this is bbc news. the headlines: the eu has agreed to cut almost 90% of oil imports from russia by the end of the year, in their latest response to the invasion of ukraine. leaders will impose an immediate ban on more than two—thirds of russian oil imports after leaders spent weeks trying to resolve their differences over the proposal. they couldn't agree to a total ban as hungary was granted a exemption. the ukrainian president, volodymyr zelensky, says the situation in the eastern donbas region remains extremely difficult, as russian forces continue their offensive there. he said the russian army had gathered its maximum combat power to put more and more pressure on the defenders. the canadian government has proposed new legislation to crack down on the sale,

transfer and importation of handguns. the prime minister, justin trudeau, said there was no reason anyone needed guns in their everyday lives, except for hunting or sports shooting. ahead of the platinum jubilee celebrations this week, eight supersize images of queen elizabeth have been projected onto stonehenge, a prehistoric monument in the south west of england — and each image marks a decade of her reign. for many, the queen projects an enduring image of britishness around the world. in this jubilee week, our royal correspondent, daniela relph, looks at the queen's iconic public image. one of the most photographed and painted people in the world. sometimes a vivid presence in public life, orjust a quiet part of our everyday. being king or queen is an exclusive club. jordan's king abdullah is in a unique position to understand the pressures

and privilege of monarchy. his father, king hussein, became king in 1952, the same year as the queen's accession. a close family bond that continues today. when you look at her majesty, you look at consistency, and i think putting the moral bar at the highest point possible. again, if you look at 70 years of british history, you've had good days and bad days. her majesty, i think, was a beacon of light, of hope, and continues to be, i believe, for your nation and for many of us around the world. but for most of the past 70 years, the queen's public image has been largely unchanged, and tied to a sense of national identity. i think that the queen's presence makes britain kind of larger than it is because it has such a global attention. i mean, we don't care what the royals in the netherlands are like or are doing. we don't care what the king of spain is doing, you know, next week. we have no idea. but people are very, very involved with, invested

in, focused on what the british royal family are doing at any given point of the day. official photographs are the defining images of monarchy. for the goldenjubilee, the photographer rankin took this picture. he captured the queen laughing when he dropped some camera equipment — an unusual, off—guard official photo. when i was waiting in the throne room, where she knights people, i was watching her walk towards me with a footman, and they were laughing. i remember her walking through the door, and ifelt this incredible sort of wave of power. the power in the room. 70 years on the throne gives you that impact. from all angles, perhaps the most recognisable figure in public life. daniela relph, bbc news. now on bbc news, the travel show goes behind the scenes of a once—in—a—decade german passion play.

this week on the travel show, a resurrection in bavaria. i found the role of playing jesus to be very exhausting. every day after the play, you are really exhausted because it is a very demanding day. 50 years of interrail. very relevant today in terms of the greenness and sustainability, and also that wonderful thing — slow travel. and, a night in the best house in belfast. not only am i staying in the same house, i'm actually going to be sleeping in the very room that he had as a child.

this week, i'm in the capital city, belfast, recently the subject of a big feature film about the childhood of the actor, director kenneth granya, but i am here to find out more about another of the city's famous designs. you may guess who that is if you look at the statue behind me. first though, we're in germany to see an incredible, once—in—a—decade performance of a play staged by a whole village. in 163a, the people of 0berammergau recreated the suffering, death and resurrection of christ, in thanks for being spared from the plague. it is repeated every ten years,

and did so until coronavirus forced its abandonment in 2020. well, it's back and we went to bavaria to see it on its opening weekend. everyone in the village comes together. the youngest will be on stage and the oldest at 96 years old. everyone comes to the theatre, you get to know each other, their children grow into this tradition. it is a tradition that we have had almost 400 years, and that is something very special because it brings people together. if you are born here, or you stay here for years, you have a right to be a member of the play. i bring together. we're really all different groups. in the village, all people are together — a member of a church, even muslims, poor people,

rich people, i bring together all people. 2500 costumes made and designed, all of the 2500| costumes are made here . in our costume department, worked for two years on it. the fabrics are from all over the world. i we have lots of images to show from the old testament, - and so there is a lot _ of transformation of backstage we have to build. singing in german. our team of technicians are 40 people. -

