he'd faced mounting pressure from president trump for using expensive privatejets to travel on government business. the trips are reported to have cost the taxpayer more than $1 million. two other members of the cabinet are under scrutiny for their travel. thousands of catalan separatists have held a final rally ahead of sunday's planned referendum on independence from spain. the head of the regional government, told the crowd he believed catalonia would become a sovereign nation. madrid's trying to block the vote, claiming it is unconstitutional. the us has warned americans not to travel to cuba and pulled half the staff from its embassy in havana, after a spate of "sonic attacks". more than 20 people have suffered symptoms, including dizziness and brain trauma. the cause remains a mystery. birmingham's bid to host the 2022 commonwealth games has officially been backed by the government. at a cost of at least £750 million,

the city council is expected to fund 25% of the bill. the deadline for official bids is tomorrow, but there are no other cities currently in the race, so barring a last minute shock one of the world's biggest sporting events will be heading to the midlands. our sports editor dan roan takes a look now at how the city could benefit. from school sports day to an international showpiece, local children enjoying the facilities at birmingham's alexander stadium. but five years from now theirs could play host to some of the very best athletes in the world. the city's bid to bring the commonwealth games here today receiving government backing. we have never hosted a multi sport eventually before. we have hosted world championships of individual sports, badminton, gymnastics, athletics, you name it. this is our time to show the world we can bring everyone together here and it's all part

of the biggest story of the revival of the west midlands. the stadium will undergo a major upgrade if the bid is successful, the new aquatics centre will be built and famous landmarks transformed into sports venues. victoria square here right in the heart of the city centre will provide an historic backdrop to the basketball tournaments. bringing the commonwealth games to birmingham will cost an estimated three quarters of a billion pounds. is it all worth it? there's always been a boost to the local economy from hosting the event and you do see a strong legacy both in terms of participation and use of the venues after the event. so i think this is a real opportunity for birmingham, the west midlands and for the uk to showcase itself as hosting these major international events across the world. struggling with a bitter bin collection dispute that continues to hang over the city, birmingham will have to pay for one quarter of the cost of the games itself.

these are challenging times financially but we have got the whole of the region behind the bid and the whole of the region contributing financially to ensure that we deliver the best ever commonwealth games. and for sutton coldfield's number one rhythmic gymnast, the daily training now has additional motivation. for every athlete in every sport to have a game that means so much to them personally, coming to their own city, their own home town and country, it will probably be the highlight of my career. the commercial success of glasgo‘s commonwealth games three years ago enhanced britain's status as a leading host of global sports events. and with overseas rivals yet to submit their bids, birmingham now looks set to build on that reputation. dan roan, bbc news. coming up at 6am, breakfast, with naga munchetty and jon kay. but first on bbc news, the travel show. this is the mighty river, flowing

for nearly 1000 kilometres from the alps in slovenia, right across the belgrade in serbia. it is the longest river within the balkans. a vital our tree that has borne witness to so much history, stretching all the way back to ancient admen —— mediaeval times and of course the turmoil of recent decades. today, the sava connects for countries that just a decades. today, the sava connects for countries thatjust a generation ago were at war. 0n for countries thatjust a generation ago were at war. on my for countries thatjust a generation ago were at war. 0n myjourney i will explore how today this river is healing wounds by boosting trade and tourism and creating a new identity for the region. and finding out why locals call this the vital heart of

the balkans. a nation ofjust 2 million people, lavinia prides itself on its close relationship with nature —— slovenia. it is the most densely forested countries in europe and nearly two thirds of its landscape is green space. this river, the sava, has been a crucial trading route for centuries, dating back to 400 bc, when it was named after the river god, protector of merchants and travels. and this is the river's source, the magnificent waterfall, bursting from two separate points on the cliff face. my separate points on the cliff face. my intention is to follow the river from its very beginning until it

