president trump's handling of the pandemic is described by his predecessor, barack obama, as "an absolute chaotic disaster." in a conference call with his former staffers, mr obama accused the current administration of having a mindset of "what's in it for me and to heck with everyone else." the british government says emerging from lockdown will be a gradual process, and the public should remember it's not a single leap to freedom. it comes as the prime minister, borisjohnson, prepares to address the nation on sunday evening to set out the next phase in tackling the pandemic. the self—proclaimed "architect of rock—and—roll", richard penniman, better known as ‘little richard', has died. the legendary singer built his ground—breaking sound with a blend of boogie—woogie, rhythm and blues and gospel. he died at the age of 87 after several years of poor health.

the transport secretary, grant shapps, has called on people to walk and cycle to work once the lockdown restrictions are eased in england, calling this a "once—in—a—generation opportunity" to transform the way people get around. mr shapps pledged £2 billion from a fund announced in february that could see new bike lanes in england within weeks. our chief environment correspondent justin rowlatt reports. travel as lockdown is lifted is a big challenge for the government. the social distancing rules mean buses and trains can carry far fewer passengers. if people take to their cars instead, the roads will be choked with traffic. that's why transport secretary grant shapps today announced £250 million for english local authorities to widen pavements and install pop—up bike lanes as quickly as possible. so, let me give you an idea of how our streets might look if these changes become permanent. i'm in waltham forest.

they've invested a lot in this kind of thing. have a look — look at the way the pavement merges into the road. the idea is it gives pedestrians and cyclists a sense of freedom to move around the space. you see new kinds of street furniture, i think it's called, so benches like this, you see the planter here with trees and a bike park there. the idea is that we can all move more freely through the space because there aren't as many cars and lorries coming through. but what about motorists? they've got rights too, and many people will feel more secure from the virus in their vehicles. so, what does britain's biggest motoring association have to say about this? well, contrary to what people say, all our polls actually show that drivers are going to drive less after lockd own. 36% are going to cycle, walk more, run more. so we do need some radical measures to stop gridlock, because public transport won't be able to cope. there will be a voucher scheme

so people can have their bikes repaired and, in the longer term, a national cycling commissioner will be appointed. campaigners hope these changes will be locked in for good. it's a bigger thing of reallocating space in the longer term and creating cities and towns and roads and streets around the country that really do make cycling and walking a safe, attractive and welcoming opportunity. there have been huge improvements in air quality in britain's towns and cities during lockdown. mr shapps says he hopes we'll use the opportunity it has provided to find cleaner, greener and healthier ways to get around. justin rowlatt, bbc news, waltham forest. now on bbc news, it's time for the travel show. india. a vast country, home to over a billion people, birthplace of illustrious ancient civilisations and today, a fast emerging global power.

70 years after independence, india is still a diverse, ever—evolving assortment of cultures, creeds, religions and languages. heading off the well—worn tourist path, we're on a journey that spans this vast subcontinent from east to west. travelling from one of the driest places on earth... it is quite incredible, the sand. it's just crystal, hard crystals. white salt. you can probably taste it. ..to one of the wettest. these are areas really for the adventurous traveller. this isn't india on tap. i'm on a quest to find out how history, religion and politics have shaped india. and also, meet the people who call this intriguing and sometimes overwhelming country ‘home‘. it's going to be an amazing journey.

for thousands of years, india found its riches and influence through international trade. at the heart of this enterprise was the sea. and the state of gujarat, with a thousand miles of coastline, served as a shipping gateway to africa, arabia and beyond. this is as far west as you can get in india. it's the mingling of all the influences from overseas that have helped make gujarat what it is today. the region is known as kutch and its beaches, like here, are a popular domestic tourist attraction.

but this ancient port town's economy is still anchored in a much older maritime tradition. this is genuinely incredible. i'm in heaven. a huge shipyard with boats and ships at various stage of construction, all made from wood. in an industry dominated by bulky and expensive container ships, these smaller, more agile vessels are still in huge demand. so here we are close up to these incredible hulks, really. this one's in mid—construction. we can actually go inside, which i'm going to see how they actually make these things. apparently, each of these takes about 2.5 years to make. for many of the workers, ship building is a family tradition.

this ancient craft is now attracting unexpected new admirers.

