hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the first gold of the day for team gb goes to goes to galal yafai, beating carlo paalam from the philippines in the flyweight boxing. and silverfor gb. success in the pool with tom daley taking the bronze in the 10 metre platform diving — his second medal of the games. china's cao yuan took the gold.

the united states and britain urge their remaining citizens in afghanistan to leave immediately because of the worsening security situation. we are extremely concerned about the safety and security of people in cities under taliban attacks and what brutality would await them. the end of more coronavirus restrictions in wales — no more limits on meeting indoors, and an end to rules on social distancing. and, jackpot — students at the university of sussex are given the chance to win £5,000. if they can prove they've had two doses of a covid vaccine or they'e medically exempt now on bbc news, another chance to enjoy the first part of rajan datar�*s epicjourney across india in 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. and 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. i mean, it'sjust 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, and at the heart of this enterprise was the sea. and the state of gujarat, with 1,000 miles of coastline, served as a shipping gateway to africa, arabia and beyond. this is as far west as you can get in india, and it is 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 in mandvi,

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 really close up to these incredible hulks, really. and this one is in mid—construction. we can actually go inside, which i'm going to go in and see how they actually make these things. apparently, each of these dows takes

about 2.5 years to make. for many of the workers, ship building is a family tradition. and this ancient craft is now attracting unexpected new admirers.

the region of kutch 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 bhuj. and its glory days — well, they're kind of over. it was badly hit by the 2001 earthquake. there's a kind of melancholy, i suppose, about this area because obviously this was once the real opulent centre of a rich empire, trading empire anyway, and the hub was here. but what is still flourishing is bhuj�*s 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 one 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 from sindh, which is now part of pakistan. ever since the split, there has been tension between the two governments. but 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 them peace. - rejoicing turned quickly into horror and mourning. in traumatic scenes, more than a million people died in religious rioting, and many millions more were displaced.

this all used to be one. but now, it's, like, divided in two. and 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 rann of kutch, 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 rann, or desert of kutch, which continues into pakistan. i wanted to get up closer to this natural wonder. it is quite incredible, the sand. i mean, it'sjust 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 white 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 three—month—long festival throughout the winter. it really 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 holiday 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 and the zithers. then afterwards, when they come home, they'd get together and the spiritual songs are being performed. it's a 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 digestive system — the milk output increases. this is the beauty of it. it's almost like meditation for the cows. 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. and 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, 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 am telling you till today, in spiritual, in music forms, hindus and muslims, they sit together and perform till today. music and singing continues. for the next part of myjourney i'm heading to the south—east of gujarat, to the town ofjunagadh. 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! 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 is 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 ofjunagadh. 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 l and splendour of a princely wedding.

one man would be sitting on the... harish was ten in 19116 and recalls the splendour of the ceremony. archive: escorted by the royal guard, the bride groom drivesl 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.

it is oh, look! they are part of a team that performs more animal rescues than any other wildlife park in the world. 0n on average, the cover 25 kilometres a day and tackle venomous snakes, poachers as poachers as well as lions. if they did get agitated, how could you tell from 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, everyone. i hope you're doing all right. well, typically, just in time for the weekend we are joined by an area of low pressure which, in turn, will bring us some heavy, thundery unsettled conditions across much of the uk. despite it being unsettled at times, we will see some sunshine, as well. this low pressure system will bring blustery wintertime. eastern shelter parts of scotland, england, saying something brighterfor shelter parts of scotland, england, saying something brighter for longer as we head through the afternoon, but the showers are all on the move so i don't think anywhere will avoid them, really. istrengthening so i don't think anywhere will avoid them, really. i strengthening breeze turning blustery times in the top temperatures not exciting, between

15 and 20. casting an eye on the statement, the statement, the showers are likely to continue, potentially merging together into longer, more prolonged spells of rain for a longer, more prolonged spells of rainfora time. longer, more prolonged spells of rain for a time. you can see them swirling around the centre of taplow. heading into tomorrow, we started tip the balance into something drier. temperatures down to 13 or 1a celsius. very slowly, this low pressure system is creeping up this low pressure system is creeping up towards the north and in doing so we should see something a bit more settled tomorrow, especially across southern parts. we can see central and southern parts of england seeing more in the way of the brighter, drier conditions. northern ireland, northern england, up towards scotland the showers will continue here, and they could be heavy, thundery, a lot of rainfall in a short space of time. the top temperature tomorrow, 20 celsius. this coming week, the low pressure wants to stick around, but it is

still on the move. gradually, this is moving away and along for a ridge of high pressure to build as we look towards tuesday and into wednesday. when we speak of low pressure, that generally means unsettled weather, whereas high pressure is the opposite. that should bring something drier and brighter. it is unsettled over the next couple of days and the showers could bring a lot of rainfall over a short period of time with localised flooding. hopefully, by the middle of this coming week we will see something more settled. that is the forecast. stay safe. see you soon.

this is bbc news. i'm lucy hocking in tokyo on day 15 of the olympics. the headlines at 11.00am: they are beating the fill opinion wrestler in the boxing in the flow rates. tom daley taking the bronze in the ten metre platform diving, his second medal of the games. chinese athlete took the gold. in the last hour, two british men took the last hour, two british men took the silver for team the last hour, two british men took the silverfor team gb, with denmark taking the gold. i am ben, back in london with the other main news...

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