nasa has successfully landed a probe on mars. there was jubilation at mission control in california, after it survived a dramatic seven—minute plunge to the planet's surface. it's already sent back its first image from the red planet, kicking off two years of scientific discovery. ukraine has declared martial law in part of the country, after russia's seizure of three ukrainian navy ships. it follows a naval clash in the kerch strait, off the coast of crimea, which was annexed by russia in 2014. a number of western countries have condemned moscow's actions. president trump has suggested britain's brexit agreement with the eu could leave it unable to negotiate a free—trade agreement with the us. his comments, two weeks before a crucial vote in the british parliament, are a fresh blow to prime minister theresa may. an inquest into the death of the former welsh government

minister, carl sargeant, has opened in north wales. mr sargeant, who'd been sacked last november following accusations of sexual misconduct, was found dead four days later at his home. our wales correspondent sian lloyd reports. carl sargeant was a well—known figure in the welsh assembly. his death last year left his family grief—stricken and sent shock waves through the welsh political establishment in cardiff bay. his body was found at his family home four days after he'd been sacked from his post and suspended from the welsh labour party amid allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied. walking arm—in—arm, mr sargeant‘s wife bernie and sonjack came to his inquest today, where the note that she'd found close to her husband's body was read to the court. directed to family and friends, it said: the inquest heard that carl sargeant had suffered from depression and had

been prescribed medication on a number of occasions. a former colleague, leighton andrews, said he was concerned about the impact that tv interviews given by the welsh first minister, carwyn jones, about the alleged complaints, had on his state of mind. he considered it to be irresponsible. the coroner reminded mr andrews that was his opinion, and the inquest will hear from the first minister, carwynjones, later in the week. sian lloyd, bbc news, ruthin. now on bbc news, the travel show. this week on the show: paris by tin snail. where is the gearstick? the gearstick is there. seeing seoul in a hurry,

and the eu after brexit. take your place, get ready...go! this is so tough, my back is about to break. and there is gold in them there hills. we head to slovakia to find our fortune. i missed loads. our travels this week begin in a european capital very familiar to many of us. a city that has become a market leader in cliches. i am here in the city of love,

but also the city of cars. and plenty of them. one, though, in particular, stands out more than any other in the hearts of the french people. the citroen 2cv. and this year, she's turning 70. the 2cv was born in 1948, in the immediate aftermath of world war ii. the very first prototypes as well as the very last model and all those in between are kept here in the citroen heritage centre in the north of paris. here they are, they've really got character. and this one, you can probably see from the bullet holes, must have been from a bond film. for your eyes only. with its unique shape, the 2cv — short for "deux chevaux",

or "two horses" — quickly came to fame, and not only in movies. within a few decades, the car became a common sight on france's roads. and in its countryside. the founding design principle of this car was four wheels under an umbrella. the idea of a light car with really good suspension, so you could drive over a field with four passengers and a basket of eggs on your lap. and by the end of yourjourney, none of the eggs would be broken. more than 5 million were produced until the last one in 1990. but fans and owners still gather annually to celebrate a car that has been used by generations of french motorists. i have caught the train out to a suburb on the outskirts of paris. because i've heard out here there is a place where people... i think i have found it.

bonjour! this must be the 2cv club. you must be christian. good to meet you. look at all these beautiful cars. christian presides over a fan club of over 100 members. it is one of dozens across france. they meet every weekend to repair and cherish their babies. so why is this car so popular? why do people love it so much? it is in the french way of life. it is different to all cars. it is the way you drive it. you're not looking for speed, you're not looking for anything fantastic. and then at the club, where we are here today, we'll work on our cars and have fun and go out on a little bit of a rally or something like that. taking the 2cv on a rally

is no easy matter. christian is currently preparing his for the club's rally trip to 0man next year. they plan to drive 3,000 kilometres through the desert. 0man won't be the club's first rally. in years gone by it has organised dozens around the world. how many miles in this car, do you think? wow, 50,000 kilometres? and what about this? laughs. water, water.

