in the exeter, but what is in store in the coming hours? we have seen the heavy rain from yesterday, from last night clearing the uk to sunshine in blustery showers, heavy showers moving on from the west in association with storm jorge but also some very strong winds developing, 50—60 miles an hour, perhaps 70 miles an hour through this evening through parts of northern ireland, north—western part of the uk as well. we also seeing some bands of heavy snow by pushing into southern scotland as we move through into the afternoon with weather warnings and forceful snow as well. is there any calming down of the weather in sight? it stays very unsettled through the weekend, further blustery showers possible at times and into next week we stay fairly unsettled with further showers, outbreaks of rain but particular across southern parts of the uk so overall not quite as u nsettled the uk so overall not quite as unsettled as it has been but with very saturated ground already any rainfall is unwelcome. is it possible to say, as we keep asking, what is behind this weather? it's

down to the jet stream. we had a powerful jet stream across the down to the jet stream. we had a powerfuljet stream across the uk right across the atlantic over the last three or four weeks which has been driving these deep low pressure systems across the uk. we are looking at rainfall totals for the month of february well above average, record—breaking in places, so average, record—breaking in places, so all of this frame for coming in from the west over the recent weeks has added to the flooding issues across the uk. is it possible to look ahead further? i know precision is difficult but when you're looking over the next few weeks because people are facing a horrifically difficult time. it does stay unsettled into next week, there are hints we may start to see it winding down in the way towards the middle of march. but for the next week or so, it does stay on the next week or so, it does stay on the unsettled side. many thanks indeed for that update on the weather. again, that is more for others online.

now it's time for a look at the weather with stav. hello there. another weekend and another named storm. this time it's storm jorge, which has brought some very heavy rain across the country this morning. then we look to the west, to a swathe of damaging winds but which will affect northern ireland initially, squeezing the isobars through the afternoon and strong winds will transfer across the irish sea into wales and northern england later on. however, the afternoon will continue dry in bright behind that rain land, lots of sunshine around but lots of showers as well across southern and western areas, merging together to produce longer spells of rain and some sleet and snow for northern ireland, settling snow for the hills of scotland. it'll be a chilly afternoon, much cooler than how the morning started. it'll be a chilly afternoon, much cooler than how the morning started. so, damaging gusts of wind through the afternoon across northern ireland will spread across the irish sea affecting northern and western wales, 80 mile an hour gusts here. and also for northern and north—west england. through the night, those gusts of wind will ease, but it'll stay breezy for all, wind with further showers with longer spells of rain in the north. settling snow on the hills and it'll be chilly,

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the top civil servant in the home office — sir phillip rutnam — resigns and says he'll sue the government for constructive dismissal after a public dispute with home secretary priti patel. i have been at the target of a vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign. it has been alleged that i have briefed the media against the home secretary. thus, along with many other claims, is completely false. 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. and after news of the first briton to die from the virus — a passenger on the diamond princess cruise ship — the government considers new legislation to deal with the spread. more than 80 flood warnings in place across england and wales, and police declare a ‘critical

incident‘ in pondypreeth as storm jorge sweeps in from the west. now on the bbc news channel — it's 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're 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 wetland in the whole of south america, ibera. for centuries it's been home to the paisano. these gauchos are famous for navigating the treacherous marshlands on horseback. 0mar leads tour groups through the wetlands. he speaks spanish.

the ibera wetlands have changed a lot in 0mar‘s time. a generation ago, this environment was under threat. hunting as well as rapid coastal development caused 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. he speaks spanish:

today, lots of native species are thriving, including wild pampas dear and these giant deer and these giant guinea pigs — capybara. but there's still lots more work to be done. now one of the continent's most feared and revered predators is returning to ibera. i'm on my way to find out how that's going to happen. welcome to estancia, san alonso, the island home of rewilding argentina — a project aiming to re—introduce this beautiful, terrifying animal to the wild.

oh my... guys, this is... when you make eye contact with a beast this size, your heartjust goes... she's isa, she's a brazilian panther, orjaguar. she's about six years old. yeah, she's quite young. and how will the wetlands benefit from introducing this beautiful animal? these animals were part of this ecosystem. they have 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 not making them increase so much. this whole ecosystem evolved

with that keystone apex predator. 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 in corrientes, jaguars are related with bravery and masculinity, and it's kind of related with the gaucho. he speaks spanish: back on the island and under the supervision of magali, the co—ordinator, i'm allowed into the enclosure to prepare isa's meal.

