Apologies for the brief pause in our service here yesterday morning and thanks to all those who let us know the site was down for a few hours.

The reason was a global internet problem. I do fear there will be an internet crash this year - yet another example of mankind developing faster than responsible anticipation should have made possible.

Jonathan Dimbleby's fascinating series on Russia looked at this - global warming becoming dreadfully serious. His examination of Siberian destruction of trees was extremely disturbing.

I'm biased (I sat next to him in History class at school - Charterhouse) - and I do think his show owes a great deal to Entertainment USA (as do a lot of travel series, Palin included, but then we owed a lot to Whicker) - but it is a very informative and entertaining programme. Thomsk looks fantastic.

The speed of cutting through those trees was alarming... it almost seemed cruel

and the Amazon forests getting smaller every year. Now I read that the snow and ice on Mount Everest is melting rapidly.

If only we could get back to Mars.