brea ks from its very beginning until it breaks belgrade. it is a near 1000 kilometre course, flowing through four countries that just over 25 yea rs four countries that just over 25 years ago werejoined four countries that just over 25 years ago were joined as part of yugoslavia. the emerald waters snaked through yugoslavia. the emerald waters sna ked through the yugoslavia. the emerald waters snaked through the cliffs and then widen into one of the sava main areas, which has now become famous for watersports. and i'm getting a face first perspective. this is bellyaking and there is a hint in the name. it looks like a kayak but you lay on top of it and use your hands to peddle. like many slovenian kids, luke grew up in the countryside and the sava was a huge pa rt countryside and the sava was a huge part of his childhood. —— luca. countryside and the sava was a huge

part of his childhood. —— lucalj spent my whole life in the same house about 50 metres away from the river, so when i wake up if i had my window open i can already see it. here is slovenia at the river isn't only used for watersports, it's an important source of hydropower and luca thinks it also has an important role to play in uniting the communities to live throughout its course. we were formerly part of yugoslavia, so we are sort of still connected. while our languages may not be that similar, they still have the same origin, so we are still thought of one nation and it is sort of nice to have the sava river connect us all. the river isn't a lwa ys connect us all. the river isn't always this placid. it can rise one metre higher in the autumn and winter and turn a lot more aggressive. bradley, the relative calm of these rapids is more than enough for me to deal with ——

frankly. 0h oh my god! 0k... not sure if bellyaking is the sport for me. further down the valley, 2 gigabytes trees merge and the sava starts its journey proper. at the fork of the river lies this majestic castle. this is lavinia's oldest castle. first built in mediaeval times. it has a kind of fairytale ambience and because of its location, it has been a strategic lookout for 1000 years. standing here i can kind of get wider. you can see for miles.

this place is legendary in slovenian history. on the banks of the lake still see the holiday home of the father of post—world war ii slovenia. he took the helm of the newlyformed federal republic and more or less kept the country together until his death, in 1980, when yugoslavia began to fall apart. slovenia became the first to break away, with a shortlist war that lasted just ten days. it has been a sovereign nation states since 1991 and my next stop down the river sava is the capital of slovenia. the city centre is made up of vast squares lined with a rock buildings and the streets are packed with tourists

ambling around. but it wasn't always like this. just over a decade ago ljubljana was clogged with traffic and the city's main piazza was a car park. but in 2006, the mayor of the city made the decision to ban cars from the centre. now the only vehicles allowed are these so—called cavaliers, electric cabs that give free lifts to those with luggage or who need extra help getting around. if you had to compare how the city looked ten years ago to now can you tell me the difference? ten and the children are still following you. and it's notjust and the children are still following you. and it's not just the and the children are still following you. and it's notjust the kids and the children are still following you. and it's not just the kids that are using the car free streets as a playground. these two are ambassadors for the city. they met when one was a juggler and the other

a gymnast and together they became a social media sensation with their urban acrobatic antics. we tried to put ljubljana on the map with our videos. you can imagine us running ina with our videos. you can imagine us running in a circle onboard, we would run a building. and you've done that? yeah. they have good reason to keep the city centre, which doubles as the performance space, speak and span and they've been part of the efforts to keep it that way. cheering thank you! the whole of slovenia is cleaned up and the river, they have divers. and you've taken a big part in those campaigns? yeah. we try to help. we are strong, so we list all of the

heavy stuff, help them to keep it clean and keep it on the next level. citywide cleanups and specialist waste disposal point help the capital with the accolade of being europe's greenest city in 2016 and the two are keen to encourage other locals and tourists to see the potential in ljubljana's spruced up streets. and the gymnasts are firm believers that anyone can be taught to do this. just change the arms. three, two, one, go! simple. three, two, one.... i don't know how! managed that. it's kind of superhuman strength. time to leave this urban oasis and head down to radece. this region like most of

slovenia is densely forested and has a thriving timber industry. nice to meet you. welcome. hundreds of years ago the sava was the only way to get the huge logs to major cities across the huge logs to major cities across the balkans. and i'm here tojoin other tourist to get a taste of those centuries old rafting journeys. we managed to revive this tradition, because otherwise we would forget all that andy was important because it was a live more than 500 years ago. and she sees the sava playing a much larger role in the region in the future. now there isa the region in the future. now there is a perception of sava as it connects. connecting with two? with other communities along the river and also connecting across border

