the world health organization has raised its assessment of the coronavirus threat to the highest level as more than 50 countries report infections, but the head of the organisation says there is still a chance to contain the virus if its chain of transmission can be broken. president trump has urged afghanistan to seize an opportunity for peace. us secretary of state mike pompeo is set to sign a deal with the taliban, setting out a timetable for a phased withdrawal of us troops in return for security guarantees. there've been angry scenes outside france's most prestigious film awards, the cesars, after roman polanski, a convicted rapist, won best director for his film an officer and a spy. more than 100 women's rights activists clashed with police near the paris venue. heavy downpours are expected to bring more flooding across england and wales as another

weekend storm is expected tomorrow. up to 80mm of rain is expected to fall when storm jorge arrives, delivering another heavy blow for communities who've already been hit by floods. danny savage reports from the east yorkshire village of east cowik. in the village of east cowick, numerous houses are now flooded. the east yorkshire flood plains have ove rflowed into settlements. why have they flooded us? why haven't they done something about it? never underestimate the misery flooding can cause when your home is ruined. i'm absolutely devastated. devastated. we've been here 20 years, we've got a beautiful home and just look at it. the emotional impact is far worse than the actual impact of the work that you've got to do. people were so desperate to get back in, they were taking risks. the water is still rising, so sandbags are in front of nearly every door. villagers have been

told to move out. the drains have finally started backing up and we have had to move sharpish. the firemen came, didn't they, and said, you know, "really advise you get out." on the river severn at iron bridge in shropshire, the temporary flood defences which were battered and broken by the highest waters here are being repaired. people who live and work here recall with alarm the point at which they failed. that was horrific — to see them go back three foot, your breathjust like... inhales sharply ..and then everything was all right, luckily. christine is back in her shop, but things are a long way from returning to normal. the most severe warnings have been lifted for now, but emergency workers remain. for us, we haven't really paused yet, we are still in response. we haven't got to recovery, so we haven't been able to do

a lessons learnt or a review of what happened. there will inevitably be things we want to learn. dozens of flood warnings remain along the length of the severn, but, with more rain to come, the worry has to be that levels will shoot up again. back in yorkshire, the flood plains of rivers ouse and aire now stretch for miles. one area is nearly the size of windermere in the lake district. the problem is they are brimming — water is running off into villages and homes that these washlands are supposed to protect. the last thing needed is another storm. now on bbc news, time for the travel show. this week on the travel show: face—to—face with an iconic predator. you make eye contact with a beast this size, your heart goes" and exploring the wetlands.

here, left hand here. right hand behind, grab the tail... and we are away! the best north american road trips and storytelling in scotland. you can decide if this really happened. we begin this week in north—east argentina and the second largest wetla nd argentina and the second largest wetland in the whole of south

america, ibhera. for centuries it's been home to the pisana. these gauchos are famous for being on the treacherous land on horseback. omar leads tour groups through the wetlands. omar... the ibhera wetlands have changed a lot. a generation ago, this environment was under threat. hunting as well as rapid coastal development because much of the

area's wildlife to disappear, but now the outlook is a lot sunnier. ibera has become a national park under the protection of the ngo called the conservation land trust. today, lots of native species are thriving, including wild pampers gearand thriving, including wild pampers gear and these giant guinea pigs. but there's still lots more work to be done. now one of the continent's

most feared and revered editors is returning to ibera. i'm on my way to find out how that's going to happen. —— predators. welcome to the island home of re—wilding argentina, a project wanting to bring back this terrifying animal back to the wild. 0h oh my... when you make eye contact with a beast this size, your heart just goes... she is isa, she is a panther orjaguar. she's just goes... she is isa, she is a panther or jaguar. she's about just goes... she is isa, she is a panther orjaguar. she's about six yea rs panther orjaguar. she's about six years old. she's quite young. how

will the wetlands benefit from introducing this beautiful animal? these animals were part of this ecosystem, they've been here for hundreds and thousands of years. they disappeared from the wetlands and now this ecosystem is lacking from this top predator. and, of course, we need to maintain the prey populations in natural numbers, and we're not them increase so much. this ecosystem evolved with that keystone apex register, take that out and everything starts to crumble, right? exactly, yes. it's estimated there are only 250 wild jaguars left across the whole of argentina, but for many locals they still have a special, mystical significance. it's common that here jaguar is are related with bravery and masculinity, and it's kind of related with the gaucho.

