he told troops in southern israel that the operation would be no less powerful than in the north of the enclave. one person is killed and two injured in a knife and hammer attack in central paris near the eiffel tower. anti—terror police says the suspect had pledged himself to the islamic state group. weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued in places across the uk, after heavy snowfall caused major disruption in cumbria. firefighters have been rescuing people from their cars. and the former labour prime minister gordon brown and the current labour leader sir keir starmer pay tribute to baroness glenys kinnock, who's died at the age of 79. she was diagnosed with alzheimer's disease six years ago. a few other stories to bring you tonight. scotland's first minister humza yousaf has accused sir keir starmer

of insulting scotland, after the labour leader praised margaret thatcher in a newspaper article. sir keir said she, along with tony blair and clement attlee, had brought about "meaningful change" in britain. mr yousaf said many communities in scotland still bore the scars of what he called mrs thatcher's disastrous policies. the home office says more than 500 migrants crossed the channel in 11 small boats yesterday. the french authorities rescued a further 190 people after they got into difficulty at sea. the home office says the numbers making the crossing this year, though, are down by around a third compared with last year. the government of peru has announced it's increasing the number of tourists allowed at the isth—century inca citadel machu picchu, its most famous historical site. the move is aimed at helping tourism rebound, after the decline suffered during the coronavirus pandemic. now on bbc news, tecthlore: japan.

around the world, people are looking to tech for clever solutions to tackle the challenges of climate change. i've come back to japan to visit some of the new world—first projects that could pave the way to a sustainable future both here and beyond. i'm tracking down the inventors turning to the sea to meet our energy needs... there she blows, she's away! ..visiting the countryside to see robots helping an older generation of rice producers... ..and vertical farming taken to a whole new level. i'm getting a lettuce delivery. i want to eat this. he laughs this is tecthlore: japan.

it's known for its megacities, butjapan is, above all, an island nation. hemmed in by the ocean on all sides, land is at a premium. and that means, when it comes to green energy, there's less room for the cheapest power source of all — solar. so, actually, the biggest changing we're seeing right now is the rapidly—decreasing costs for solar. it would be more expensive to operate fossil fuels than solar in the near future. but as i start my sustainable tech journey through japan, i'm headed to the islands of tokyo bay. this is the site of japan's first—ever offshore solar farm. olaf, hi. hey, paul, nice to meet you.

nice to meet you, too. here, we will put our offshore floating solar platform. solarduck is the company behind the build. it's part of a group of start—ups coming up with sustainable designs for future urban life. so, that's the site down there. yeah, so, basically, this is a cgi of the project here in the tokyo bay. the solar array is designed to be modular. each unit can power a0 households a year, and more can be added to meet demand. it can survive anything the ocean can throw at it. the triangle has three xs where it can rotate around. so if there are waves from any direction, it's easily able to follow. and this makes sure that we can actually also survive very high waves. it's a hugely impressive concept, but even cleverer than the design of this solar farm is how the green energy it produces could be carried back to shore.

nearby, another start—up is working on this side of the project. and this little boat is the key and what i'm here to see. hi. hi, leo, how are you doing? good. hi, nice to meet you, paul. nice to meet you, too. this is beautiful, isn't it? yeah! it's a wonderful day. thanks for coming out to check us out. incredible. let's go and jump on a boat. the team is developing this vessel to collect small loads of renewable energy generated at sea. it's trying to get away. there she blows, she's away! everblue boats use wind power to sail all on their own, with sensors navigating their course. they have onboard batteries, which will be charged by the solar farm.