the passion play are very important for 0berammergau. we have about 5500 people living here, and about 1300 people are playing with working here, and make everything around the theatre. we play 110 days, and we have about a half—million people visiting 0berammergau around this time. i play a singer in the choir for a0 days from this 110 days. it's hard for me as the mayor, because i have to really work much. my name is ursula burkart, i'm playing the part of claudia, the wife of pilate. i was three times mary, once mary magdalene. this is my home, i grew up with the passion play and it's important. it's a social meeting, it's important to be

part of this. you are very early affected to this. i mean, which child has the possibility to be part of it this year on a huge stage? of course, the role ofjesus is really exhausting. so we have over 100 plays, we play five times a week, and i play half of the plays. and every day after the play, you're really exhausted because it's a very demanding day. it's like a five—and—a—half hour play. you're 20 minutes on the cross, and you have a lot of text in the first part of the play. in the second part, it's more physically and it's, you know, it's very tough. my first remembrance to the passion play is when i was two years old. my father was a roman soldier

at this time and he was riding on a horse, and i with my grandfather out in the passion play theatre. in 2000, i wasjudas. in 2010 i was caiaphas, and now this time i am pontius pilate. it's such a small village, it's a big effort to put such a big play on the stage, and everybody is working together and it is a very special experience for everybody who takes part in the play. you could not do this every year, but every ten, it's ok. i work in the hotel, so the advantage is if people in the theatre indistinct so, i can go to the stage. - what i like about the play because it's not something old, it's important in our world today. the message ofjesus is universal. to be good to the others, to help those who are outside of the community, or he talks about poverty, he talks

about diseases, it talks about war. it points to the problems that we have today. i don't know if the role has changed me. i always try to be nice to others, but i don't know if i'm a better person, but i try. you can catch the passion play all the way through to october. and, if bavaria is on for the coming months, bear some of these things in mind. oktoberfest is back after a two—year hiatus. the wiesn, as it's known locally, started as a simple wedding celebration for bavarian royalty in 1810. it's now a major folk festival, attracting millions of visitors from across the world,

and sees over a million gallons of beer drunk each year. fancy putting on your lederhosen or dirndl? then make your way to munich any time between september 17 and october 3rd, later this year. til the cows come home as an annual festival that promises to keep the party going...until the cows come home, literally. each september in the bavarian alps, cattle are brought down to the villages from their mountain meadows. this traditional event is called viehscheid. the cows are treated like celebrities on the way back home to their owners. the locals dress up in traditional costumes and celebrate the event with oom—pah music, beer and traditionalfood. some of the best views are the fairytale—esque neuschwanstein castle can be seen from the marienbrucke bridge, however, the bridge has

been closed for over one year due to structural problems. but, good news is on the horizon as, this month, renovation works began and tourists can expect to check out the views again from this summer. still to come on the travel show: simon is here celebrating 50 years of the european interrail pass. there was the added attraction of night trains, which provided somewhere for you to rest your head, if not necessarily sleep as the train clattered across europe. waiting to receive was mighty best! and they say, "never meet your heroes," but what about sleeping in their beds? i am in belfast for a trip that ten—year—old mejust wouldn't have believed. i wonder what he would

have made of this? so, don't go away. from the arctic to the mediterranean, from the far west of ireland to the far east of turkey, for half a century, interrail has unlocked europe for millions of rail travellers. in 1972, widespread international travel was beyond the reach of the average european. the budget airlines were decades away. then, the international union of railways decided to celebrate its 50th anniversary by coming up with a special travel ticket for under 21s. pay £32 and you could wander almost anywhere you wanted on the railways of europe for a month!

interrail proved an instant success, opening up the countryside, the cities, the coasts of a continent for barely more than a return airfare between london and paris. for low—budget travellers, there was the added attraction of night trains, which provided somewhere for you to rest your head, if not necessarily sleep as the train clattered across europe. and perhaps because of spending endless days and nights on trains, not every interrailer was renowned for their impeccable personal hygiene. in 1972, when interrail began, steam trains weren't museum pieces as they are here at the bluebell railway in sussex. they were actually running scheduled services in parts of eastern europe, and even france. since then, of course, europe has had a revolution on the railways, with some expresses travelling at over 300 kilometres an hour.

