is claimed by both india and pakistan, but they control only in parts. tens of thousands of

soldiers have been deployed ahead of narendra modi's visit, where he highlighted how the government policies have brought in development and bringing the growth of the kashmir region along with the rest of india. however, the local kashmir leaders would differ with him on this, saying there are increased restrictions, and in terms of restricting press freedom and the crackdown on dissent, it is quite high in the kashmir region, and they would also point out how unemployment rates are high. and in fact many of those who have seen attending narendra modi's rally were not coming on their own will, they were being forced by authorities to attend his raleigh. irate were being forced by authorities to attend his raleigh.— attend his raleigh. we seeing ictures attend his raleigh. we seeing pictures of— attend his raleigh. we seeing pictures of the _ attend his raleigh. we seeing pictures of the rally. - attend his raleigh. we seeing pictures of the rally. there i attend his raleigh. we seeing l pictures of the rally. there were protests when the autonomy was revoked. and tight security there, as we have been seeing, and other measures too. as we have been seeing, and other measures toe-— measures too. soldiers have been delo ed measures too. soldiers have been

deployed across _ measures too. soldiers have been deployed across the _ measures too. soldiers have been deployed across the state. - measures too. soldiers have been deployed across the state. there l measures too. soldiers have been i deployed across the state. there was drone surveillance. additional checkpoints were set up and schools were closed in many parts so security forces can move in. it also shows how the alternative picture of kashmir and many local kashmiri leaders would point out how even though mr modi is projecting that normalcy has returned, how economic development is happening, but there are underlying issues. there is no government, it is now being federally administered, directly administered from delhi and they have been calling for local elections and to reinstate the state status, giving them proper authority and autonomy to govern the state on their own. but that has not been happening. the supreme court last december, they held the modi government decision to withdraw the special status was valid, so the local kashmiri leaders would say a different picture to what mr modi was trying to project in his speech

in kashmir today.— in kashmir today. thank you very much. the armourer on the set of the alec baldwin movie rust, on which a cinematographer was shot dead in 2021, has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter. a new mexico jury found hannah gutierrez—reed guilty of the death of halyna hutchins. 0ur west coast correspondent emma vardy reports from los angeles. this was the scene on a ranch in new mexico after a rehearsal for the western movie rust went terribly wrong. alec baldwin was the actor on set that pulled the trigger? alec baldwin? yes, sir. where's he at? a talented cinematographer, halyna hutchins, had been shot dead after the gun alec baldwin was rehearsing with fired a live round. the prosecution said the armourer on set, hannah gutierrez—reed, had mixed up dummy rounds meant to look like the real thing with live rounds that belonged to her personally, and that other live bullets had been found dotted around the set.

they argued hannah gutierrez didn't carry out the right safety checks that would have detected the fact a live bullet had been mistakenly loaded into the gun. afterjust a few hours of deliberation a jury found her guilty of involuntary manslaughter. we find the defendant, hannah gutierrez, guilty of involuntary manslaughter as charged in count one. what happened here at the bonanza creek ranch has now changed the approach to gun safety in the movie industry to try to make sure such a tragedy never happens again. while real guns are still used, increasingly directors are opting for digital effects in post—production to simulate gunfire. were you in the room when that lady, when someone was... i was holding the gun, yeah. 0k~ — alec baldwin is due to stand trial in july also accused of involuntary manslaughter. he claims he never pulled the trigger, but prosecutors will argue he, too, did not follow basic safety rules when handling the weapon. emma vardy, bbc news, new mexico.

stay with us here on bbc news. hello again. in the last couple of days, we've started with some mist and fog, and some dense mist and fog patches at that. but in the next few days it won't be such an issue because it's turning windier. we will also see the sunniest conditions in the west, but it's going to be fairly cloudy at times with some scattered showers. high pressure is still anchored across scandinavia, effectively keeping weather fronts at bay in the atlantic. so what we have today is still quite a lot of cloud, especially in eastern and central areas, producing some drizzle in eastern scotland, showers developing across the south—east, the midlands, central southern england, and also wales. and a blustery day with temperatures

7 to about 11 or 12 degrees. heading on into the evening and overnight period, once again we hang onto all this cloud. the showers will push that bit further north. they could be wintry above 400 metres or so in scotland. there will be some clear skies but it's still going to be windy, so we are not anticipating those issues with mist or fog, and temperatures falling away to between 2 and about 5 degrees. so then, for tomorrow, the high pressure drifts a bit further north across scandinavia. we've got this weather front trying to get into the south—west, isobars alone tell you it's going to be a windy day, windier than today. so we are looking at some brighter conditions across southern england and wales, with some sunshine coming through. a bit more cloud at times across the north of the country. gusty winds, as represented by the black circles. and by the end of the day the cloud will be thickening in the south—west and after dark we'll start to see some rain coming here. temperatures, 6 to about 11 degrees north to south. heading on then from friday into saturday, this low pressure does start to penetrate the south—west.

we'll see the weather front travel a little bit further north, bringing in some rain during the course of saturday, which is going to be a generally cloudy day. it's also going to be a windy day. the best sunshine in the north—west, but at times we'll see holes in that cloud northwards, but they will be filled once again with some cloud right behind them. so, moving on through the weekend, saturday into sunday, we say goodbye to that weather front, and then you can see the isobars open out a touch, so it's still going to be windy at times as we head into the early part of the new week. and certainly on sunday and monday it will be fairly cloudy. but high pressure starts to build in on tuesday.

welcome to viewers on bbc news. i am nicky campbell. does the budget when your vote, was it good for you, or is it good for britain? what about the next election? will it lose your vote or win it, plenty of time to hear your voices. we have got vicky in buntingford. joanne in bristol. terry in newcastle, hannah and ashwell. good morning to all of you.

are you impressed or depressed? depressed. and he sounded, if i may say so. irate depressed. and he sounded, ifi may sa so. ~ ., ., say so. we run a holiday let business — say so. we run a holiday let business in _ say so. we run a holiday let business in hertfordshire, | say so. we run a holiday let i business in hertfordshire, we say so. we run a holiday let - business in hertfordshire, we were not in devon or cornwall, they have issues. we have been not looked after in this budget, we are not second time owners, our business is not a second income. we have been punched in with a bunch of people that benefit from having a second home and renting it out. you've got the air bay and bay phenomenon that a lot of people do not like and that includes us. a lot of people do not like and that you know. our business brings roughly £100,000 a year into our local economy, we providejobs, we work with at least 25 local