one of britain's biggest newspaper groups, johnston press, is going into administration. the company prints more than 200 local and regional titles, including "the scotsman" and "the yorkshire post", as well as the 'i". it's blamed changes to the way facebook and google display stories, which has led to a fall in advertising. the move into administration is part of a rescue plan to keep the papers in circulation. the company had put itself up for sale last month and the group said in a statement 'this is the best remaining option available as it will preserve the jobs of the group's employees and ensure that the group's businesses will be carried on as normal. the group hopes that this transfer will be completed within the next 2a hours.‘ the bbc‘s annual children in need appeal has raised a record amount, of more than 50—million pounds, taking it past the one—billion pound mark since it first started, almost 40—years ago. our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba looks back on last night. go on, rob. cue the socialiser! cheering. the night's record—breaking total.

the evening kicked off with a performance from west end musical, school of rock. the cast of eastenders took part in a walford walt disney song and dance extravaganza. while boy band boyzone competed for the children in need stricly glitter ball trophy. welcome to the tardis! this is amazing. a doctor who superfan got to visit the tardis. and workers from children in needs projects who thought they were making a music video, got to duet with some of their favourite stars. celebrities also went to visit some of the places where the money raised

by everyone watching ends up being spent. it was a night of historic fundraising to help disadvantaged children across the uk. lizo mzimba, bbc news. now time for a look at the weather. some sunshine later today after quite a gloomy start to the weekend. a little bit cooler in the breeze which brings more cloud tonight. but for most of us it is clear skies and temperatures down into single

figures. low enough for some frost in places tomorrow morning. but a nice weekend ahead. temperatures still in double figures but starting to feel a bit colder than it has done. colder still into next week with some wintry showers over the hills. goodbye for now. hello this is bbc news. the headlines. five ministers in theresa may's cabinetjoin forces to try to persuade her to make changes to the draft brexit agreement. they are said to want changes to what's known as the 'so—called' backstop. the number of people missing in california's wildfires has now risen to more than a thousand.

71 people are known to have died. the cia thinks the saudi crown prince ordered the murder of the journalist jamal khashoggi — according to reports in the us media. mr khashoggi was killed in the saudi consulate in istanbul last month. saudi arabia has called the claim false. the bbc‘s annual children in need appeal raises a record amount, of more than £50 million. in all, one billion pounds has been donated by viewers and listeners since the first children in need telethon nearly a0 years ago. now on bbc news, it's time for the travel show. this week on the travel show i'm in lebanon finding out why beirut is hoping to regain its reputation as the entertainment capital of the middle east. we have amazing people who are doing work that is internationally recognised. also coming up... i'll be discovering how an ordinary man became

the king of his own castle. did he build it himself? himself, stone by stone. it took him 73 years. plus lucy hits the british countryside to check out the latest hiking gadgets. go pro, take a photo. with its mix of minarets and church spires lebanon's capital beirut is an intoxicating clash of cultures and religions, between the mediterranean and the middle east. and i have come at a special time for this city. this year marks 75 years since this nation finally gained its independence. the birth of modern lebanon. for four centuries it was the ottomans who ruled here, right up until the end of the first world war when control

was handed to the french. it was not until 1943 that the struggle for self—rule finally paid off. this statue here in the square was put in to commemorate all of those who died resisting ottoman rule in the name of lebanese independence. today the statue is pocked with bullet holes, scarred by the civil war that tore this city apart in the 1970s and 1980s and made it a byword for sectarianism and conflicts. a significant portion of the city's historic buildings have been torn down. of the ones that are still standing, the damage caused by the war is clearly visible. but it was not always this way. in the 1960s beirut

was the height of glamour, dubbed the paris of the middle east. and few spots epitomise this ideal better than one of the city's 5—star destinations. this commemorative book was produced a few years ago to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the hotel. and when you look through it really gives you an idea of the calibre of celebrity who have stayed here. they've got marlon brando, brigitte bardot. even the great muhammad ali. i was coming to the phoenicia since the beginning. we used to do fashion shows here and this is a very special hotel. mona ross is an international model who was based

in beirut before the war. wow! mona ross, take a seat! now she's a permanent resident of the hotel. i mean, it is part of my life. i consider i am part of the columns of the hotel. you are part of the furniture! part of the furniture! you are part of the fabric of the hotel! when the war came, the hotel became a battle ground, a key strategic point because of its size and downtown location. i was passing by next to the hotel when it was destroyed. and i saw a little hibiscus plant with little red flowers on it. and i was so touched by this, i couldn't believe my eyes why

this plant is alive, in front of this hotel which was dead. today a generation of young lebanese are determined to shake the dust and debris from the city's reputation. this is nice. where have you brought me to, lisa? when you come to this area during the day you can discover a lot of art galleries, concept stores. but then at night time it completely changes. you can see there are a number of bars and restaurants. so it is quite buzzing. my sort of place! i think a lot of people when they think about lebanon or beirut, their perception is a country that is war—torn and full of violence. the war is part of lebanon's history but it doesn't define the country. we have this amazing art scene. we have a lot of designers and artists and film producers, architects.

