is critically ill in england, after being exposed to a mystery substance. sergei skripal has been living in the uk since a prisoner swap between russian and the us in 2010. he is being treated in salisbury, in the south of england. delegates from south korea are meeting officials in the north for talks partly aimed at restarting dialogue between the north and the us. the north korean leader, kimjong—un, who is hosting the visit, says it is his firm will to write a new history of national reunification with south korea. a united nation convoy in eastern ghouta has cut short its mission to bring humanitarian aid to the besieged syrian enclave, after repeated shelling. earlier, the red cross said nine hours‘ worth of deliveries had eased some people's suffering, though one convoy wasn't enough. now on bbc news, the travel show. the pm is urging developers to do

their duty and build the homes england needs. rules to penalise developers should help deal with the shortage of properties. here is our home editor. the prime minister donned the hi—vis today, determined to show she is tackling what she describes as a national housing crisis. but theresa may is not the first senior tory to get her shoes muddy on a building site. remember him? and him, and him? today, the pm had the big builders and developers in her sights, blaming some of them for putting profit before their patriotic duty to restore the dream of home ownership. the bonuses paid to the heads of some of our biggest developers are based not on the number of homes they build, but on their profits or share price. i expect developers to do their duty for britain, and build the homes our country needs. some builders will tell you their first responsibility

is to their shareholders, and it is unusual for a conservative prime minister to tell private companies she is considering changing the rules to make it more difficult for them to make a profit. among possible planning reforms is the idea that developers with a reputation for not building homes fast enough might be denied planning permission by councils. not only do house—builders make returns to their shareholders, we're also cross—subsidising almost half of the affordable housing in this country every single year. so we're doing the job of government. mrs may wants lots more houses, but doesn't want to upset her core vote. 0h, hello. do you know about fairoaks‘ new tower? people like these residents in true blue surrey, who are supported by their mp, environment secretary michael gove, in their opposition to a new garden village. planning reform worries these campaigners. i think this is going to be a backward step, and we are really worried that these sort of developments, which are really

damaging to the environment and the community as a whole, will be pushed forward, against the people's wishes. some conservatives want the treasury to relax borrowing rules, so councils and housing associations can build many more genuinely affordable homes. others see the priority as protecting england's precious green landscape. it is a surprise, perhaps, the prime minister didn't think it wise to wear a hard hat today. mark easton, bbc news. this week on the travel show, i'm in norway, because i've heard of what must be one of the world's most unique music festivals, where the stage and the instruments are made of ice. so, i am taking the chance to head off from oslo to bergen on a musical journey on one of the world's most

spectacular railways. i'm going to look deep into norway's roots, trying to get a sense of how this country's landscapes, culture, and society are brought to life by its music. at first, i start my trip in norway's capital of oslo. and on the oslo waterfront, a reformation has been taking place. a big part of that was the spectacular building, the oslo opera house. it celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and is a symbol of this city's commitment to the arts. so it is a perfect place to hear some traditional norwegian goat horn. playing horn. that is so good!

thank you! it is amazing that such a variety of sounds come out of such a simple instrument. yes, it is quite simple, as you see. it is a bone, and it is a goat's corn, all at the wrong way, this way. actually, it was not made for making music. the shepherds had it to keep the and bears away. so this was a warning. this is not pretty music! yes, not many melodies are written down, as we know, but some. would you say there is something unique riding through norwegian music, and waiters come from? nature gives me a loss of power and a lot of inspiration to make music. we are quite isolated. still, there are people who do this, try to make their own voice. so i am about to head off through the country to bergen, listening to music along the way.

it is there a member should be listening out for? is there something should be paying attention to? try to find some folk music, some singers, and also go to small clubs. look for the small spots. there are people working all over the place. so now i have my mission, there is a train to catch. joining me for the first part of my trip isjan, a fanatic and a man who wrote a book on the bergensbanen. why did you write this big long book all about this railway? the bergensbanen is iconic in norway and in europe, i think. many people know the name and know what they will see when the come here.

along its 308 miles, the trend never gets challenging but starting to rain. at its peak of over 1200 metres, it is one of your‘s highest railways, before it descends steeply into norway's second city of bergen. it is elemental landscape pose a huge challenge, and an engineering triumph for those working on the rail during its construction, between 1894 and 1909, with about 20 people thought to have died in the process. at a time when norway's independence was always on the horizon, that the construction of the bergensbanen was more than an added convenience for travellers. this line connected the east and the western part of norway. before that, people had to go around and take boats by the sea,

or small horse roads, through the mountains. so the trends were opening at norway. the construction work was darted in 1898, and at that time, we were administrated by sweden, and they did not like this at all, because they thought it could be used for military purpose. so this is a sign of norwegian strength, that maybe was not an approved of? you could say that. so in a way, this is a symbol for the founding of the norwegian nation. yes. all this makes it special. you can't find this in other lines. this is what norway is. as jan reaches his stop, i settle in. three and a half hours from oslo, i pull into this town. but it is not my destination. this town usually features the ice music festival. but on a go upwards, almost 500 metres higher, to the new home of finse.