back on the island and under the supervision of a co—ordinator, i'm allowed into the enclosure to prepare isa's meal. 0k, ok, we've got one hanging fish, we've got one piece of mystery meat. ready to go? she looks a little bit... little annoyed. normally i don't think food arrives this late. if we look here, there's two

trapdoors, and i've just if we look here, there's two trapdoors, and i'vejust been granted permission to open them. weight... which one do we open? both of them? i don't want to open the wrong'un. no, the blue one. the blue one? we open that door. 0k, one? we open that door. ok, so, i'm... when she makes the whistle, then you can open. 0k. whistle wow, ok, here she comes, entering into the feed enclosure. we've hung the fish up, let's see if you can find it. 0h! oh! that's a predator, ladies and gentlemen. wow! and breakfast is

served. this jaguar is not going to be put backin this jaguar is not going to be put back in the wild? no, she was donated to our project asa no, she was donated to our project as a breeder. these animals that come from captivity, they cannot be released. as you saw, they relate to, humans with food so if they lived free and saw a human they would go directly to ask for food, and that's not what we want. talia hopes isa breeds with another jaguar, a reclusive male. nearby, two cubs born to another female are being prepared for release. i'm going to ask a question i'm sure eve ryo ne i'm going to ask a question i'm sure everyone at home, including myself, wa nts to everyone at home, including myself, wants to know the answer to. can we see a jaguar? wants to know the answer to. can we see ajaguar? i'm wants to know the answer to. can we see a jaguar? i'm sorry to tell you we won't see one. but there are some here? yes, right behind us, but they're in another special enclosure where you will see some black meshs, so where you will see some black meshs, so they can't see people and they don't relate people to food. but we

can see them with the cameras. this is a female and she's in her swimming. is this... this is one right here? yeah, there, you can see. you have a good eye. thank you. and when they are released, what do you hope will happen? well, we are all very anxious to get to that moment. we expect them to stage close to this place, to the protected area, to find their food here and there home here. we expect them to reproduce and have more cubs, and it will be successful if that happens. i think it will be time to say that the ibera ecosystem is complete again, like it used to be in the past.

including the cubs, a total of five jaguars are set for release, signalling that her dominant return of the wetlands' most iconic beast and if you want to keep track of the process , and if you want to keep track of the process, re—wilding argentina regularly posts updates on its social media pages. still to come on the travel show: from death valley to the canadian seaside, simon's here with his picks for the best road trips in north america. we meet scottish storytellers spinning yarns at a yearly festival. and i try to get to avoid getting eaten on a gaucho tour through the wetlands. omar, there's a crocodile there, should we be worried? don't worry about it! so don't go away.

hello again. this week, i'm looking ata hello again. this week, i'm looking at a form of travel that you tell us you absolutely adore: the great north american road trip. i'll be prescribing the best time to travel around the south—west usa and recommending an itinerary to explore canada's maritime recommending an itinerary to explore ca nada's maritime provinces recommending an itinerary to explore canada's maritime provinces in. first, in response to the alarming spread of the coronavirus known as covid—i9, the world health organization is advising travellers wherever they're heading to take a very basic precaution, wash your hands frequently with soap and water. some airlines have already extended or cut back on flights and many viewers have asked whether they can cancel planned trips to asia without a penalty. there is no international agreement on which locations are regarded as high risk

and the basic principle is you can expect a refund from your travel provider or insurance company only if your government has warned against visiting your intended destination. time to hit the road in north america, and karen storey writes in on behalf of her daughter, who is planning to spend three months in the south—west usa. she to help you out with this, i have sought somebody with specialist knowledge. hi, karen. firstly, that sounds like an awesome trip. the american south—west is one of my favourite places to explore. in terms of your question, i would probably recommend going in march— april, as this is the kind of october— november whether we have right ear. it is a little bit cloudy, little bit rainy and dreary, not the best time to travel. if you go in march or april, though, it is

