two f—35 test aircraft will conduct a number of take off and landings from the £3 billion carrier while she's at sea. our defence correspondent, jonathan beale reports. the largest warship ever built for the royal navy is now preparing to leave portsmouth with 1,500 sailors, aircrew and marines on board. hms queen elizabeth, which cost more than £3 billion, is about to sail to the east coast of america. what the royal navy says will be an iconic moment in the latest stage of the trials. the first time fast jets will fly off her massive deck. hugely symbolic for the country, very exciting and of course, it was eight years nearly to the day since i was in command of ark royal and we took off the last harrier from the north sea. so eight years later, here we are, getting the first one back. these are the kind of aircraft that will be taking part in the trials. the us has already been flying the new f—35 stealth jet off their warships. two test aircraft will be embarked on the british carriers with british pilots among those who will be conducting 500

take—offs and landings from the deck of queen elizabeth. the royal navy says she and her sister ship, hms prince of wales, will ensure that britain remains a first—class sea power, but it all comes with a price and at a time when the defence budget is already under strain. hms queen elizabeth is expected to be ready for her first operational deployment with british jets on board by 2021. jonathan beale, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with alina jenkins. lots of cloud for much of the country through this afternoon and outbreaks of rain on parts of northern ireland through the central belt of scotland working northwards. the best of the sunshine of scotland across the east. some bright sunny

spells coming through but a breezy day with strong gusts of wind. gradually easing through the afternoon. temperatures up to 2a or 25, a caller feel afternoon. temperatures up to 2a or 25, a callerfeel for afternoon. temperatures up to 2a or 25, a caller feel for the afternoon. temperatures up to 2a or 25, a callerfeel for the far afternoon. temperatures up to 2a or 25, a caller feel for the far north of scotland. 0vernight, 25, a caller feel for the far north of scotland. overnight, in more persistent spell of rain working into northern ireland, northern england, working northwards through scotla nd england, working northwards through scotland to the far north. it stays mainly dry with clever spells further south. lots of cloud and a very humid and muggy night, temperatures not much longer than 16 oi’ temperatures not much longer than 16 or 17. do the afternoon, most places become dry. we will keep cloud but it will have some spells of sunshine. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines now: a major emergency relief operation is under way in the indian state of kerala, where heavy monsoon rains have caused the area's worst flooding for a century. prime minister narendra modi visited the parts of the affected area. the number of children and young

adults with type two diabetes has soared, rising by 40% in just four years. a state funeral will take place in genoa for some of those who died in the motorway bridge disaster. this morning, fire—fighters discovered the bodies of a couple and their nine—year—old daughter, taking the death toll to 41. ministers are considering introducing a new plastics tax planned for items such as drinking straws and coffee cups after the public responded to a government consultation on how to reduce plastic waste. now on bbc news, it's time for the travel show. this is japan's most northerly main island, hokkaido. for decades, travellers have been drawn here by its stark contrast to the rest of the country. it's anotherjapan, one that is

wild, challenging and remote... it's an incredible experience! with distinctive communities. i've come to meet them and to find out more about the country's northern frontier. so, if you look out to where i'm heading, that is japan's most northerly point. but on the other side, just a0 kilometres from the japanese coastline, is the great landmass, russia. that is important, because it was russia expanding eastwards that led to japan, 150 years ago next year, to annex that island and give

it the name hokkaido. the island isn't small. it is around one fifth of japan's total land mass, but nearly a century and a half after the move to fully populate hokkaido, still only around 4% of japan's people live here. but because of this relatively recent migration, the island that was developed by those first japanese settlers took on its own distinct characteristics, making it markedly different from the mainland. one of the immediate issues was how to live alongside what many agree to be the island's indigenous inhabitants — the ainu. i came to meet mabetsu, who recently returned to his heritage, following in the footsteps of the ainu. for his ancestors, hunting animals

was key to survival. today this means a fusion of modern and traditional hunting techniques, like making use of every part of the hunted animal. when the japanese settled here, the ainu were made to assimilate into japanese society, their traditional lifestyle banned, and so today, little of their old way of life remains. so, we are going hunting?

