revolution in light that could change the world. they have developed a way of isolating and detecting single particles of light, called photons, at room temperature. that matters because it could help power the next generation of super—quantum computers. here 5 our science correspondent, richard westcott. so much modern technology already relies on light, but there's still more potential locked away in these beams. in a lab in cambridge, this team says it's working on the next light revolution. first we had lamps and then we had lasers which completely revolutionised our lives and our technology and now we may be on the cusp of the third stage in the history of light. we have single photon sources, devices that can emit one particle of light at a time. and that is the key here, being able to separate off those

individual light particles. i'll explain why that's important in a second, but first, here's how they do it. on this disc here, you can't see it, is a crystal that is one atom thick and it's got little defects on it the size of an atom, and when you fire a laser at those defects, they ping out individual out individual photons, individual particles of light, and you can actually see them here. these bright yellow areas are the defects where the photons are coming out. this is where it gets weird. by singling out photons, you can unlock what's known as the quantum world, where very, very small things behave very differently. you'll need to pay attention to this bit. so, there are two main properties that we can harness. the first one is superposition and the second one

is entanglement. superposition is a particle being in two states at the same time, so being up and down at the same time. entanglement is two particles being inextricably linked, so no matter where they are in the universe, whatever happens to one affects the other one. so, say one is up, the other one has to be up. the other one has to be down. when we put these two effects together, we can build something like a quantum computer which is orders of magnitude more powerful than anything that we can compute today. this singles out the photons. you then need matthew's sensors to detect them. so, what about practical uses? the quantum world is the only place you can generate genuinely random numbers, so the team's now building a quantum random number generator to encrypt things securely online. we are at the start of the quantum revolution, if you like. this is going to be like the industrial revolution. what we have done is

develop a room temperature components which are much simpler than the current state of the art which will unlock the potential of quantum technologies. from next—level computing to better cameras to more accurate clocks and a more secure internet, the surreal quantum world is hard to grasp, but the benefits are simple. richard westcott, bbc news, cambridge. did you understand all that? now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. hello. whilst it's been a dry and sunny day for a few of you, for others, there's been some intense showers and thunderstorms and there are more to come again on monday, some of the worst of them in slightly different areas to where we saw through today. still some sunshine in between and whilst we've got the showers around at the moment, some of them will fade through the night, but there will be some continuing, particularly across parts of england and central scotland. a reasonably mild night, i think, for many, with temperatures dropping down into low single figures probably in northern ireland and south—west scotland. now, as we start monday,

a fair bit of cloud around, but some sunny spells. many will start dry. there will still be some showers from overnight across scotland, northern and central parts of england, butjust notice how the showers blossom, again, perhaps fewer across the western half of england and wales compared with what we saw through today, but more intense showers and storms in eastern scotland and eastern parts of england. in the sunnier moments, it should feel pleasant under those blue skies, but with the showers coming through, feeling much cooler and through the rest of this week, a fairly cool week with more showers and thunderstorms in the forecast. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the united nations holds talks, as the conflict between israel and palestinians in gaza continues for a seventh day. the secretary—general has pleaded for peace. the fighting must stop. it must stop immediately. the rockets and mortars on one side, the aerial

and artillery bombardments on the other, must stop. i appeal to all parties to heed this call. efforts to combat the india variant of covid ramp up in england, ahead of lockdown restrictions being relaxed tomorrow. i'm confident that we can take the step tomorrow, | but we should all be careful i about how we take that step. you asked me about eating indoors with people — you asked me about eating indoors with pe0ple~ it_ you asked me about eating indoors with peoriie. it is— you asked me about eating indoors with people. it is still— you asked me about eating indoors with people. it is still safer- you asked me about eating indoors with people. it is still safer to- with people. it is still safer to eat outdoors _ with people. it is still safer to eat outdoors when _ with people. it is still safer to eat outdoors when the - with people. it is still safer to. eat outdoors when the weather allows — parents pay tribute to their two—year—old son — george hinds — who was killed in a suspected gas explosion in lancashire. now on bbc news. this week's travel show comes from tokyo where carmen roberts looks back at some of her favourite recent stories from japan. coming up on this week's show...

