proceeded to roll — the wrong way — down a motorway, causing havoc and forcing cars to swerve out of its way. no vehicles appear to have been hit. the spool finally came to a halt after bashing against the barrier of the road. very lucky. let's take a look at the weather forecast now with matt taylor. another muggy evening tonight, clearer conditions to the east on the high ground. could drop below freezing in some places. a mild nights, to take this into the new week, wetter winter in scotland, gales first thing in the morning. note the temperatures at the start of the day, 6 degrees for many. caldaire on the way, the rain clearing through much of scotland

and northern ireland, occasional showers. an north of england is, that rain spread its weight southwards, heavy bursts in places. when is what the south east corner, temperatures drubbing away, even with sunshine and a scattering of showers through the afternoon. six hours is the best we can hope for. colder air pushing its way across in the evening, gales for northern scotland. briefly milder midweek, then warmer next week, then snow for some. hello. this is bbc news with me, martine croxall. the headlines at 8.30: israel's prime minister blames the islamic state group for a deadly lorry attack in jerusalem. four israeli soldiers were killed when a truck drove into them and then reversed to hit them again. we know that there has been a series

of terror attacks. there could be a connection between them from france to berlin and nowjewison. the former president of iran, akbar hashemi rafsanjani, has died in tehran at the age of 82. he was one of the country's leading moderates. and the queen has made herfirst public appearance of the year, attending church on her sandringham estate. a heavy cold forced her to miss events over christmas. at least 20 people have died as freezing weather sweeps across europe and north america, with even the greek islands blanketed in snow. temperatures in russia have plunged to —30. now on bbc news it's the travel show. cuba is at a turning point. last year saw the end of decades of isolation from the usa, with tourism needing a new spirit of enterprise here. some sanctions have been lifted, like commercial flights from the us.

the wheels are in motion, but everyone's wondering exactly where is cuba headed right now? that question is especially poignant after the recent death of fidel castro and election of donald trump to the us presidency. if the thawing of relations does continue, the economy here may benefit, but is this country in danger of losing its soul? those precious assets that make this place, well, cuba. on my first trip here for nearly 20 years, i'm on a mission to find out. it may be a small island, 90 miles off the coast of florida, but cuba has a unique story to tell. ever since fidel castro and his band of revolutionaries

seized control in 1959, the country has followed its own socialist path. the usa imposed a trade embargo on cuba in the early 60s and americans here were told to return home immediately. classic cars like this were left behind when the rich american playboys left town after the revolution. now, it looks like they're on their way back. the new us president may threaten to reimpose recently lifted sanctions. but right now, driving around havana

in vintage cars is a hit among those tourists who're already here. you're restoring this 1958, lovely bel air car. can i help? 0k, come on! sit down. 0k. in this moment, we're checking the window. 0k. is it turning? at this moment? open. 0k. perfect. it's incredible, actually going inside these old cars. beautiful! all these wires made in the a'os and ‘50s. i feel like a master craftsman, even though all i was doing was this... julio was a taxi driver five years ago, with his beloved

1955 chevrolet bel air. now he's taken advantage of government reforms and is a partner in a business that restores and hires out classic vehicles to tourists. there are now 22 cars in total under their banner. this is such a rewarding thing to do. looks, it's already cleaner. i haven't started painting it. tourists will be important for us, this business particularly. the business brain behind the company isjulio‘s wife. she has already been invited to washington by the us vice—president in recognition of her entrepreneurial acumen. she's lucky. most cubans can't travel. for us, it's very important when we

finish the restoration to get money. you get money? we live much better. we can travel. we live like capitalists. we work a lot, but we live better now. there's only three of these in cuba? only three in the whole of cuba! in a country where even a brain surgeon can earn only $30 a month, running a private enterprise like this can be relatively lucrative. it was julio's wife who quickly saw the appeal of vintage chevrolets to foreigners. beautiful! can we go for a drive? she wasn't always a fan of these vintage vehicles. now she has names for all of them, including herfavourite — lola. at the beginning i didn't like to drive, but now i love to drive. it's very easy, and it's not very

common to see a woman driving this kind of car. what's happening here? there is a wi—fi area in this part. and they are connecting with the internet. oh, wow, so it's like a hotspot that everybody comes to get online? wow. the internet is the revolution that passed cuba by. for most, it's unaffordable and restricted. take a stroll around town and you see more evidence of a gulf in wealth. ration shops, poor housing conditions and two parallel currencies — one for locals and one for tourists. this market trader tried to explain it.

