and their great—grandmother, as a huge wildfire sweeps across northern california. 17 people are missing and nearly 40,000 have been forced to flee. firefighters are battling the blaze. they say it's only 5% contained so far. pope francis has accepted the resignation of a prominent us cardinal. the catholic church found that allegations theodore mccarrick had sexually abused a teenager were credible and substantiated. the 88—year—old is the first man to leave the college of cardinals in almost a century. the two main candidates in zimba bwe‘s presidential elections have addressed large crowds of supporters in the capital, harare. president emmerson mnangagwa of the zanu—pf party faces a challenge nelson chamisa of the opposition mdc. parts of the uk have had almost a month's rainfall injust a few hours, as thunderstorms replaced the long summer heatwave. lightning strikes added

to the misery of thousands of travellers, with cancelled flights and trains on one of the busiest weekends of the summer. stanstead airport and eurotunnel were badly affected. here's simonjones. the holiday getaway from hell. the queues grew and grew at stansted airport as flights were cancelled. blamed on the thunderstorms that meant planes could not fly safely. ryanair, the main operator at stansted, has apologised to customers. it's just incredible how unaccountable they are. there's no one here to deal with it. the queues are just neverending and people are supposed to wait. it's ridiculous. we were on board the plane for six hours and then they said, "it's delayed. the flight is delayed." then we come back here. another queue for ten hours. the storms that swept in forcing middlesbrough's friendly against sunderland to be abandoned... and heralding the end of the heatwave, were supposed

to put a stop to this too, the chaos at the channel tunnel. for three days, trains had been unable to run at full capacity because it was too hot — the air conditioning could not cope. the queue of cars trying to get into eurotunnel tells the story. some are having to wait 6.5 hours to get on a train. the company is advising people not to travel unless it's absolutely necessary. but those with holidays booked have little choice. for many, it became a case of killing time. i got a football in the car, got a field behind me, we'll kill some time. no, i'm not going to wait, i'm going to leave. gonna go back. you're going home? yes. 0n the france side there is no queue, nothing, why here is it so many queues? it's the same temperatures. whoa! lightning strikes have also taken out some rail services, as have strikes of a different kind — this time by members of the rmt union on south western railway and eurostar. even just getting around became

difficult in northern ireland. parts of belfast saw a whole month's rainfall in just one afternoon. simon jones, bbc news. now on bbc news, t‘s time for the travel show. now on bbc news, it's time for the travel show. hello, and welcome to the travel show. coming up this week: rajan follows in the footsteps of lawrence of arabia injordan. we swap water for wine and get a soaking at a festival in spain. and our global guru has some tips on where to find the best september sun around the world. this week we are injordan, which is marking the centenary of the culmination of the great arab revolt,

when much of the middle east rose up against the ottoman empire. it was also the inspiration for the classic 1960s film, lawrence of arabia. so we sent rajan there 100 years on. head south from the capital amman towards the saudi arabian border, and you find yourself in another world. wadi rum. a natural wonder, a geological phenomenon. a valley that is just basically huge swathes of red sand surrounded by mountains and ridges of really strange shapes made of sandstone and granite. astonishing. so otherworldly is wadi rum that it's actually been used by hollywood as a stand—in for mars. it's now also the scene of a thriving tourism economy run by local bedouins. wadi means "valley" or "channel," and it's hard to believe

this was actually a seabed many hundreds of thousands of years ago. today it pulls in an eclectic mix of backpackers, tour groups and hardcore climbers. but i'm not here for the climbing — thank god, it's boiling — but to witness a little bit of history being re—created. it's all to do with the great arab revolt of the early 20th century when this region was ruled by the ottoman empire, and the famous british adventurer and army officer te lawrence joined the guerrilla attacks with the arabs. the armed revolt was led by faisal, the sharif‘s son, and co—ordinated by lawrence of arabia, who through folklore has since been depicted as an altruistic swashbuckling hero — mistakenly so, according to this expert. he used the arabs for his ambitions.

this is the big deception by the british to the arabs. because when the arabs have a kind of treaty with the british, to give the arabs a kind of independence in all of this area, and to support the arabs in the economy and social aspects. the allies were to row back on this promise, but the attacks on the ottoman supply lines on the hejaz railway route, which ran north to south through what is nowjordan, proved to be highly effective. this is a reconstruction of one of the original trains on the hejaz railway, and it used to carry pilgrims and supplies to the ottoman troops.

i'm going to take a trip now through the stunning landscape. it's baking hot out there. i hope it's cooler inside. check this out. every little boy's dream! blows whistle this is a glorious feeling. huge, vast arid desert around me, big granite mountains on either side. just how you'd imagine it. my god!

horses! go low. whoa! that's a bomb, i think you'll find. that's a bomb. 0h! what the hell! that's loud. that is loud. so, what i'm guessing is that this train is being hijacked and that a bomb has been exploded on the line and we can't move. we've been well and truly hijacked.

