but british universities have centuries of tradition behind them and one lecturers union has warned that two—year courses could undermine their international reputation. richard lister, bbc news. the actorjohn bluthal has died at the age of 89. he was best known for playing the likable but dull parish council secretary frank pickle in the vicar of dibley. i need to hear a little bit for levels, tell us what you had for breakfast. toast. yes. i need a little bit more than that so just make something up, let your imagination run wild. wild? great. two pieces of toast. its star dawn french paid tribute on social media, saying "cheeky, naughty, hilarious. bye, darlin bluey." john bluthal also appeared in carry on films and worked regularly with spike milligan. now it's time for a look at the weather. the week ahead sees the weather turned quite cold over the next few

days and overnight the clear skies that we have at the moment will be replaced by cloudy weather during the second half of the night. the cloud coming in from the north sea across scotland, england and eastern areas of wales, thick enough to bring a few spots of rain as well would eastern coasts. the cold weather with the clearest skies out west, a sharp frost in the highlands, with some patches of frost here. from monday, a much cloudier day coming up nationwide. the cloud that is thickest across parts of england, we will see some showers moving on, particularly across east and the, the midlands and southern counties of england. it will feel cooler, temperatures single figures from most of us, eight or 9 degrees, fairly typical. it then gets colder still from tuesday, the wind will change to a north—easterly direction, with gusts of around a0 or 50 mph around the coast. it also will feel quite bitter. cloudy skies, still some outbreaks of rain for kent and lincolnshire. temperatures really struggling. hello this is bbc news

with lu kwesa ba rak. the headlines: theresa may fights back, saying replacing her as conservative leader wouldn't make the brexit negotiations any easier and warning of a crucial week ahead. these are the next seven days will be critical, they are about the future of this country. it is about people's jobs, their livelihoods, the future of their children and grandchildren. at a commemoration event in germany, the french president makes an impassioned plea for a stronger, united europe. the former wales and lions rugby captain gareth thomas speaks out after suffering a homophobic attack in cardiff. now the travel show: ade adepitan is in lebanon as the country celebrates 75 years of independence.

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. gopro, take a photo. with its mix of minarets and church spires, lebanon's capital beirut is a clash of culture and religion between the mediterranean and the middle east. and i have come at a special

time for the 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 world war i, when control was handed to the french. it wasn't until 1943 that the struggle for self—rule finally paid off. now, this statue here in martyr‘s square was put here 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 ‘80s and made beirut a byword for sectarianism and conflict. a significant proportion of this

city's historic buildings have been torn down. and on the ones that are still standing, the damage caused by the war is clearly visible. but it wasn't 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, it really gives you an idea of the calibre of celebrity that has stayed here.

i mean, they've got marlon brando, there's bridget bardot, even the great muhammed 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 is a permanent resident of the hotel. i mean, it's part of my life. i consider i'm part of the columns of the phoenicia. maybe i am! you are part of the furniture, yeah? part of the furniture! yeah, you're part of the fabric of the whole hotel! when the war came, the hotel became a battleground,

a key strategic point because of its size and downtown location. i was passing by next to the phoenicia when it was destroyed and saw a little plant, hibiscus plant, with little red flowers on it and i was so touched by this and i couldn't believe my eyes — why this plant is alive in front of this hotel who 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? so, we're in an area called mar mikhayel. when you come during the day, you can actually discover a lot of art galleries, concept stores. but then, at night time, it completely changes. so 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 is 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, um, 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. cheers, enjoy. thank you. oh, that's strong! it's got a real aniseed taste. you couldn't drink it too quickly. you have to take your time. so is this the drink that young lebanese people are drinking? actually, this is 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. so here is modernes falafel. ooh! it's a deconstructed falafel sandwich with vodka as the base, using the falafel spices... this is so nuts! yeah. i mean, falafel cocktail? yeah. oh, that is good! you know what? that's like a drink that also feels like dinner. yeah, i like this better than the arak. and it's the night life

that's really putting beirut back on the map. the music 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 get a place where you have extremes, there could be classical music and then something that is totally punk or very kitsch." i always like to mix things to be very eclectic. i tried to work on cultural entertainment — usually those

two words do not meet. because entertainment is night life and alcohol, and culture is museums and theatres. with its bill celebrating both the city's pre—war 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 travel show‘s 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 crowd, it is best to avoid august when things get busy.