0k, 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'vejust been granted permission to open them. wait... which one do we open? both of them? i don't want to open the wrong one. no, the blue one. the blue one? we open that door. ok, so, i'm... when she makes the whistle, then you can open. 0k. whistles

wow, ok, here she comes, entering into the feed enclosure. we've hung the fish up, let's see if she can find it. 0h! that's a predator, ladies and gentlemen. wow! and breakfast is served. so, talia, this jaguar is not going to be put back in the wild? 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 humans with food, so if they live free and saw a human, they would go directly to ask for food, and that's not what we want. talia hopes isa will breed with their other captive jaguar, a reclusive male called nahuel. nearby, two cubs born to another female are

being prepared for release. i'm going to ask a question i'm sure everyone at home, including myself, wants to know the answer to. can we see a jaguar? can we see a babyjaguar? 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 meshes, 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 pool. is this... this is one right here? yeah, there, you can see. you have a good eye. thank you. 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 stay 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, as it used to be in the past. including the cubs, a total of five jaguars are set for release, signalling the return of the wetlands‘ most iconic beast. and if you want to keep track of the process, rewilding argentina posts regular 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 avoid getting eaten on a gaucho tour through the wetlands. 0mar, 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 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 provinces.

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 suspended or cut back on flights, and many viewers have asked whether they can cancel planned trips to asia without a penalty. there‘s 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‘s planning to spend three months in the south—west usa. she wants to visit visit arizona, monument valley, drive some of route 66. and then travel via death valley to san francisco bay.

what's the best time of year — october to january, or march to may? to help you out with this, i‘ve sought someone with specialist knowledge. hey, karen. first off, that sounds like an awesome trip, the american southwest 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 weather we have right here, it‘s a little bit cloudy, it‘s a little bit rainy and dreary, not the best time to travel. if you go in march, though, march or april like you said, it‘s definitely a lot nicer. it‘s still cool in the desert, plus, children are still in school so it‘s much easier to get around the touristy around 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. when renting a car in the usa, should i take out all the protection policies offered by the rental company? i rent cars a lot in north america, and fortunately, i‘ve never had a problem with insurance. maybe that‘s the way that

i organise it, which is booking through a travel agent in the uk, getting my flight and rental car 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 insurances 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 staplehurst and her husband. we are planning a two—week trip starting and ending in halifax, in nova scotia, for our summer holiday. are there any ideas or tips you can offer? fly into this fine city of halifax and spend a couple of days there. the titanic exhibit in the maritime museum is particularly interesting. and you‘ll also not need a car in the city,

which means you will be able to save money, paticularly on the airport pick—up. head along to digby for the ferry to saintjohn, new brunswick — an appealing city and good for one night. charlottetown is a lovely place to stay before making for the ferry to pictou. next, though, begin what i think is the highlight of the route — cape breton. do keep sending in your questions. i‘ll do my very best to supply the answers. bye for now, and see you next time. this week, i‘m exploring argentina‘s ibera wetlands. my guide, omar, has offered to show me how paisanos navigate the waterways. woo, ok! a different experience to have a saddle on, to not have a saddle on, let me tell you that right now. woo! omar, there‘s a crocodile right there, should we be worried?

el cocodrilo. no importa? don‘t worry about it. don‘t worry about it, that‘s what we do. as the river deepens, and the horse can‘t reach the bottom, the trick is to slip off and hold on for the ride. now? ok, so, right hand, no, left hand here? right hand behind, grab the tail... oh, and we‘re away! this is one of the craziest things i‘ve done in my entire life. the water doesn‘t taste very good. and there‘s miscellaneous things — some slime, some spiky — rubbing against most of my body. almost like having my arm attached like a moving train! horse nickers. they‘re strong animals, even in the water. woo! oh, we made it! good job!

that was hard work for me. extra work for you. we made it, omar. omar runs his extraordinary expeditions for tourists. and if you want my tip, just don‘t think too much about what‘s brushing against you underwater! and to end this week, we go from wetlands to islands. orkney is ten miles north of mainland scotland. every of mainland scotland. winter, islanders and tourist come every winter, islanders and tourists come togetherfor every winter, islanders and tourists come together for the annual storytelling festival, celebrating the aerial‘s folklore traditions. —— area‘s folklore traditions. this story ta kes area‘s folklore traditions. this story takes place on the island of

stronsay. it involves a young lady... you don't see so many fairies around the main line any more, there is a for that... fairies around the main line any more, there is a for that. .. she could make her own choices about who she married, and she owned everything... stories have been around as long as language has been around, the stories are pretty much pa rt around, the stories are pretty much part of our cultural identity, part of what makes arcadians acadians. orkney is quite a unique place, we have 5000 year old village is still standing, stone circles. just standing, stone circles. just standing on the shore, watching huge brea kers standing on the shore, watching huge breakers roaring from the atlantic ocean is really quite hypnotic. violent, but peaceful at the same time. it was always an ever present