the region was home to one of the world's earliest civilisations and can be traced back to prehistoric times. its old royal capital is the city of bujh. its glory days are kind of over. it was badly hit by the 2001 earthquake. it's a kind of melancholy about this area. this was once the real opulent centre of a rich empire, trading empire any way, and the hub was here. but what is still flourishing

is the aso—year—old market, just a few minutes away, where the trading tradition continues. what do they sell here? they sell everything — fruit, vegetables, fabric, grocery. you see all sorts of community, all cultural background can be seen in the marketplace. here, as you can see, they're like all different community, ethnic groups comes here. but kutch‘s natural harmony was disrupted 70 years ago when the british left. the country was divided on religious grounds with muslims partitioned to the north in pakistan and hindus to the south in india. we drove out of the city towards the border with pakistan. along the way, encountering some kutch herdsmen. they've been living here

for 400, 500 years, since they migrated down south into kutch into an area which is now pakistan. ever since the split, there's been tension between the two governments. to these herdsmen, national borders and religious differences mean little. for the people, when we say india, pakistan or like hindu, muslim, it's not that important. people are religious, of course. but they are like living in harmony and relationship between these two different groups is brotherly. when two countries were created from one, indelible scars were left on the psyche of the subcontinent. archive: independence has not yet brought peace. rejoicing turned quickly into horror and mourning. in traumatic scenes, more than a million people died in religious rioting. many millions more were displaced. this all used to be one, but now, it's, like,

divided in two. now, the border itself has become a tourist attraction. that way is pakistan. that way is pakistan, about 70 kilometres up north. that's where the india—pakistan border is, which lies in the middle of the area, which is of geographical value. at nearly 500 metres above sea level, the highest point allows us a dramatic view of this geological phenomenon, the desert of kutch, which continues into pakistan. i wanted to get up closer to this natural wonder. it's quite incredible. it's just crystals, it's hard crystals, white salt. you can probably taste it. really unusual to see something like this.

the further out i walked, the less lovely it became. it's actually quite incredible! it's more like snow or sludge than white sand or crystals. when it gets wet around here, i'm getting really deep into it. whoa! today, this shimmering wilderness is a healthy source of income for the region. thanks mainly to a 3—month long festival throughout the winter. it is amazing what was a vast barren landscape has been transformed into this colourful complex, where by night, there's live music and other performances and by day, there's plenty of other activities, and just here, what you might call the glamping headquarters. 50,000 people have come here in the last couple of months alone.

i guess this is like a cross between a weekend festival and a resort. it's basically a honey pot for the booming middle classes in india in what has been one of the fastest growing economies in the world. the revival of interest in kutch culture boosted by the festival has been a lifeline for one group of locals in particular — folk musicians. now, music in particular and it's very, very rich over here. previously, they used to perform with their kettles, then afterwards, when they come home, they'd get together and spiritual songs are being performed. it is practice. one person plays two flutes at the same time? yes, yes. now, for example, 500 kettles are there and only one zither is there.

what he will do is he will sit below a tree, start playing this and whatever this musical notes, the kettles will not go out of that range. wow. and they enjoy the music, so the milk output increases. this is the beauty of it. almost like meditation. yeah, yeah. things are changing definitely, as you say, tourism. so many music festivals are there. so they are invited in various parts of india and abroad. of course, they are very well—paid. music and singing and not only do i get a demonstration, but also the privilege of playing along. music and singing continues as lead tinkler. and yet again, i'm made aware that kutch culture is all about a sense of community and certainly not

about religious segregation. from the bottom of my heart, i'm telling you till today, in spiritual, in music forms, hindus and muslims sit together and perform till today. music and singing continues for the next part of myjourney, i'm heading to the south—east. ah, the classic indian railway station. to me, nothing sums up this country better than the indian railway network. more than any political act, they say that this is what unifies this country.

i remember as a small child being on an indian train and being totally overwhelmed by it. but i love it. horn blares ah, this feels imminent! who knows when this was made, this train. it looks pretty damn old to me! but, wow, look at that! horn blares it's a network that ferries millions of passengers daily across tens of thousands of track to nearly 7,000 stations. it's one of the world's biggest employers. if there's one defining legacy of british rule, it's the vast, sprawling, creaking indian railway network. it's still the lifeblood of the country today.

all sing i'll tell you this, you wouldn't get this on a suburban train on a cold wednesday morning in london or any other western city. this is unique. singing continues you know everyone on this carriage? yeah. yeah, from the train journey? trainjourney, yeah. ah! train friends. you are train friends! excellent! you have a community! very good. is it lucky to have a seat on the train? yes. very lucky. she's very lucky. very lucky — 0k! like you! like me?

so here we are, the ancient fortified city of junagadh. horn blares crowded and noisy, as i expected. let's go explore. just a few minutes from the station, along a dusty, busy road stands this jaw—dropping and little—known architectural wonder. built in the late 19th century, this is mahabat maqbara, an elaborate mausoleum blending indian and european architecture. the intricate carvings took over a decade to complete and the whole structure reflects the opulence and influences of the time. back in the day, under

the british raj, there were hundreds of so—called princely states run by maharajas and nawabs, powerful and wealthy men. there was one such character here, who made decisions which still has ramifications for relations between india and pakistan, even today. these nawabs led lavish lifestyles, in stark contrast to ordinary indians. the nawab ofjunagadh, muhammad mahabat khanji iii, was no different. archive: the state celebrates the marriage of all the pomp and splendour of a princely wedding. one man would be sitting on the... harish was ten in 1946 and recalls the splendour of the ceremony.