you really feel and see it in the air. it is cold here. and it is this cold, the icy conditions and the elevation, that led explorers like shackleton to train here before going on there at expeditions. word is it will reach a low of —23 celsius tonight. so i should rug up. what makes this festival extra special is that the instruments are actually made on the day, from nearby ice. among the line—up this year is everything from ice horns to ice

drums, and ice didgeridoos. the concert is only hours away, and here you are making the instruments. this has to be an unusual thing for a musician. for me it is not. for most musicians it is. good sounding ice is the most difficult part. you cannotjust go to your freezer. you cannot go to the next lake. ice is like wine — there are good years and bad years. so why ice? what inspired this festival? it is nearly 20 years since the first time i tried ice. and i found the sound so fantastically beautiful. with this water, you can drink it after the concert. or what we can do is give it back to nature, where it belongs,

and also, the ice reminds me that we need to treat ice so gentle not to break it — it is like how we should treat nature. why is this happening in norway, in particular, aside from all the ice? one of the reasons we can do this in norway is that we are very lucky that we have for many years at a government that wants to support music. this makes it possible for a musician like me, who works with contemporary improvised music, to survive, to be even be able to buy a house. it allows me to experiment. what is this? this is an ice—aphone. the sound is phenomenal. do you like it? that is lovely. any chance i could have a go? very carefully.

i promise you. and i promise i will also will demonstrate no ability. you may as well have given it to a child. absolutely. it works? this is great! but one of the biggest challenges are putting on this festival is the construction of the venue itself — an ice concert hall. and this professor oversees the construction. he and his students have battled

conditions for six days to create a solid structure. each day's work has resulted in disaster. we started with plan a and ended up with plan y. because every day, you know, it is like you're climbing wall, slippery, and fall back down again. next day you start again. but that is how it is and that is the challenge. you need to work with the forces, because you can never beat them. when we work with them, you know, it is like having a good friend. it seems like your team is working very, very hard. good luck. we will see how it works out.

we just need to see how it goes. we have some hours left. so as evening approaches, the finishing touches are fast being made around the site. i really like it because it is kind of the sound of nature. so it doesn't sound like anything else you have ever heard. so people are really surprised when they hear it for the first time. you don't get to practise, so the music gets made on stage in front of the audience, and that is really special. many people are like, what, is this possible? that is critical. i guess there is a lot of folk music on it. it is very nordic, with the ice and the snow at the cold winters. just in the nick of time, we gather for an evening

of ice music. cheering and applause. that was amazing. such a bonkers soundscape and incredible to think that all the sounds were made from ice. i think it's also an interesting way to experience the landscape of norway — freezing cold with a full moon overhead. having said that, it is freezing cold. i am frozen through. it's time to head in. morning mood from grieg's peer gynt suite plays. next morning, the festival continues without me as i return to the bergensbanen for the next part of myjourney. travelling on this stretch

of the line, you start to appreciate the vast landscapes that this country has to offer. and i cannot imagine a better way of experiencing them than this. music reaches its crescendo. well, my train‘s arrived at its destination, but my musical journey across norway is not yet finished, because i am in bergen, a cultural hotspot and a great way to experience the rich musical heritage of norway. music reaches its crescendo. well, my train‘s arrived

at its destination, but my musical journey across norway is not yet finished, because i am in bergen, a cultural hotspot and a great way to experience the rich musical heritage of norway. she plays allegro molto moderato from grieg's concerto in a minor. edvard grieg, possibly norway's most well known and loved classical composer. here in bergen, set among woodland alongside a vast lake, a museum to grieg has preserved and restored the grounds where he once lived and worked. you can see now we will enter the house and this is the main entrance. this year will be a milestone

for the man, as it will be 150 years since he wrote his famous piano concerto. he really was a very much appreciated composer in his lifetime. we know that in great britain for example, he was one of the most popular living composers in his time. the second part of the 19th century was going together with all of this national movement in norway and norway was, by then, a country together with sweden with one king living in sweden, and he found very young and fresh style and i think that built upon those dance rhythms and folk music elements in his bigger compositions. he looked upon folk songs as something universal.

