with next week's midterm elections crucial to deciding who controls congress, president trump has ramped up congress, president trump has ramped up his rhetoric on illegal immigration. he says he will deny asylu m immigration. he says he will deny asylum to people to enter the us outside legal ports of entry, and detain migrants indefinitely in massive tent cities. thousands of central americans are still making their way towards the southern border of the us. google staff have been walking out in a series of protest around the world. employees in various cities left their desks to show their anger at the technology firm's treatment of women and ethnic minorities. two former goldman sachs bankers and a fugitive malaysian financier have been charged in the us over a corruption scandal that helped bring down malaysia's former government. authorities say billions of dollars were embezzled from the state development fund, 1mdb, to buy art, property and a private jet. now on bbc news, the travel show. sports minister tracey crouch has resigned after the government delayed the introduction of restrictions on high—sta kes

delayed the introduction of restrictions on high—stakes betting machines. until next october. on fixed odds betting terminals, gamblers can bet up to £100 every 20 seconds. they exist in thousands of bookies across the country. through compulsive gambling, tony franken lost everything he had on these machines. every day, £5 million is being extracted from the poorest and most vulnerable in society. these people then cannot afford to feed theirfamilies, people then cannot afford to feed their families, can't pay the people then cannot afford to feed theirfamilies, can't pay the rent 01’ theirfamilies, can't pay the rent or the mortgage. they go home and a terrible mood state, perhaps taking it out on the children and the partner. people are killing themselves, as many as two a day over gambling arm. this delay is com pletely over gambling arm. this delay is completely unacceptable. tracey crouch was passionate about changing that, saying she wanted to protect people. from social, mentaland financial problems associated with gambling. only by reducing the

maximum stake from £100 to £2 will we substantially impact on harm to the player and to wider communities. but on monday, as part of the budget, it emerged the new policy will be introduced in october next year, not april, as many had expected. in her resignation letter to the prime minister, ms crouch said, from the time of the announcement to reduce stakes and a simple notation, over £1.6 billion will be lost on these machines. —— implementation. two people will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling related problems. there are considerations to be made about the livelihoods of those who work in betting shops, and it is perfectly proper for the government to consider those two. if we did what the betting companies wanted, this change would not be made at all. tonight, many of tracey crouch's colleagues, political opponents and even the archbishop of canterbury were praising herfor sticking to her principles. the

resignation of one minister is not a huge blow to theresa may, but the fa ct huge blow to theresa may, but the fact that tracey crouch resigned because she felt her government wasn't doing enough to help vulnerable people is not an message that the prime minister wants to hear, and it doesn't end of air. there is likely to be a vote on this issue in the coming weeks and the government cannot be confident of victory. now on bbc news, the travel show. this week on the travel show, i'm in norway, because i have heard of what must be one of the world's most unique music festivals, where the stage and even the instruments are made of ice. so i am taking the chance to head off from oslo to bergen on a musical journey along one of the world's most spectacular railways. i'm going to look deep into norway's roots, trying to get a sense of how this country's landscape,

culture and society are brought to life through its music. but first, i start my trip in norway's capital city of oslo. it is here on the oslo waterfront that a huge transformation has been taking place, and a big part of that was this rather spectacular building, the oslo opera house. it celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and is a symbol for the city's commitment to the arts. so i guess it is a perfect place to hear some traditional norwegian goat horn. plays horn.

that's so good! thank you. that is amazing, such a variety of sounds comes out of what i guess is such a simple instrument. is quite simple, as you see. it is a bowl and a goat's horn. wrong way, this way. actually it was not made for making music, the shepherds had it to keep the wolves and the bears away. this was a warning, not music. not many melodies are written down as we know, but some. would you say that there is something unique running through norwegian music, and where does that come from? nature gives me a lot of power and a lot of inspiration to make music. we are quite isolated, we didn't visit each other because the valleys... so people could work with their own things in a way, like this. still there are people that do this, try to make their own voice. so i am about to head off through the country to bergen,

and listening to music along the way, but is there something i should be listening out for, something i should be paying attention to? try to find some folk music, some solo hardangerfiddle music, or singers or so, and also go to small jazz clubs, look for the small spots. there are people working all over the place. so now i have my mission, there is a train to catch. joining me for the first part of myjourney is jan ostlund, an all—round train fanatic and author of a book on the bergensbanen train line. so tell me a bit about this book. why did you write a book about the bergensbanen railway? the bergensbanen is an iconic railway in norway, but also in europe i think. very many people in norway have been there, they know the name, and they know what they will see when they are going here. along its 308 miles,

the train navigates challenging but stunning terrain. at its peak of over 1,200 metres, it is one of europe's highest railways, before it descends steeply into norway's second city of bergen. but this elemental landscape posed a huge challenge and an engineering triumph for those working on the rail during its construction between 1894 and 1909, with around 20 people thought to have died in the process. at a time when norway's independence was on the horizon, the construction of the bergensbanen was much more than just an added convenience for travellers. this line connected the east and the western part of norway. before that people had to go around and take boats by the sea, or small horse roads over the mountains. so the train was opening norway. the construction work was started in 1898,

