points in the biggest one—day fall since the financial crisis a decade ago. the dow closed 4.6% lower. the malaise spread to asia, with stock markets injapan and hong kong falling by about 4%. a former president of maldives, who was in powerfor three decades, has been arrested at his home as a crackdown on the opposition intensifies. maumoon abdul gayoom was detained after the government declared a 15—day state of emergency, suspending parliament and sending police to the supreme court. the eu's chief brexit negotiator has warned britain that it will face "unavoidable" barriers to trade if it leaves the customs union and single market. speaking on a visit to downing street, michel barnier said the "time had come" for the uk to choose what it wanted after its 2019 exit. ministers have admitted they may have to renationalise the east coast main line as the current franchise is close to collapse. the transport secretary chris

grayling told mps the company is making significant losses, but said there could be no question of a bailout. he insisted there would be no impact on day—to—day operations. the national audit office has already launched an investigation into the government's handling of the franchise — which provides services between london and edinburgh — as our business editor simonjack reports. the east coast mainline has been heading for trouble for years. stagecoach owns 90% of the franchise, and virgin 10%. both companies wanted to walk away from the losses they were making in 2020, three years early. today it became clear they will be getting to the point of collapse even earlier. it has now been confirmed the situation is much more urgent. it is now clear this franchise will only be able to continue in its current form for a matter of a very small number of months and no more. that is because stagecoach has already lost £200 million running the line. this company cannot be allowed to run this franchise and simply make a profit given what's happened.

they got their sums wrong and they will pay the price for that, not the taxpayer. he said the option of full nationalisation was very much on the table. it wouldn't be the first time. the government profitably ran the east coast mainline from 2009 to 2015, after national express admitted defeat two years into a 10—year deal. the secretary of state was very clear that he didn't think either the travelling public or the taxpayer would be affected. stagecoach is the big loser. but that won't dampen the debate about whether a system that allows stagecoach to potentially keep on running this line, and get awarded an extra year on a profitable contract on the west coast mainline, is a system that is fit for purpose. you've got people over bidding, over promising, and then not delivering. and on the east coast mainline, we're saying that from 2020 to 2023, that's £2 billion that the treasury are not going to receive over that period, as virgin and stagecoach promised. so the system is completely flawed and should be stopped. stagecoach admitted they got

their sums wrong on the east coast. but the profitable west coast franchise was extended today from another two years. good news for its operators — who happen to be virgin and stagecoach. simon jack, bbc news. now on bbc news, 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. 0n 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 are 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';,' be on display very $0011. 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 golf, and not just 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 space that you have. 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 with 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 recent star wars movie. 3.5 hours south—west of the big city is the vast expanse of desert called liwa. it's the uae‘s driest region. it's remote, but beautiful. it's a world apart

from the big city. at this annual sports festival, there are camel and horse races. but basically this is party time for petrol heads, attracting tens of thousands from all over the gulf region. when you just enter this area, it's like the feeling of excitement. the adrenaline? yeah. and truth be told it's very much a male domain. boy racers and supposedly respectable grown—ups too bring their four—wheel drives and buggies for a romp on the dudes and you don't get much bigger than the tal moreeb. 300 metres high at an incline of 50 degrees.

it's crazy here! it's madness! anarchy, almost. all these boy racers and man racers getting it out of their system! but i'm going to meet a guy now who's a bit of a seasoned campaigner here. mohamed, hi. how are you? good, good. can i pop in and you show me a bit of skills? by day, mohamed is the director of his own business, while also studying for a phd. but this is his real passion. i think i was born with this thing in my blood. so i remember when they used to wake me up for school, and, you know, when we are kids, like, i want to sleep a little more, and they would say, mohamed, here are the keys. go and start your brother's car. and i would justjump out of bed, just for that moment of excitement. so tell me, how long have you been coming to this festival for? i recall i came the first

time here in 2006. it has been growing so fast. initially, i recall we used to come and find only a few tents. right now it's like a complete festival. can you show me a few of the other things that you do? ican. wow! fantastic! this car is like as it came from the factory. so, from the factory it has around 250 horsepower. it will not be enough to take us to the top. yeah. whoa! but i refuse to give up. you know what? i've been looking at one of the world's highest and steepest sand dunes for a while now. i really want to reach the top and, luckily, i've got myself a lift.

whoa! whooa! whoo! we are getting to the top! meanwhile, it turns out, my man mohamed, who took me for a spin earlier, isn'tjust an average punter here. he's a serious competitor in the nightly races between teams. this is one of the world famous car races. around 30—110 cars per event, per day. so imagine in two days you have around 50 cars competing. and he is back after a lengthy gap, when a mechanicalfailure put

him in serious peril. i had a smooth race, to be honest, until the top and all of a sudden the car stopped. 0n the way back, i lost the brakes. seriously. actually, they didn't work. 0h, they didn't work?! mohamed wasn't injured, but it's been three years since that incident. maybe before that time i was almost easy on safety measures and now... now you are different guy, a different man? yeah, yeah. the engines alone in some of these cars cost up to $80,000 each and royal families and famous name sponsors invest in the teams. mohamed's team have been working for six months on this machine alone.

the intake manifold is custom—made by hogans and obviously all of the gears and materials that we have to prepare a car for 1000 plus horsepower. it may be a different kind of horsepower, but there's something timeless about the prerace rituals. gladiators coming out to test their nerves and pit their vehicles, spluttering like boxes of firecrackers, against each other. what the hell?! 0h... it's like a crazy box of fireworks, storming up the hill, where you feel like the driver doesn't care if the whole car blows up, as long as they get to the top. now it's mohamed's big moment. the car didn't make the distance

and engine problems mean it's now a write—off and not able to do its second trial. but mohamed didn't seem too downhearted. i'm super excited. when you launch, seriously, under that dune, you just see, like, the end of it and you aim for it and that's it. you forget about your fears, those butterflies in your stomach, nothing, seriously. fantastic. well done. well done for doing it. take care. a glorious fireworks display to match the fizzing and popping of the suped up cars. 20 years ago this extravaganza would have been unimaginable here. but this emirates still has quite a climb to sell itself as a tourist destination on a par with its louder, more glamorous neighbour, dubai.

using the heritage card, though, is a clever ploy, the hope is thatbytak‘rng