regions. croatia, bosnia, serbia. and we already started to connect. baby and we already started to connect. ba by ste ps, and we already started to connect. baby steps, but we are connecting our along the sava wee waa. before i head across to my next country on the sava, she tells me i need to be fully initiated into life on the river. with this time—honoured tradition. are you going to be had me? we don't do that any more!“ you want to be a member, you have to show us if you are able to sharpen that wooden stick. you show me. and just the thought of the wood

chopping was bad enough, on your knees. where is the axe? leave your head down. baptised by the water of the river sava. my friend. next up on my voyage down the longest river within the balkans, croatia's capital zagreb. croatia was part of the austro—hungarian empire until the end of the first world war. and you can see much of

that architectural influence around the group. the city has been fought over by competing armies for centuries. in the 15th century, so the story goes, the ottoman army was camped on the other side of the sava river over their preparing to attack the city. to deter them, the cannonball was fired with such pinpoint accuracy it landed on a chicken intended for the commander's dinner. so freaked out with the turks by this that they scarpered and never returned to the city again. so the legend goes. but ever since 1877, as a nod to this alleged at the defiance, a canon has been fired every day at noon from this tower. wow all, it's incredible. alan is a trained engineer who work on the zagreb trance before he saw an advert the position of kanin man in 2008, and landed thejob.

what does that do? the cannon firing has become a big tourist attraction in zagreb. he never leased 15 minutes a day to prepare and in his nine years doing thejob he has never had a misfire. maybe we should pray. no, no. 0k, thejob he has never had a misfire. maybe we should pray. no, no. ok, no brain. let's wait. let's wait.

please. thank you. thank you. 1158. 0k. 0ne one minute to shot, please. i'm feeling a bit nervous. tense. he is very focused. waiting for that clock. the change. warrawee! even i knew it was coming, it was still a bit of a shock! it's still surprised me. well! look at this. he is milking the applause. another day,

job done. well done. have a nice day. thank you. croatia struggle for independence from yugoslavia was more prolonged, complex and bloody and the slovenians's. today it is a country of five million and a very popular travel destination, especially zagreb, dubrovnik and the rest of its spectacular adriatic coastline. but venture away from the capital down the sava and you come across a little—known city. sisak lies on the confluence of three rivers and it is home to croatia's biggest river port. the town of sisak is where the river sava actually becomes white enough for cargo ships like these to sail downstrea m cargo ships like these to sail downstream to belgrade and serbia and that is what has made the town such an industrial centre. now sisak actually has a rich and colourful history but in recent times, it's been characterised as dull and

dreary and in fact most guidebooks don't even mention it. but that is now changing. i am actually the fourth generation born here. and i lived with this town, i grew up in this town, and ijust, you know, when you're reading something about your town, you're reading the bad news and we are thinking you talking about? this is not how it is here. so, last year tina and her friends at about created an art festival using the town's building as a campus murals. this one was one of the first to be created. it's the biggest mural in croatia and took 23 days and 400 cans of spray paint to complete. and how do the locals feel about this? well, at first, when we had to have the permission, they we re had to have the permission, they were first a little bit what are you

going to do with this but then when it all started, they came every day here, they broad lemonade and cookies and they were very proud of it. -- cookies and they were very proud of it. —— port. they got really emotionally involved, as in people from this building called is, this is our mural, which is what we try to accomplish, you know, the people to accomplish, you know, the people to a cce pt to accomplish, you know, the people to accept them as their own. the murals are scattered around the city, each with a different thing or message. danish is the one that highlights a particularly painful pa rt highlights a particularly painful part of sisak‘s history. during world war two, this was the place where the children were gathered to be put in the only concentration campfor be put in the only concentration camp for children. really? just here? in this general area. in this general area? the was set up wayne knight the affiliated regime during world war two and the victims were serbian, jewish and roma children. this mural by an austrian artist is