definitely a lot nicer. it is still cool in the desert plus children are still in school so it is much easier to get around in the touristy areas and not have a lot of people there. next, many people have been in touch about insurance for rental cars in north america, including john turner. i rent—a—car is a hot in north america and fortunately, i've never had a problem with insurance. —— route 66 —— i rent cars a lot. maybe thatis route 66 —— i rent cars a lot. maybe that is the way that i organise it, which is booking through a travel agent in the uk, getting my flight and rental car in the same transaction and insisting on comprehensive insurance, so that when i turn up at the desk, i decline all the kind offers to buy all kinds of insurance i simply don't need. next, let's go north of the border to canada and the maritime provinces, which is the

destination of val and her husband. fly into the fine city of halifax and spend a couple of days there. the titanic exhibit in the maritime museum is particularly interesting, and you will also not need a car in the city, which means you'll be able to save money, particularly on the airport pickup. head along to digby for the ferry to stjohn, new brunswick, and appealing city and good for one night. charlottetown is a lovely place to stay before making for the ferry to pictu. next day, begin what i think is the highlight of the route, cape breton. do keep sending in your questions and i'll do my very best to supply the a nswe i’s. do my very best to supply the answers. goodbye for now, and see you next time.

this week, i'm exploring argentina's ibera wetlands. my guide has offered to show me how personas navigates the waterways. a different experience, no subtle on. let me tell you that right now. —— no saddle on. there is a crocodile right there. should we be worried? caiman? don't worry about it, don't worry about it. that's what we do. as the river deepens and the horse cannot reach the bottom, the horse cannot reach the bottom, the trick is to slip off and hold on for the ride. now? the trick is to slip off and hold on forthe ride. now? ok, so right—hand, left—hand here... right hand behind, grab the tail. oh, and we are away! this is one of the

craziest things i've done in my entire life. the water doesn't taste very good. and there is miscellaneous things, some slimy, some spiky, rubbing against most of my some spiky, rubbing against most of d. some spiky, rubbing against most of my body. it is like having my arm attached to a moving train. they are strong animals, even in the water. we made it! good job. that was hard work for me. we made it! omar runs extraordinary expeditions for tourists, and if you want my tip, don't think too much about what's brushing against your underwater.

and to enter this week, we go from wetla nds to and to enter this week, we go from wetlands to islands. orkney is ten miles north of mainland scotland. every winter, islanders and tourists come togetherfor every winter, islanders and tourists come together for the annual storytelling festival, celebrating the area's folkloric traditions. this story takes place on the island of stransky, one of the northern isles, and it involves the young lady... you don't see so many theories around the west mainland anymore, and there is a reason for that. you see, a terrible thing happened long ago... and she could make her own choices about who she married, and she owned everything around her... stories have been around as long as language has been around, and these stories are very much part of our cultural identity. part of what makes

orkneyans, identity. part of what makes orkneya ns, orkneya ns. identity. part of what makes orkneyans, orkneyans. orkney is quite a unique place. we have a few 5000 year old village is still standing, you know, stone circles. just standing on a sure and watching huge breakers rolling in from the atla ntic huge breakers rolling in from the atlantic ocean is really quite hypnotic. violent but peaceful at the same time. it is always ever present, the danger from the sea, as well. that has a strong influence on folktales. orkney has a very, very rich heritage of folklore, about the strange creatures, about the selkie folk who are half sealant half human. every mount in a field has its little goblins and fairies and brownies. you know, every age that

humans go through, there is a search for some sort of spiritual meaning. those kind of connections with the land, with dc, with this guy, i think folklore is a way of exploring those things. —— with the sea. the orkney storytelling festival is in its 10th year in its present form. we have wonderful invited storytellers who come from all over the world. sometimes the stories are very similar, you know, a lot of places have a creation myth about how an island was formed, how a mountain came to be, and there's a lot of similarities. it is wonderful, people come and hear a story from africa or from norway or from north america, a story from orkney, and they think, i wonder if there are any stories about the place i come from? now, we are going to hear from place i come from? now, we are going to hearfrom a lot place i come from? now, we are going to hear from a lot of different people today, friends from near and far. you can decide at the end if this really happened. the waves were coming up over that harbour, the

wind was blowing... every single time she broke a lump mouse fell down, until there was a whole squad of most... the next thing, she showed up at his place and he had prepared a beautiful face... showed up at his place and he had prepared a beautifulface... —— feast. we also have an event in the old school choir lou, which brings together people who play ancient musical instruments who are going to explore all the connections between song and folklore and history. escapism is a huge part of their storytelling tradition. i mean, there was entertainment as well. in there was entertainment as well. in the evenings, you got together and you told stories, but was the kind of glue that held the fabric of society together.