this is what? this is convertible peso. this one is cuban, normal peso. why have two different types? soon? when the embargo lifts? i hope so. from that explanation i'm going to give you a tip! thank you very much, you're kind! take care! on the flipside, there is a strong sense of national pride here, of pulling through, and many local communities have thriving cultural scenes. the chaleco de hamel, complete

with murals and crazy artworks, is a shrine to cuba's african roots. this is the voice of black cuba. raw, intense, even sometimes angry. always emotional and passionate. this street is the brainchild of local artist salvador. he encountered opposition from the authorities, who accused him of promoting dangerous, mystical beliefs. and then, rather rashly perhaps, the performers let mejoin in.

from the raw and passionate to the sublime. the cuban national ballet school, founded in 1962, today with some 3,000 students, is the biggest of its kind in the world. this couple are partners on and off stage, and they feel ballet has a unique place in the cuban way of life. as rising stars, annette and danny

live in a nice part of town with their young daughter. but they say there is no sense of celebrity here. but people recognise you? in the street?

they say "it's danny"? and as night falls in the city, old havana loves to celebrate its artistic side. the gran teatro de la habana, a havana landmark since 1838. but with the castro government's belief in arts for all, it's become a theatre for the people, not just the privileged. it's a big charity gala tonight. the talk of the town. and choreographed by the living legend of cuban ballet, alicia alonso. danny and annette get themselves ready. applause and so to the centrepiece of tonight's show. annette and danny perform a sequence from the ballet giselle. it may look effortless,

but this is the result of years of dedication, and a passion i've already noticed so many cubans share. head out of havana, and there's an awful lot more to discover about the cuban archipelago. my next destination is trinidad, the sugar town, halfway along the coast of the main island, some 350km from the capital. one really cool thing i've noticed about cuba, there's hardly any traffic. we've been driving down some

of the main arteries in the island on our way to trinidad, and i've hardly seen any cars. this is what perpetuates the notion that cuba is stuck in a time warp. a perfectly preserved, spanish—era colonial settlement. tourism is cuba's biggest industry and is currently booming, fuelled by the rush of new tourists — many from the usa. hotel rooms in the capital are now heavily booked, which leaves the traveller on a limited budget with a very cuban option of casas particulares. this is basically the airbnb prototype, whereby people lease out their spare rooms to tourists. and for many, this is a lifeline out of poverty. but where is the man

who actually runs this b&b? hola! how are you? very well! welcome! hello, julio. who's this? let me introduce you. luno. my favourite horse! turns outjulio has several strings to his bow. notjust a hotelier, but also a horse whisperer. and you're going to show me how to keep the horse calm and make her trained? fantastic. i will show you right now. you can see... starting to be nervous. the neck goes up? yes. and of course, the restlessness can reveal itself in other ways. nice! really nice!

you actually talk into the ear? no! there's no whispering? this is the funny thing, we never whisper! we establish leadership, then you see the body language. i have a solution for you. you and me, we lose the hair! i know the hair transplants are expensive, but you can do this! you look like a heavy metal rock star. appropriate, as julio's favourite band is iron maiden. very cheap, the only thing you need is a horse and a cheap hat! on a more serious note, julio and his wife, a trained accountant, are more proof of the entrepreneurial spirit that is blossoming all around the island. he's an ambitious man. ineed... freedom to do business.

i am not afraid, because i know cubans are smart enough and won't lose the cuban identity. some americans, i work a lot with them, they say soon you'll have mcdonald's, starbucks... maybe we can have things similar, but in our cuban style. i like good burgers and good coffee, but in our style. julio took me on a trip around trinidad by horse and cart. on the town's cobbled streets, it's the most practical way. would you like to try? sure! you're doing very well! common—sense will tell you...