dedicated to their memory. this mural by an austrian artist is dedicated to their memorylj this mural by an austrian artist is dedicated to their memory. i believe that the artist gave them a tribute but they all deserved and maybe a sort of place of remembrance of all those children who didn't make it. we call him to be a part of our festival because we, as a team, decided that his work does have that certain dark undertone that maybe we kind of lack at the festival. and needed to portray. and needed, yes, because the artist to provoke thinking, notjust be pretty. there are now 17 mural is the sisak and the festival has been such a success they've decided to keep on painting. mind you, people don't come to this pa rt mind you, people don't come to this part of croatia just for the arts— they come to see the country's largest wetland which i am heading through to my next stop on the sava river, the marshlands where i encounter a man on a usualfishing exploration. in broadski varos. he

gave that every day to collect food for this family of stalks. —— storks. he found the mother 24 years ago after she had been shot and critically disabled by hunters. she still cannot fly. because she cannot hunt, he has to help lead the chicks. —— feed. the fact that i can get so close, incredible! and they are beautiful! wow! congratulations. 0ver incredible! and they are beautiful! wow! congratulations. over the yea rs, wow! congratulations. over the years, a male stork became the mate but each winter, she has to say goodbye and their brood of baby storks as he migrates to africa for

the winter. this bond between the two has become internationally famous and is even the subject of a brand—new documentary. the old man and the stork. and so, the first half of myjourney down the sava is complete and i'm beginning to grasp how important the river is to the people who live along its banks. next week, i will head to bosnia and herzegovina and then east, all the way to serbia's capital belgrade. i will find out

how a generation who were borne by the sava after the war in the 90s have new priorities and why the river has become so important to the future of serbia's capital. and i hope you willjoin me. hello. some of us may get off to a fine start on saturday morning, but by looking at the big picture you can work out why that is not going to last. several weather systems queueing up in the atlantic to come our way, so we will all have rain at some stage of the weekend and the winds will be picking up as well. this is how it looks for early risers. wales and north—west england with cloud and outbreaks of rain. a lot of cloud in the rest of england. showers spreading east as the day goes on. a lot of fine weather in northern ireland, with variable cloud and sunny spells. after morning showers in scotland, the afternoon looks drier, with fewer showers, more sunshine. there's your fine weather in northern ireland. some sunny spells in northern england as well. but for the midlands, east anglia, south—east england, likely to be a fair amount of cloud around and an increased chance of showers spreading east in the afternoon. for wales and western areas of england, we keep a lot of cloud throughout and the rain gathers

again by late afternoon and into the evening. another spell of wet weather moves in and covers much of the uk as we go through saturday night and into sunday morning. the wind picking up as well. in northern ireland we have some especially heavy rain coming in by the end of saturday night. a mild start to sunday and a mild sunday to come. it won't feel like that in the wind. cloud around. a very wet morning in northern ireland. heavy rain spreading across scotland. for the rest of england and wales there will be some outbreaks spreading eastwards as the day goes on. of course it is windy on sunday. coastal gales in the west. the wet weather clearing through much of scotland and northern ireland as it brightens up. a few showers around, but the wind will get even stronger, especially in scotland. so it will be very blustery in scotland for the great scottish run and expect a lot of rain in the morning, clearing in the afternoon. the cardiff half marathon. windy here too. there will be some rain, although not as persistent

as the rain in scotland, but some outbreaks moving through during sunday. but it's close to this low pressure going into monday where we expect some really nasty wind for a time, especially in parts of scotland. the further north you are, severe gales, up to 70 mph. gusts in the northern england could be up to 50—60 mph, so that could be disruptive. showers towards the north—west and some spells of persistent rain into northwest scotland. so the weekend starts on a fine note for some, but we will all have rain moving in and the winds picking up as well, especially sunday and into monday. hello, this is breakfast, with naga munchetty and jon kay.

teachers and nurses could be among those in line for pay rises which break the current one—percent cap. the government admits it needs to be more flexible where there are skill shortages but unions question who will foot the bill. good morning, it's saturday the 30th of september. also ahead: another brexit challenge from boris johnson, theresa may tries to assert her grip on the conservatives ahead of their party conference. the united states pulls half of its diplomats out of cuba and warns citizens to stay away following attacks on embassy staff. in sport, england put all the off—field controversy to one