we're approaching the first rapid, and it's meant to be the deepest and most exciting. whoa! imitating a drunk monkey driving a car. and, that's it? i do kind of feel ninja—like here. laughter. hello and welcome to the travel show. coming to you this week from tokyo, a city that's been my home for a little over seven years, and where the big

talking point is whether this summer's olympic games will definitely go ahead, and if they do, what form will they take? it was back at the end of march last year that the ioc and the japanese authorities decided to postpone the tokyo olympic and paralympic games, which were due to kick off with a spectacular opening ceremony in the capital's new national stadium on the 23rd ofjuly 2020. since then, japan and the rest of the world have been through a series of lockdowns, and most countries still have international travel restrictions in place. and although the postponed games are due to go ahead at the end ofjuly, rising infection rate injapan, coupled with the recent extension of the state of emergency here in tokyo means that everyone is closely watching the news, waiting for a definitive answer. in the meantime, why not join me as we take a look back at some of our favourite

travel show stories from here? last year, there was a big campaign here injapan for people to holiday at home, with lots of discounts and incentives on offer, and not wanting to miss out, i headed around 5,000 kilometres south—west of tokyo on the main island of honshu, to the countryside surrounding wakayama to try a rafting adventure with a different. for centuries the wood here was so sought—after that it was used in buildings all around the country, but transporting it was no easy task. they came up with a novel solution, and today travellers can experience the old journey downstream. it does look quite strange by today's standards. i don't know what i was expecting but it really is just a bunch of logs strung together. it must float ok, it's been around long enough. speaks japanese.

so what's it like to drive and steer such a long raft like this?

in the past, once the trees had been felled in strung together, the rafters would ride them down the river to the destination. today, with travellers on board, the rafts are safer. there are life jackets, handrails, and a bench, plus additional measures for coronavirus, like masks and reduced capacity. but it's still very open to the elements. so, we're approaching the first rapid and it's meant to be the steepest and most exciting. hang on! woo! whoa! this is great! laughter. i'm totally soaked from my waist down. laughter. whoa!

this is the slower part of the ride, so to speak, but it's just fascinating to think this is what they would have been doing 600 years ago to transport all the logs down to the city to make the temples and the shrines. so, we're approaching a rapid now and we stand up so we don't get too wet. here we go! woo! laughter. whoa! on the side! so, that was our last rapid. it so interesting to watch these four guys navigate this seven—tonne log raft down a riverjust like they would have 600 years ago.

it's amazing! definitely a unique way to travel, if you don't mind getting your feet wet. well, each big japanese city has its own particular and distinctive feel and if you're looking for a laugh, then you better head to osaka, which over the generations has earned itself a reputation of being the comedy capital of japan. and back in 2015, rajan headed there to get in on the journey. osaka is japan's mecca of comedy. these guys are really famous here. this theatre claims to be the busiest and most popular comedy venue in all ofjapan. the demand is phenomenal, so it's open 365 days a year to full houses of up to four shows a day, that's around i

million people a year. fans travel from all over the country to see the stars live on stage. cheering. the show includes many types of comedy, but one of the most common and popular is manzai, a double act with a straight guy and a funnyguy trading jokes, and it's this style that emerged in osaka. i wanted to find out more about the roots of comedy in the city. hello! konnichiwa! nice to meet you! katsura kaishi practices the traditional story telling, rakugo, and he says it evolved from osaka's trading history.