archive: escorted by the royal guard, the bride groom drives in state through the streets. before him in the procession is a profusion of wedding gifts. all princes were there. princely patrons with turbans on their heads. dance girls used to be brought there, musicians and all that. that lasted for several days. and he recalls getting his first taste of this other world. for the first time, i saw bread, butter, sandwich, everything. because that was not known to us here. my father said "you eat this. this is bread and this is butter." i liked it. there were small pastries. i still remember that made in england, london, there was one huntly and palmer biscuit. important thing is that the formal photograph of his highness, mahabat khanji iii. the nawab‘s own most legendary indulgence was was his love of animals.

his main hobby was for dogs. he was mad after dogs. i think almost all brands and varieties of dogs from all the world were here. he used to arrange marriages for dogs and celebrated parties and then they were sent for honeymoon. sent for a honeymoon! yeah, he used to do it! horns blare with the advent of independence, the power and influence of india's royal rulers was coming to an end. horns blare come partition, the muslim nawab wanted to makejunagadh part of the newly created islamic pakistan. even though the town is more than 80% hindu and hundreds of kilometres from the border. infuriated, the new indian

government rallied its troops. the news started coming that army is coming. in his compound, huge tanks and trucks and jeeps and artillery and guns and everything is there. junagadh state was besieged on three sides also. an economic blockade was ordered, cutting off supplies of food and resources into the region. eventually, junagadh acceded to india and the nawab fled to pakistan. yet, to this day, 70 years on, his great—grandson still lays claim to junagadh. and the episode lingers as a reminder of the last days of the raj in india. and 65 kilometres down the road, the nawab‘s legacy as an animal lover extraordinaire continues

with the most regal of creatures. lions may have iconic status here. they're a royal symbol. they're in hindu mythology. but at the beginning of the last century, they were threatened with extinction. i'm going somewhere now which is the only natural abode of the asiatic lion. nawab a large tracts of this forest and band hunting. the asiatic lion are smaller and more pale than their african relatives. and these are their modern—day protectors — india's first female forest rangers, the so—called ‘lion queens of gir‘. now they're part of a team that performs more animal rescues than any other wildlife

park in the world. on average, the unarmed rangers cover 25 kilometres a day and have to tackle venomous snakes, leopards and poachers, as well as lions. if they did get agitated, how would you be able to tell from the animal? how would you know if you're safe or not with being this close to the animal? and it did get dangerous

forjayshree early on in her career here. applications from women for these posts have rocketed and the rangers are role models and trail blazers in the region today. oh, look! look at that mouth! the good news is that from once being in danger of extinction, numbers have climbed to over 500. the next much more welcome problem is if the sanctuary is actually big enough for their growing population.

so the first part of my travels across india come to a close. but next week, i head to the north—east of the country. i'm on the banks of the mighty brahmaputra river and about to go to a very spiritual place. and the amount of people crammed on here as well — it's going to be an experience! a region that prides itself on tradition and creativity. and a passionate desire to protect this unique part of the world forfuture generations. hello. 0ur weather turns much colder in the

day ahead. arctic is spreading south across the uk. a frosty, icy start in parts of northern scotland. a bit of snow to quite low levels here and further wintry showers to come during the day. sunny spells developing elsewhere in scotland and for the afternoon northern ireland, after patchy rain. dardet outbreaks of rain putting south across england and wales doing the day. some spots was the far south, still mid to high teens. the cold air does get in late in the day. most of us, though, to end the day we're talking 6— 10 celsius, feeling cold is still with the north—easterly gusty wind. enter monday morning that means a widespread frost, if you spots on eastern and southern england avoiding the frost because it is so windy. and then on monday it is going to be a cold, blustery day. a mixture of sunshine and cloud. most are staying dry. just a few showers running in towards northern and eastern scotland and a few on the north sea coast. more frost for some on monday night.

welcome to bbc news — i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: it's a disaster — president trump's handling of the pandemic is slammed by his predecessor barack obama. the uk's lockdown will only be eased with extreme caution says the government — with many already ignoring stay at home advice to soak up the sun. first social — now military — distancing. russians mark the anniversary of the end of world war ii from their windows after a red square parade is cancelled. and the pioneer of rock ‘n‘ roll, little richard dies aged 87.