this is bbc news, i'm rebecca jones. the headlines at 2pm... joining the islamic state group — has told the bbc he wants them the dutch husband of shamima begum, to live in the netherlands. the teenager who has been stripped of her british citizenship it was acceptable for you to marry a 15—year—old girl? forjoining the islamic state group, it was her own choice, has told the bbc he wants them she was the one who asked to look to live in the netherlands. for a partner for her. it was acceptable for you to marry a 15—year—old girl? then i was invited, and yeah, it was her own choice, she was the one who asked to look she was very young. for a partner for her. eight lawyers who back brexit — then i was invited, and yeah, seven of them mps — set out the concessions they require she was very young. from the eu to support the pm's brexit deal. eight lawyers who back brexit, seven of them mps, set out rescuers hope to resume their search the concessions they require for british climber tom ballard from the eu to support who's been missing on one the pm's brexit deal. of the world's highest mountains in pakistan for nearly a week. rescuers hope to resume their search for british climber tom ballard who's been missing on one of the world's highest mountains america's latest astronaut capsule, the dragon, has successfully docked with the international space station.

and david beckham has been honoured with a statue outside his former football club la galaxy now on bbc news it's time for the travel show. this week... i mean this is pretty embarrassing. we'll wait for this. christa scores points with the locals in riga, as she delves into latvia's soviet past. rajan travels to a remote spot in wales to find out about a unique painting project. did you work out how long it would take you? no. and ifinish my breakneckjourney around the great cities of japan, this time in fukuoka. delicious.

but first, we send christa to the eastern part of europe, in one of the three baltic countries, latvia, and yes, it's the one in the middle. winter in latvia's capital city, riga, is nojoke, but snow and freezing temperatures don't deter tourists from visiting its old town, and there's a good reason for this. looking around, it's no wonder that riga was awarded world heritage status by unesco. you can read europe's past on its walls. latvians have just marked the centenary of the first latvian republic.

it's such a key part of their history that the celebrations will last over five years, and it all revolves around the city's landmark, the freedom monument. this monument stands in the centre of riga and it's become a symbol of this country's fight for liberty. inscribed on the front, "homeland" and "freedom", and these are notjust empty words, in this place, freedom is well guarded. that's probably because latvia's first independence was fragile and short lived. like its baltic neighbours, latvia was annexed by the soviet union after world war ii. it remained occupied for another 50 years, until 1991. hello, you must be ulris. yes, nice to meet you. good to meet you. ulris organises tours with a focus on latvia's soviet heritage. this is actually the most

famous soviet era... we meet at the bottom of the country's first skyscraper, built in the 1950s. well, we've got stalin's cake, by later nickname, actually at the present moment the academy of sciences, and one of the most controversial and most significant buildings from the soviet era in riga. i'll be happy to get inside. there's quite a view here. oh yes, beautiful. almost the entire riga, it is possible to see from here. when it's not snowing quite so much? yes. of course. i made those tours for the last 20 years. those tours became more and more popular with the westerners, because you can see unique things from the soviet era. so what was it like for you to grow up under the soviet regime here? it was a hard time. so you had to queue? yeah, even to buy meat or butter. it was a hard time.

so in the early ‘90s, independence was just around the corner, what were you doing? i was a student then, of course, i was on the barricades. we wanted not to be under control. we believed that we will live better without this huge big brother. yes. the russian bear still projects its shadow over the tiny country, but it's also part of its dna. about one in four latvians are ethnic russian. and this man is one of them. a few years ago, he opened a bar for those nostalgic for their youth under the soviet regime. and it had to include one of latvia's most popular games, the novuss. will you show me? yeah, da. i must hit that one and hit those into the pockets? yeah.

i mean this is pretty embarrassing, wait for this. yes! i will leave it to the russians now, i think. so we have got all sorts of soviet goodies here, they used to be served up during that era, we have got salami, cheese, herring and sprat with egg, all served on bread. you would order 100 mils of vodka and one of the snacks

would come as standard, just to make sure you did not get too drunk. in 1991, the soviet union collapsed and latvia regained its independence. finally enjoying the freedom to travel and settle abroad, many young latvians chose to leave. riga has lost almost a third of its population since independence. a consequence of this exodus is that it has left an extraordinary number of buildings across the city empty, like this one, a former ambulance depot, but one group of activists is trying to change this. i was one of the founders of this initiative in 2013. working with owners in the municipality,

free riga turns derelict buildings into social and cultural venues. so what do we have here now? so this is a street food place, and over there is a bar with a concert venue, and then there is a co— working space, and the artists's residences. you have everything here, what don't you have here? hotel. so tell me about some of the events that you hold here, mostly during the summer, i guess, it's a bit cold now. all kind of activities, starting from concerts, exhibitions, workshops, yeah. the buildings look a little bit rough, so the atmosphere is not rough, but it is easy—going. more informal. and more informal. yeah, exactly. maybe this will become a new bar or something.

