Forces linked to Syria's new rulers engaged in heavy fighting with others loyal to the former President Assad. Also: latest trade figures from China indicate world's second largest economy is struggling.
Chapter 1: What sparked the recent violence in Syria?
I'm Rachel Wright, and at 14 Hours GMT on Friday the 7th of March, these are our main stories. Syrian government forces are reported to have executed more than 50 people in Latakia province, where troops have been fighting Assad loyalists. More than 180 people are missing after four boats capsize off the coast of East Africa.
A South Korean court has ordered the release of the impeached president, after ruling that the warrant for his arrest in January was invalid. Also in this podcast, an international conference to discuss the Geneva Conventions in relation to Gaza has been cancelled at the last minute. One international lawyer says it's needed now more than ever.
That is maybe where we do have a duty to educate people that it is completely illegal under international law after the Second World War to gain territory through the use of force.
And the strange story of the webcam doorbell to help fish stuck in Dutch canals. The government of Bashar al-Assad ran Syria with rare brutality. Now, reports say their Alawite supporters may be suffering some of the same treatment.
It's been reported that Syrian security forces have carried out a mass execution of about 50 members of the Alawite minority in the coastal province of Latakia, a stronghold of Assad support. There's unverified video showing dozens of bodies in the yard of a house. Another video is circulating showing a body being dragged by a speeding car in Latakia on Thursday night.
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Chapter 2: What are the latest developments in Syria following Assad's fall?
Chapter 3: Why did the South Korean court release the impeached president?
A South Korean court has ordered the release of the impeached president, after ruling that the warrant for his arrest in January was invalid. Also in this podcast, an international conference to discuss the Geneva Conventions in relation to Gaza has been cancelled at the last minute. One international lawyer says it's needed now more than ever.
That is maybe where we do have a duty to educate people that it is completely illegal under international law after the Second World War to gain territory through the use of force.
And the strange story of the webcam doorbell to help fish stuck in Dutch canals. The government of Bashar al-Assad ran Syria with rare brutality. Now, reports say their Alawite supporters may be suffering some of the same treatment.
It's been reported that Syrian security forces have carried out a mass execution of about 50 members of the Alawite minority in the coastal province of Latakia, a stronghold of Assad support. There's unverified video showing dozens of bodies in the yard of a house. Another video is circulating showing a body being dragged by a speeding car in Latakia on Thursday night.
Syrian government forces are carrying out a big security operation after clashes with Alawite gunmen which left more than 70 people dead. It all adds up to the worst violence in Syria since the fall of the Assad government in December. Our correspondent in Beirut, Hugo Beshega, gave us this update.
So this is coming from the monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which for years has been documenting incidents across Syria. They have a network of sources and activists working with them. And they say that... They have verified videos and also gathered testimonies from relatives of the dead, saying that 52 Alawite men were executed by Syrian security forces.
Now, we haven't been able to independently verify those claims. We've seen one footage that has been released by activists. Dozens of bodies of men and boys in civilian clothing are piled in the yard of a house.
Again, we haven't been able to independently verify the authenticity of the footage, but this follows those clashes in Latakia between government forces and supporters of the deposed president Bashar al-Assad.
Yeah, tell us about those clashes. 70 people were reported to have been killed?
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Chapter 4: How dangerous is the migrant route from Djibouti to Yemen?
Hugo Bechega. Almost 200 people are missing after four boats carrying migrants from Djibouti to Yemen capsized. It's considered to be one of the most dangerous migrant routes in the world, with hundreds of deaths recorded each year. Nkechi Obono is one of our Africa correspondents and told us more about the incident.
Currently, we do know that more than 180 people have been missing and the boats actually capsized Thursday night, according to the IOM, which is the UN's migration body. The UN did not give any information on the identity of the people on the boats, but we do know that the route is often used by Ethiopians and Eritreans and Kenyans as well, who are looking for work in countries in the Gulf.
And so it's a very common migrant route in East Africa.
And have there been incidents like this before where migrants have died?
It's one of the world's most dangerous migrant routes, actually, according to the IOM. In 2024, just last year, more than 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen. And we also saw the IOM reporting that 20 Ethiopians were killed when their boat capsized off Yemen just this year in January. The IOM also says about 558 people died along the route in 2024.
So it's a very common migrant route, but it's very dangerous as well.
Are the numbers increasing or have they reduced?
At this point, it's difficult to say, but the IOM has always pointed that because of the many issues of unemployment and political instability in many parts of Africa, a lot of young people, including women, are looking for ways to escape. to Europe and the Gulf, looking for opportunities, looking for employment and a better quality of life.
And so, yes, over time, we have seen the numbers increase, but it's difficult to peg it at this time.
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Chapter 5: What is the significance of the cancelled Geneva Conventions conference?
Nkechi Mbono. Switzerland has at the last minute cancelled an international conference. The subject, the Geneva Conventions and how they relate to the conflict in Gaza. The conference had been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly and it was due to take place on Friday with a key focus on forced displacement. Israel had said it would not attend, describing the event as legal warfare.