common sense is everything. the trick is soft hands... and our man of many talents isn't finished yet. julio runs photography courses for tourists too. this is an interesting location. what do you like about it? this kind of photography is like hunting. but no rifle, you're using a camera instead. not like this. julio actually likens his style to a gunslinger. the john wayne technique, he calls it. in the cowboy movies, before shooting they do it like this with the fingers.

this is the feeling you should have. feel the adrenaline. and the movement. this is the way to keep the camera. vertical! very good! julio finds his perfect shot. the beautiful tower is the symbol of trinidad. i shoot with the camera. i'll reach that point! show me. one shot is enough. wow, bang! he's on a roll here... no change the picture. the picture will come to you. you love who? iron maiden! what's your favourite song? all of them, but...

run to the hills? how does that go again? run to the hiiilllsss! just down the coast, 180km south east of havana, is cienaga de zapata. this is where you find the historically significant bay of pigs. the scene of the failed invasion by cuban opponents to castro in 1961, backed by the us government. any invasion these days is from a new rush of tourists to sample the island's nature. which potentially itself creates a new problem. because until now, cuba

has been protective of its environment and wildlife. that includes protecting this fella. the critically endangered cu ban crocodile. this breeding farm was created at the behest of fidel castro in 1962. there are 4,000 crocs here in total, separated by age and size. wow. check this out. obviously they can't bite now. but the colours and markings of the skin, are they distinctive? yes, one of the characteristics of the cuban crocodile. one of the things that make them different from the american. wow!

one movement from me! when they get bigger, i'll be jumping! cross breeding with the thriving american crocodile is the biggest current threat to the cuban crocs' survival. we are prepared. and this is what makes the cuban crocodile so unique — they jump for their food. all of this is to protect the species of the cuban crocodile. yes. and to stop it being overrun by american crocodiles. do you think there's something symbolic here? i don't know. maybe! my time in cuba is about to end,

but sunrise in the morning gives me one more special glimpse of the island's wildlife. this is the biggest swampland in the caribbean. it's also home to 33 kinds of aquatic birds, including one of the most glamorous — the pink flamingo. they come and go as they please. now, not all residents of cuba enjoy that kind of freedom of course, and certainly not over how their country is run. recent changes may now take another twist with the new us administration, and the death of the original revolutionary leader

of the flock, fidel castro, has been a watershed moment. there's no turning back now for cuba, and the rest of the world will watch with keen interest to see how this feisty, proud island negotiates its journey into the unknown. good evening. another miles, fairly great day across parts of the country. the week ahead, not only when but gradually getting colder and by the end of the week, some will see snow. not out there at moment. temperatures holding up. we have got south—westerly winds. what will shake up our weather is this low which will push towards housman. it will pull a weather front especially towards scotland and northern ireland. south of doubt, temperatures will hold of.

temperatures in scotland, seven or 8 degrees. temperatures will drop through the day that's because with clearer conditions, colder air will start its march in. some rain across the south and eastern parts of scotland. gales around the coast. southern and eastern parts, some misdemeanours around, most fairly cloudy start and a fairly cloudy day ahead. the windy conditions also. south—westerly winds keeping temperatures in double figures, plenty of showers over scotland and northern ireland. temperatures will drop in the afternoon. not only caused by the end of the day, but severe gales in the far north of scotland. eastern areas should be drier by monday night. tuesday night will be the holder. sunny spells

through the morning. into the west, cloud for the can. rain or drizzle will work its way in. temperatures. to rise. double—figure highs for the afternoon. chilly to the end of the day. mild night to take us into wednesday. morning cloud clears through, sunshine comes out and temperatures gradually drop. that colder air surges in after wednesday, opening the door to atla ntic wednesday, opening the door to atlantic air, arctic air which will be with us for the weekend. snow to the north and west. difficult to pinpoint exactly how much but most will see a few flakes here and there and there will be an icy wind chill as well. more details in the week ahead in an hour. this is bbc news. the headlines.

four israeli soldiers are killed injerusalem — after a man drives a lorry into them. icy temperatures in europe lead to the deaths of more than 20 people across the continent. also coming up the former iranian president rafsa nja ni the former iranian president rafsa njani has died the former iranian president rafsanjani has died at the age of 82. we'll get a round—up of the latest sports news, including the scores from england's fa cup. it hasn't been all plain sailing for the premier league teams.