there in four decades. the centrepiece of the visit will be a mass on sunday in front of half a million people. a series of scandals has damaged the reputation of the catholic church in recent years. hurricane lane, currently bringing high winds and heavy rain to parts of hawaii, has been downgraded to a tropical storm. more than 2,000 people are sheltering in evacuation centres, others have been stocking up on water and food. emergency authorities expect the risk of flash flooding and landslides to grow. the spanish government has approved the removal of the remains of the country's former fascist dictator, general franco from the basilica at a controversial monument to spain's civil war dead. the decision still has to be ratified by parliament and has been strongly opposed by right—wing groups. now on bbc news, the travel show.

mauritius, a force of nature in the middle of the indian ocean. mauritius is marking the 50th year of independence from british colonial rule, but the intriguing, rich and sometimes dark story of this island nation goes back way before then. 0n myjourney, i'm going to explore the history of mauritius. see and taste how multiculturalism works here. mmmm, that is nice. go on a day to the races. 0h, did he win? did we win? and visit a unique conservation

project saving endangered species. this island is so often labelled as just a luxury beach paradise, but the reality is so much more fascinating than that. mauritius, gorgeous beaches, turquoise waters and lush vegetation, but the human story is just as awe—inspiring. le morne mountain, on the south—west of the island, faces in the direction of madagascar and stands 555 metres high. it's also at a 45—degree incline. no walk in the park. for the likes of me, this is a challenging climb, i've got to say. in fact, i'd say for anybody it's challenging.

whoa. near the top, ijoin a guide who's done this climb up to three times a day every day pretty well for 13 years. you can feel it's all, like, volcanic. this is volcanic rock? yeah, yeah, yeah. it's probably from the first eruption 10 million years ago. ten million years ago? yeah. and actually it's very good for climbing. yeah, there's lots of good grip. le morne marks a dark but symbolic chapter in the island's history, the days of slavery under dutch, french and british rule. this is where many escaped slaves, called the maroons, found refuge. they could have a look towards madagascar and for them... that's home. that was home, you know, it was the sight and they expected one day maybe to build, like,

a craft and go back home and just to escape from this prison. horrible. it's a world away up here from the beach resorts that populate the rest of the island, but actually, this trek is almost a pilgrimage to get to the very heart of mauritian identity. and there's a particularly poignant tale told about the maroons in what should have been their moment of celebration. when slavery was abolished here in 1835, soldiers climbed the mountain to tell the maroons that they were free, but the escaped slaves thought that they were being recaptured and instead chose to jump off the mountain. why do you think this is so important to the identity of people from mauritius? because i guess it's a unique story. it's part of our story here in mauritius and it's one

of the only places we know of that somehow the slaves resisted their masters, and for us, it's almost like a venerated mountain, a sacred mountain, not only for the descendants of a slave but for the mauritians as well. after slavery was abolished, the british brought in hundreds of thousands of so—called indentured labourers from india and china in what was known as the great experiment. today, port louis is the country's capital, with its colonial legacy and contemporary diversity everywhere to be seen. i'm about to get a personalised, unique tour of what this city and mauritius offers in terms of its diverse food and other wares as well. hi, how do you do? nice to meet you.

hi. nice to meet you. so this is a food place here? yes. but you'd never know to look at it, it's pretty low—key. yes, but it's pretty famous as well. he's making some deep—fried cakes. 0k. mauritians are fond of deep—fried cakes, you can deep—fry almost everything. it's just — he has this batter that he made, it's with chickpea flour, some herbs and salt. mauritius may seem isolated in the middle of the indian ocean, but it was actually nicely placed on the spice route, which linked asia, africa and europe. now he's adding all the herbs you need for the chilly bites. and the chillis. chillis.

yeah. are they strong chillis? spring onions. there's a clear inference from gujarati traders whose forefathers came over from india in the 19th century, but there's a distinctive mauritian accent to the food too. coughing itjust hit me! now, this is a multi—ethnic, multicultural, multi—lingual, multi—religion country, so hinduism is the majority religion but you've also got christianity, islam, chinese religions, buddhism, it's all here. where are we now?

we are in a small market which is made up of street vendors. all these people, they used to be selling everything from clothes, to food to electronic gadgets on the street, but that was illegal so the state gave them some spaces. bonjour. ca va? so this is arthur, he used to be on a street corner in chinatown selling dumplings with his father. so now he's here. chinese—mauritian? yeah, yeah. this is the long fish? yes, the long fish. that is nice, that's really good. how many years have you worked here? for myself, after schooling, it's near to 50 years. 50 yea rs!

