内容摘要：The writer's daughter, Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ, said in a Facebook post: "It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, this Wednesday morning, 28th May 2025.

The writer's daughter, Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ, said in a Facebook post: "It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, this Wednesday morning, 28th May 2025.

Dr Zoe Jacobs, who is based at the National Oceanography Centre, first noticed the unusual marine temperatures a few weeks ago. She found that pockets of the UK had been coming in and out of a mild heatwave since late 2024. That heat intensified and spread in March and has now surged.A marine heatwave is defined as sea temperatures that exceed the seasonal threshold for more than five consecutive days. In the UK the marine heatwave threshold for May is 11.3C.

On 19 May the average sea surface temperature reached 12.69C."It started in the North Sea and the Celtic Sea. Now the North Sea has cooled down a bit but the west of Ireland is extremely hot," says Dr Berthou.One of the warmest springs on record is driving the surge, as high temperatures and weak winds warm the top layer of the ocean.

Marine heatwaves in the UK are thought to be a relatively new phenomenon but they are expected to increase in frequency and intensity.It is still a bit of a mystery how exactly they will affect marine life, but the signs so far are not good.

"The interesting thing is that this started in winter and spring, when most people assume marine heatwaves are only in summer," says Dr Jacobs.

People swimming off the west coast of the UK and Ireland may notice the warmer temperatures, although the waters are still cooler than at their peak in late summer.Perhaps their representatives will be more forthcoming? I get in my car and drive over to one of her neighbours - François Labet. He is the president of the Burgundy Wine Board, which represents this region's 3,500 winemakers.

"The US is the largest export market for the whole region. Definitely," he tells me. "They are the biggest in volume and the biggest in value."And, until Donald Trump's re-election, the US market was booming. While French wines and spirits global exports

, sales of Burgundy wines to the US rose sharply.from 2024, to 20.9 million bottles. This was worth €370m ($415m; £312m) in revenues, 26.2% higher than in 2023.