attractive to might be very attractive to other countries who are currently in the european union because we would become a group of sovereign nations trading and co—operating together in a sort of common market which i think everybody voted for in the 19705. think everybody voted for in the 1970s. unfortunately, there would probably be no jobs for people like michel barnier and jean—claude juncker and the european parliament which is probably the stumbling block. would you accept that the brexiteers are split on this because you've got people like dominic raab michael gove who support the prime minister's plan and people like yourself and boris johnson and minister's plan and people like yourself and borisjohnson and david davis who don't so you are pretty divided. at the end of the day, it is not the brexit we promised the british people and bear in mind the chequers proposals were just that, proposals, and they will be further eroded by negotiations with the eu. for me, being a vassal state, taking the rule book, being unable to do free—trade deals with the rest of the world, technically, we would but only on services. that is what we sell to the rest of the world.

there's nothing in it for america, australia and new zealand to trade with us on a free—trade deal if all we can sell them in services unless they produce their goods under the european common rule book which they are not going to do. the major benefit of brexit, being able to do free—trade deals with growing economies around the world, would not be open to us which is why i have to reject the chequers proposals are quite. andrew bridge, mp, thank you forjoining us. time for a look at the weather with stav. thank you, things look drier this afternoon after the morning rain has cleared into the north sea from the northern and central uk. largely cloudy, although it will remain warm and humid and breezy across southern britain this afternoon into evening. the best brightness across northern scotland, northern isles east of the pennines, the winds will be lighter,

breezy for england and wales. 0n the plus side it should be warm, temperatures between 19 and 26 decrease in the south—east, despite the cloud. this evening and overnight still breezy across southern alias. elsewhere largely dry. where the clearer spells happen temperatures could fall to 10 degrees but elsewhere where they keep the cloud warm and muggy, 14-17d. it keep the cloud warm and muggy, 1a—17d. it stays like that into the middle of the week when it could become brighter bit cooler fresher airwill become brighter bit cooler fresher air will move down towards all areas during thursday and friday. that is the weather. hello this is bbc news with me, ben brown. the headlines. almost two hundred people have died in the last 10 days in floods

in the southern indian state of kerala — but rescuers are continuing to rescue and repatriate survivors. many people are still trapped in their houses in many places. i hope they get help very soon. we could not stay there any more and i'm thankfulfor the people who brought us out of there. a million pound boost for the campaign for another brexit vote — after a donation from the boss of the fashion label superdry. a man has been charged with attempted murder after a car crashed outside the houses of parliament earlier this week. the incident is being treated as a terrorist attack. now on bbc news, it's time for 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 li% 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. konnichiwa. 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 litterjapan‘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 and helps people to explore. 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't just

confined to the city. in nearby nayoro, 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's great, really good! 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. when the japanese came to colonise hokkaido,

they sent former samurai with a mission to cultivate this 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 turns squidgy is a highly 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. 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 am told how you hit it affects its taste. 0bviously, i'm holding back here out of fear of outshining my hosts... the proof, as they say, is in the pudding, or the tasting, so let's see what the judges 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? 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 rigorous 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! paolo there, things look drier this afternoon, we've lost the early rain across central and northern areas, although it will leave quite a bit of cloud across most of the country. you will be lucky to see sunny spells, it will feel breezy and humid specially in the south. this afternoon a lot of cloud around, possibly the best sunshine in

central and southern scotland and northern isles, east of the pennines and in central and southern england clearer skies moving east for the next couple of hours, breezy in the south, lighter winds in the north, temperatures pretty good for this time of year, mid 20s celsius in the south, closer to the seasonal average further north. they could be average further north. they could be a bit of cloud for test match cricket at trent bridge in nottingham. even the odd spot of light rain or drizzle. there could even be bright spells coming and going throughout the afternoon. 0vernight many places could hold onto cloud, clear spells in central and northern areas, we could see temperatures falling to around 10 degrees in some towns and cities, further south warm and muggy, 14-17d. further south warm and muggy, 1a—17d. monday this weather front across central and northern parts, widely spaced isobars on monday mean winds will be lighter. still some breeze across the very far south—west and generally speaking quite a bit of cloud around with

some of the thickest cloud, the weather front will be through central areas so the odd shower here and there. we could be lucky to see bright spells, that's sheltered from the westerly wind of course. if you get sunshine it should feel one because it will be humid despite the cloud, 19—25d. 0n because it will be humid despite the cloud, 19—25d. on tuesday it looks like a better chance of sunshine across england and wales as pressure builds, although further north and west area of low pressure will skirt past the north west of scotland with a weather front bringing outbreaks of rain, some of it quite heavy and a bit cool across the far north—west, across the country of humid and warm one. you can see the deep orange colours but on thursday and friday onwards retreating to the near continent, will see something cooler pushing in from the north—west. we start the week on a cloudy humid note, a bit of sunshine, the middle of the week looks like high pressure builds, a better chance of sunshine, also

showers and it begins to turn cooler and fresherfor showers and it begins to turn cooler and fresher for most of us towards the end of the week. the bank holiday weekend could see high pressure building so this to chance of sunshine. —— so there is a better chance of sunshine. this is bbc news. i'm eleanor garnier. the headlines at 2pm: india's military intensifies its rescue operations in the flood—hit southern state of kerala. almost 200 people have died in the last ten days. many people are still trapped in their houses in many places. i hope they get the help very soon. we couldn't stay there anymore. and i'm thankfulfor the people who brought us out of there. a £1 million boost for the campaign for another brexit vote, after a donation from the boss of the fashion label superdry. a man has been charged with attempted murder after a car crashed outside the houses of parliament earlier this week. the incident is being treated as a terrorist attack. the government says it

will investigate allegations that british world war ii shipwrecks in asia have been targeted by scavengers.