But the international lawyer Andrew Clapham argues that the issue needed to be discussed, as he explained to our Geneva correspondent Imogen Folks.
Well, it's not the only time that Switzerland finds itself in this quite complicated position of wanting to be a neutral space and maybe even a mediator, and at the same time being seen by the outside world as the guardians of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions in particular. It's important that states can come together and, as I say, reaffirm these things.
Whether they need to do it at this point in time with a very loud voice so that it disrupts negotiations, over the release of prisoners or the release of hostages or a peace deal that's obviously a complicated diplomatic dance as an international lawyer what would you like to see
I think it's very important to stress again that in international humanitarian law and in times of war, civilians have to be protected, civilian property has to be protected, hospitals have to be protected. And that if you violate those norms in a willful way, you can be prosecuted for grave breaches. And that's an international crime in every country in the world.
And this sense of impunity and this lack of accountability, I think it's very concerning because it gives the impression that international law is a lot of talk and that it's not like real law. But from my perspective, if you're asking me, it is real law and you can be prosecuted and you can go to prison.
And I think an emphasis on that, not just on demanding that Israel prosecutes, but reminding everybody in the world that they have the obligation to search for people and prosecute them. I think that could be very helpful.
Of course, you are an expert on the laws of war. Your suggestion is that these laws of war, actually, there's an awful lot of stuff which is genuinely forbidden. I mean, do you think the people fighting now don't know? Or are they stretching the law to breaking point? I mean, not just the Middle East, we could also look at Russia, Ukraine, for example.
I think the idea that it's about ignorance is misplaced. I think the idea that you don't kill, you don't rape, you don't destroy someone's house is pretty obvious to everyone. There are interpretations, as you're suggesting, which are being developed, which are stretching the law beyond what it really means.
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Chapter 6: How are French Mirage jets being used in Ukraine?
And I think it would be important for such a meeting as the one here and other meetings to re-emphasise this. There's one other aspect which is maybe important in both the Russian context and the Israeli-Gaza context. And that is the rule, as you've mentioned, in times of war, you can't gain territory through the use of force. That's an international law rule.
And so all the talk of annexation and gaining territory is a bit misleading. And I think that is maybe where we do have a duty to educate people, that it is completely illegal under international law after the Second World War to gain territory through the use of force.
Andrew Clapham speaking to Imogen Folks. French Mirage fighter jets only arrived in Ukraine last month. Now they've been put to work for the first time, helping to defend against a Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. The use of the French aircraft highlights the new geopolitical realities where Ukraine is looking much more to Europe for its defence.
It was one of the heaviest Russian attacks since President Trump announced that he was pausing US military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. My colleague Jackie Leonard asked Vitaly Shevchenko, the Russia editor of BBC Monitoring, how serious the attack was.
It was pretty serious. It lasted almost... all through the night targeting energy infrastructure and gas extraction facilities across Ukraine from Kharkiv in the northeast all the way to Transcarpathian region in the west. It involved almost 70 missiles, cruise, ballistic missiles, almost 200 drones. roughly half of those missiles and drones were shot down.
In terms of damage, Ukrainian authorities don't go into much detail, but they say that 18 civilians, we understand, were injured, including four children as young as three years old. President Zelensky says that this attack targeted infrastructure that, in his words, ensures normal life. And yet again, he called for a ceasefire in the air and on the sea.
How significant was the use of the French Mirage jets?
It's the latest sophisticated weapon supplied by the West and used by Ukraine to defend itself. It's significant that it comes from France. It only took Ukraine one month to deploy the Mirage jets against Russian missiles after they were delivered to Ukraine. And those Mirage jets were used alongside F-16s, which were, again, supplied by European nations.
And there have been reports that private companies are being urged to restrict or are restricting intelligence to Ukraine. What can you tell us?
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Chapter 7: What challenges are faced by China's economy currently?
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And also in this series, we're discussing history of music, recording with Brian Eno, and looking at nature's shapes.
So, listen wherever you get your podcasts.
China's latest trade figures have highlighted the difficulties facing the world's second largest economy. Imports in January and February fell by more than 8% compared to last year, while exports grew less than expected. China faces problems at home, a property crisis, weak consumer spending, high youth unemployment, and abroad, Donald Trump and his tariffs.
Jackie Leonard has been speaking to our Asia business correspondent Mariko Oi, I began by asking her how serious the position was for China's economy.
These latest data are from the first two months of this year, so January and February. So one can argue that it could just be a blip. But still, imports falling by almost 8.5%. That is a lot worse than many economists had expected. They were actually expecting a growth of 1%. So I was looking at what they were buying less of and saying,
It's things like crude oil, natural gas, other commodities like copper and iron ore. While interestingly, they're still importing more coal and soybeans. So it might be that demand in the world's second biggest economy is really slowing down. Also, it's interesting to note that exports grew by a lot less than what economists had anticipated.
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