tonight is the last night of the orkney storytelling festival and it is the grand finale, so it is the absolute best of the best. this is when storytellers are really, you know, their biggest and the best stories. and we sit and we have a little drink and we reallyjust enjoy all the very best of the festival has to offer. it is a lovely finish to the whole festival. no money left! the next young man spat on the goals of the fire...|j think stories unite people, and i think stories unite people, and i think if you have a shared experience and the shared cultural heritage it does make you stronger, especially if there are values in the story but i really identify with, that are important to you, and you say, yes, i belong to the culture that owns these stories. for

storytelling and the folklore to survive, it has to have a framework. it has to be an organised thing. and that's one of the reasons that we do what we do. it's one of the reasons why we have the festival. what we do. it's one of the reasons why we have the festivallj what we do. it's one of the reasons why we have the festival. i think that the orkney storytelling festival has really brought something back to the culture again. people are coming from all over the world just to hear stories here. it doesn't matter if you are a lord, or as poor as a church mouse. all are welcome. well, that's all for this week. but coming up next week that rajan is in jerusalem, uncovering an ancient pilgrimage route that has been buried underground. we are now walking on original 2000 year old limestone streets stop that was the

of alljerusalem. this is limestone streets stop that was the of all jerusalem. this is the original limestone? the original. you're not going to want to miss it. but for now, from me, mike corey and the rest of the team here in argentina, it's goodbye. hello. friday brought more rain to areas which didn't need it. another io—ismm fell across shropshire. around 40mm of rain fell in around 12 hours in cardiff. meanwhile, across scotland, there's been further snow. and through the weekend, parts of the highlands could see another 20—30cm of snow, and all eyes this weekend are on this area of low pressure. this is storm jorge, which was named by the spanish met service. through the early hours of saturday morning, we will see further heavy, squally rain pushing its way eastwards, cold air

tucking in behind. we could see icy conditions across parts of northern ireland first thing on saturday. but the main focus this weekend is the strength of the wind. gales, if not severe gales, across a large swathe of the uk, gradually easing down through sunday. very wet and windy first thing across the eastern side of england. sunshine following. lots of showers pushing in from the west, likely to be wintry. it's very wet and windy across the northern isles through the afternoon. some more persistent rain and maybe some hill snow across northern england and into southern scotland. it's a cold day, particularly when you factor in the strength of the wind. so temperatures not much higher than 6—7 celsius in places and some gusty winds, quite widely 40—50 miles an hour, but through the afternoon, some really strong winds developing across parts of wales, northern england and into southern scotland, where they could gust up to 75 miles an hour, maybe even 80 miles an hour for some western coasts of scotland. and also some heavy, persistent rain for a time across northern england, southern scotland, northern ireland and also some snow once again over higher ground. through the early hours of sunday morning, we keep this focus of rain and hill snow across northern england and southern scotland. to the north and south of this, some clear spells, but squally, blustery showers. the strength of the wind should keep the frost at bay first thing on sunday morning.

so storm jorge slowly pulls away northwards through sunday. we're keeping an eye then on this feature here which will start to push some outbreaks of rain into south—east england through sunday morning. so two things to keep an eye on. the winds will be slowly easing down, but still some outbreaks of rain and snow across northern england and southern scotland. rain for a time perhaps across south—eastern england. we will need to keep an eye on the timings of that. then between all of this, there'll be some spells of sunshine, some wintry showers, the wind slowly easing down, but it's still a windy day. it's certainly still feeling cold, given the strength of the wind. but we start to lose those severe gales as we go through sunday. so it's a blustery day and for most, a mixture of sunshine and showers. and that's actually the theme into next week. it won't be as windy,

it will be somewhat drier for a time. but still, some showers around. bye— bye.

good morning. welcome to breakfast with rachel burden and charlie stayt. our headlines today: the uk's 20th coronavirus case is the first to catch it here — not abroad. a gp surgery the man visited is closed for deep cleaning. emergency laws to help contain the virus could be published within days. britons being held in quarantine in at a hotel in tenerife are told most can come home — if the uk government charters a flight for them. more than 80 flood warnings are in place across england and wales as struggling communities prepare for another weekend of storms.

a dramatic crush