amazing people who are doing work that is actually internationally recognised. and i think that is the best way for people to really understand what this country is like. lisa takes me to central station which was recently named among the world's 50 best bars, to try lebanon's national drink. arak. thank you. oh, that's strong. it's got a real aniseed taste. you couldn't drink that too quickly. you have to take your time. is this the drink that young lebanese people are drinking? this as a drink you normally enjoy with family over a long lunch. a lot of the bars, especially central station, they are creating these very innovative cocktails that celebrate the flavours of lebanon in a very interesting way. here you go.

it's a deconstructed falafel sandwich, with vodka as the base, using the falafel spices. this is so nice. i mean, falafel cocktail! oh, that is good. you know what, that is like a drink that also feels like dinner! i like this. and it's the nightlife that is really putting beirut back on the map. the musical hall is one of the capital's most famous venues, hosting a cabaret packed with an eclectic mix

of musicalforms. i said i'm going to create a place where you have extremes. it can be classical music and then something that is totally punk or very kitsch. i always like to mix things, to be very eclectic. i try to work on cultural entertainment. usually those two words do not meet. because entertainment is nightlife and alcohol and culture is museums and theatres. with its bill celebrating both the city's prewar golden age

and contemporary music trends, the music hall offers a vision of beirut comfortable with its past and living in the moment. and if you are thinking of heading to lebanon, here are the top tips for things to know before you go. lebanon is an all year round destination with relatively mild winters and warm summers. but if you want to stay clear of the crowds it's best to avoid august when things get busy. whilst most of the country is perfectly safe to explore there are some areas that have travel advisories against them like the border with syria. so it is always best to check with your own government's online advice first if you are planning a road trip. for some of the best views of the country check

out one of lebanon's most popular attractions. the teleferique aerial cable way, just north of beirut. the gondolas will take you 650 metres up and you will get breathtaking views of the bay and the surrounding city. all topped off by the statue of our lady of lebanon and stunning basilica. and if you're more into snow than sea and sun do not forget lebanon is home to the middle east's biggest ski resort. you will find almost 50 miles of piste, up to around 8000 feet on the slopes of mount lebanon. the town of mzaar is the main resort where you will also find a buzzing apres—ski scene once you've hung up your skis for the day. still to come on the travel show... say cheese!

lucy is testing out some of the latest gadgets on her hike around the english countryside. and i will be finding out about one man's mission to create his own fortress. so stick with us for that. today i am in the beautiful north downs in surrey for the day to escape the hustle and bustle of london and test out a bunch of gadgets during my hike around the countryside. first up it is this — the gotenna mesh device. it pairs to an app on your phone using bluetooth, then uses walkie—talkie radio frequencies to send text communications when you are out of phone signal. i have one device for me, and one device for my colleague tom here, who is going to help me test them out. we're both on a mission to find a good spot.

mobile reception is pretty patchy but to make sure it definitely works, we've put our phones into aeroplane mode. time to go. let me know if you find a good spot for lunch! in open areas, the devices can work up to four miles apart, and up to half a mile in denser locations. the battery life is about 2k hours. but it's not cheap. a pair will cost £199. tom has just sent me a message in the app, it looks like we have the perfect spot for lunch, which is perfect because i am pretty hungry. it is worth noting you cannot make phone calls with this device, but you can share and access gps location data alongside a map. so i know exactly where to go to meet tom. now i know where i am going i have more time to test out my other gadgets, and ijust happen to have the latest gopro action cam. i am quite excited to try this out, mainly because its killer feature is image stabilisation which will give me super smooth video.

like with previous versions it also has voice control, but does it work? gopro, take a photo! it is counting me in. i am filming myjourney to tom sped up by x15. this gopro costs £379 or you can get one with slimmed down features for half the price. gopro, stop recording. the gopro hero 7 black is expensive but this is more thanjust an incremental update. for your money you are getting 4k video, the ability to live stream to youtube or facebook, you can shoot super stabilised timela pse videos and chuck in the ability to automatically adjust the settings based on your surrounding, and you are looking at gopro‘s best action cam yet. for something a little more retro, i have the latest snap—to—print cameras, the kodak minishot and polaroid 0nestep plus, which is what i'll start with. tom i know you hate this, but you are the subject of my photo, so say cheese. this camera prices at £149.99, it

has standard lens and a portrait lens, plus there is a partner app available. admittedly photo quality was not as impressive as we were hoping, but after a few attempts we discovered you need to place the photos face down in orderfor them to develop, for around 5—10 minutes. but even after doing so the photo quality still wasn't that good. for a polaroid, that's a bit disappointing. we did test the camera indoors and the photos came out much better. i also like how it captures moments in the iconic polaroid square frame. now it is time to test out the kodak. selfie? let's do it. despite what the name implies, is not that mini, but needs to accommodate the cartridges which contain the paper. from £69.99 from kodak, it is one of the cheapest instant cameras on the market. it also has a 1.7 inch viewfinder so you can check your picture before you print a credit card size photo. it is certainly not quiet, it is lightweight and a bit