the power is gathered and can be transported by boat. the aim is these boats will operate in fleets, creating an affordable alternative to undersea cables. the cable has to be so big, and it's really expensive. so, what we do is we take these boats to a place where, let's say we have a floating solar panel array, or floating wind, you know, it's a very common thing. and we can take the energy from those locations and transport it to wherever it's needed. if this succeeds at scale, it could be game—changing. a completely different way of approaching energy transfer at a time where the world must adopt green energy at pace. and because the boats are wind—powered, no energy is needed for theirjourney, meaning the whole process is much more sustainable. we're not using the energy

to transport our energy. so, you know, it's a lossless system. and so, we can transport a kilometre, iokm, i,000km, it doesn't matter. it's hoped these boats could help bring green power to over 4 million people living on hundreds of islands across japan. the boats could also serve future floating projects, like this one from japan's n—ark. floating island cities, these things could be mobile. imagine these guys are worker hands and they're transporting constantly to the mothership. it's been fascinating to see how a technology as old as time, the simple sail, has been repurposed to deliver a sustainable energy solution. and it'll be really interesting to see how it develops in years to come. a year ago, i visited choshi, on the other side of tokyo, to see japan's first bottom—fixed

offshore wind turbine. the noise is really something else. it's actually quite intimidating, being this close to it. but as i found out, the big blades commonly seen at sea and on land have drawbacks. most wind turbines stop working at around 90 kph. anything more puts their blades at risk of damage. but across asia, high—wind typhoons are becoming ever more common. i'm visiting a start—up that's made a new type of turbine, and surprisingly, there's not a single propeller blade in sight. so, this is it, just here? yes. this is our turbine. this is on one of tokyo's urban evacuation sites where locals gather in emergencies.

its vertical axis can catch wind from any direction, and it's practically silent. ok — in emergency, everyone can charge their phones. that's good, cos i'm low onjuice, so let's give it a go. charging. it is! this is just a small prototype. a bigger 10 kw version is on okinawa island. this can operate in higher winds, and crucially, its propeller—free design makes it much more resilient to typhoons. it's not that windy today, and it's still turning pretty fast. and when the winds do stop these working, solar panels continue to generate energy.

local communities, they often have a bit of pushback against renewable energy because it's noisy, it takes up too much space. but if you have projects like these, which can be erected in sort of, like, urban places, i think this will be really, really important to push the renewable, kind of, acceleration forward. japan is getting used to ever—stronger typhoons, but when it comes to showing resilience, few places come close to my next destination — fukushima. japan's biggest—ever earthquake in 2011 caused a tsunami, and the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant went into meltdown. the devastation displaced over 150,000 people, and many never returned. i'm heading to the north

of the region to soma, a place rebuilt to entice populations back to the area with unrivalled green credentials. this soma project serves as a test bed of ideas which could be rolled out across japan and around the world. everything here is connected. the solar farm collects the sun's energy. it produces 1.6 megawatts, like electricity. on sunny days, it produces more energy than the neighbourhood needs. but usually it's during the battery storage process a lot of this power is lost. this facility looks quite simple, but this is where the surplus energy is converted into hydrogen. hydrogen is a very efficient way of storing energy because very little is wasted. ok, and it does that through electrolysis, which is splitting hydrogen

and oxygen out of water? yes. but beyond its energy efficiency, hydrogen is being used to test lots of cutting—edge ideas. some is combined with c02 captured from the atmosphere to create eco—friendly fuel for locals. and this is the e—methane dispenser... 0k. ..to fuel the, like, small minivan for elderly people to move around the soma city. really? the first, like, e—methane dispenser injapan, yeah. that's pretty cool. yes. oh, wow, look at that! and these fish ponds are aerated with oxygen left from the hydrogen processes. oh, wow, i can see them. they're massive. oh, here he comes. oh, look at him! dinner time for the fishes. yes. the lettuce gets nutrients from the fish faeces, and they thrive on carbon dioxide that's been captured and pumped in from outside. now, i don't really have green

fingers, but they look like they're pretty healthy to me. yeah. and the local farms use fertiliser made from repurposed sewage. ..and re—pelletise the waste. rather than having to truck all of this waste around the country, you're using it here to grow things and save energy. yes, exactly. really smart. soma is one of the most sustainable projects i've ever seen. and the ideas here are being driven by this man. everything here is designed to make soma more sustainable. a fresh look at bringing green energy into the community. and if an earthquake were to strike again, the hydrogen will power vital services in soma, something we tested in a simulated power cut.