and at that time we were administrated by sweden and they did not like this at all, because i think they thought it could be used to military purpose. this was a sign of norwegian strength, that maybe was not approved of? you could say that. so in a way this is a symbol for the founding of the norwegian nation? yeah. all this makes it special. you can't find this on the other lines. this is what norway is. as jan reaches his stop, i settle in. 3.5 hours from oslo, the bergensbanen pulls into geilo, but that is not my destination. for the last 13 years, geilo has played host to norway's ice music festival, but this year after too many unseasonably wa ram years, the organisers decided that enough was enough. so on i go, upwards almost 500m

in altitude, to the festival's new home in finse. oh, you really feel it, see it in the air, it is cold here. and it is this cold, the icy conditions and the elevation that drew polar explorers like shackleton to train here before they went on their expeditions. and people still come here for that reason today. word is it is going to reach a low of “211 celsius tonight.

so we had better rug up. but what makes this festival extra special is that the instruments are actually made on the day from nearby ice. among the line—up this year is everything from ice horns to ice drums and ice didgeridoos. the concert is only hours away and here you are making the instruments. this has got to be an unusual thing for a musician? for me it is not, but for most musicians it is. good sounding ice is the most difficult part. you can'tjust go to your freezer or go to the nearest lake. it's with ice as with wine, there are good years and bad years. so why ice? what inspired this festival? well, it's nearly 20 years

since the first time i tried ice, and i found the sound so fantastically beautiful. with this water we can drink it after the concert, or we can just give it back to nature where it belongs. and also the ice reminds me that we have to treat ice so gentle, so not to break it. it is like we should treat nature. why is this kind of festival happening in norway in particular, aside from all the ice? i think one of the reasons we can do this in norway is that we are very lucky, we have for many years had a government that wants to support art and music, and this makes it possible for a musician like me,

that works mainly with contemporary improvised music to survive, to even be able to buy a house and have a normal life. it is also possible for me to experiment. what is this instrument over here? this is an iceophone. the sound is lovely, isn't it? you like it? yeah. plays iceophone. it is lovely. any chance i could have a go? mmm, very carefully. very careful, i promise i'll be careful. i also promise to show no ability whatsoever. you may as well give it to a kid. plays iceophone. it works! this is great. but one of the biggest challenges

of putting on this festival is the construction of the venue itself, and ice concert hall. and that project is overseen by professor petter bergerud. petter and his students have been battling fierce blizzards for six days as they throw some water around giant balloons and netting to create a solid structure. each day's work as resulted in disaster. we started with plan a, and ended up with plan...y. it is like you are climbing a wall, slippery, and nearly on the top and you fall down again. next day you start the same, it is a bit frustrating, but that is how it is, and that is the challenge. you have to work with the forces, because you can never beat them.

yeah. when you work with them, it is like you're having a good friend. it seems like your team is working very hard, good luck. we will see how it works out! we just have to finish now, we have some hours left. so as evening approaches the finishing touches are fast being made around the site. i really like it 'cause it's kind of the sound of nature. so it doesn't sound like anything else you have ever heard. so people are really surprised when they hear it for the first time. we don't get to practice, so the music gets made on stage in front of the audience, and that is really special, and people are like,

what, is that possible? it's almost not possible, so it's pretty cool that we can do it. i guess there's a lot of folk music in it. it's very nordic, with the ice and snow and the cold winters. just in the nick of time, all is ready and we gather for an evening of ice music. singing and music. cheering and applause. that was amazing. it was such a bonkers soundscape, and incredible to think that all of those strange sounds that were building into this big crescendo were made from ice. i think it is also a really interesting way to experience the landscape of norway, freezing cold with the full moon overhead. having said that, it is freezing cold. i'm frozen through.

it's time to head in. next morning, the festival continues without me, as i am back on the bergensbanen for the next part of myjourney. travelling on this stretch of the line, you start to appreciate the vast landscapes that this country has to offer. and i can't imagine a better way of experiencing them than this. well, my train has arrived at its destination. but my musicaljourney across norway is not finished yet, because i am in bergen, a cultural hotspot and a great place to explore norway's rich musical heritage. plays greig's piano

concerto in a minor. edvard grieg, possibly norway's most well known and loved classical composer. here in bergen, set among woodland alongside a vast lake, a museum to grieg has preserved and restored the grounds where he once lived and worked. now, you can see now we will enter the house, this is the main entrance. this year will be a milestone for the man because it will be 150 years since he wrote his famous piano concerto. he really was a very much appreciated composer also in his lifetime. we know that in great britain for example, he was one of the most

popular living composers in his time. the second part of the 19th century was going together with all this national movement in norway. and norway was by then a country together with sweden, with one king, living in sweden. and he found this very young and fresh style and i think that built up on that. they had dance rhythms and folk music elements in these bigger compositions. i think he looked upon the folksongs are some universal, something surviving from generation to generation. and if you step through the borders you can find the same elements in folk music. and some of that folk music that

inspired grieg can still be heard today, and one of the best ways to experience it is with dance. dance company frikar perform contemporary dance all around norway and beyond, that's inspired by nature and traditional norwegian folk roots. they have agreed to come and show me some of the traditional elements found in norway's halling dance. fiddles play. the dance, it's mostly sort of a show—off dance.

