testimony has now emerged from a senior american diplomat that president trump's personal lawyer ran a smear campaign against the former us ambassador to ukraine to try to get her removed. george kent accused rudy giuliani of spreading what he called "lies" about marie yovanovitch. the president of burkina faso, marc kabore, has called for a national mobilisation against terrorism following an attack on a mining convoy that killed at least 38 people and left 60 injured. distraught families say the government hasn't done enough to quell a rise in attacks by islamic extremists. france's president emmanuel macron has described nato as "brain dead" and accused the biggest contributor, the us, of a "waning commitment" to the transatlantic alliance. german chancellor angela merkel rejected the criticism of nato, saying mr macron used rather drastic words to express his views.

a police officer has been charged with the murder of the former footballer dalian atkinson, who died after being tasered. the ex—aston villa striker was restrained by officers at his father's house in telford, in 2016. a second officer, also from west mercia police force, has been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm. both appeared in court on thursday, as our correspondent sian lloyd reports. dalian atkinson's talents brought him some memorable goals. this strike clinched him goal of the season in 1993. his career spanned 15 years, including four seasons with aston villa in the 1990s. but three years ago, police were called to his father's home near telford. a taser was discharged and dalian atkinson was restrained. he died shortly afterwards following a cardiac arrest. what happened there was investigated by the police watchdog. following that independent inquiry, two west mercia police officers,

whose identities are being protected, appeared in court today. both were charged this morning — one with the murder of dalian atkinson and the other, a woman police officer, is accused of assault causing actual bodily harm. the barrister for the two police officers argued that they should remain anonymous because they could face a risk to their lives if their identities became known. the judge said that it was virtually wholly unprecedented for a defendant not to be named, but he did grant an interim order and will consider the matter in full on wednesday. dalian atkinson's family said they welcomed the decision to put the officers‘ conduct before a jury, but said they regretted that it was now more than three years since his death. sian lloyd, bbc news, birmingham crown court. now it's time for the travel show. coming up on this week's programme:

i'm in saudi arabia, discovering the hidden desert city of hegra. this is 2,000 years old and that makes it unique, not just for archaeologists, but for people like you and me. lucy is back with more global gadgets. so apparently, i've got a brushing score of 1%. i promise i can brush my teeth properly. i was brushing on camera. that's my excuse, and i'm sticking to it. and how to keep bears out of your bins, japanese—style. find the bear!

in north—western saudi arabia, 1,000 kilometres from riyadh, lies the hidden desert city of hegra. you'd be right in thinking it looks similar to petra injordan. a cultured civilisation of traders known as nabateans who built that also built this as their second city over 2,000 years ago. the difference is that these sites are relatively unknown, stunningly preserved and unscathed by years of tourism. hegra sits in the vast governate of al ula. i've gotta say, i'm blown away! this is an epic landscape! they say it is nearly the size of belgium!

while saudi's international reputation is being questioned right now, billions of dollars are being spent on the whole area, preparing it to welcome tourists as part of the country's 2030 plan to shift saudi arabia's economy away from oil dependency to other sectors, such as tourism. and this is one of their star attractions that they are hoping will draw in the crowds. it's brilliant, and you can't believe that it was done thousands of years ago. whilst hegra has unesco world heritage status, it has remained a largely hidden treasure to the rest of the world, until now. by october 2020, the saudi government hopes to have the site fully open and accessible to tourists. so, the nabateans. they survived — they thrived, actually. why? 0k, do you know what it means, nabatean? no.

0k, ‘nabateans‘ means in arabic, a verb which means in english discovering the water. so they had a very smart way to discover the water. one of those ways, you can see how they carved from the top of that mountain to that row? so when it's raining, the water gets down to that row. through those channels... yes. ..and to that? yes. that's incredible. so it literally cascades into there? yeah, and this, yeah. archaeologists have so far found 150 wells like this in this area. wow, it's quite big! but really, it's the tombs that have the wow factor. it's certainly very cool down here. this inscription says this tomb belonged to the leader and his wife. in contrast to jordan's petra, the wonder of these tombs lies in the information that researchers have gathered from the text on these stone inscriptions.