0h water, i bet. collectors now pay up to 170,000 euros for the rarest, but there are still plenty around. it's thought about 100,000 still drive on french roads. they're also a fine addition to any weekend in the capital. bonjour! vincent, good to meet you. this must be it. vincent takes guided tours around paris. i'm definitely going to need a lesson, vincent. he will even let you drive if you ask nicely. and once you get the hang of it, it's really good fun. where is the gear stick? the gear stick is just there. so you just turn that if you want to press the first one. this is first.

and back to neutral. and push, and second. this is unusual. it is unique. please excuse me if we bunny hop up the street. driving a 2cv feels very different to any kind of modern car. you can feel the engine under your foot and the noise of the car, and it is very physical. it is not a car that goes very fast. but that is not the goal. it's a very active experience. there is no sitting back and letting the car do its work. you have to be involved. exactly. 0n the left, this is le louvre. do you think this is part of french identity? yes, with the baguette and with the stripes. laughs.

you are very brave, because driving a 2cv car is not very easy. driving in paris is not very easy. driving a 2cv for the first time in paris is really brave. there are no airbags, the windows are not electric, and as for ac? let's say that it is pretty rudimentary. but for some reason the french really seem to love the 2cv. as long as that remains the case, the car that they call the "tin snail" will keep ploughing its own furrow on slow lanes everywhere. and if you are thinking of heading here any time soon, here are some are things we think you should watch out for in paris this winter. like many european cities, paris abounds with christmas markets in december. the biggest is in the la defense

business district, where you'll find 300 stalls selling food to decorations, and crafts. keep your eyes on the shop windows, too. some of the big department stores lay on some really stunning displays at this time of year. if you want something a bit different, the museum of fairground arts opens its 12 day annual festival on 26th of december. you will be able to see live shows and have a go on an old—fashioned merry—go—round and games. and paris fashion week is in mid—january. but for most of us mere mortals, the winter sales will be the closest thing we get to being part of it. they kick off on the 10th, and you can get pretty big discounts. you might want to get the sharp elbows out for the best deals, though. competition can be fierce. still to come on the travel show: 0ur global guru is back

with his pearls of wisdom. this week, seeing the us by train. and seoul in a hurry. and going for gold deep in the hills of central europe. this week i have been exploring the french capital. this is the 7th arrondissement, familiar to those of us who have been to the eiffel tower. but that is a not my destination this time. so there is a place i really want to show you in paris. i have heard a lot about it but have never had a chance to see myself. so i'm going to go check it out. bonjour! this way? this is deyrolle, a taxidermist which for almost 190 years has specialised in very high—end stuffing. this is insane!

how did they even get this up the stairs? it is so odd to be able to see creatures like this so close, and they are beautifully done. it is obviously taxidermy, but the artistry, even on such close inspection, isjust, it is perfect. these animals, all of which you can buy, came mainly from zoos, circuses, and farms, and weren't hunted to order. in fact, the hope is that seeing how beautiful these creatures are up close will inspire people to care more about the natural world. all these animals, of course, are well—kept, to be a testimony to what is the global beauty of the living animal. this place for the last 200 years is one of the steps towards human

amazement, amazing sights for people to realise that observation is the key to preservation. hello from malaga. this week, i've advice on how to spend 2a hours in seoul, and the tricky business of taking medicines into dubai. first, though, in florida, the new brightline high—speed rail link running between miami and west palm beach has increased the frequency to once an hour. the train takes about half—an—hour between miami and fort lauderdale,