speaks japanese. i'll go to your show tomorrow, we'll see, i'll find out. rakugo comedy was invented by buddhist monks to make their teachings more entertaining. speaking english: there was a car accident, mother, father and children

were all hospitalised, but a monkey was the only one left, with the police. the police said i wish this monkey could talk... it's a storytelling tradition that obviously resembles stand—up comedy, but this is some 200 years older. what would the father do? he was drinking, maybe he was drinking and driving. what were you doing, monkey? after the show, i wanted to get some tips from the expert. hold the pen? "monkey, what was the father doing?" "hang on a minute, what were you doing, monkey?"

and that's it? they laugh. you should maybe move to japan and should be a professional rakugo performer. really? laughter. packing a punchline, japanese—style, in osaka back in 2015. well, stay with us, because still to come on the travel show... this wall is as tall as me! i get put through my paces as i visit a ninja training camp in nagoya. it's dance moves upon dance moves upon dance moves, it's very complicated! and we set out to wow the crowds in a traditional festival in hokkaido. so don't go away. when you think ofjapan, things like cherry blossoms, tea ceremonies, temples and

karaoke will spring to mind. but if you're a film or comic book fan, then ninjas will also be high on your list. back in 2016, i travelled to nagoya to meet some martial arts fans to become modern ninjas, and i even gave it a go myself. needless to say i did not get hired. the ninja, a mysterious, undercover agent in feudal japan, skilled in espionage and assassination, living in the shadows, and now, you can apply to be one. farfrom hiding in the dark, the next generation of ninjas answered a job ad. full—time, centraljapan, salary around 1600 us dollars per month. hundreds of people applied and auditioned for the jobs, including many from overseas. this is the nagoya castle, and these are some of the chosen few.

the new ninjas. every kid dreams about becoming a ninja at some point in their life. for me i held onto the dream a bit longer than most people. i know you have just started but what's it like to be the only foreign ninja? it's a challenge! i thought that i could come tojapan, find a ninja clan, become a ninja, and then that would be it, but it is a constant progression of learning, studying, and struggling with japanese, but i love it, i've never been happier. it's not just physical. there is also history to be learned. it will be an intensive month ahead of this modern day ninja team's debut. it's only a training session, but there is already a lot

of media interest, and for me it feels like there's a reality tv or talent show element to this project. but not everyone is buying into the hype. some purists are worried that this sort of campaign is sending a distorted image of the japanese icon to the rest of the world. two hours from nagoya, i've been told this is the heart of ninja country. so, hundreds of years ago, real—life ninjas trained in the very mountains here, in akamedaki. so, i've come to this ninja training camp to try and get an authentic ninja experience. �*ninja no mori', or �*ninja forest', has been set up to cater to tourists in a natural setting. i might look the part, but can

a cut it as a real—life ninja? to my relief, we started the day with some prayers and meditation. then it was time to leave the safe surrounds of the temple and head to the training corps. first, it was onto the wire. what would this be used for? speaks japanese. so, if there was a castle and a moat? yes, yes. speaks japanese. oh, so, the rope would help you get over the water? yes, yes. i — i do kind of feel ninja—like here. laughter. this is the — it's quite difficult! laughter. 0h! 0k. i don't think ninjas are meant to giggle. 0k. oh, my goodness!

and then, the skill of scaling walls undetected. you don't expect me to do that, do you? speaks japanese. ganbatte? hai, ganbatte, yarimashou. ah! this wall�*s as tall as me! i wouldn't say it was easy, and i definitely didn't say it was pretty. but i managed it. so, they upped the ante. time to let go of any dreams i have of becoming a true ninja. i still defy anyone my size

without superhuman powers to get over that wall. well, to finish off this week's look back at some of our favourite japanese adventures, we head to the far north of the country, to the island of hokkaido, where in 2018, rajan headed there to take part in an annual local festival based on the island's seafaring history. and he even managed to pick up a few dance moves along the way. yosakoi soran is one of the region's biggest international dancing competitions. teams dance to music which is all inspired by the hokkaido folk song soran. traditionally, this folk song was about hokkaido fishermen. it's come a long, long way since then! i'd arranged to meet someone who'd taken part in this festival many, many times since she was a child. but finding one dancer on long 13,000 others was proving