the sheer diversity of food is one benefit of the cultural hotpot in mauritius. another is language, french, english and creole are all spoken here. and then, there's music. sega is a rhythm and genre indigenous to this island. and this lady is known as the voice of the indian ocean. the distinctive drum is called the ravanne, a home—grown instrument. 0n the tiny islet of ile aux aigrettes, mauritius is playing host to a unique conservation project, which takes us back to a time five centuries ago, before

mankind ever set foot here. the ecosystem of an island like mauritius is extremely fragile, and ever since mankind arrived in the 17th century, that ecosystem has been severely disrupted, and that has led to the extinction of some very important species like, for example, the dodo. the dodo lost the ability to fly through evolution because until man brought in predators, they didn't really need to. today the one remaining native mammal to mauritius, the fruit bat, can fly with elegant ease, but it's not a great favourite for some, like fruit growers. so this is the mauritius fruit bat. it is a bat which is unique to mauritius. it can travel for 15 kilometres, 20 kilometres, a0 kilometres in one night.

it's like man has got hands, but these hands here have been modified, amazingly, to become a wing. it's an animal that can see very, very well, despite what a lot of people think. they need to rest during the day to save their energy because it gets hot in the tropics, but at night, as it's getting dark, they leave their daytime roosts, as they are called, and they go out and they look for food. they will first of all eat fruits to keep themselves alive, but also, they'll be dispersing fruits and they maintain their own survival by maintaining the forests.

the larger project here is hugely ambitious and earning international acclaim. we're actually recreating the whole ecosystems. it's one of the few places on earth were we're notjust trying to save a few odd plants and a few odd animals, we're actually piecing together, as best as we can, it will never be perfect, but as best as we can, the whole ecosystem as it existed prior to the arrival of man. should we be frightened of this animal, should i be frightened being this close to this animal now? well, i'm not frightened of the animal, i don't know why anybody should be. there are some countries where bats are dispersing — are carriers of diseases but in mauritius, that's not the case. of course where they are carriers of diseases, there are some precautions to be taken, of course, but that's not the case here. would you like to hold the bat? are you serious?

really? oh my god. yes, it will probably nibble you a little bit if that's ok? nibble me? its claws are going to be quite sharp. you must take this. wow. i can't believe it. this is weird, is all i can say. this is a magic moment. i never thought i'd actually find a bat, or an animal like this, vaguely even cute, but you know what? it is kind of cute. and luckily, not disease ridden... no. as it bites my finger. no! do you want to fly off, shall we get you to fly off? come on then. animals are central to mauritian identity in more ways than one. take this weekly ritual which has become tightly wrapped up with mauritian social

life and culture — going to the races. the islands‘ independence from british rule was declared on this very racecourse, the champ de mars, in 1968. built more than two centuries ago, it's the oldest racecourse in the southern hemisphere. and from the start, it's very aim was to bring disparate communities together. oh, and to satisfy the locals' love of gambling, of course. and today, there's one family who now dominate horseracing in mauritius. actually, it was my grandfather who introduced our family

to horse racing. he was the first indian to be a member of the national assembly of parliament. and in 190a, he was a businessman. at the beginning, he was a milk seller, but then he started doing business, buying land and buying and selling land and property. he also realised that buying a racehorse would allow him to mingle with the big cheeses, especially french businessmen, who ran the economy then and loved racing. today is a very special day. it's the final classic race of the season, the duke cup, and a chance for this elite family to great history in the country's national sport. what has happened is that we have been able, with a bit of luck, to win the first three classics, and if we win the fourth one today,

we will be creating history. and we got a peek into the paddock to meet soun‘s cousin. this gentleman, i know him very well. i often see you on the bbc all over the world! this is very much a family affair. that's the cup that we are looking for. this one here? can i touch it? anyone can touch it before, but i want to touch it after. afterwards, yes... this is fantastic. i'm getting a real insight behind—the—scenes with one of the most important men in racing. inside the jockeys‘ room, preparations are underway. down by the track, i can feel the sense of occasion here. here is where everybody gathers, rich, poor — everyone. whatever language or

culture they're from, whichever ethnic group, this is the day, and this is the first race of the day. i wanted to get a feel for the passion for racing and gambling here, and so i approached a local punter. i'm from england, do you recommend any horce in any race? i think this one. number three, rogue runner, in this race. i'm gonna bet. number three. but i'm not sure. there is my horse, number three, rogue runner, and if i put 100 rupees on it, it says i'll get 600 rupees back. hey, can i have 100 on number three, rogue runner? a lot of money going on rogue runner. you like rogue runner?