and other 45 minutes to reach west palm beach. and the train operator has also launched a brightline select ticket, which promises curated food and beverage items. next, jagvir gehlaut from canada's largest city toronto is taking his family to asia, and they have a 24—hour stopover in the south korean capital, seoul. good question, jagvir. to answer it, i thought we should hear from someone who knows seoul really well. hallie bradley, who writes a blog about the city. hi, simon! hallie here in seoul. there's a ton you can see in 2a hours. head downtown to the gyeongbokgung palace, the main palace of thejoseon dynasty here in korea. from there, you can check out the bukchon hanok collection of traditional korean homes, and then you can easily check out gwangjang market, a traditional asian market that has over 100 years of history and serves up some delicious noodle soups and dumplings for lunch. from there, walk along the cheonggyecheon stream,

and check out the dongdaemun design plaza, a great modern addition to the architecture here in seoul, and then end at namsan tower where you can watch the sunset and twinkling lights turn on. i hope you have a great trip! next, gemma from leamington in the english midlands wants to book a holiday in the european union after the uk has left on the 29th of march, 2019. she says she can't find an answer to her question online. the consumer protection offered by atol, the air travel 0rganisations license, and abta, the travel association, remains in effect whatever the uk's geopolitical status. but much more significantly for most travellers from britain, the package travel regulations enshrined in uk law require companies selling transport and accommodation in a single transaction to deliver the holiday as booked, or provide an appropriate assistance for recompense. in uncertain times,

booking a package holiday is a wise plan. if for whatever reason the trip doesn't go ahead, you should get a full refund. our final question is from savita singal, who's travelling to the uae with her parents who are both in their 805. i'm not quite sure what medication can or can't be taken into dubai. can you help please? the rules for taking medication into the united arab emirates have not changed. to bring in medicines on the controlled list, which includes some drugs such as codeine, which are available over—the—counter in other countries, you need to apply in advance for permission. the registration and drug control department of the uae ministry of health has a new website where you can apply for permission. for prescription medicines that aren't on the control list, you can bring up to three months‘ supply as a visitor

if you have the original prescription or a letter from your doctor. that's it for now, but please carry on bringing me your travel problems and i will do my best to bring you the answers. see you soon! last year, slovakia in central europe welcomed a record number of tourists, attracted chiefly by the breathtaking landscapes and excellent skiing. the mountains there are stunning at any time of year, but they also hide a shiny secret. we sent kate hardey buckley to the mountain resort of hodrusa—hamre to find out more. take your place, get ready, go! welcome to the 2018 gold panning championships. a highly—competitive gathering, where emotions are running high. more than 500 competitors from 30

countries are here hoping to strike gold. so how does it all work? 0rganisers fill a bucket with sand and hide tiny specks of gold in it, flown all the way from california. now that i'm up so close to the gold flakes, i realise how difficult it must be, because they're tiny, and some of these sand pieces are just as small. it sounds like an impossible project. no, it's not impossible. then competitors race to find all the flakes. each bucket will contain the same number. for every one you miss, five minutes is added to your time. eager to try it myself, i have signed up for a lesson with british world champion daisy thurkettle. first thing you need to do is pour that into the centre of the pan and make like a bit of a mountain. and then you're going

to do big, flat circles. yes, right under the water like that. perfect. what's going to help with this is the specific gravity of gold, it is about six times heavier than everything else in your pan, so the gold really wants to hit the bottom of your pan and stay there like a rock. bit more power than that. give it some welly! good. that looks like championship panning. i really hope there is some gold in here. shuffle and flatten and get everything in a semicircle like that. i think i can see some gold sparkles. yes, it absolutely shines like a beacon, doesn't it. i'm delighted. 0n yourfirst go! brilliant! cap on, you don't want to lose those babies. thanks so much, daisy. no problem. just beyond the championship site, there is plenty of evidence we are in a traditional mining town. it's hard to believe, but i've been told there is an estimated 70,000 euros worth of gold hidden within these piles of rocks here.

