this is bbc news. the latest headlines: italy's two main populist parties have called for peaceful protests against the nomination of a technocrat as the country's prime minister. the five star movement and the league have promised to block any programme to be submitted to parliament by carlo cottarelli, a former economist at the imf. talks are resuming between american and north korean officials to try and reinstate a summit between donald trump and kim jong—un. president trump has spoken to japanese prime minister shinzo abe and they both agreed it was "imperative" to completely dismantle pyongyang's nuclear weapons. the search for the missing malaysian airlines flight mh370 is due to officially end on tuesday. it's a little more than four years since the passengerjet disappeared on a flight from kuala lumpurto beijing. a search of a huge area of sea—bed off the coast of australia has yielded nothing. the journey to work on the number 840 bus in north yorkshire isn't your ordinary commute. it's just been crowned the ‘most scenic bus ride in britain'. however campaign groups are warning

that rural services are in crisis. simon gompertz has hopped on board to find out how to keep the wheels turning. it isa it is a bus driver's dream. the 840 coastline at lee's leeds, takes in york, then had that would be on the coast. driving what has been crowned oui’ coast. driving what has been crowned our most beautiful bus route and getting paid for it is added davies. every day is a joy. it is beautiful. just bring people out of the cities into this beautiful land. ticket sales pay for this service but only partly. that is lovely, thank you very much. it depends on public money. council subsidy over the winter and also the bus firm being reimbursed for letting on all the

passengers with free bus passes. for anybody without a car or anybody who doesn't have a drivers is the only way to get out and about in the area. if you did not have the bus? if we did not have the bus, we would not go, half the time. this is a trophy trophy service. scenic, popular, so it has survived. that is not the case with a lot of bus routes. a study has been cut by a third in the last eight years. and it is often the rural, most needed services, the ones that people don't have an alternative to, which to suffer. in whitby, volunteers have stepped in to provide services up to the places on the moors where people feel abandoned. even blight is one of those, rebadging local buses and came with donations. —— eden blythe. somebody like us will always be needed. and we are happy to do it.

but we don't really want to have do keep taking over failing but we don't really want to have do keep taking overfailing bus services, because that should not be the case, should it? it is all the more reason, then, to cherish remaining routes like the 840, on which you can go where you need to wild soaking up the views. simon gompertz, bbc news, north yorkshire. go further afield now with the travel show. coming up on this week's show: i find out how to stop holiday selfies putting animals at risk. poacher hunt them in the forest because they are quite cute. 0h, chico's holding my hands, yes, hello chico. we are hunting for icebergs on a budget. plus, we go underground in search of london's hidden rivers. we are so far down there we can actually hear the cirle and district line rumbling through. this week we're talking selfies.

taking a photo of your travels to share on social media is an essential part of the trip for many people, and some will go to great lengths to get that perfect snap. but now major charities and social media giant instagram are asking tourists to stop and think before you snap a photo of animals, wherever you are in the world. i am heading to the wildlife friends foundation, three hours drive south of thailand's capital bangkok to find out what is being done to help animals who are being used in the tourist industry. the 165 acre complex houses a rescue centre and thailand's first wildlife hospital.

there is also a refuge for elephants, so there are plenty of photo opportunities. if i go instagram and search for, says, "elephant selfie", under that hashtag, there are almost 15,000 posts. but if i click on the hashtag, i get a warning that says, "protect wildlife on instagram — animal abuse and the sale of endangered animals or their parts are not allowed on instagram." the page asks the poster to be wary when paying for photo opportunities with exotic animals. it is an issue charities are trying to tackle on the ground. how big a problem are these animal selfie pictures? it's huge, its huge. let me show you a few of the things i have come across in my time working here in thailand. for example, here we have a gibbon being used as a photo prop animal, it is very common to see a baby gibbon or a slow loris being carted around by a guy, and people will pay about 100 or 200 baht to have that one—second selfie, and sadly it's a lifetime for that animal.