—— a new berlin. going into the bar next door, there is definitely a berliner vibe in the air, only the drinks are local. i think that will warming up. it is actually not too bad. and if you are interested to see what else latvia has to offer, here's what we thinkg you should do while you're there. the latvian coast might not be at the top of your list when you're planning a beach holiday, but it has plenty going for it. there is mile after mile of long sandy beach and loads to do, with museums, galleries, concert halls and plenty of events and festivals in the summer. it gets busy in peak periods

but it is well worth checking out. for outdoor sports, the biggest and oldest national park in the country. you can go hiking, bungeejumping, kayaking, or you can simply try to reconnect with the elements. and it is soon birch water season, come spring, the park's millions of birches are tapped to extract their very sweet drink. the locals think it is a very healthy drink. and finally, a bunker which has in its time been used by both the soviet and nazi regimes. you can choose the traditional guided tour during the day, which will tell you plenty about its disturbing history, or opt for the terrifying overnight experience, complete with guards, the sounds of gunfire, and verbal abuse. a warning though, it is pretty

intense and you'll be asked to sign a waiver before taking part. still to come on this week's travel show... rajan meets the artist who has taken up the challenge of painting every single person in his city. the initial project was painting say 100 portraits, doing 100, doing 1000. and i am against the clock to see three of fukuoka's biggest attractions. will i do it in time? so do not go away. this week, i am exploring fukuoka and while i'm here, ijust wanted to quickly show you this. these are basically like food trucks

and it is what fukuoka has become famous for. check it out, it is like a little restaurant inside. they serve traditional japanese dishes, but away from the main huddle by the banks of the river, is what we think is the only french yatai in the whole of japan. so what is your speciality here? what is the most popular dish? escargot, snails, yes please. thank you. just recently, his little yatai, has been making a name for itself. it is such a good atmosphere here. merci. more from fukuoka coming up shortly. it is delicious. 0yshi.

now, if i were to tell you that i was going to paint every person in one city, you'd say i was mad. not if you go to saint david's, in the southern part of wales, as rajan has been finding out. the pembrokeshire coast national park. as remote and rural as it gets. this is saint david's peninsula, on the south—west tip of wales. it is a rugged and picturesque part of the world, even in midwinter. but i'm not actually here for scenic beauty. i'm here to find in a beauty. —— inner beauty. the streets of st david's are a bit quieter in the welsh winter, with relatively few tourists, or "grockles" as they're called around here. it's such a small community, there's pretty well only one of everything. 0ne high street, one butcher,

one bank, one bookshop. 0ne town hall. 0ne delicatessen. and, there's one of these. st david's cathedral, built in the 12th century, sits on the site of the old monastery, led by david 600 or so years ago. and this is why st david's is a city. yes, this tiny community of 1800 people is officially a city. britain's smallest, and supposedly the second—tiniest in the world, although in the 19th century there was a bit of a setback. 150 odd years ago the victorians decided this didn't make sense for a very small place, and quite a number of cities were no longer cities. 25 years ago the current queen rode to the rescue and gave st david's its city status back. and this man, who first chanced upon st david's 37 years ago, has been marking its quirky status with a very special place. basically, what i started doing with portraits, is just,

i do a very brief outline of the head. because grahame hurd—wood has vowed to paint portraits of every single one of the city's1800 residents, plus a few outsiders for the hell of it. i focus on the eyes, which are of course a very important part of one's psyche, soul. that is the focal point. thatjust comes through. originally a landscape artist, he started doing portraits 1a years ago, but it was only five years ago he undertook the mammoth task to do the whole population and then some. he has done 600 so far. well, the initial project was painting, say, 100 portraits, and having them as one big image. so it would be like a big painting. and then ijust decided, doing 100, i can do 1,000, and i thought, the population of st david's is not far off that. so ijust thought, the idea of a city of portraits,

it sounded quite nice. i thought, i'lljust try to do it. did you work out how long it would take you? no. laughter. there are probably more art galleries than anything else in st david's, although in the case of grahame's place it is also a studio and living quarters too. it's a real one man and his dog operation at new street gallery. his models, however, see it all as a therapeutic exercise as much as anything else. i've quite enjoyed it, really, because i'm a very busy mum, studying, working in a cafe, doing myjewellery. so for me to just sit down was a bit of time out, really. a bit of time for reflection. it's a mammoth task for graham, and the plan is to exhibit the first 800 to 1000 portraits in the cathedral. what are you actually achieving by doing this? the social history, i think. somebody has described it as, it is, for me personally, it's inspiring for the community. do people ever complain about

the way you have depicted them? i think people have been slightly shocked. it doesn't matter what age you depict somebody, you still see an inner beauty. and guess what? a few days later i got this through email. i am now an honorary citizen of st david's. but i don't look like that, do i? for the first time ever, the rugby world cup heads to asia this year. 400,000 sports fans will go and see their teams at ten host cities around japan in what's also a dry run for the olympic games in tokyo in 2020. some, though, will be worried about japan's reputation as a place that is tricky to get around if you don't speak the language. and it's a myth i think isn't always deserved, and to show you why, i'll be exploring six of the host