hunting. excellent, let's do it. there are bears in this forest. i'm sticking close to him. so tell me, you go hunting every day? until recently, those who openly showed their ainu status have faced discrimination. but with the ainu nowjust starting to get recognition injapanese law as indigenous people with their own distinct language and culture, things are beginning to change. so, this is where the deer trap is, yes? he is clearly disappointed that there isn't a deer in his trap. he is adjusting it a bit. between you and me, i am a bit relieved. look around you and you can see what attracts travellers here. stunning landscapes. but for young people seeking opportunities, this island doesn't make things easy.

over the years, japan has wrestled with economic challenges. hokkaido has been one of the areas hardest hit. in the previously thriving mining city of yubari, 90% of the population has moved away in 50 years. demographically, yubari is the oldest city injapan. probably the oldest city in the world, and quite possibly the oldest city ever. at 80 years old, one of its residence has achieved celebrity status around japan. mascots are big business in this country, and they don't get much bigger, or frankly scarier, then yubari's very own melon bear, a nod to the city's famed and prized fruit. why do you do it?

but there is a much more serious side to melon bear. to entice tourists to yubari. and maybe in one sense, it has worked, because travellers are now coming here. ruins left by economic turbulence

littered the landscapes of japan, and here, it has sprung up a hobby called exploring the abandoned buildings. look at this. this is industrial history, isn't it. just over a decade ago, yubari was declared bankrupt. those who remained were made to move into a small central area of the city, leaving everything else abandoned. at places like the old thermal power plant, sato—san hosts art projects. walking around i am left

with mixed feelings. it so powerfully symbolises the decline of a once prosperous place. but i can also see why people love exploring here. there is a mysterious beauty to what is left behind. making the most of disused buildings isn'tjust confined to the city. in this nearby town i arranged to stay in a unique guesthouse. tomeyoka worked on trains most of his life. when he stopped working on the trains he restored an old disused station house back to its former glory. so, this used to be

a railway line here? in contrast to the japanese mainland, much of the urban life in hokkaido first developed around the rail infrastructure. some of the old local train routes closed, with a loss of industry, but some people like tomeyoka, this is not the end of the line. this is an incredible experience! on an old disused railway line, very shuddery, exhilarating. absolutely exhilarating! it is a world away from this country's high—speed bullet trains, but what a way to experience the nature this island is famous for. i've got my sleeper carriage berth, so let's see where

the night train takes me. good night. when the japanese came to colonise hokkaido, they sent former samurai with the mission to cultivate the island. that is one of the distinct ways it has developed: miles upon miles of beautiful landscapes. one way to get close to nature as a traveller would be to hike. but there is another uniquely japanese way. this is mochi pounding.

what might look like hitting rice as hard as you can with a mallet until it forms a go is a refined process to make a sweet known as mochi. i'm about to have a lesson from a real expert as to how to be a proper pounder. ok, so i had to be honest with you, this is extraordinarily heavy. hokkaido‘s climate is perfect for developing the sticky rice needed for mochi. it has become the biggest producer in japan. every year, farmers hold a competition to find the best mochi pounders. how do you become a good mochi pounder like you? here we go.

mash it. how does hokkaido rate in terms of its mochi? now then, this is where he risks the use of his hands for the rest of his life. 0ne... all right. 0ne! it takes 100 strikes of the mochi to make itjust right. and this is notjust about speed.

i don't want to outshine my hosts. the proof, as they say, is in the pudding, or the tasting, so let's see what the judges have to say. that was not in the script. i reckoned that was a fix. and after all that exertion, it's time for a well earned rest. i'm heading south, where my trip comes to an end in hokkaido‘s main city of sapporo. it is a fitting place to finish the trip around hokkaido, because here in sapporo, they are hosting a dance festival,

that pays homage to the whole city's connection to the sea. just down there is where the festival takes place. yosakoi soran is one of the biggest international dancing competitions. teams dance to music inspired by the hokkaido folk song soran. this folk song was about fishermen traditionally. it has come a long way since then. one of the teams here with their own take on this dance is the russians.