and, interrail has been transformed as well, now open to anyone of any age. and, forget the old paper pass, interrail now comes as a smart phone app. but, before you jump on—board, here are some things to look out for. the fastest trains in italy, spain and france require you to pre—book a seat, and pay a supplement of 10 euros 01’ more. yes, even though you have already got a interrail pass. and, since brexit, the 3—1 pass could push the british traveller slightly over than multi—day limit for the so—called schengen area. using as much as you legally could would mean no visit to those countries for 90 days, before or afterwards. depending on where you're going, interrail could prove a false country.

in eastern europe, portugal, and on the classic trains of europe, ordinary tickets are very cheap. and, in luxembourg, all public transport is free. so, how to make the most often interrail pass? i'm going to meet the railway historian and writer, christian wolmar. christian, i give you a interrail pass valid for one month — the traditional, original interrail. where are you going to go? oh, i am going to the farther reaches of eastern europe, you know, into kind of deep forest, you would probably see some bears. you'll go to the back end of romania, the odd places in bulgaria — all those places which, you know, were closed to us until the fall of the berlin wall, and are still somewhat mysterious. we're celebrating the 50th anniversary of interrail, but isn't itjust a bit

of railway nostalgia? very relevant today and terms of the greenness, the sustainability, and also that wonderful thing ? slow travel. you know, we don't want to kind of have to rush everywhere, go to some ghastly airport. whereas, on the train, you go there slowly, and the scenery changes gradually, the weather changes gradually, and you get there feeling good. for me, the greatest virtue of interrail is serendipity — making things up as you go along, changing your plans on a whim or a whispered recommendation from a fellow train traveller. i'll be back on the rails of europe this summer and i hope to see you on board. to end this week, i'm in belfast, the capital of northern ireland, on a pilgrimage to visit the childhood home of

a bit of a hero of mine. he was among the �*60s biggest sporting stars, so influential that one of the city's airports is actually named after him. it's wet and it's gloomy but this is where one of the world's greatest ever footballers, george best, honed his skills. here in northern ireland, the saying goes maradona good, pele better, george best. waiting to receive was mighty best. he simply walked the ball into the net! cheering and applause what a goal! united in the lead! he was a key part of the iconic manchester united team that in 1968 became the first english side to win the european cup. ..president of the european union football association handed it over. and off the pitch, he wasjust as famous for his glamorous, hard—partying lifestyle

which led to the nickname the fifth beatle. george best had changed sides. and it all began here, in belfast�*s cregagh estate, where fans now have the chance to stay at his childhood home. hello, you must be peter. iam. welcome to george best's house. come on on in. thank you very much. wow! so, this is the main room. uh-huh. the bests would have lived in this house from 19118, so we've recently put the house back to as it would've been in 1961, when george first went over to manchester as a 15—year—old in search of fame and fortune. so, that's his mother. yes, the photograph, then, shows george with his mother, annie, and this photograph was taken on his parent's 25th silver wedding anniversary,

so they would've been stood in this very room. i mean, this is a 20th—century legend, icon and he would've been here and this picture was there. wow. how easy was it to source this kind of furniture? just came from a number of sources, local charity shops, antique dealers, etc. the bests were the only family to live in this house. george's mother ann died in 1978 but his father, dickie, lived here for 60 years, until his death in 2008. so, this is the kitchen. this is the kitchen, yes. again, done as it would've been in 1961. it's very much retro—fied, so we have the belfast sink here and even the modern units like the fridge—freezer have got a retro feel about them. wow! this isn't from 1961, though, is it? no, you can eat those and be safe.

the house was bought by a local non—profit group called eastside partnership and, in its new retro—furnished state, is now available as a holiday rental. so, all of the proceeds that we get from the use of this house are used to support other community projects in east belfast. tourists have come here and tell me what their reaction has been like. oh, the reaction�*s been fantastic. a lot of manchester united fans would stay here, but also just local people who just want the opportunity to see the house and stay in the house as well. so, peter's gone and here i am. this retro stuff is incredible. i mean, this was a guy who i'd pretty well worshipped as a child so to be in his house — this shrine, really — it's throwing me, to be honest with you.

this year, the partnership has introduced an audio tour, featuring memories from george's sister barbara. when mum and dad first moved in, it was much smaller... but peter has gone one better for my stay and organised a visit from barbara herself... there's a picture there. ..together with george's childhood friend robin. that's me. yeah? yeah. and there is you—know—who. what do you think, barbara, of the idea that people can come here and stay the night? mmm. in his later years, george suffered a very public battle with alcoholism. but up until his death in 2005, this house was always a refuge.

