general kofi annan, who has died at the age of 80. mr annan rose through the ranks of the united nations to serve two terms in the top job, and was awarded a nobel peace prize for his humanitarian work. indian rescuers in helicopters and boats have braved torrential rain to reach people stranded in flood waters in the southern state of kerala. nearly 200 people have been killed in the past ten days, following unusually heavy monsoon rains. a state funeral has taken place for some of those killed in italy's bridge collapse, but some families stayed away in protest. meanwhile, the chief executive of the company that ran the motorway bridge said the firm is committed to finding out exactly what caused the disaster. britain's new £3 billion aircraft carrier, hms queen elizabeth, has set sail from portsmouth for the east coast of america. there, jets will land

on the deck for the first time. two f—35 test planes are expected to carry out 500 landings and take—offs while she is at sea. it has taken years of work and billions of pounds, but now, the biggest warship britain has ever had is about to do the job she was designed for. providing a [ls—acre floating flight deck for the new f—35jets. the first fixed—wing landing will certainly be an iconic moment. it will quickly become routine, as we build up to embarking several squadrons of aircraft, it will become absolutely everyday activity, but the first one is always special. the high—tech aircraft already flying on and off american ships. but the first deck landing on hms queen elizabeth is going to be quite a moment. hugely symbolic for the country, very exciting, and of course it was eight years, nearly to the day, since i was in command and we took off the last

carrier out from the north sea. years later, here we are getting the first one back. a fantastic opportunity and a superb opportunity for the future of the defence force and the royal navy. after the harriers were retired early as part of defence cuts, and a lot of effort went into retaining the skills needed to operate jets at sea. two pilots, one navy and one raf, are in the running to carry out the first jet landing on hms queen elizabeth. somebody is going to be first. yes, certainly. it could be you. it could be. so out at sea, everybody should want to be the first to land on board the ship. as a royal navy test pilot on the f—35, i would love that person to be me, yes. altogether, 1,500 sailors, aircrew and marines are on board for the flying trials off the american coast. the aircraft carrier will be away for about 11 weeks while the trials are carried out with the new f—35 jets.

the idea is to have this ship and all of her aircraft ready for operational deployment by 2021. now on bbc news, the travel show. this is japan's most northerly main island of 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. now, 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. hello, hokkaido. 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 had come to meet monbetsu, who had 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 was banned, and so today, little of their old way of life remains. konnichiwa. so, we're 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, yeah? well, he's clearly disappointed that there isn't a deer in his trap here, so he's adjusting it a bit. between you and me, i'm 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 their population have 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. and, at 80 years old, one of its residents 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 litter japan's landscapes, and here, it has sprung up a hobby called haikyo, 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'm left with mixed feelings, because 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's left behind. and making the most of disused buildings isn'tjust confined to the city. in this nearby town,

i had arranged to stay in a unique guesthouse. tomioka 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 for some people, like tomioka, this is not the end of the line. this is an incredible experience!

on an old, disused railway line, very shuddery, but 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 a 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 have to be honest with you, this is extremely heavy. hokkaido's climate is perfect for developing the sticky rice needed for mochi. the region has become

the biggest producer injapan. every year here, local farmers hold a competition to find the best mochi pounders. how do you become a good mochi pounder like you? here we go. how does hokkaido rate in terms of its mochi? now then, this is where he risks the use of his hands for the rest

0ne... all right. 0ne! it takes 100 strikes of the mochi to make itjust right. and this is notjust about speed. i am told how you hit it affects its taste. 0bviously, i'm holding back here because 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 island'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. and the second line, 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 an hour should do it. i have to wear it? 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. 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. 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. 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. ok, let's go! the nerves have all gone. who cares how good you are? this is about community, festival. i'm getting 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 there. sunshine was in short supply yesterday and it will be again today. despite the cloud, it will be warm up there and quite humid as well, seeing the cloud breaking up but for a while, there will be rain around and that is coming from tropical letter, tracking it over the last few days. the scarier of cloud has remnants of tropical storm ernesto which is brought remnants across the uk. it would be too long until it moves away across the north sea, allowing a few dribs and drabs, raymond rizal heading towards the midlands before pushing out in the afternoon. not a huge amount of sunshine. it will be a little bit cooler. eyes of 2223 across and wales. a good deal of cloud as we head into the evening once again. that rain, having cleared away towards scandinavia, a few breaks

here and now. quite a cloudy and my ds stream. those temperatures overnight on the high side, probably a bit warmer across scotland as well. here, a weak weather front that will bring a deep pockets of rain and drizzle. further south across these western parts of england and wales. the cloud breaks in the sunshine. should be a bit warmer across the south—east. 25 or 26. 21 to many parts of the country. wea k 26. 21 to many parts of the country. weak weather front across the north. high pressure trying to build an across the uk. it doesn't quite reach northern areas. this arrives, especially in the north—west, late ona especially in the north—west, late on a day. some and that. a bit more about as well. still quite muggy so get a bit of sunshine. it will feel warm again. those temperatures into the mid—20s. this summer in the

north—west, that moves away, almost the rainbows and we get a weak weather front moving southwards. behind that, more of a north—westerly airflow. it will probably get as far south as maybe mid wales on the midlands. some sunshine and quieter skies with that cooler and fresh air. some sunshine. still in the warm and muggy conditions across the south. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is nkem ifejika. our top stories: world leaders pay tribute to the former un secretary general kofi annan, who has died in switzerland aged 80. he tried to build an international community where countries would work together, co—operate freely, and tackle what he saw as the biggest problems, poverty, inequality, climate change, and of course conflict. it has been called a 100—year flood, but more heavy rain is forecast

in india's southern state of kerala. a state funeral for many of the victims of italy's bridge collapse, as more bodies are found in the rubble. and the two koreas march as one at the opening of the asian games, to rapturous applause.