it needs to be banksy. for now, from alan from alton broad have seen the artist actually at work. i was walking along the path - and there were two guys with high visjackets in the incidence of scaffolding obviously i there and i thought they were doing something to the bridge. _ and so, i never questioned it, l just walked past and i should've stopped and looked, really. but you just don't, do you. no word yet from the bristol based artist with some suggesting that that is because he's too busy enjoying his staycation nation in the region. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor there is news of something drier on the horizon.

as thunderstorms continue. more in the way of outbreaks across rome in england and wales, some of the sheraton scotland, northern ireland and england continue, in scotland at the far north of england, clear skies where we have seen the best in the sunshine, north west scotland, central and northern england to begin with and some will stay dry emissaries through tomorrow but the northern half of the country seems more showers and thunderstorms develop, and after any rain in southern counties of england and wales, it is back to a blustery day with a mixture of sunny skies followed by the stompers. temperatures may be lifting a bit on recent days. into tuesday, high—pressure bills and, if you are short on the map, more will be there across parts of central and northern scotland, that is where the heaviest will be put through england and wales, a lot more in the way of drier and brighter weather and temperature are slowly starting to pick up. see you soon.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. another provincial capital in afghanistan falls to the taliban as they continue to make ferocious assaults against key northern cities a province like kunduz doesn't continually fall to the taliban by accident. you know, there is a lot of bad governance and a lot of bad decisions along the way that can lead to that. after more than two weeks of thrilling sporting action — the tokyo olympic games end with a spectacular closing ceremony team gb end the games with 22 gold medals —— as jason kenny's cycling gold makes him the country's most decorated olympian. thousands flee their homes in greece as forest fires burn out of control. the country faces its most intense heatwave in more than 30 years. new analysis suggests up to 14 million people could be on nhs waiting lists in england by next autumn

the argentine football star lionel messi is emotional as he confirms that he is leaving barcelona after twenty years at the club, and has reportedly received an offer worth 25 million from paris st germain now on bbc news, there's another chance to enjoy the first part of rajan datar�*s epic journey 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 all 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! 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 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 — ok! 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 1946 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 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 make junagadh 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. the nawab preserved large tracts of this forest and banned 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 for future generations. hello. pretty intense showers but there is some space slightly better news. the starter turned a bit warmer too. to get rid of the city of low pressure,

it still was into the night and into tomorrow. still some showers around and with the system pushing across southern counties of england in south wales. what or whether to take us through the night in the shadows keep going across scotland and northern ireland and also into shetland. between those areas, temperatures could drop the single figures for one or two spots particularly across the highlands but double figures in the early teen temperatures to start monday morning. nice and clean the southeast, randall clear way but showers across. and once again, close area of low pressure further north and thunderstorms will blossom and become more numerous through the day and those will be across the eastern half of scotland, temperatures in the sunshine should actually start to feel a bit more pleasant and a few more places above 28 degrees. monday sees the shower continue for a time but then starts to fade that's because low pressures on the move, pushing toward scandinavia and along this ridge of high pressure to building and don't

too excited, blue skies across the board and those to be wanted to showers around on tuesday but, more places will be dry and the greatest chance and heavy showers and thunderstorms across parts of central and northern scotland, notice with more dry weather around, light winds and temperatures start to climb close to where you want for this time of year. as you go to the midweek behind preciousness to build an area of low pressure pushing in from the west but this is where the front yet stud to bring some rain across northern ireland westin scotland, it does induce a subtle air flow scotland, it does induce a subtle airflow bringing scotland, it does induce a subtle air flow bringing slightly more worn across the eastern half of the country in particular we have the best of the sunshine on wednesday and temperatures in eastern areas turning hazy from the west without bricks of rain on northern ireland and when states west of scotland and really do need the rain in the highlands so it is on the way in the could be welcome news for you but in the sunshine to the south and east we could hit 2425 degrees. that will continue in the southeast the rest of the week into the weekend, some rain at times in the northwest but

overall it dry and narrow.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. another provincial capital in afghanistan falls to the taliban as they continue to make ferocious assaults against key northern cities. a province like kunduz doesn't continually fall to the taliban by accident. you know, there is a lot of bad governance and a lot of bad decisions along the way that can lead to that. after more than two weeks of thrilling sporting action — the tokyo olympic games end with a spectacular closing ceremony. team gb end the games with 22 gold medals, as jason kenny's cycling gold makes him the country's most decorated olympian. thousands flee their homes in greece as forest fires burn out of control. the country faces its most intense heatwave in more than 30 years.