they mentioned the occupations, so they had a teacher, they had a doctor, so that gives a real example about the civilisation. they lived a normal life, as we live today. they carved from the top to the bottom. you can see the decoration here, so they have steps also. nabateans believed when they passed away, they get back to their god. so they have five steps on the right and on the left. i remember when i was a child, we came here with the family and we see these tombs. at that time, there wasn't any — a lot of information about it. so we used the tomb for playing hide and seek. what does it mean to you, the nabatean culture? 0k, it means to me that my city has a lot of history, if you compare yourself with other

countries where they are really so we believe here in al ula, that al ula deserves to present and offer this for people. they want al ula to be the capital of culture, as mecca is for religion and riyadh for the country's politics and finance. what's so remarkable here is how well preserved the stonework is. i mean, this is 2,000 years old! a lot of the city still lies under sand, but so far, more than 131 tombs have been uncovered at a crossroads of trading routes that linked three continents. and the remnants of ancient civilisations here aren'tjust restricted to the nabateans. the history of the area goes back thousands of years. after years of not being open to research and mapping, everything has changed. light aircraft and drones equipped with specialist cameras are capturing detailed imagery of archaeological figures. jamie and his team have discovered

17,000 sites in just two years. some of the sites are incredibly significant, they‘ re types of monuments which we're just not finding anywhere else on the planet. in britain, for example, if i find a bit of dry stone walling extending perhaps 1.5 metres, i would assume 19th—century. so no more than 100 years old. but we're finding walling of the same height without collapse that has been there for at least 5,000 years. wow. and some of them even older than that. for the longest time, the area had been largely closed off to archaeologists, due to politics, religion and its remoteness. to go into an archaeological world that's never really been examined or touched before, to me, is just a remarkable opportunity. and ifeel genuinely excited every time i walk out onto the site. is there a buzz when you find something in particular? there always is. i wouldn't be doing this — and i've been doing it for a very, very long time — if i didn't

still get that buzz. and jamie believes there are still yet thousands more sites to discover. be the first to witness a land of fascinating journeys... as part of the big push to change its image to the outside world, the saudi government has released a series of pr campaigns. as well as relaxing certain laws — for instance, on women's clothing and on unmarried tourists sharing hotel bedrooms. and they have since launched a new e—visa scheme open to 49 countries, allowing travellers to stay for up to 90 days. though looking on social media, it seems like there is still a way to go to convince people to come visit. we've had a lot of social media messages from our audience who are expressing a lot of concern about the human rights condition here and the conditions for women, female travellers here. how can you reassure them about that?

this is a bit of a challenge but saudi arabia has significance history, historical presence, nature and culture. it is, again, one of our main assets to saudi arabia. we believe that once you are here in saudi arabia, dealing with its people and you will feel the hospitality of the locals and saudis. we have in petra a comparable site, a footfall of 400,000 visits a year and it's going through a big problem terms of pollution, in terms of over—tourism, really. you want 2 million here — visits a year here. aren't you worried about the effects on this beautiful landscape? i mean, two million might seem a big number. however, given the size of al ula being 22,000 square kilometres, which is almost the size of belgium, and again, developing the region in a responsible and sustainable

manner is one of our key objectives. we're avoiding mass tourists, so that's — won't be an issue. i reckon that changing public perception will be the government's biggest challenge, because of its human rights record, equality issues for women, and the country's involvement in the ongoing war in yemen. you could argue that the shift in tourism and the need to attract more international visitors may be the trigger to bring genuine reform to saudi arabia. or this could just be a charm offensive. but there's no denying this place has some of the greatest and most unspoiled historical remnants in the world, which you can now experience first—hand. still to come: lucy tries some of the latest

wellness tech in global gadgets. so apparently, i've got a brushing score of 1%. i promise i can brush my teeth properly. i'm brushing them on camera, that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it. dog barks. and why this terrible racket is keeping one japanese town safe from bears. so don't go away. brexitcast. .. brexitcast...

so you've landed after hours in the air, you're dragging your suitcase across town, you're exhausted, you're a little frustrated and you've got a busy trip ahead. so you're feeling far from your best. well, sit back and relax. because this week, we've got three gadgets designed to help you take care of yourself on the road. first up, we have my skin track uv. this tiny sensor clips onto your collar or bag strap and monitors your exposure to sunlight. it connects to an app and tracks your location to give you real—time information on pollen count, pollution and humidity. the app then recommends skin regimens based on your skin tone and those environmental factors.