interesting, considering the history between the two nations. hats off to them. really good. i had arranged to meet someone who had taken part in this festival many times, since she was a child. finding one dancer among 30,000 others was proving a little trickier than i expected. hi! konnichiwa! you're a veteran of this festival? yeah. you will teach me about all of this? 0k! fantastic. what makes this festival unique injapan? this yosakoi festival in hokkaido has two rules. every team, every

dancer has this naruko. do you know it? # yaren soran, soran #... so, even though it might sound a bit different, and there is dancing, and everything, there is always the same melody inside. how does it go? # yaren soran, soran #... even though it takes a lot of practice, i am told that in my case it should take an hour to do it. i have to wear it? yes. very happy. 0k. a very public training session for newbies like me will be

followed by a chance to take part in the main festival parade around the streets of the city. tell me about the first time you entered the festival, and how it felt, and what you did. attitude is what you need for this. from the top. it is dance move upon dance move upon dance move. many of these moves are based on the tasks that old fishermen had to perform, like dragging

nets, and pulling ropes and lifting luggage over their shoulders. can't you tell? that is only the practice. we have not even started the real thing yet. so i havejust had a rigourous workout and lesson. i supposedly know the whole thing. and now we will do the dance in the square in front of the crowd. thanks to your wonderful teaching, i feel quite confident. let's go. the nerves have all gone. who cares how good you are?

this is about community, festival. i am good at it now. yes, it is exciting. as the festival comes to a dramatic close, my time in hokkaido finishes in what feels like a world away from where it started. i found a place that has, in a short time, adopted so much of japanese culture, but within that has found its own way of expressing itself. who knows what the next 150 years might bring to this unique japanese island? check that out. i mean, that is an act. hello. it is a weekend of mixed fortunes. the sunshine generally in short supply with lots of cloud around. some people will see rain, others will stay dry. it will feel humid foremost. this weather front will bring outbreaks of rain across parts of northern ireland, the

central belt of scotland, working north. this is the remnants of an ex—tropical storm. that will increase the rain overnight. for much of england and wales, although lots of cloud, it will be mainly dry. some rain for wales and south west england. to the far north of scotland, sunny spells and a few showers. sunshine for the east of scotla nd showers. sunshine for the east of scotland as well but the west of scotla nd scotland as well but the west of scotland will see stronger dose of wind, gale force and gusty winds along western and channel coast, slowly easing. the father era, temperatures getting up to 2a degrees in the best of the sunshine. it will feel cooler in the far north of scotla nd it will feel cooler in the far north of scotland despite sunshine here. it should be driver the cricket through the day, maybe the odd spot of rain but the cloud will try to break through the afternoon to give sunshine. 0vernight we see more rain arriving over northern ireland, extending its way into north wales, northern england, southern and central scotland. to the north it

will be dry, clear skies, further south, dry but lots of cloud, and very and humid. 0n south, dry but lots of cloud, and very and humid. on sunday, the rain will start to fizzle out through the day, and in the afternoon, most places will be dry, quite a lot of cloud. it will try to break, with some sunny cloud. it will try to break, with some sunny spells trying to get through. humid for england and wales, temperatures up to 23 or 2a degrees. cooler and fresher for the north of scotland but some sunshine here. whether france pushing their way east during the next week, but leaving a legacy of cloud, which will generate showers for scotland and northern ireland. some of those showers heading down into northern england. further south, it showers heading down into northern england. furthersouth, it is showers heading down into northern england. further south, it is mainly dry, quite a bit of cloud, but we should see sunny spells through the afternoon and we are holding the warmth and humidity, particularly across england and wales, with

temperatures getting up to 25 celsius. this is bbc news, i'm shaun ley. the headlines at 11 o'clock. former united nations secretary general kofi annan dies aged 80 — the un's first black african to hold the position. thousands of troops are trying to rescue people stranded in flood waters as southern india faces its worst monsoon rains in a century. india's prime minister narendra modi is visiting parts of the affected state, as forecasters say more heavy rain is on the way. new plastic tax planned for items such as drinking straws and coffee cups after the british public backs tough action in record numbers. we wa nt we want to see if there are smart, intelligent incentives we can create to encourage the producers of plastic to take responsibility when they are designing the materials that end up on supermarket shelves and ultimately in our own homes.