there's a few more here... what's he riding on? this is a liger, which is a cross between a tiger and a lion. the liger is the biggest wild cat you can have, but this guy is riding it. a lot of these animals are just beaten into submission. this animal here, you can't see unless i zoom, but he is on a very short chain. but they are huge, dangerous animals, they have massive canines and huge claws, and if the animal does have a little flinch in its mind to think, oh, i want to attack this person, god forbid what would happen to you. this is a family, we don't know if the animal has diseases or vice—versa, these guys could have a common cold and that is very easy for it to be transmitted between the great apes. infant animals are particularly vulnerable to the photo prop trade. here in the wildlife hospital, babies that have been rescued or abandoned are cared for in the nursery. this vet takes me behind

the scenes to meet them. 0h, hi, hi little guy! can you tell me a bit about langurs, why are they so popular in the photo prop industry? because when they was born their fur is completely full of orange, and with the pink face, they are so, so cute, they are very popular for people to be taking a photo. they are still cute now! how old is vincent now? for now he is six months old. looking after animals like vincent is painstaking work. some have complex needs, like slow loris tien. he was kept as a pet, and vets here say a poor diet and lack of sunlight caused him to develop bone disease. hi! sorry to wake you. so the loris is on the

endangered list, isn't it? poachers hunt them in the forest because they are quite cute, they have the big eyes. in the south of thailand, all the tourist places, they are quite popular to bring them to take a photo to the tourist, and pay money for them. oh you poor guy! he wants to climb now. 0k! let's give you some exercise. the vet gives tien daily physiotherapy can and get used to the sunlight again. slowly his condition is improving. in the wild these animals would hold on to their mothers throughout infancy, so they instinctively cling on to each other to try and recreate the warmth and security they would normally get from their parents. this is our baby macaque, boonma and pearl, one male and one female. boonma! why does he want that one? don't try and steal pearl's! the owner brought her

from the market, this means her mother was killed by a poacher. so sad. they have got each other now. they know they have each other, and that is a good thing for them. look at these sweet baby macaques, pearl and boonma. i love how affectionate they are with each other. it is too young to be separated from their mother. removing a young animal from its parents impact their behaviour for life. tom takes me to meet two indonesian orangutans who staff are trying to re—teach wild habits to. maggie was found abandoned near the rescue centre. chico grew up in the photo prop industry and was kept as a pet. he was given to the team here when he became too big to handle. we have carers who bring

maggie and chico into the forest every day and we encourage them to climb in the trees, by throwing fruit into the trees, wrapped in vines and stuff like that. we were hoping that he would copy maggie, who is more wild, chico is a little bit more fond of humans, he is coming to say hello now. 0k. hi chico! should i be worried? hi chico! just stay calm. 0h, chico is holding my hands. hello chico! 0h, hi! i think chico likes my shoes. i didn't quite expect that, human interaction, he is almost like a small child. does that hark back to the days when he was used as a photo prop or even a pet? he does have an unnatural attachment to humans. he would have been poached from the wild as a very young infant, he has been with humans most of his life. we are trying to erase that, to a certain extent.

but the stark reality of a photo prop animal, it is not all fun and games like we saw then, yes, he was having fun with you, but if he did that to a tourist he would be beaten with a stick. and that's how they can control these animals. so chico could never probably be released back into the wild. i would not like you say never but it would be a long process to rehabilitate him to a state where he would be a release candidate. it is great to see chico, and i want to know how to help other animals like him. what people should do when they see things like this is safely try and take video footage or photographs, the location, the animal so we can identify the species, if they have a high level of protection. it then needs to be reported to the relevant authorities and ourselves here at wfft, because we can inform the department of national parks and the authorities to act. and if you are taking a photo with an animal,

the advice is to keep a safe distance and assess the condition it is being held in. there are national parks and sanctuaries throughout thailand where people can experience wildlife in a responsible way. here at the foundation, tourists are encouraged to roll up their sleeves, get dirty and help care for the rescued animals. and that is far more rewarding than taking a selfie to share with your friends. it is hard going here, but i think she is enjoying it. i might be getting a bath too. if you are planning a trip to thailand, here is our guide of things to think about before you go. may to october is thailand's rainy season. there are obvious downsides to that, but don't forget — it also means smaller crowds and cheaper prices, and the rain only tends to come in short, sharp bursts. also if you choose your destination carefully, it may not affect