while most of the country is probably safe to explore, there are some areas that have travel advisories against them, like the border with syria, so it is always test 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 cableway, just north of beirut. the gondolas will take you 650 metres up and you will get breathtaking views of the bay ofjounieh and the surrounding city, all topped off by the statue of our lady of lebanon and the stunning basilica. and if you are more into snow than sea and sun, then don't forget that lebanon is home to the middle east's biggest ski resort. you will find almost 50 miles of piste, up to around 8,000 feet, on the slopes of mount lebanon.

the town of mzaar is the main resort, where you'll also find a buzzing apres ski scene once you've hung up your skis for the day. still to come on this week's 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 of surrey to escape london and to test a bunch of gadgets during my hike around the countryside. first there is this. it uses walkie—talkie radio frequencies to send text communications when you are out of phone signal. i have got one device for me and one device for my college. mobile reception is patchy, but to make sure it works we have put our telephones into aeroplane mode. let me know if you find a good spot for lunch. in urban areas the device can work for up to cuatro miles apartand device can work for up to cuatro miles apart and the battery life is about 2a hours, but it is not cheap. it can 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 what 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 onestep 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 £119 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. overall 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 i700s, 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 i950s. 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 his father, 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! whilst many of us have been basking in autumn sunshine in the uk over the last couple of days, northern iceland has been baking. on the north coast near the arctic circle temperatures have reached 17 celsius this weekend. warm air moved into the arctic and the arctic responds by throwing cold air out across

europe and that will be moving into oui’ europe and that will be moving into our shores over the next couple of days, so cold weather is on the way. for the second half of the night it will turn much cloudier. the clearer skies and the lowest temperatures are on the western fringes of the country. a sharp frost once again in the highlands and some fog patches. on monday there will be showers in east anglia, the midlands and southern counties of england. a few of those showers could reach eastern wales. temperatures get a bit lower. still some sunshine for western scotland. it gets colder again on tuesday. the cloud thickens further and we will see more showers coming along in line. one of those could affect kent and one could affect lincolnshire and yorkshire. cold winds will make it feel bitter. it is going to be a cold day anyway.

factor in the strength of the wind and it will feel close to freezing. tuesday night could bring us some snow across wales and south—west england. the mowers and the brecon beacons could see some of that. looking at the jet stream pattern we have got a block set up with low pressure to the south and high pressured to the north. the mainjet strea m pressured to the north. the mainjet stream is well to the south across the mediterranean, perhaps affecting greece as we look at the weather into the week ahead. for us the weather will not change a great deal. the atlantic cannot exert is warming influence on us because the winds are coming in from a different direction, an easterly direction. wednesday will be another cold day. rain will tend to drift northwards into scotland and northern ireland. chile. just reaching 5 degrees. this is bbc world news today. i'm lukwesa burak.

our top stories: president trump says he's been briefed about an audio tape of the murder ofjamal khashoggi, but refused to listen to it himself, because it's terrible and violent. it's a suffering tape, it's a terrible tape. i've been fully briefed on it. there is no reason for me to hear it, in fact, i said to the people, should i? they said, you really shouldn't. the british prime ministerfights back against her brexit critics, saying replacing her as leader wouldn't make negotiations any easier. a senior eu advisor says the uk has put itself in a difficult position. the negotiating power of the two sides has been extremely unbalanced, in favour of the 27. this has been very clear to most europeans from the outset, perhaps it was not so clear to the united kingdom.