now, the sensor itself is fairly unobtrusive, it's light, it's batteryless and that clip is nice and sturdy. now today, the sun is trying to poke its head out from behind the clouds, so let's give it a go and see how it works. so the app is telling me the uv index is a moderate level so there is a very small risk of getting sunburned today, which is something that i definitely wouldn't have predicted, given the overcast state of the day. it's also worth bearing in mind this has been released by a skincare brand so no surprises that it's recommending its own skincare products, which does give the whole thing a little bit of an advertorial vibe. but the bottom line is we should all be more aware of the harmful effects that uv has on our skin, and the sensor can certainly help make you a little bit more conscious about it. costu med so you've made it to your hotel room with just enough time to freshen up. coming in a rather sleek travel case, the genius—x electric toothbrush

claims to be one of the world's smartest toothbrushes, complete with al brushing recognition. i know, a toothbrush with artificial intelligence. what exactly does that mean? well, in this case, a! have been used to anaylse thousands of different kinds of toothbrushing techniques. that information has been been used to give you feedback on the way you brush your teeth. so we are now in the coaching part of the app. apparently i have got a brushing score of 1%, which is pretty poor! i promise i can brush my teeth properly. i was brushing on camera. that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it. so, i'm not sure how i feel about this thing. that was a pretty good technique. what it did do was make me want to go back and try again and do better, which i did. i got a much better score. so it kind of gamifies the toothbrushing process, which i think it's fun.

the fact that last two weeks on a single charge means it is a brilliant though slightly expensive way to look your gnashers on your travels. there's nothing worse than feeling run down when you arrive at any destination, but sometimes when you travel on your own you need an objective opinion to tell you how you really look. the hi mirror slide is a smart mirror with a built—in camera. it can analyse your face and give you feedback on the condition of your skin before giving you tips and product recommendations. so you've got another mirror at the front flanked by ridiculously bright light. slap it open. all right, it has just taken my photo. a few areas of analysis. we've got ores, red spots, dark spots, wrinkles. this is definitely not for those who offend easily. i'm not sure how i feel about being subjected to quite brutal cosmetic judgment.

this is designed to be portable but it's pretty big for a travel mirror, so you might not want to take up space in your suitcase. and while it is a nice idea in theory it is critical and quite clinical in assessment of your facial flaws which definitely isn't for everyone. finally, bears. japan's forest and highlands are teaming with them, and largely they keep themselves to themselves. butjust recently there has been a spike in human—bear encounters. carmen's a short hop from tokyo, to find out how one resort town has employed an old friend to solve the problem once and for all. only 60 minutes from tokyo and i am at the southern flank of one of japan's vast and wild national parks. this is the little resort town of karuizawa. it is beautiful, as you can see, we are surrounded by mountains and woodlands.

and it is lovely at this time of year, especially if you are a leaf peeper after some autumn colours. it is also a very tempting little town if you are a hungry bear strolling in those hills up there looking for a tasty snack. until a decade ago, there were roughly 300 human—bear encounters here every year. and it isn't the only place where this happens. the ministry of environment says between 2012 and 2017 there were more than 500 attacks on people with a dozen fatalities. 0n very rare occasions, man and bear managed to live together. these fishermen on the shirotoko peninsula on the northern island of hokkaido have struck up a strong and unusual bond with their neighbours.

but in many other places they are seen as a nuisance, and many are shot. back in karuizawa, businesses like this little guesthouse were finding the bear a real pest. a huge one came maybe every week. especially if they are the rainy days. he would come down and claw at the back door, in a bad manner, like this. so was it a nuisance, or was it quite dangerous? i don't think so. because they just want to get food. not for the human being. they are a very, originally, very tame, very shy animal yes. so he was just hungry. bear is a hungry. at that year, like this year, very heavy rain. so the fruits of the mountainside,

the chestnuts and maybe strawberries, it was not growing up. and so then they have to come down here and they tasted, the ice—cream and chocolate, that is much better than the chestnut. since 2009, there has not been one incident in the town. one reason for that is pretty simple. the people of karuizawa have had to be really smart about their public waste. so this is a plastics bin, which is quite easy to open, but if i were a hungry bear, i would want to get into this bin. it's a the food bin. as you can see, it is locked. but if you are a human you can squeeze your hand right inside and open the latch, which hopefully a bear can't do. it is one of the changes introduced by the wildlife research centre

which has been set up to achieve peaceful coexistence here. radio collars are fitted to bears courting humane traps like these, so staff can move them safely away from houses and people. what are the bears like? are they aggressive or are they placid? every bear is different. some are a little bit shy and quiet, others are very upset that they have been caught, so we have to be careful with every bear. 0k, and how much of a danger are they to the people around here in the community? generally not much. they are more scared of you than you are of them, as usual. but sometimes, when people get close, and if they are coming to the town, people get scared, so it is always better to keep a distance. that is why if they get too close we put in the traps and try to move them back to the forest and the mountains. every night, rangers are sent out to track where he bears are and if necessary, scare them off. but to do that, they need something quite quick. and very noisy. hello! hi — so what's her name? her name is tama. hi, tama. konnichiwa!