you at all. on some of the islands like koh samui or koh tao, the downpours generally don't arrive until september. if you have to be in the capital bangkok, there is still indoorfun to be had. we've enjoyed cooking with poo, which is a school in one of the city's slums, or you could go shopping at one of the night markets, which are largely undercover. this one is rot fai, in the north of the city. kitsch and fun and as ever, some of the street food there is wonderful. muay thai, or kickboxing is thailand's national sport, and a visit to one of the big arenas is rarely a boring experience. tickets to fights cost around 1000 baht, which isjust over 30 us dollars. if you are feeling brave you can book yourself into one of the camps that will train you up and harden you into a muay thai machine. 0rfor something more

mindful, why not spend some time getting in touch with your inner monk. some monasteries like boon ya wat here in the north—east allow tourists to stay in exchange for a small donation and a little bit of elbow grease. you will need to be respectful and follow all the rules, but you might pick up a little spiritual enlightenment along the way. still to come on this week's travel show: we will be finding out why this italian village is so unlucky. and simon is back with his tips on italian train travel and the cheapest way to see an iceberg. next up, to the uk where a new exhibition called london mithraeum has opened showcasing a reconstruction of the temple of mithras, built by the romans in the third century alongside the banks of one of the city's rivers. that river, like many, was long ago paved over and forgotten. but one man wants londoners and tourists are know more about the city's hidden rivers.

we went to meet him. i have been living in london for about 39 years. but it was not about seven years ago i first discovered these hidden rivers. and ijust wanted to write and illustrate about them, to show them to other people, londoners, tourists. the river fleet starts at hampstead heath and flows down to blackfriars. one of my favourite parts of the river fleet is here on hampstead heath, this is the beginning of the river fleet. you can see the water bubbling up just here, and running through. it isn't hidden at this point, it's very exposed in streams and ponds. the history of london is very much bound up with the river fleet as well. the romans used it, it was used for powering mills, but then people started to use it to throw rubbish away, and smithfield market, they were throwing off—cuts of meat and gore and blood into the river. dead animals were thrown into the river, and then it became

foul and stinking, and so sadly they had to cover it up. when i was writing the book i had to get inside the sewers to see. we got donned up in overalls, hardhats, waders, a small oxygen supply. the thing that surprised me most was that it was not as smelly as i thought it was going to be. these sewers, they started building them in the 1860s. beautifully engineered. the tiles down there are still in very good condition given their age. in places it is big open caverns with huge metal doors. there are some narrow little corridors that you have to sort of scoot through. one interesting thing i found was that we were so far down there we could actually hear the circle and district lines rumbling through. and another part of what makes the river fleet so special is that it has shaped the way that some of the roads have run.

the paths would run down the side of the river and road is now follow the same route. there are still traces of the river, if you know where to look. where buildings have in constructive around the stream, not over the stream. there are manhole covers where you can peer down and see the river or the sewer as it now is, below. i would imagine that most of the commuters coming out of king's cross station are totally unaware that there is a river flowing in front of them here, although subterranean, of course. here is an example of the river fleet, as it curves around king's cross. it reflects on the architecture here, the hotel to my left is curved as it follows the line of the river. above me here is the holborn viaduct, and it is a great reminder

that there is still a river flowing underneath. this viaduct was built by the victorians in the 1860s. the problem was because we are in quite a steep river valley here, horse drawn vehicles simply fund it difficult getting from one side to the other, down the hill, up the hill. so they built this viaduct to alleviate the problem. i am standing here by the thames and at this point, blackfriars bridge, is where the river fleet flows into the thames. i think when people walk around london they are not aware of how many hidden rivers there are. i wanted to show people little clues and signs in the history of what is just beneath our feet. time to our global guru, simon calder, to answer your travel questions.

welcome to the slice of the show that tackles your questions about getting the best out of travel. coming up, where should friends from the uk and new zealand converge to celebrate their 40th birthday? and hunting to icebergs on the cheap. first, all eyes are on russia, where the football world cup takes place in the second half ofjune and the first half ofjuly. fans with a ticket for at least one game can explore the country notjust during the tournament but for two weeks before and afterwards. next, tina eager is off to italy. she will be staying in the beautiful and historic city of the learner,

but she wants to make day trips to venice, florence and ravenna. i have seen conflicting advice about reserving tickets on trains and whether it is necessary. should i reserve now, reserve later, orjust buy a ticket on the day of travel? bologna is the railway hub for northern italy and you can reach venice in 90 minutes on a high—speed train. book a super economy ticket in advance on the website and you could pay less than 30 euros there and back. turn up on the day and it will cost you more than twice as much. florence is also served by high—speed train in less than half an hour. but i recommend when you come back from florence to bologna, you use the old slow railway line, which winds through spectacular scenery. and ravenna is just a few minutes away, with plenty of trains and, it you turn up and go, it will cost you just 8

