according to an exit poll for the republic of ireland's general election. none are expected to reach the 80 seat threshold needed for a majority making a coalition government likely. four rare mountain gorillas have died in uganda. they were found in a national park. the area was hit by a huge store on monday and one of those caught in the storm was our journalist, who has told us more about what happened. the storm was intense, i had been checking to see the iconic mountain gorillas of uganda the previous day and we got backin uganda the previous day and we got back in its huge electrical storm and the thunder was dramatic. the downpour of rain was like nothing i had seen before and tragically, it

seems this gorilla family were caught up in it as well. the bigger picture is that if we go back to the 19805, picture is that if we go back to the 1980s, there were only 250 of these iconic big apes left in the world, centred around central africa and uganda, rwanda and the demerit that is democratic republic of the congo. through a really phenomenal conservation effort over the last few decades that has brought together local communities, national governments and international conservation organisations, this number of 250 gorillas have now been brought up to 2000 to day. even though this is a success story for gorillas, actually, their population does remain fragile and conservationists are warning us not to relax so the death of four gorillas in a single night is deeply

concerning. this was a single family who had recently moved over from rwanda into uganda with only — set ina rwanda into uganda with only — set in a national park with only one otherfamily in in a national park with only one other family in there. 0ut in a national park with only one other family in there. out of four fatalities, three were females of childbearing age and one with only one otherfamily childbearing age and one with only one other family in there. 0ut childbearing age and one with only one other family in there. out of four fatalities, three were females of childbearing age and one was already pregnant with a gorilla, and the fourth gorilla was a young infa nt the fourth gorilla was a young infant mail. the good news is, as confirmation while the four gorillas we re confirmation while the four gorillas were lost, actually the rest of the family seems perfectly intact and healthy and are continuing to feed on this topical highland vegetation as normal so even though it is a blow for conservation effort, it does seem it will not greatly impacted in the long—term. now on bbc news it's time for the travel show. coming up on this week's travel show: i'm in the maldives, meeting the people working

to protect a unique underwater environment. and go swimming with sharks but live to tell the tale. even though you know they're not dangerous, every time you get touched by a fin you sort of bounce a little bit. squeals mike's here with advice on how to get the most out of carnival time in rio. and we meet the tattoo artist inking life into a traditional art form in argentina. for many of us, the maldives

are a dream destination. with their pristine, white sandy beaches, clear blue sea and skies, and luxurious over—water villas, the maldives epitomise high—end holidays. this is my first time in the maldives and it's absolutely beautiful! it's just like, the colours of the water and the environment is just amazing — so much wildlife. i don't want to leave. i don't think i can i'm stuck in the sand. laughs but despite their iconic image, this is a country under threat — officially the lowest nation on earth, so climate change and rising tides threaten to potentially destroy this unique environment. there is no doubt that the consequences of global warming have a big effect on places like the maldives.

but i've come here to learn more about local projects that are trying to rectify some of the problems that have been caused in part by tourism, too. and we're starting with something that up until now, most tourists haven't wanted to see on their pristine beaches, but which is vital in the fight against climate change — seagrass. so, sandra, tell me what is seagrass? seagrass is actually very important because it has some of the functions in the ocean. not only is it a habitat or nursery for many animals, many fish, during different stages of their life. but it also provides most of the oxygen that we need for us, for breathing. and what's the biggest threat to seagrass? in most of the reserves, they thought seagrass looked ugly for the guests because it wasn't the white sand they wanted in pictures. they used to remove it from the beach. because of that, yeah...

the project is to mostly avoid removing seagrass around the lagoon and not doing any action or activity next to the seagrass. so if it can grow by itself it will be healthy. you don't need to do anything, just take care of what you have. let's take a look at the seagrass. sure! it is estimated that the world's oceans lose the equivalent of two soccer pitches' worth of seagrass every hour of every day. it stores carbon more effectively than rainforests and it's vital that it thrives. until now, i took it for granted — i thought it was like weeds.

there is a lack of information. most people think it is like dirty algae, but it really keep the water very clean and houses many, many kinds of fish. people need to have a different mentality and they have to see areas with seagrass as areas where it is helpful. exactly. here in the maldives, many resorts are realising that healthy underwater ecosystems are more important than tourists' ideals of what the ocean floor should look like. for many tourists, this is a long—haul destination. and at a time when we are being encouraged to be more mindful about how we travel, isn't there a contradiction here? i think people's understanding of climate change has grown over recent times and when you come to a destination like this,