100 years ago women also did that dance, but it's mostly boys, or men, doing the dance, because we want to impress the other men 01’ other women. put the right foot in front of the left. sidewards. believe me, this is harder than it looks. if you jump a bit on each step... nice, and then around. i think i'm getting the hang of it. one, two. then we can move down here.

no! so, what is the relationship between the dance and the music? maria played the hardangerfiddle, it is our national instrument. some people say the fiddle music came because of the dance, and some say the other way. i think they are depending on each other. for me, and for many, it is very important to use the music, dancing, and the music makes me want to do certainly some steps and routines. it is life. it is nothing planned, it is just happening. nice! laughs. back in the old days, they used the ceilings to kick down a coin orjust kick their heels. kick the ceiling? yeah. they were a bit smaller houses, back in the old days. but in the 1800s, the military started with competitions, kicking a hat from a stick,

and it was about kicking the highest. and then it became incorporated in the halling, the folk dance. so we do it as a part of the dance, and it's — of course, it has to be a good kick. and the higher it is, the better it is. everybody in norway, i think, if i say halling, they say, kicking the hat. it's the main goal in the halling. it's more like the dance is the main goal, kicking the hat is sort of topping it. fiddle plays. whoo! that was good kicking. finally, i wanted to get a sense of where all this is leading. in a former meat factory,

a short walk from the city centre, bergen kjott serves as a gig venue and melting pot for all types of artists in the city. this creative hub is home to the studios of electronic, jazz, hip—hop and many other types of musicians, including royksopp, and it is where much of norway's future music is being thrashed out. these days especially it is some new mixing of old, old traditions with very new electronic and experimental music traditions meeting. kjetil has a studio here and plays sax in tonight's gig. jazz music plays. tonight we are playing with a guitar player,

with some electro acoustic, folk, jazz, experimental, ambient something, you know? the bergen scene, i think it has a lot to do with the size of the city, because there are only a few people playing every kind of thing so you have to collaborate. ifeel like i've rediscovered this place through its music. it's a country constantly inspired by nature, of epic proportions. it treasures its traditions, but isn't afraid of looking forward, where artists are free to experiment and are supported as a crucial part of norwegian society. and where distinctive sounds can be found in the smallest of communities. if the bergensbanen showed me norway's muscle, its music has shown its heart and soul. hello.

friday starts with the last widespread frost of this cold spell before things turn milder over the weekend. but windy, too. here is a look at things then for early risers on friday morning. quite a bit of blue. the cold spots will be down to —5 or —6. one or two mist and fog patches, so nothing widespread. there's still one or two showers dotted about western parts of the uk early on. when you have these, you will not be as cold as elsewhere. for most, it's a sunny start to the day, and the sunshine will continue throughout. the sun will turn increasingly hazy across western parts of the uk on through the day.

higher clouds spilling in ahead of this area of rain, which will be knocking on the door of northern ireland by the end of the afternoon. top temperatures around 9 or 12 degrees, and some sunshine, a gentle breeze. that will not feel too bad. as we go through friday evening and night, clearly the weather is changing. a system moving in from the atlantic, it will be turning wetter through scotland and northern ireland. the winds are picking up as well. gales developing through irish sea coasts. not as cold, but still quite chilly for the coldest parts of east anglia and south—east england. this weather system coming in is this deep area of low pressure, ex—hurricane oscar. it is going to pass us well to the north—west, but still produce strong winds the closer you are to it on saturday, especially in the western isles. lots of rain, especially in western scotland. a soaking day here. some outbreaks of rain pushing through the rest of scotland. it's there in northern ireland as well, though it is going to clear later in the day.

it starts to edge into western wales and the west side of england, which means further in the east of england, it will be staying dry with some sunshine. windy across the uk, this is where we get gusts in excess of a0 miles an hour, and towards 65 miles an hour in the western isles. gales for parts of scotland, northern ireland, irish sea coasts. some winds could be disruptive, but the air coming in from the south—west, it is going to be a much milder day. and of course, it's a fireworks bonfire weekend. we're expecting on saturday evening for the rain to have cleared through belfast but still be there affecting parts of scotland, wales and western england. if you're going out on sunday evening, still the chance of seeing some rain around, particularly through wales and western england. part two of the weekend, on sunday, another weather system pushing rain through western areas of england, wales, into northern england. much of scotland and northern ireland will be fine. one or two showers in the north—west, where it's still quite windy. east anglia and the south—east look like staying dry as well. and it's still mild,

not quite as mild as saturday. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. our top stories: the us mobilises thousands of troops as president trump continues his crackdown on immigration ahead of the midterm elections. at this very moment, large and well—organised caravans of migrants are marching towards our southern border. some people call it an invasion. it's like an invasion. google's global walkout — staff show their anger at the tech giant's treatment of women and ethnic minorities. the us imposes new sanctions on venezuela. we meet some of the millions left homeless and hungry by the country's economic crisis. and the new sound of south africa — we meet the djs setting a course from the street to stardom.