euros each way. emma eggleton lives in the uk, and a long with another british friend, wants to meet up with a friend from new zealand to celebrate their 40th birthdays in september. the question is, where? we are looking for somewhere between the uk and new zealand with warm weather, a pool, maybe even a beach. it is proving tricky to find somewhere that will work for all of us. thailand offers a combination of easy access, good beaches and low costs. the trouble is, in september, the weather will be hot and humid. so my top choice for both low—cost overall and a great experience is greece. in september, you and your british friend will be able to get there and back for next to nothing. so you might want to subsidise your new zealand friend for her much

longer, more expensive trip. base yourselves in athens for a cultural treat and then head out for an island escape. finally, john ash from exeter in south—west england has a simple question. for a cut—price encounter with a floating mountain of ice, head for canada's iceberg alley. this is a patch of sea extending from the coast of labrador down to stjohn's on the island of newfoundland. you can fly to stjohn's from london in about six hours. at the optimum time to be there is late may, when a flight will cost you around £500 return. if you want to know where to go and when, then the travel show is here to help. just email the travel show, and i will do my best to find you an answer. from me, simon calder, the global guru, goodbye for now and i will see you next time. finally this week, we meet

the residents of colour bra wrote in southern italy. the village is said to be so cursed it is unlucky to say its name. that is it for this week. join us next week, when... christa visits amsterdam were 23 million visitors are expected by the end of the decade. to find out how this historic city plans to cope the crowd. and in the meantime you canjoin us on our adventures or share your travels with the travel show team on social media. until then, from all of us here in thailand, it is goodbye. hello there.

good morning. on monday, there was some respite. most parts of the uk were fine, dry and warm but we're not out the woods yet. there's more storms and more heavy rain in the next few days in this warm and humid air that we have got across the uk. cloud threatened to give us a few storms in the south of england, there were not very many at all. 27 degrees here, it was the warmest day of the year so far in scotland and ireland, and much cooler under the grey, misty skies of northern england and on those north sea coasts. that system is pushing back in on the north sea coast now. we have higher pressure to the north and lower pressure to the south, and that is going to bring us some more storms. perhaps by the morning, showers coming into the southern counties of england. rain across england, eastern scotland. grey start. that low cloud retreating back to eastern areas. a few more heavy showers possible though the midlands, towards wales later in the day.

the warmest weather in the sunshine for scotland and northern ireland, so a lovely day here. those showers may ease off for a while but we could see another cluster of heavy rain and thunderstorms pushing back into the south—east and east anglia early on wednesday morning, and to the north of that, you guessed it, more mist, fog and low cloud coming back in again. that will retreat to coastal areas but this rain is going to be on the move, a spell of a few hours of heavy rain, potentially thundery too, moving westwards across england towards wales. looks dry in the south—west. conditions should improve in the south—east. again, the sunny skies, the highest temperatures will be across scotland and northern ireland. making the most of that dry weather here because it is probably not going to last, pressure is lowering, which is why we're finding more downpours coming in from the near continent, and they will start to move their way northwards as well. we may have a few storms across northern ireland on thursday, perhaps in the south—west of scotland. more cloud around here certainly, and more storms pushing back from the south—east, across england and wales. these could be pretty nasty as well.

some localised flooding too. by friday, the wettest of the weather moves towards northern ireland, northern england, up into central and southern scotland, allowing something at long last a little bit drier across more southern parts of england and wales, and temperatures typically into the low perhaps mid— 20s or so. over the weekend, i think you will see some heavy rain storms in scotland on saturday and perhaps into the south—west on sunday. the south—east, eastern england largely dry, some sunshine. welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm duncan golestani. our top stories: italy's two main populist parties call for peaceful protests, after an unelected technocrat is chosen as prime minister. it could pave the way for fresh elections. the election later this year may become the unofficial referendum on

italy's membership of the eu and this country's relationship with the eu it helped to found. trying to save the summit. talks resume, aiming to reinstate a meeting between donald trump and kimjong—un. more than four years after it went missing, the search for flight mh370 is to officially come to a close. and, the spiderman of paris.