a little trickier than i expected. hi! konnichiwa! so, you are a veteran of this — of soran, of this dance festival? yeah. excellent. you're going to teach me about all of this? 0k. fantastic. so, tell me. what makes this festival unique? this yosakoi soran festival in hokkaido has two rules, yes, yes, just one — every team, every dancer as this — �*naruko'. do you know soran music? yeah. so, even though the music might sound different, and there's this — they have the same melody? yes, yes, yes. how does the melody go? sings �*yosakoi soran'. and while it is something that clearly takes a lot

of practice, i'm told in my case one hour should do it. this is what i have to wear? yes! wearing happi. ah. 0k. # choi! a very public training session for newbies like me before taking part in the main festival parade around the streets of the city. tell me about the first time you entered the festival, tell me about how it felt for you and what you did?

hah! yeah! that's what you need, attitude. just, ok, from top. oh, from the top? it's just dance move upon dance move upon dance moves, it's so complicated! many of these moves are based on the tasks old fisherman performed, like dragging nets, pulling ropes and lifting luggage over their shoulders. can't you tell? 0k! that looks difficult. that's only the practice! and we haven't even started the real thing yet. thunderclap. so, i'vejust had a rigourous workout and lesson and i supposedly know my moves. and now, to cap it all off, we're going to do the whole dance around the square in front of the crowds. help! thanks to your wonderful teaching, ifeel quite

confident now. oh, we're sprinting? ok, let's start! yeah! fantastic. the nerves have all gone. who cares how good you are? this is about community, the festival. i'm getting in there. are you tired? i'm not! yes, because it's exciting. �*soran bushi' plays.

not a bad effort there from rajan back in 2018. well, that's all we've got time for this week. coming up next week: mike heads to the maasai mara in kenya to find out how the coronavirus pandemic forced lodges to lower their prices, meaning that more kenyans got the chance to go on safari for the very first time. we are excited and now we can afford the rates, that's why we're here. well, join us for that, if you can. but in the meantime, let me leave you with some pictures of the climax of that festival in hokkaido in 2018.

sadly, it was cancelled in 2020, but fingers crossed the festival can go ahead again later this year. in the meantime, from all of us here from the travel show team here injapan, it's goodbye, and see you next time. hello. whilst it's been a dry and sunny day for a few of you, for others, there's been some intense showers and thunderstorms and there are more to come again on monday, some of the worst of them in slightly different areas to where we saw through today. still some sunshine in between and whilst we've got the showers around at the moment, some of them will fade through the night, but there

will be some continuing, particularly across parts of england and central scotland. a reasonably mild night, i think, for many, with temperatures dropping down into low single figures probably in northern ireland and south—west scotland. now, as we start monday, a fair bit of cloud around, but some sunny spells. many will start dry. there will still be some showers from overnight across scotland, northern and central parts of england, butjust notice how the showers blossom, again, perhaps fewer across the western half of england and wales compared with what we saw through today, but more intense showers and storms in eastern scotland and eastern parts of england. in the sunnier moments, it should feel pleasant under those blue skies, but with the showers coming through, feeling much cooler and through the rest of this week, a fairly cool week with more showers and thunderstorms in the forecast.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the un pleads for peace, as the conflict between israel and palestinians in gaza enters its seventh day — ten children are among the dead following an israeli air strike on gaza. but there's no sign of a ceasefire, as the attacks continue, with each side accusing each other. israel is persecuting our people, committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. hamas is criminally attacking us from civilian neighbourhoods, from schools, from homes, from office buildings. that's what they're doing. soldiers in myanmar appear to be back in control of the hilltop town of mindat, where activists took up arms against the military junta three weeks ago.

fears of a covid—19 outbreak at a hotel in rotterdam force