they survive from generation to generation and if you slip through the borders, you can find the same elements in folk music. and some of that folk music that inspired grieg can still be heard today. and one of the best ways to experience it is with dance. dance company frikar performs contemporary dance all the way around norway and beyond that's inspired by nature and traditional norwegian folk roots. they have agreed to come and show me some of the traditional elements found in norway's halling dance. the dance is mostly sort of a show—off dance. 100 years ago women also did that dance. it is mostly boys or men doing the dance because we want to... we want to impress the other men or women. put your right foot in front of the left. sidewards. believe me, this is

harder than it looks. and if you jump a little on each step, one, two. yes. nice. and then around. but i think i am getting hang of it. one, two, one, two. and then we can move down here. no! so what is the relationship between the dance and the music? maria plays the hardingfele, it's our national instrument. some people say the fiddle, the music came because of the dance and some say it was the other way. i think they depend on each other. for me and for many it is very important to use the music dancing and the music makes me want to do suddenly some steps and everything. it is life. nothing planned, it is just happening.

nice! back in the old days they used the ceilings to kick down a coin orjust kick their heels. they kicked the ceiling? the houses were smaller back in those days. in the 1800s, the military started competitions to try and kick a hat from a stick and it was about who could kick the highest. and then it was incorporated in the halling folk dance. so we do it as a part of the dance and, of course, it must be a good kick and the higher it is, the better it is. everyone in norway, i think if i say halling they say kicking the hat, that it is the main goal in the halling. but the dance is the main goal, kicking the hat is sort of topping it.

finally, i wanted to get a sense of where all of this is leading. a former meat factory a short walk from the city centre serves as a gig venue and melting pot for artists of all types in the city. this creative hub is home to the studios of electronic, jazz, hip—hop and many

other types of musicians, including royskopp, and it is where much of norway's future music is being thrashed out. these days especially there is some new mixing of old, old traditions with very new electronic and experimental music. kjetil has a studio here and plays saxophone in tonight's gig. tonight, we are playing with a guitar player. it is electro—acoustic folk, jazz, experimental, ambient something, you know. the bergen scene, i think it has a lot to do with the size of the city. only a few people play every kind of thing so you have to collaborate. ifeel like i have rediscovered this place through its music.

it is a country constantly inspired by nature of epic proportions. it treasures its traditions but is not afraid to look forward. where artists are free to experiment and supported as a crucial part of society and where distinctive sounds can be found in the smallest of communities. if the bergensbanen showed me norway's muscle, its music has shown me its heart and soul. hello there.

as temperatures continue to slowly rise, increasingly we are seeing snow being confined to the high ground in scotland and that means communities that have been hard hit by the heavy snow — the snow is continuing to ease and thaw, but of course it is going to be a long road. looking at the weather picture today we have got some rain pushing to the northern half of the uk and it is notjust rain, also some white mixed in across scotland. we are expecting more snow. what it will be over the hills. in the south, a few clearer spells, some mist and fog and patches of frost possible as we start off the morning in the countryside. a slippery start to the day again. looking at tuesday morning, this area of snow that could cause problems for scotland because we are going to see heavy snow mostly in the hills, above 200 metres elevation looking at 5—10cms towards the east coast and low down it is more likely to be rain that falls but that cause problems because the rain is going to be heavy and will act as a thaw of the snow already

on the ground. some localised flooding is a possibility and perhaps the snow getting to lower levels in some of the deep highland valleys. a few showers across south—west england and wales, cold in the north but relatively mild in the south. highs of 12 degrees in london. looking at the weather picture through tuesday night and wednesday, that snow will ease its way across from northern scotland but the weather front will sneak across the english channel and curl back into south—east england and east anglia, threatening a spell of morning rain on wednesday. quite a wet start but that rain will clear away, followed by some brighter skies and sunshine. some showers around, particularly western areas, some wintry across the high ground of scotland but temperatures continue to recover, looking at highs of six in edinburgh. thursday promises to be a quite a on a weather front, still a few showers knocking around and a more persistent area of rain running to the english channel, not far away from south england so that could come inland. otherwise, quiet, some bright skies, bit of sunshine coming through and tmeperatu res between six and nine celsius. nothing severe for thursday. through to the end of the week and the weekend, quite cool for the northern half of the uk but relatively mild into the weekend

in the south. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is lewis vaughanjones. our top stories: a former russian spy lies critically ill in a british hospital, apparently overcome by a mystery substance. delegates from south korea meet officials in the north, as kim jong—un says he wants to write a new history of national reunification. aid workers cut short their mission to the besieged syrian enclave of eastern ghouta, after repeated shelling. britain's most decorated olympian, sir bradley wiggins,

says he is not a drugs cheat, after mps accuse the cyclist of crossing an ethical line. this whole thing has just been, you know, a complete mess