is it a good one? and this is my horse, number three, rogue runner. go for it... i like his colours. laughter do you like number three? number three? here they come. 0h! did he win?

it was very close, who won? number three. number three won! at the last minute! at the last moment... yes! and now it is time for the climax to the season — the big one, the dukes cup, and a time for the gujadhurfamily to make history. they haven't left much to chance, they have three out of the 12 horses running, including the favourite, enaad, ridden by the most successful champion jockey in the race. 0ur man's in his lucky spot to watch the race next to his family. the favourite and their big hope ennad is struggling. it doesn't look good. ennad, get on, don't let him coax you back!

until from the outside another horse from the gujadhur stable suddenly starts making ground. ready to attack is, well, ready to attack. come on ready to attack! cheering well done! idid it! well done! well done, sir!

well done! the family have done it and made history. cheering now this is over, what do you feel? a sense of relief, almost? frankly, i don't get worked up before a race. i watched you during the race, you do a bit... i do a bit, but you know, the people around, and the well—wishers, the supporters, everywhere you go around the island, you know, theyjust wish you well. i wanted to win that race for them. and in this 50th anniversary year of independence, it seems the people of this island have plenty to celebrate. during my time here, i've seen a strong sense of nationhood amongst mauritians, and also realisation that precious wildlife must be protected. this is a relatively prosperous

country, breaking free from its complicated and sometimes shameful colonial past. and what's exciting is that right now, its unique cultural identity is still evolving and making it so much more thanjust a high—end holiday hotspot. hello. loads of showers around on friday, some really heavy with hail and thunder. also cool right across the board. the cool conditions continue into the weekend and of course for many of us this is a bank holiday weekend. we will see further showers at times but also some sunshine. friday's showers clearing away with this low pressure during the early hours of saturday. a few showers still remaining across northern and western areas, a few pushing into the midlands, there. but with lengthy clear skies, a chilly start to this morning, with temperatures widely in single figures.

across scotland and north—east england some sheltered spots could get close to freezing. we start the morning on a chilly note, but largely dry and bright with lots of sunshine. breezy across the north—east. elsewhere, showers developing here and there, but nowhere near as many as we saw on friday. with slightly lighter winds across the south and the west, despite the fact it will still be quite cool for this time of year, with below—average temperatures, it should feel a little bit better. heading through saturday night, it will be another chilly one. a veil of high cloud pushes in off this weather system. i don't think it will be as cool to start sunday as we were expecting this morning. double—figure values across many areas. this area of low pressure will come hurtling in on sunday. it will spread east throughout the day to bring wet and windy weather. a bit of brightness across the far east for a while, but a cool start. very soon the cloud will thicken up.

wet and windy weather spreads to all areas. some of this will be heavy. in western areas, it could be blustery with winds of a0—a5mph in the south and the west. it will feel disappointingly cool with all the cloud, wind, and rain. temperatures generally in the mid—to—high teens celsius. 0ur area of low pressure pushes into the near continent, then for monday it looks like we are into a ridge of high pressure, so a bit quieter. still breezy in the west and north—west, but that will feed in further clouds to england and wales through the afternoon. so a few showers, but for most places, drier and quieter, temperatures ranging from 17 to 21 or 22 degrees in the south—east, so a touch warmer. heading through tuesday, a fine and settled day, with a ridge of high pressure and feeling a little bit warmer with some sunny spells. good morning, welcome to breakfast with steph mcgovern

and naga munchetty. 0ur headlines today: preparing for the pontiff. the pope arrives in ireland today for his first visit in almost a0 years. women in england will be soon allowed to take abortion pills in their own homes, following on from scotland and wales. the first holidaymakers to be flown back early from the egyptian hotel where a british couple died in unexplained circumstances arrive home. good morning. in sport: manchester united bossjose mourinho has denied any rift with executive vice—chairman ed woodward. in a tetchy press conference, mourinho insisted he had no problems with woodword amid reports of a falling out between the two.