i tell you what, for a reenactment, it is pretty realistic. i'm actually scared. even though i know they're blanks. yeah, i'm coming. what the hell? hey! hey, look, my parents were indian! my parents were indian! i'm on the same side as you. hands are up. i get it, i get it. yes, yes. you can'tjust leave me here! i've been abducted! 0k, 0k.

it's scary! the constant attacks on the ottoman railway supply lines worked. the war ended, and several new nations — syria, iraq, lebanon and jordan were formed. the origins of the middle east that we know today can be traced back to these attacks on the hejaz railway and the subsequent carving up of the region by the british and french. i've got to say, that was a pretty memorable experience, and if they talk today about how tourism should be immersive and experiential, well, that is doing it in spades. the project started by recruiting local community teams, and we provided the horses.

so now we're achieving one of our main objectives, which is to create opportunities for the local communities. for the bedouins, they feel honoured actually. they're carrying the heritage down from their fathers and grandfathers. most of them are descended from the actual fighters that fought in the arab revolt. wow, wow. war veterans who were experts in horsemanship were hired to train the actors. it was really tough actually. we were supported by the corporation that runs the railways. so we managed it. i notice you don't have anybody playing lawrence of arabia. there is no te lawrence driving them. yeah, we couldn't find the blonde guy!

well, maybe that's appropriate anyway, because in more ways than one then, thejordanians have reclaimed ownership of their proud arab revolt. well, do stick with us on the travel show, because coming up: 0ur global guru simon's here with tips on the quickest and cheapest ways to board your boat in new york. and we head to spain for a wine festival where everybody goes home soaking wet. the travel show, your essential guide wherever you're heading. welcome to the slice of the show

where i try to help you make the most out of travel. coming up: getting from plane to boat by train in new york. and the best escape for september sunshine. first, though, i'm here in the netherlands, where there's great celebration about the final completion in amsterdam of the north—south metroline. i've been watching the construction of this troubled project for over 15 years, and it's finally connecting the communities on the north side of the ij river with the rest of the city, and opening up some of the fascinating southern neighbourhoods of amsterdam. next, bernadette harper and her adult daughter are seeking some september sunshine.

they stipulate: bernadette, in september you don't need to fly more than three or four hours from the uk. the islands of the southern mediterranean are at their very best at that time of year. and the sea is at its warmest. cyprus and malta both have lots to offer, but my favourite island is crete, and in particular, the resorts of lofiten the east and chania in the west. they both have a lovely waterside settings and are laced with history. carol brown is off to new york, but she's not staying there any length of time because she is going to the cruise terminal to board a ship. cape liberty cruise terminal is tucked away in an industrial area

in a corner of newjersey, handy for newark airport but not forjfk. the only way to get there from jfk is an on—demand car service such as uber or lyft, or a taxi, and both of those will cost well over $100. so instead i suggest you catch the scheduled bus grand central terminal in manhattan. choose one of the many hotels around there. next morning, you will inevitably wake early because ofjet lag and you can watch the city come to life. then, catch the path train to hoboken and transfer to the hudson—bergen light rail and go to 34th street, where finally you will have to pick up a taxi for the last couple of miles. that whole journey from manhattan will cost around $15,

and you will be able to amaze your fellow cruisers with your intrepid adventure. finally, geraldine smee has a question about that moment when the hotel receptionist or the waiter hands you the credit card device and says, which currency would you like to pay with? always choose the local currency. the opportunity to pay in your own currency is known as dynamic currency conversion and is presented as a great service to the customer, allowing you to know to the last pennyjust how much that mealjust cost, but it is a moneymaking exercise with a dismal rate of exchange. if you choose local currency, although you will not know exactly the rate at which your bank is going to exchange those euros for pounds, it is guaranteed to be better than the rate the waiter is offering.

if you want some advice, e—mail me and i will do my very best to find an answer. bye for now and see you next time. thanks, simon. well, to end this week, la rioja in spain is well known for producing some of the country's finest wines. there is one town where they celebrate their devotin in a special way. there are over 500 wines in la rioja, so making and drinking wine is a way of life here. it is also my favourite part of the country and i was born here.

today is a very special day, it is la batalla del vino, the battle of wine. people have been waiting the whole year to celebrate this. i haven't been here since i was a kid, but i can guarantee you this is going to be very special. the annual battle is part of the week—long haro wine festival. it is steeped in religious tradition. the celebrations take place every year on st peter's day to honour him. back in the 17th century, a wine fight erupted during the st peter's celebrations, and ever since, locals and tourists alike have been recreating it. senor. this is my uncle, a loyal soldier of the wine battle. how much wine are you putting in it?