when the bears start hibernating, which makes it an ideal time for tanaka—san to take out tama out for some training. we have small bears. when we chase the bears, using bear dogs, now we have two bear dogs. so the damage is decreasing, and no, no problem bears. ready? find the bear, find the bear! wow! that was a huge change in temperament from tama. tanaka—san has hidden a bear paw in a tree so that tama can find the scent.

find the bear! good. we are in an area very popular with tourists here, so if there is one lesson for us to take away, it is this. they must not leave food in the forest. because the bear will eat all the leftover food. that is what attracts them down here? yeah. and if all goes to plan, the bears of karuizawa will have long, peaceful lives in the hills here, enjoying chestnuts they find, yeah. and that's what attracts them down here? yeah. and if all goes to plan, the bears of karuizawa will have long, peaceful lives in the hills here, enjoying chestnuts they find, not chocolates they steal.

that is all we have time for on this week's show, but do join us next time, when ade is in berlin as it marks a very special anniversary. 30 years ago, next weekend, the whole world watched the destruction of the berlin wall. a structure that divided notjust the city but families, nations and superpowers. he meets the punks that rebelled against the regime of the east, uncovering a scene that some say played a part in bringing so dojoin us for that, if you can. but until then, from me and the rest

of the travel show team, it is goodbye. hello. thursday brought us a day of heavy and persistent rain across some parts of the country, particularly for parts of northern england. there was 75mm of rain by the end of the day in sheffield and many areas have seen flooding problems and quite a lot of travel disruption too. we still have numerous flood warnings and severe flood warnings in force as well. although the worst of the rain will be easing away, river levels will be lagging behind the main rainfall, so still a lot of flooding problems through friday morning. now, the overnight rain has slowly been shifting a little bit further south, but an amber warning was issued from the met office for up to 100mm of rain across parts of south and west yorkshire, derbyshire, and greater manchester too. as we head through friday morning, we've still got that rain band

with us, it becomes fairly light and patchy and as we head through the day, it will be confined to eastern parts of england. it's cold, quite a frosty start for many of us to friday, we've also got a few wintry flurries across the highest parts of highland scotland. by the afternoon, lots of sunshine developing, away from eastern parts of england where you keep the cloud and a little bit of patchy rain. temperatures between about 6 in aberdeen to around about 11 in cardiff. still on the chilly side. into friday evening then, that area of cloud and rain slowly clears off towards the east, so under those clearing skies, have a look at the blue colours, that indicates quite a cold start to your weekend, in fact, subzero temperatures for many of us, particularly in the north first thing saturday, but really wherever you are, you could well wake up to quite a sharp frost. after that chilly start to saturday, more cloud and rain work in from the west through the day, so some rain for northern ireland, western parts of scotland, and england and wales with some of that rain of the highest ground could be falling as sleet and snow but certainly rain down at lower levels. eastern england and scotland should stay dry and bright throughout the day and it will feel pretty chilly, just 5—10 celsius, our top temperature on saturday. now, heading into the second half of the weekend,

and it's still an unsettled picture, as low pressure just slowly drifts towards the near continent, a small ridge of higher pressure in between before the following system moves in from the atlantic but that means that the rain should clear away from the south on sunday, many of us should see a fine, dry day. again, it's a chilly start. quite a bit of frost around first thing and temperatures by the afternoon somewhere between about 6—10 degrees, a little below par, really, for this time of year but at least it is looking dry for sunday. and then the outlook for next week is set to be a fairly unsettled one still, with showery rain around at times, and some sunshine too and temperatures will be rather chilly for the time of year. bye for now.

this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk, on pbs in america, or around the globe. i'm mike embley. our top stories: a senior us diplomat tells investigators that president trump's personal lawyer conducted a smear campaign against the former us ambassador to ukraine to get her removed. relatives are left angry and distraught after a deadly attack on a burkina faso mining convoy. the first funerals take place for members of a mormon community ambushed by gunmen in northern mexico. france's president describes nato as "brain dead," accusing the us of a "waning commitment" to the transatlantic alliance. and one in a million: the veteran cyclist riding into the record books.