weekend and then it's back for the baftas, before heading back to la for the oscars themselves on march ath for what could be his finest hour. good luck to them. let's see what the weather is doing. a drier, brighter picture. but it is cold. especially in this keen north—easterly wind into the south—east. some showers here. elsewhere showers are isolated. the temperatures are struggling when you factor in the wind, specially in the south—east. feeling close to freezing. the showers coming tonight turning to snow in the south—east. not everybody will see them. but there will be lines of showers will give some accumulation and turn

things icy. a risk of disruption in the morning. many other places starting frosty and dry. the showers edge further west across england during the day. the keen wind eases. most during the day. the keen wind eases. m ost pla ces during the day. the keen wind eases. most places are dry. colder than today. and by the end of monday, we are seeing a system coming into the north—west that will produce some sleet and snow into scotland and northern ireland. this is bbc news — our latest headlines: the home secretary says the uk will continue to seek a bespoke deal on leaving the european union and says differences between cabinet ministers have been exaggerated. at least two people have been killed and dozens injured after a collision between two trains in south carolina. mps warn that cuts to the royal marines and their amphibious assault ships would significantly undermine britain's security — calling the move ‘militarily illiterate.‘

ice hockey players from a unified north and south korean team play together for the first time ahead of the winter olympics. and england's george ford says he's feeling confident ahead their six nations clash with italy this afternoon. now on bbc news time for the travel show. it's funny but i'd always reckoned the the oil—rich abu dhabi, here in the uae, was never that interested in attracting tourists. unlike its flashy, noisy neighbour dubai, for example. but on this trip, i think i might have to revise that opinion. because abu dhabi seems to be upping its game, especially in the cultural stakes. on myjourney, i'm going to experience world—renowned

architecture like the new louvre museum, and finding out how traditional local musical instruments are being revived. but i'll also be exploring both urban and desert landscapes, to get a sense of how this emirate is making the most of its unique environment. abu dhabi is entering a new phase in its breakneck speed development. but is it really going to reach the heights as a must see tourist destination in its own right? it's hard to believe abu dhabi was just a fishing village only a few decades ago. in 1971, the united arab emirates became a nation and its dominant

stakeholder has always been abu dhabi, led by the al nahyan family, thanks largely to huge oil revenues. and when it opened in 2007, this impressive white marble edifice became a spiritual landmark. abu dhabi's grand mosque, grand in ambition, grand in scale, and grand in design. and when it was finished a decade ago, it became this emirate‘s calling card to the rest of the world. now, when they made this mosque, they were making a statement, weren't they, about abu dhabi?

oh, yeah. absolutely. what were they trying to say? i think, you know, when people think about the united arab emirates or the middle east, the first city that comes to your mind is definitely dubai. but i think after we built this mosque and it was the vision of the late, his highness zayed bin sultan al nahyan, he knew that this was going to be the icon that will bing people to abu dhabi and will show the true message of the middle east. 10,000 visitors come here every day. inside, up to 40,000 worshippers can be accommodated on key days in the islamic calendar. just look at the details of every single part of the mosque. it is absolutely beautiful. the carpet is from iran. you have the chandeliers up above us. in fact, this is the largest handknotted carpet in the world, and this gold chandelier is one

of the biggest in the world. islam is regarded here as a living, breathing faith, with verses from the koran the inspiration for all the design and architecture here. but i wanted to know from 0mar if the grand vision in abu dhabi really includes everyone who lives here, like the expat community and the migrants who work in relatively low paid jobs. after all, the emiratis are in the minority here. just look around you. you'll find a lot of people from all over the world and all different backgrounds, who come here and have made this place home. the us always used to sell the american dream. there is the emirati dream, believe it or not. the emirati dream is definitely living a great quality standard of life and, of course, living with — living amongst people from all over the world. this is definitely the emirati dream. in the wake of the jewel in

the crown have come other signature, large—scale construction projects. 0n saadiyat island, a cluster of magnificent galleries and museums include quite possibly the most prestigious art brand in the world, which has just recently opened its doors. for a decade now, the grand mosque has been abu dhabi's most popular tourist location — until this astonishing creation came along. the louvre abu dhabi houses artefacts on loan from paris, and others, bought and permanent. from ancient pieces, to african sculptures, facing european masterpieces from every era.