itjust shows how important gold is to the area. it's very beautiful. richard is a local gold mine owner, as well as a panning enthusiast. richard, how extensive are all the mines here? but life was hard underground. up until recently, the average miner lived to a0 years of age. very cold, richard. yes. it was often said women would marry three husbands in one lifetime. over at the championship site, the race is back on. it's the women's final, and the place is heaving

with excitement. some of these women are so fast. they found their specks within under a minute. applause with all the flakes counted, i met the new world champion. how do you feel right now? pretty good! it's been a long week. it's a tough competition, so... it's good. butjust that i thought it was all over... number22, kate from bbc! so i've been roped into competing, and i'm absolutely terrified. take your place... get ready... go! all chant: bbc!

it looks like i've got a fan club. thank you for the encouragement! this is so tough. my back is about to break, but the adrenaline is keeping me going. 0k, i've got some gold. i would've thought gold panning was a rather relaxed, chilled sport, but this is anything but. i think i'm done. cheering and applause thank you! i haven't done too bad for my first go. i found 18 flakes. unfortunately, there's a beautifully sparkly one just here that i've missed, but i didn't finish last.

so maybe a bit of beginner's luck. oh no! i missed loads. i later found out i actually came second last. so i think i've got what they call gold fever, and i'm off to find a stream to see if i can pan for some out here. what's wonderful about gold panning is you can have all the excitement and rivalry and noise of competition, but then you can come out here and it is just you, the river, and hopefully a few flakes of gold. sadly that's all we have time for on this week's show, but coming up next week:

we're in tokyo — a confusing enough place if you're able—bodied, how well will it look after the disabled sports fans likely to arrive in big numbers for the olympics and paralympics of 2020? don't forget, we're also all over social media, so you can follow any of our feeds by clicking through from bbc.com/travelshow. until next time, from me, christa larwood, and the rest of the travel show team in paris, it's goodbye. good morning. there's a change to come to the weather, but i'm not sure you're going to like it, because the cold air is being replaced by something a little bit milder, but unfortunately stormy, over the next couple of days. this wet and windy weather to come, it's all moving in from the atlantic. you can see these areas of low pressure starting to push towards the uk. they will arrive a little later on today. so we are going to start off on a relatively quiet note, and on a chilly note, it's worth bearing in mind, with a little patchy mist and fog. temperatures over the next few hours will be sitting into low single figures.

the breeze will pick up, that will lift the mist and fog promptly, and we'll see the rain moving on from the west. that will introduce something a little bit milder through the day, but wet as well. the heaviest of the rain looks likely to be into the south—west of england and wales, and northern ireland first thing in the morning. so let's take a look at that in more detail. it will move through at quite a pace, actually. so some brightness pushing through into the south—west later on. the rain will sit across parts of dorset, up into wales, the midlands. look at this, the south—east, the east of the pennines will be dry. rain into the lake district, into northern ireland, fringing south—west scotland as we go through the afternoon. and by the end of the afternoon, for the bulk of scotland it will finish off dry, pretty windy with it. but the rain arrives through the night. so one front pushes further east, it will be replaced by yet another. and there is quite a squeeze on the isobars, and that denotes where we will see the strongest of the wind, so gusts in excess of 60 miles an hour, maybe more, and some of the rain will be quite heavy through northern ireland,

south—west scotland, north—west england. a little more showery in nature further south, but nevertheless windy with it as well. so not a pleasant day, i suspect, as we go through wednesday. in terms of the feel of things, it will be milder, noticeably mild, but when you factor in the wind and rain i'm not sure whether that will be an issue for you. so as we move into thursday, more wet weather, this time pushing in from the south. it looks as though england and wales will see the heaviest of the rain likely. not a pleasant day on thursday. getting slightly showery in nature further north. but hopefully by friday we will see the winds and the rain easing. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is duncan golestani. our top stories: touchdown confirmed! nasa celebrates a perfect landing on mars, as the insight mission sends back its first image of the red planet. it is a very, very

nice looking picture. it looks pretty flat, which makes ourjob very easy to do. and it's time to get going! a warning for britain, as president trump says the brexit deal could damage us—uk trade. ukraine imposes martial law, after sunday's naval clash with russian warships off the coast of crimea.