it is a real once—in—a—lifetime bucket list. when you get here and see the quality of the water and the colours and the contradiction with the sky and all those amazing things, we have an opportunity to then be able to educate people about climate change. i don't think it is going to be easy but i think we have to understand that travel also benefits a lot of the communities that people are going to. if we can educate people when they come to environment like this and give them an understanding of the challenges that are faced by climate change, and hopefully when they go home that is a benefit to them and their local community as well. coral reefs don't just look great in photos, they contain more biodiversity than any other ecosystem on the planet. so it's essential they don't disappear. even though they cover less than i% of the ocean floor,

they are home to over 25% of the world's fish species. here in the maldives there is an ongoing programme to restock damaged reefs. coral is an animal, actually. an animal?! not a plant? no, it is related to jellyfish and anemones in the ocean. the polyps live together and help each other to build this skeleton. we pick up some corals that are broken for any reason and they are on the sand, so they will die, because they will be covered by sand. what we will do is keep this healthy part from the coral and put them back on our nursery. 0ur nursery is around 5—6 metres in depth than with a sandy bottom, the method is to use these robes hanging on metalframes. 0k. i want to try and attach a piece. let's see. i will put it through here...

i would do like this, and then fasten it. tighten it as much as you can so it will not fall. this must take hours to do? actually, the process is quite fast. we need to do it faster as well because they need to be underwater. basically, what you're doing here is replicating nature? exactly. we are helping to make this process faster. so not mother nature, sandra nature. exactly. it's good to know tourists are engaging with these conservation projects. even if i never come back here again, it's good to know i have left a mark, hopefully in a positive way. you look ready to go. everything is ready now. what will you do now? i will bring this rope to the nursery and it is perfect conditions for it to attach and grow properly. we don't need to do much more. i have noticed it says

"bbc travel show"? these will be your baby corals. good luck! oh, how cool was that? and who knows, maybe in a few years' time, our travel show coral may become a big reef? if you are planning to head to the maldives any time soon, here are some travel tips for you. the maldives are made over 1000 islands and atolls, but all start from the capital male.

remember — the further you venture, the longer it will take for you to get to your hotel and the more expensive the journey can be. it's best to factor in transport time and costs when picking your destination. remember to check out the environmental credentials of any resort you plan to visit before booking. many of them are switching to sustainable energy sources and banning plastic, recycling waste and water on site. a little research can help you find the greenest options possible. plus, you will pay a daily $6 or about £4 per day for the length of your stay in eco tax. although it is cheaper to visit outside of the high season, the maldives is still an expensive destination. one way to save money is avoid swanky resorts and stay in guesthouses or on one of the islands where the residents live.

it is an islamic nation, so remember alcohol is banned on all local islands. you'll find a good standard of accommodation on many of the guesthouses that have sprung up and you can buy a day pass for one of the nearby high—end resorts, which would only be a short boat ride away. still to come on the travel show... i take a swim with some sharks here in the maldives. whoa! and mike gives us some of his tips on how to party like a local in rio. the travel show, coming to you this week from the maldives, where i'm off on a snorkelling trip which i've been told is going to be a little bit special. let's go, driver!

antoine, you've taken me to this lovely location. what are we going to do here? we're going to jump in the water and swim with sharks. they are quite big, about two metres, don't worry, they are harmless. they are tiny nurse sharks. they are fat guys. a fat shark sounds like a good shark to me. a skinny, hungry shark, that i would be worried about. there is no need to worry because they are harmless. they cannot bite you, all right? they have teeth inside their throat. they are feeding on crabs and shells and octopus, so we are too big for them. they will ignore you. ok, here goes. i'm going in there with the nurse sharks. wish me luck.

flipping heck! one minute i was just floating, then antoine said, "look below you." and quite literally, brushing past my feet, was a nurse shark. it's nuts! oh, my days! they are just so close!

oh, my god! even though you know they are not dangerous, every time you get touched by a fin you just sort of bounce... squeals. that was absolutely awesome. you can see their eyes and they look so mean, even though antoine told me how they're tame, i still got worried, especially when you get touched by them. i mean, when do you ever get touched by a shark? in the maldives! what an experience. it's now time for trending travel, a monthly pick of the best stories and events happening around the world this month. after being delayed for several

years, the egyptian president will finally announce the opening date for the world's largest archaeology museum. prices have already been announced. a couple of years ago, ade went behind the scenes in the museum, and let me tell you, it'll definitely be worth the wait. is it your dream to see the cherry blossoms this year? they have arrived earlier this year. the japan meteorological corporation recently unveiled a handy new app to help travellers keep track of the blossoms in a much easier way. 0n the topic ofjapan, in september 2018 japanese billionaire yusaku maezawa became the first customer of the spacex starship programme. and now he's in the middle of a search to find some company. yusaku is looking for a female partner to fly around the moon with him. his website promoting the campaign makes it very clear that he is after a significant other to accompany him on the trip. the flight is not expected to take off until at least 2022, so at least the lucky couple will have a bit of time to get