oh, the lights come on! yeah, almost immediately. the gas is piped off to be converted to electricity... ooh, wow, i can hear that. ..and off—site to soma's disaster relief centre. and that all happens automatically, and it means that people can still get electricity even when everything else has gone down? yeah, you're right. that's very cool. it needed something big, something to say that soma is the future. that it's a place where people could come and live. and, boy, have they delivered. coming up, i continue myjourney through sustainable japanese tech, testing the robots giving ageing rural towns a lifeline —— sustainable energy solutions will be vital across the world, butjapan has another concern — maintaining sustainable communities.

i'm travelling 250km north of tokyo to shinanomachi, a small town in nagano that's at risk of disappearing. nagano translates into english as "long field". considering how lush and green it looks outside, that seems pretty fitting. rice, so synonymous with japanese cuisine, has grown here for over 2,000 years. but those who farm it are struggling to keep up. more than half of the residents here in shinanomachi are over 60. as farming falls out of favour and youngsters are lured by the lifestyle of japan's cities, there are fewer people able to tend to this vital crop. i'm meeting kaoru kikuchi from a start—up supporting farms as the labour force shrinks. hello! konnichiwa! konnichiwa.

how are you? very good. lovely to meet you. good to see you. wow, so this is a rice field? yes. it's really beautiful. yes, it is. and it's a lot hillier than i was expecting. yes. raised dams keep the water in each field, but means significant weeding for farmers who must patrol the paths to spread fertilisers and deter pests, farmers like hironori saito. for ageing farmers, it's robots to the rescue as this smartphone—controlled mower keeps weeds in check. just press here, and then push "autopilot". yeah? so, you just press that, and off it goes? sure. amazing.

how does the robot know where to go? first, human has to tell them. and then a robot can run independently by using sensors. facing many more hazards and tougher terrain than your average lawnmower. data from satellite systems, accelerometers, direction, geomagnetic, level and thermal sensors keeps the bot on track, so just one pilot can monitor several mowers at a time. so the central pilot can see the maps here. oh, ok, yes, i can see where it is in the field right now. this prototype uses petrol, but is due an electric upgrade next year as the team works to bring a subscription service to farmers like hironori, who's been testing the bot since 2019.

but supporting farmers is not enough to save shinanomachi on its own. just down the road is the nomad work centre, a hub where tech pioneers can create projects from the seat of nature. the neighbouring campsite attracts eco—friendly tourism, but there aren't the staff to man it round the clock. he speaks injapanese ah, after you. 0k. are there hikes nearby? ah, there we go. so the team is training a! to help visitors when real—life humans can't. have questions about the camp ground? are bonfires allowed on the campsite? no, open fires are not allowed. please make sure to use

a fire pit or barbecue. good advice. wow, this space is beautiful! i can absolutely see the appeal of coming to spaces like this to work or explore. and what a view for dinner. not only can robots help ageing farmers put locally—sourced food on the table, but sites like this are boosting interest and reinvigorating the local community. it's inspiring to witness efforts to preserve shinanomachi and its iconic rice paddies. climate change is making traditionalfarming more difficult the world over. i've seen vertical farming,

with its bright purple lights, in japan before. but the next project i'm visiting is on a whole other level, and i'm one of its first outside visitors. hi, konnichiwa! the most extreme steps are required even to enter. i'm cleaner than i think i've ever been in my life. all this to ensure the facility is kept hygienically sealed. i'm going into an airlock. what's going to happen in here? oh, god! well, this is an experience! what's waiting for me is breathtaking. oh, wow. it's absolutely huge. it's incredible. it's like being in a farm in outer space, and like outer space, very few humans can come here. this is like no farm i've ever seen. all the growing is happening

behind these sealed units. it's a completely closed system. this is our system. oh, cool! there's lots growing in here. what are the advantages of growing like this? because the closed system can control the inside very precisely temperature, humidity, and co2 concentration and the other 20 parameters. in allowing such micro control, this closed system is already proving way greener. open—type system wastes half of the lights... half the light? ..for leds, yeah. wow, that's quite a lot. a 30—metre—long robotic system sits at the heart of all this... ..where 150,000 lettuces are being grown forjapan�*s biggest supermarket group. and here comes some freshly—grown lettuce.