16 burren way here in the cregagh estate was where he was brought up and this was where he felt safe. we tried to protect him, and george knew that when he came here, he wasn't open to the media scrutiny that he would have been across the water — isn't that right, barbara? yes, yes, yes, yes. he felt safe, yeah. yes. light globe buzzes right, well, it's night—time and it feels a bit intrusive but, anyway, this is obviously one of the bedrooms that the family lived in. but not only am i staying in the same house, i'm actually going to be sleeping in the very room that he had as a child. it's a kind of medium—sized room, the kind of room that any 12—year—old, 13—year—old boy

would have, i guess. i wonder what he would've made of this. hopefully, he would've found it quite funny. right, it's time for me to get some sleep, although i'm not completely tired yet. i need some reading material. and i think this should do the trick. goodnight. well, i've got to be honest, that was a peculiar experience and waking up this morning was like being in a time warp. very strange. but looking ahead, it looks like we've got another great programme coming up next week. as queen elizabeth celebrates 70 years on the throne, i'm at scotland's

balmoral castle. 1853, queen victoria laid the foundation stone, and this is when they started the build of the balmoral castle that we have today. i think someone described it as a piece of bavaria plunked into the middle of the scottish forestland? exactly! so please do try and join us for that. and don't you can follow our travel show social media accounts on facebook and twitter, and catch up with past episodes on the iplayer. right now, i'm tempted to see if any of that... bestia magic has worn off on me and have a little kick about in the garden. but until next week, from me and everyone else here in belfast, it's goodbye.

hello there. the week has started with plenty of heavy showers. the big question mark is around how many of those heavy showers will remain by the end of week for the platinumjubilee. we will talk more about that at the moment, but we start with a look back at the recent satellite picture. shower clouds rotating on top of the uk, underneath an area of low pressure, which stays with us through tuesday, so there will be further showers — this frontal system being the risk of more persistent rain in northern ireland. quite a chilly start of the morning and there will be some spells and sunshine around, but some showers from the word go. and those will develop quite widely into the afternoon and some will be heavy, some will be thundery. parts of wales in the south—west could dry out a little bit towards the end of the day. sunshine — 17 degrees for cardiff and plymouth. cooler for the north and 12 in newcastle. 11 for aberdeen. and this band of cloud will bring some rain across northern ireland through the evening. that then moving to the irish

sea, across the isle of man, and south—west scotland, as well north—west england and parts of wales, as we head into wednesday morning. elsewhere, some clear spells and one or two showers on wednesday, again, getting off to a relatively chilly start in some places. no prizes for guessing — wednesday is another sunshine and showers day, but the showers increasingly will become focused across central and eastern parts of the uk. out towards the west, not as many showers, more in the way of sunshine. and with more sunshine, generally, temperatures will be a little bit higher — 17, 18, maybe 19 degrees. then, getting into the start of the long weekend, for thursday on the face of it, things don't look too bad, plenty of sunshine, one or two rogue showers. this cloud in the frontal system does threaten to introduce some rain into northern ireland to the afternoon. where we do get sunshine, it will be warmer.

temperatures between 18—21 degrees. some headaches then on the forecast for the weekend. this frontal system pushing up to the north—west. this broad low to the south could throw some into southern england by the world as we had to saturday and into sunday. the big question mark is about how many showers we will see. the chance is certainly there. that said, it should often be dry and where we see some sunshine, it will feel fairly warm.

this is bbc news: i'm david eades. our top stories. european union leaders agree further sanctions against russia over its invasion of ukraine, but stop short of imposing a total ban on russian oil. the battle for donbas, we report from the frontline as russian forces close in on ukraine's eastern region. this might all simply bejust in case. a contingency plan. but if the russians do blast their way through, they are going to need it. justin trudeau proposes new laws to crack down on on the sale, transfer and importation of handguns in canada.

and stonehenge is lit with pictures of queen elizabeth