risk and danger from the sea, that has a strong influence on folktales. orkney has a very, very rich heritage of folklore, of about the strange creatures, the folk who are half seal, half human. every mound ina half seal, half human. every mound in a field has goblins, little fairies. every age that humans go through, there is a search for some spiritual meaning. those connections with the land, sea, or in the sky, andi with the land, sea, or in the sky, and i think folklore is a way of exploring those things. the orkney storytelling festival is and its tenth year in its present form. we have wonderful storytellers from all over the world. sometimes the stories are very similar. a lot of

places have creation myths, how islands were formed, help maintain scheme to be. there are a lot of similarities. it‘s wonderful to hear a story from africa, norway, north america, orkney, and you think, i if wonder there‘s any stories about the place that i come from? now, we are going to hearfrom a of different people today, friends from near and far. you can decide at the end if this really happened. the waves were coming up overthe this really happened. the waves were coming up over the harbour, the wind was blowing. every single time... the next day, they hair showed up at the altar of‘s place, the otter had prepared a beautiful feast for him. we also have an event which brings together people who play ancient

musical instruments, who are going to explore all their connections between song and folklore and history. escapism is a huge part of the storytelling tradition, i mean, it was entertainment in the evenings, you got together and you told stories. it was the kind of glue that held the fabric of society together. tonight is the last night of the orkney storytelling festival, and is the grand finale set was the absolute best of the best. this is when a storytellers are really, you know, their biggest and best stories. we said, we have a little drink, we reallyjust enjoy all the very best the festival has to offer. so it‘s a lovely finish to the whole festival. she had no money left...

and spit on the calls of the fire, the coles flame up... i think stories really unite people, if you have the shared cultural heritage, it does make you stronger, especially if there are values in the story that we really identify with and are important to you. for storytelling and folklore to survive, it has to have a framework, it has to be an organised thing. that is one of the reasons 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 the storytelling festival really has brought something back to the culture here. people are coming from all over the world just to hear stories. it doesn‘t matter if you‘re

a lord or as poor as a church master. well, that‘s all for this week. but coming up next week: rajahs in jerusalem, uncovering an ancient pilgrimage route that has been buried underground. we are now working under an original 2000 year old limestone street that was the centre ofjerusalem. old limestone street that was the centre of jerusalem. this was of the original landscape? the original. you will not want to miss a lot. but for now, from the address of the tea m for now, from the address of the team in argentina, it‘s goodbye.

hello there. named storms seem to be something of a trend for the weekend weather now. this is a third named storm we‘ve had now after ciara, dennis, storm jorge threatens to bring some disruptive weather through the weekend, initially some heavy rain through this morning, and, then, we see some strong winds as we head on into the afternoon. this is the band of rain which brought the heavy rain across the country during the morning hours. is that it is through, turns much colder, some wintry showers but then we see a swathe of damaging winds affecting our island first, northern ireland, and then spreading across the irishsea. irish sea. but then it‘ll be a brighter afternoon compared to how the day started, plenty of sunshine around, blustery showers, these heavy, some hail, thunder, and wintry as well so it‘ll be quite cold. longer spells of rain or snow on the hills of scotland. temperatures range from li—7d. add on the strength of the wind, which will be a future

for all but particularly in the north—west it‘ll feel much colder than that. we have concerns with the winds initially in northern ireland this afternoon, gust 60, 70, may be more than that miles per hour, and they will transfer across the irish sea, north—west of wales, anglesey, gwynedd and could see gusts of 80 miles an hour, and also northern england, particularly north—west england on the coast, some huge waves crashing the shore. these are damaging gusts of wind certainly through the evening through the first part of the night. lots of showers, longer spells of rain across the north, settling snow across the pennines and across scotland. further south, blustery, not quite as wind as it will be further north, with clear spells and showers getting wintry, so a chilly night, temperatures from freezing to around three or 4 degrees. into sunday, looking quieter, this is still storm jorge but weakening and filling, sitting to the north of the uk so fewer isobars on the charts, this feature just running to the south of the uk could bring some rain initially through sunday morning for the channel islands,

just grazing the south—east of england but most of the rain will stay on the near continent. the rest of us, though, a much brighter day. we will see lighter wind, plenty of sunshine around, some areas staying dry altogether, but further wintry showers, across scotland, with more settling snow here. temperatures range from 7—10, later wind, more sunshine, we should feel a little bit better. into next week, for the early part of march, looking colder but a little bit calmer with quite a bit of sunshine around but also one or two wintry showers.

this is bbc news. the headlines at 11.00: the top civil servant in the home office, sir philip rutnam, resigns and says he‘ll sue the government for constructive dismissal after a public dispute with home secretary priti patel. i have been the target of a vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign. it has been alleged that i have briefed the media against the home secretary. this, along with many other claims, is completely false. 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. a surge in south korea, with nearly 600 new cases ——800 reported on saturday, bringing the total to more than 3,000, the largest outside china. more than 80 flood warnings in place across england and wales,