while contemporary arabic art shares space with chinese sculpture. it's a universal museum, it's a museum that takes you through time and through different geographies. you'll be able to see different cultures and different civilisations in contact with one another. in a way, to me, walking to the galleries is walking through time and seeing what is happening in different parts of the world at the same moment. there is a medina, or arabic village feel, to the layout and as for the architecture here, well, it's all about geometry and light. it's a dome symbolising islamic architecture, but as you can see, there is eight layers up there that allows the light to filter through and come down as you can see

it, with what the architect calls the rain of light. so, this whole display of the museum is in a way representing who we are as emiratis, because we's always been in the middle of this region. the gulf has always been a connection of trade and different civilisations, so... going through this narrative allows you to capture the essence of who we are, the essence of who the uae is today. and the museum is yet to reveal its most publicised exhibit — a 500—year—old painting of christ, which recently achieved the highest auction price for any work of art, by the very same artist who created this, leonardo da vinci. so basically, the chances are that the world's most expensive painting is going to be in this room, possibly in this very spot. at 400 million...

exactly who bought the salvator mundi for nearly half $1 billion has been shrouded in some mystery. reports claimed it was a saudi billionaire prince, the louvre people tell me it was the abu dhabi government. either way, it'll be on display very soon. watch this space — literally. playing the cultural card here is notjust about splashing cash on famous international brands and collections. there are indigenous art forms that are being revived, like traditional arabic instruments. in this academy, 60 students of all ages are learning how to play this instrument, the oud. it's related to the european lute and has origins as far back as the time of the pharaohs. what's really great about this place is that you don'tjust learn how to play the oud, you can actually watch one being made.

starting with the wood itself, and this is where the whole process begins. the craftsman here says by working eight hours a day for a month, he can make two of these instruments. this is artisanship of the highest order. thank you so much. it's been a privilege to watch you at work, thank you. so, fresh from the workshop. now, let's see if we can make any music out of it. and i'm not going to find out more about the oud from just anybody, but actually, quite possibly the most famous female oud player in the world. what is unique about it?

the uniqueness, it has a bowl at the back, not like the guitar, it's not a flat... so, this bowl gives a deepness in the sound and also, we don't have frets... right. so that gives richness. yeah. particularly in abu dhabi, i think the oud is very important for older people because you can find — in every home, you can find a oud. maybe they are playing it for fun, not very professionally, but they like oud here. 0k, time for me to get a lesson from the expert. these double strings are a bit tricky for a starter. very good. ok, that's relatively easy.

that's very good, for the first time. can you play chords with this, or? chords, yes, sure. this is c, e, g, c. i'm sorry. c... third finger. let's hope this works. yeah, it does. yes. wow. and sometimes, we are using the guitar technique, like... playing the oud like a guitar. i just jammed with. .. that's very good for a first time. wow, that was very good.

ijustjammed with a world famous... it was very good. no, but i was lucky. i was just playing one, the one chord. that's amazing. thank you very much. of course, culture isn't only about fine art and classical music. now, abu dhabi is staking its claim as the capital of sports in the gulf, and notjust by owning the elite football brand manchester city or by hosting formula 1 races. because women like amal are breaking new cultural ground by turning iconic urban landmarks, like the corniche, into concrete gyms. amal is the first emirati woman to coach and compete in parkour. it's a full body workout. people underestimate

just how much... there are so many things that you're actually doing that you could do at a gym, but you are just doing outdoors in a different way. you find a space and you start trying to put things on that when was the epiphany, when you suddenly thought actually, i can do this? since i was a child, i was always the rebel in the neighbourhood, like i was, you know, the one running around and it was... the way that we were brought up was literally, you know, barefoot on concrete. girls play with boys, and we used to beat the boys, like the girls were the stronger ones, you know? i feel like we have created these barriers for ourselves. especially when i first started parkour, for example, i thought that society wouldn't accept me and i was so afraid, but i felt like that was actually. . . instilled

in me as a child, like i felt i was afraid of it. but when i started doing the sport i had so much support and it surprised me because it's actually contradictory to what people might have thought about a society, especially in the middle east, and it being an arabic country, you know? amal has created such a stir that nike picked her up for sponsorship and commercials. of course i'm not everyone‘s cup of tea, not everyone is going to like what i'm doing, but i feel that if you are genuine, like for me sport has shaped me since childhood, that's super important and the message i want to give. from the restricted subways of an urbanjungle, myjourney takes me to the wondrous allure of a seemingly limitless desert, abu dhabi's defining feature. little wonder it was one

of the locations for the most but basically this; [5 party " ' ' til??? ff“??? “as; ' ' ' th§§§f§fi§lm§z " '