15 litres, more or less. we have three or four boxes like this. 60 litres, i like that, that sounds like... yes. now i am ready for the battle. white, red, and an important detail — glasses, so as to avoid the wine getting into my eyes. let's go. i would love this one actually. i cannot wait. although this is great fun, there is a serious side to it. it is all about paying homage. every summer, thousands of winemakers, locals and a growing

number of tourists arrive to not only honour st peter, but to give thanks to the grape and his contributions to the town's culture. the festival begins with a pilgrimage to the church. you are supposed to respect the tradition and not start the battle until you go to church. you can see that is not happening. my friends, this is the problem. you are coming back, they recognise you and... trying to get up there is going to be a battle in itself. what does this festival mean to you?

this festival is tradition, and for people from haro, tradition is very, very important. we have been celebrating this festival for 150 years, and it is great. so what do you think wine means to people in haro? wine is everything for us. it is our way of living. we instead of blood, we have wine. it is our landscape, it is our world, it is everything. as the spontaneous battles continue, ijoined the pilgrimage to the local san felipe church. so early in the battle, but yeah.

you know one thing that i really love, the smell of wine in your clothes is fantastic. it's great to be back. singing now, the battle has begun. we are getting into the thick of it. i am going to engage in battle with somebody. drumming music somebody tell me when it's finished.

although i'm a local boy, tourists are very welcome. but do come prepared, old clothes and eye protection are essential. and of course, you will need your weapon of choice. so, the battle is over. i think i lost it miserably, but i loved it because i had a great time and i will come back next year. well, that is all we have got time for on this week's show but coming

up next week... as south africa celebrates the 100th anniversary of nelson mandela's birth, we head tojohannesburg to discover a new site. this trail runs right through the heart ofjohannesburg and since it was opened, it attracts more than 600 visitors each weekend. and also travels to cape town, where they are hoping to keep mandela's dream of a rainbow nation alive. this is where all that hard work pays off. so dojoin us if you can, and in the meantime, don't forget you can keep up with us in real time while we are out on the road by signing up to our social media feeds. details on the screen now,

but for now, from me and the rest of the travel show team, it is goodbye. good morning. were not only was yesterday our first day below 25 degrees sincejune 23, it was also for some an especially wet one, flooding in northern ireland as we saw a months worth of rainfall in just three hours. bringing about the change has been been a shift in the position of the jetstream. instead of being to the north of us, it's taken a dive southwards across the atlantic and pushed towards the south, circulating an area of low pressure around the uk and dragging in cool air off the north atlantic. it has two discrete centres,

one to the north—west of scotland, very strong winds, and one to the south of england. again, some strong winds to come. accompanied by a spell of steady rain, not the intensity we saw on saturday. the big story will be the strength of the wind. 40, 50 mph gusts around southern and western coasts and hills, persistent rain to go with it. little bit drier in eastern areas of england first thing. the rain is spreading north and east quite smartly through the morning. maybe just clipping the east of northern ireland and into southern scotland first light but much of northern ireland, a good part of scotland, a dry and bright start with some sunshine, although in the hebrides, some of the strongest of winds. 50—60mph gusts in the morning with outbreaks of rain. but getting better here, compared to the rest of scotland where it will turn cloudier and wetter through the day, especially through central and eastern parts. northern ireland, just one or two showers clipping the east, many will have a much better day than saturday. england and wales, the cloud and persistent rain of the morning will ease back to sunshine and showers for the afternoon.

some of those on the heavy side, but also, note the temperatures. it will be the first day in a while where we have seen temperatures lower than the average for this time of year quite widely. into sunday night, lots of dry weather, clear skies but a few showers to southern and western areas later. still have a south—westerly wind. while we dropped down into single figures in rural parts of scotland, northern ireland and northern england, further south, temperatures will be in the mid—teens. we start the new working week not on a cold note but with low pressure still circulating to the north—west. still pushing weather fronts our way. these are not as potent as sunday's. a fairly fragmented area of cloud and rain spilling northwards and eastwards. still breezy but not as windy as on sunday and a bit more sunshine between the afternoon showers. the showers heaviest and most frequent the further north you are. temperatures still in the teens here but getting back into the mid—20s for some towards the south and the east as they will be again on tuesday. always a bit cooler and breezier further north you are on tuesday with a few showers still in the forecast. but after a fresher and showery weekend and start to next week, things do warm up later on. summer is not done yet. welcome to bbc news,

broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is nkem ifejika. our top stories: at least five are dead as a huge wildfire sweeps across northern california. 0fficials warn residents must evacuate if they're asked. the worst thing that happens is people refuse to leave, and then the fire is coming and then firefighters are placing themselves in harm's way. final campaign rallies in zimbabwe ahead of the first election since robert mugabe was ousted as president. pope francis accepts the resignation of a prominent us cardinal following allegations of historic sexual abuse. and a feat of spirit and stamina. celebrations as the first female skipper and her amateur crew win the round—the—world yacht race.