kiddy—esque, but that's indicative of how easy it is to use. the screen is nice, i like that you can see what you are doing, it walks you through the printing process, and your photo is out in less than a minute. certainly quicker than the polaroid. photo quality... not the greatest, but it definitely fares better with close—ups. 0verall both cameras are better with close—ups, with the kodak much better for the outdoors. to close this week, i am at beiteddine palace, one of lebanon's historic castles. many of these fortresses are left over from the crusades. but beiteddine was built later, at the end of the 1700s, in tribute to the country's ruler, emir bashirshihab ii. it is only an hour out of beirut, but nestled in the mountains it is a world away from

the city's hustle and bustle. legend has it that once this unique palace was completed, the emir ordered for the architect to have his hands chopped off to prevent him from building anything as beautiful ever again. the building was restored in the 1950s. ziad's father was part of the restoration team. good to meet you. welcome! my father was here, he was 20 years old. so he worked here when he was very young? very young. this is moussa al maamari. when moussa was working on the palace, he discovered a plot of land just a few kilometres away, and had an idea. a few years later, in 1962, he laid the foundations of his very

own landmark, moussa castle. this is incredible. how long did it take your father to build it? it took him 73 years of work to fulfil his dream. imagine! 73 yea rs ? 73 years. and did he build it himself? himself, stone by stone. as you can see every stone has a different design. moussa drew the plans, laid the bricks and perfected the carvings of his very own 3500 square metre castle. he wrote here, "i entered as still young, and get out as an old man." to tell us that he spent all his life in doing this. inside, the surprises keep coming.

over 30 rooms, there are more than 150 life—size stone and plaster figures, posed in dioramas depicting life in historic rural lebanon. look at that, this is amazing. this is a village scene from moussa's early life. and he made it all by his own hand. the statues, everything. ziad takes me downstairs to see where it all began, moussa's classroom. when he was a child he was caught sketching the plans for his dream castle. his teacher responded by beating him and tearing apart the drawing. my father stood up and collected the pieces of the drawing and he told them, "you are going to see this real one day." let me show you the drawing.

look at this! the original tears... that's right. it looks exactly like it. you see, it's similar. very similar. this is a work of art! yeah. your father sounds like the sort of person that i like, because when somebody tells him he can't do something, it makes him even more determined. determined, yes, this is the story of my father. moussa was set on avenging this childhood humiliation. he built a small door at the castle‘s entrance so his teacher would have to bow to him when he finally visited. and if you need any more proof of moussa's resolve, inside is a display of his own personal armoury. a massive collection of weapons. something tells me that moussa was a man not to be messed with.

i've never seen so many guns in my life! since it opened to the public in 1969, the castle has grown to become a big tourist attraction. in the summer, ziad estimates that they regularly welcome more than 1000 visitors a day. this afternoon, moussa's wife is among them. sadly, moussa died earlier in the year, injanuary. but his family are determined

to keep his legacy alive. beiteddine palace, which your father helped to restore, is more than 200 years old. do you think in 200 years‘ time, people will still be coming to visit moussa castle? ah, yes. for sure. this place has been absolutely out of this world.

it is hard to believe that one man built all of this by himself. but i am afraid to say that is your lot from us this week on the travel show. catch us next week when. .. christa is behind the wheel in paris as one of france's most iconic cars celebrates 70 years on the road. so make sure you join us for that if you can, and don't forget you can keep up with us in real—time by following us on social media. but now from me, ade adepitan and all the travel show team here in beautiful lebanon, bye! sunny skies on the way this

afternoon for many of us after quite afternoon for many of us after quite a gloomy start to the weekend. some patchy drizzle still around but temperatures this afternoon of around ten, 15 degrees. tonight we have more cloud moving in across scotla nd have more cloud moving in across scotland and north east england. temperatures down into single figures and for some low enough to wa ke figures and for some low enough to wake up to some frost tomorrow morning. but a lovely day ahead for the majority with sunshine from dawn to dusk. and temperatures still in

double figures are starting to feel a bit colder than it has done. colder still into next week with more cloud around and some wintry showers. the breeze making it feel closer to freezing. goodbye for now. this is bbc news. i'm sean ley. the headlines at eleven: five ministers in theresa may's cabinet join forces to try to persuade her to make changes to the draft brexit agreement. i'm covering developments here at westminster, and those five cabinet members are concerned that the deal as it stands may not be winnable when it's taken to a vote here in parliament. the number of people missing in california's wildfires has now risen to more than 1000. 71 people are known to have died. the cia thinks the saudi crown prince ordered the murder of the journalist jamal khashoggi, according to reports in the us media. the bbc‘s annual

children in need appeal raises a record amount of more than £50 million.