to know each other first. but if you prefer to keep your feet firmly on the ground and are more interested in train travel, and some good news from germany. for the first time in 17 years, they are dropping train fares on routes longer than 50 kilometres. these fares are being cut by 10%. it's all part of a new range of climate protection measures aimed at making train travel more attractive to locals and travellers in 2020. and for the beijing winter olympics in 2022, china has launched the world's fastest autonomous bullet train service, which will get you from the city to the slopes and under one hour. it's capable of travelling 270 mph — that's 350 kilometres an hour — without a driver. now it's time for our trending guide to some of the world's biggest events happening this month. the biggest show on earth is the rio carnival here in brazil. beginning the friday before ash wednesday, the first carnival festival in rio de janeiro occurred in 1723 and is now considered one of the biggest events in the entire world,

with a massive two million people per day out in the streets. here is the trending guide to this year's carnival. in rio dejaneiro, sao paulo and porto alegre, the parades are held in specifically constructed arenas called sambadromes. if you do go to the parades, make sure your hostel or hotel includes pickups and drop off to make it easierfor yourself. street parties close to whatever you are saying don't require much planning. just show up and have fun. but if you are going to street parties throughout the city, you should make a plan, as many roads are closed during this time. these street parties are called blockos and everybody has their favourites. these go on before and after the carnival. deciding which ones you want to go to beforehand will help you find the vibe you're after, whether it's a more boisterous crowded street event or a calmer, smaller gathering. it was galo da madrugada which broke the world record back in 2013, with more than 2.5 million people. each of the main samba school spends months designing their theme. they have a strong community basis

and they are traditionally associated with a particular neighbourhood. if you want to see more from the samba schools, stay tuned for the travel show. the week of the carnival, we will have a special look at the work behind the scenes that goes into putting on this incredible show. that's all for trending travel this month, but please keep sending us the stories and events from the places you live and the places you love. see you next month. well, i'm afraid that's your lot for this week on the travel show.

coming up next week, lucy braves the sri lankan traffic in an iconic tuk—tuk and gets to roadtest a new eco—friendly electric version too. it's so quiet, isn't it! compared to the four—stroke engine. it is almost silent. the suspension's still the same, though. still getting rattled

around in the back. so catch that if you can. and don't forget, we are everywhere on social media. so make sure you follow us to keep up—to—date with all our travels and adventures. but for now, from me and all the rest of the travel show team here in the maldives, it's bye—bye. hello. storm ciara will batter the uk today. it is powerful and dangerous and brings exceptionally windy weather. it is unusual because it will affect such a widespread area. very few places will escape

the severe gales that are forecast and hence the met office have got amber warnings in place not just for the wind but also for rain. starting with the wind, that will affect most parts of the uk. the amber warnings for england and wales, we expect damage and disruption, potentially a danger to life as well but it will be equally windy for scotland and for northern ireland. a stormy day across the board. as i say, a double—edged sword because there is wet weather. the rain has been coming down through the night and the amber warning is potentially for some rivers that will fill quickly across southern scotland. but many places will have a lot of rain, a0 or 50 millimetres leading to flash flooding as well. either way away from northern scotland it will be a mild start and a mild day but inconsequential because it will be very windy. these are the speeds we are talking about. for scotland

and northern ireland it is quite windy as well. 80 mile an hour inland for england and wales is an unusual occurrence, once or twice a decade, hence the concern this is a powerful storm. the detail across the northern half of the country. the main wrinkle is and then there is a lot of showers coming in, hail and sleet and snow across the hills and the escalation in the wind, potentially reaching above 80 miles an hour for the central belts. that needs watching. don't concern yourself because the amber warning may be extended. a stormy day and a stormy day for england and wales with bands of rain and squally wind moving through and the wind escalate with some very powerful gusts of wind that could bring down power lines and trees, rip off roof tiles and generally cause some dangerous conditions as well. if that were not enough, it is also going to coincide with the spring tide which means we already have large waves and wind but coinciding there could be coastal flooding as well as inland flooding because of the sheer intensity of the rain as it comes along.

that storm does blow away and you can still seem to keep a strong wind crosses on monday and it is a north—westerly so it will feel colder with increasing amounts of snow over the hills but we will notice a difference in the weather. as i say will remain windy but not as stormy as the day ahead. the warnings are all on the website including the details. take care.

hello and welcome to bbc news. i'm james reynolds. a member of the thai security forces has died as they stormed a shopping mall in the city of nakhon ratchasima where a soldier is holed up after killing at least 21 people in a shooting spree. 30 people have been injured, 10 of whom of are in a critical condition. the violence started on saturday when the soldier is reported to have killed his commanding officer before stealing weapons from a military camp. he then continued his attack at the terminal 21 mall in nakhon ratcha seema's city centre.