cities against the clock. fukuoka is the fifth—biggest city injapan and the largest on kyushu, the southern island. it will host three matches in the first round of the world cup. i've got 90 minutes to see three of fukuoka's highlights. i have lined up a breakfast date with my friend, ryuzo, who has been busy making a plan for me. tell me about fukuoka. it's a port town with a rich history, but also it's known for its vibrant food culture, which is part of the challenge today. sounds good. how easy is it to get around fukuoka? easy enough. there are trains and buses running around the city. i've got to get a bus in this challenge? it can all go very wrong. it can, if you take the wrong one. be sure to get on the one that says 99. 99, ok. so, i've got 90

minutes on the clock. three, two, one, go! kushida shrine was built in 757 ad, and people come here to pray for longevity. every winter, people can pass through the gate of a woman, who will bring good luck. this little machine here will give you your fortune, there are lots of fortunes and different languages, japanese, korean, english. this is good. what does it say under travel? good, if you act with modesty. lastly, i have to try to move this stone, which traditionally, sumo wrestlers used to do to test their strength. it's really heavy! 0k. i'm going to call it a day. listen, this is the start of the challenge, i don't want to throw my back out. got to find the number 99 bus. ok, i think this is the road.

i think we just missed it. now we've got to wait for 18 minutes. so, this system might seem a bit old—fashioned but it's actually quite user—friendly. i've got a number on my ticket which is 15, and then there's a grid just up above the driver and it'll tell me, 15, and it will tell me the price underneath it, at each stop, how much i need to pay. that's pretty helpful. 0rigato! 3a minutes on the clock. oh dear, that wasn't time efficient. now i've got to look around for an oyster hut. you can really smell fish around here. i see an oyster. in the winter, oyster huts spring up on the seafront. you can barbecue them yourself and try them with sudachi, or citrus vinegar. i'm in a bit of a dilemma.

do i eat this now and burn my mouth, or do i wait another minute and risk not completing my challenge in time? delicious. 42 minutes in. let's go. that was good timing. konichiwa! thank goodness we're in a taxi. it's quite a long way away, i think. this doesn't look good. we're stuck on local traffic. the time is one hour and 19 minutes. we're four minutes behind schedule. that felt like the longest taxi ride ever. 0rigato. konichiwa. look at this place, what am i doing? perfect, let's do it. riki is a long established family—owned business where you can make your own artificial food. plastic food art is something you see everywhere injapan. they are displayed outside many

restaurants, and are particularly helpful for non—japanese speakers to figure out what they want to eat. i'm going to have to choose some toppings. i've got a cherry. i like these strawberries. i only have three minutes left. i'd better be fast. let's go for chocolate. i used to work in an ice cream shop, i'll have you know. this is the plastic cream. looks quite good. 0k. so now i have to decorate. 0k, great. stop the clock. one hour and 32 minutes. two minutes over time. i think that was pretty good. we did cover a lot of ground. and my ice cream looks delicious.

well, that's it for this week. coming up next time, kate is in austin, the capital of texas, to explore all things weird — like this cafe which provides a furry addition to your cappuccino. hejust bit me! we're also on social media, too. you can find us on facebook twitter and instagram. details for those on our website. until next time, from me, carmen roberts, and the rest of the travel show team here in southern japan, it's goodbye.

good afternoon. a stormy weather on the way. storm freya is bringing widespread gales for england and wales in the coming hours, particularly windy around some of oui’ particularly windy around some of our irish sea coast in the next few hours. here is the centre of storm freya on the satellite picture currently and that centre will roll across the irish the through this afternoon and evening, going across northern england and out into the north sea. the south—west england and wales will bear the brunt of the strong winds first. rains across almost all parts of england and wales through the afternoon, the winds for scotland though which have been so strong will now gradually start to ease. the focus of the strong winds shift further south. gusts 50 to 60 inland, higher here

with windy at the end of the night for parts of northern england and lincolnshire. chilly where sky clear elsewhere temperatures up around five or 6 degrees. this low into the north sea first thing on monday so the skies will brighten considerably through monday morning. rain through southern counties of england first thing but sunshine before heavy showers come in from the west in the afternoon, maybe with the chance of some thunder and a chillier field to what we have been used to, temperatures widely in single figures. an unsettled week ahead with low pressure never far away. tuesday, one sitting to the north bringing frequent showers, maybe even snow for the higher ground. by the end of the day towards the south—west and south wales thickening cloud and rain coming in ahead of perhaps our next big blow

for the week ahead and that is on wednesday. wednesday looks like it will be, after today, the wettest and windiest day of the week ahead. rain spreading to all areas, may be snow too, it could be sleety even at low levels. showers coming in behind that main band of rain also look pretty punchy. an unsettled theme for the week ahead, definitely chillier than we have been used to. we had temperatures up at 20 degrees last week but it will be chillier than average for the week ahead. wet and windy for wednesday but then come the end of the week it settles a little but then could get chillier with the return of some night—time frosts.