truly automatic. what are the benefits of doing it all automatically rather than having people do this work? the machine operation is totally clean, so we don't need to wash vegetables before eating. we can save the resources, such as water, which is good for the planet. this lettuce saves 12 litres of water. per head of lettuce. yeah, per head of lettuce? yeah. that's a lot of water. in the start—up�*s lab, tomomi nozaki is showing me other greens, like basil. wow, you really can. yeah, it smells amazing. it's making me hungry. but not everything here is for eating. because of the supreme precision, plants for medicinal use can be grown more easily. i can see the flowers. they're very small at the minute, but you can definitely see they're there.

these are being grown for painkillers, others for cancer research. the system is so precise, the most difficult plants to grow can be sourced at speed. how does it feel, helping to research plants that might one day cure illnesses such as cancer? and without humans sharing the environment, oxygen levels can be dropped and temperatures can be pushed to extremes, whatever�*s necessary to perfect each ingredient. what's happening here really is incredible. and as we all live longer, it's another example of japan's innovators helping us all live better. how to live sustainably is a question the whole world is trying to answer.

whether it's finding new energy solutions or thinking differently about how we live and age together, japan is working on ideas that can inspire us all. they laugh perfect, perfect! hello there. we've seen some changes to the weather today. across the south of the country, low pressure has been ushering in some slightly milder air, more cloud outbreaks of rain. it's the north of the country

which is seeing the cold, dry, sunnier weather today. but this new upcoming week starts off on a cold note. then we start to see it turning more unsettled — wet, windy weather moving in off the atlantic. that will usher in milder for all areas by the end of the week. now it's the first of a series of low pressure systems continue to push northwards into england and wales. in fact, the rain's going to pep up, turn heavier through the evening and overnight period. as it bumps into the colder air lying across the north of the country, likely see some snow of the welsh hills, the peak district, the pennines, maybe even down to lower levels for a time. we'll also see wintry showers feeding into eastern scotland, but western scotland, northern ireland will see the clearer skies. so here the lowest, the temperatures less cold. further south, southern england should have a frost—free night. but to monday morning, it could be a bit tricky across northern england, the north midlands and north wales, could see some wet snow on the hills, maybe the odd flake down to lower levels for a time, but it'll be mostly of rain. but as the band of rain continues to move north, likely to see that risk of sleet

and snow transferring to the north pennines. frequent wintry showers pushing into northern and eastern scotland, could give some significant accumulations there. best of the brightness, western scotland, northern ireland, but to central southern parts of britain, it will stay rather cloudy, quite breezy with rain on and off. now, despite temperatures being a little bit higher across the board, you factor in the wind tomorrow, it's going to feel quite cold and raw. now that area of low pressure starts to pull out towards the near continent. so during monday night into tuesday, it'll take a while, but it means that the eastern side of england will bear the brunt of the edge of the low, bringing fairly brisk north, north—easterly winds, further wintry showers here, and there'll be further wintry showers, northern and eastern scotland. but elsewhere, with a ridge of high pressure building in increasing amounts of sunshine out west. so an improving afternoon for many. but again, it's going to be quite a cold day. temperatures 2—7 degrees — cooler than that further east when you factor in the breeze. so wednesday looks like it'll be a fine day for most. another cold one to come. then thursday, friday, it turns wetter and windier, but you'll notice the milder air reaches pretty much all areas.

so we start the upcoming week off on a cold note, a bit of sunshine around before it turns more unsettled by the end of the week and turning milderfor all.

live from london. this is bbc news the head of israel's military says ground operations have begun in southern gaza.

the pentagon says its aware of claims iranian—backed houthi rebels in yemen have attacked two ships in the red sea. french prosecutors say a man accused of a deadly attack on tourists in central paris had pledged allegiance to the islamic state group. weather warnings for snow and ice are in place across parts of the uk — after heavy snowfall caused major disruption. the israel defense forces have announced the beginning of a new ground operation in southern gaza, just north of the city of khan younis. israel's chief of the general staff, lieutenant general herzi halevi, told troops that the operations in the south would be conducted �*with no less strength' than in the north. israel has continued its renewed bombardment

of gaza for a third day — having told more palestinians