and support us, so we really do appreciate it, it's vital. betty's no stranger to danger, she's already done four wing walks, herfirst aged 87, and she's abseiled down cheltenham's tallest building. and once betty was strapped into the harness today, she was ready to go again. it looked exhilarating, and betty was even keen to do aerobatics. then, before too long, she was safely back on the ground. it was great, yeah, it was great. yeah, it was a bit... at the top there, but yeah, i enjoyed it! i don't know who was more scared, her or me, but once we got herup there... i think she's an amazing lady, absolutely incredible. we think betty has set a new world record as the oldest wing—walker to loop—the—loop. and she's not ruling out another go next year, either.

will glennon, bbc news. that was brilliant from start to finish, well done, betty. let's take a look at the weather. hello. the sunshine continues this afternoon across the southern half of the uk. again, no rain in the forecast. a bit more cloud, though, through the afternoon in parts of north wales, north midlands, northern england. a small chance of a shower. isolated shower in northern ireland but brightening up. and brightening up too across mainland scotland compared with the morning, although further rain at times in the far north and a brisk wind. a wetter afternoon in orkney and shetland compared with this morning. temperatures a little bit down on where we should be for this stage in august. highest, though, across the south. still pretty warm in that sunshine, 22—25 degrees. through this evening and overnight further rain at times across the northern half of scotland in particular. most other parts dry with some clearer skies across england and wales. could get down into the mid—single figures in the countryside once again. but a milder night. and a milder start tomorrow

for scotland and northern ireland. a fair bit of cloud here to begin with, patchy rain or drizzle, especially in western scotland through the day. brighter, slightly warmer day through north and north—east scotland. more sunshine to come the further south you are and again it will feel warm in that sunshine with temperatures climbing into the mid 20s. hello. this is bbc news. i'm lewis vaughanjones and these are the headlines... israel carries out air strikes on gaza. palestinian militants fire rockets in return. it's in the worst escalation of violence there in more than a year. "broken and devastated" — the british parents of 12—year—old archie battersbee say all legal routes to try and keep their son alive have been exhausted. they're preparing for his life support to be switched off. russia and ukraine accuse each other of shelling europe's biggest nuclear power plant. there are warnings of possible dispersal of radioactive particles. the us conspiracy theorist

alexjones is ordered to pay nearly $50 million in damages, afterfalsely claiming the sandy hook school shooting was a hoax. in the uk, the two candidates trying to become the next prime minister set out their plans to deal with forecasts of an economic downturn. chinese fighter jets fly close to taiwan's coastline, as beijing halts co—operation with the us on key issues including climate change. now on bbc news, the travel show. in the past few decades, the skyline of doha, qatar's capital city, has changed beyond recognition. the discovery of oil in the 1930s, and then natural gas in the early 1970s, marked a seismic change

in the fortunes of qatar. and at a turbocharged pace, qatar's hopes, dreams and buildings have risen high above the desert sands. since this small but mighty gulf nation won the right to host the fifa world cup back in 2010, it has spent billions on state—of—the—art stadia and infrastructure. and with the first match set to kick off this november, all eyes will be on qatar as it makes history, becoming the first ever middle eastern country to host the world cup. and i am here to meet some real players, both on and off the pitch. i asked someone here how much each of these were worth, and his answer was "priceless".

this is the perspective that players will have as they walk out onto the game for the first match of the tournament here at the al bayt stadium. and this may be historic, but for some it is also a controversial world cup. what we sometimes suffer from as a country, that people actually would makejudgements without actually listening to the other side, or actually try to search for the truth before they make their own opinion.

it's hard to believe how far and how fast qatar has developed. but this is a place that has always relished defying expectations. roughly the same size as yorkshire in the united kingdom, qatar is a mainly desert landscape, surrounded by the gulf on three sides. it hasn't been the easiest of places to prosper. historically it was the arduous task of pearl—diving that was qatar's main economy — until, that is, the discovery of oil and gas. oil workers arriving in the 1940s brought with them a game to play in their spare time. that sport has now brought the focus of the world to qatar. and that game was the

beautiful game — football. as hosts, qatar qualified automatically for the world cup. they will make their first ever appearance at the tournament. almoez ali is a striker for the qatar national team, and he hopes to become a household name when the competition kicks off this november. he says qatar may be seen as underdogs, but thinks this is a side who should not be written off just yet.

in december 2021, qatar hosted the fifa arab cup. using the new world cup stadia, this competition acted as a warm—up for this year's big tournament. and the qatar national team actually won the third—place play—off. from a personal level, what was it like to play in the arab cup?

when qatar first won the world cup bid, critics pointed to its lack of footballing tradition. but almoez ali believes the dream of playing in a world cup is a universal dream for every footballer across the world. but what else does qatar have to offer? well, you don't have to drive far out of the city of doha for the roads to end and the sands to begin.

explorers from across time talk about the arabian desert as a place of hardship. 0h! some, like the 1930s adventurer bertram thomas, even went as far as to call it the "abode of death". qatar had a long and proud history before discovering oil and gas, and it was learning to cope with this hot and harsh environment that helped to shape the country for those who call the desert home. living here, they carved out their culture, instilled their traditions and created the nomad lifestyle. people who would come to be known as the bedouin.

temperatures can reach as high as 50 degrees celsius in qatar during the summer months. in the winter, when the weather is cooler, mohammad al—ghethani and his family build traditional bedouin tents in the desert to get back to their roots. why is it important for you to do this? so, qatar today is very different to how it was when the bedouins were, like you were talking, were in the desert. how can bedouin culture connect with modern qatar?

if it's a real taste of bedouin culture you want to experience, thenjanuary hosts a month—long falcon festival called marmi. if you had to compare being a spectator at a football match and a spectator here, how similar are they?

this is more exciting than football? yes. ali al—mehsadi organises the festival and tells me that falconry is more than just a hobby here, it is a way of life, and it's recognised by unesco as living human heritage. one of the most popular events at marmi sees the falconer and falcons getting in touch with their bedouin past.

over a two—kilometre distance, each falcon hunts a pigeon, replicating days gone by when falcons were used to help hunt for food in the desert. the festival is broadcast to a national tv audience and has impressive prizes ranging from brand—new cars to huge amounts of prize money. with so much at stake, marmi is a one—stop shop for all your falconry needs, from gps trackers to remote planes, used to teach falcons their craft. and it is even a place to train the falconers themselves. bite it with my mouth? yes. wow, so i put my mouth here... close it, yes. and same one, right hand...

laughs. 0k, again, again. after the birds retire from competition, they are kept by their falconer or released into the wild to breed. during their career, a top falcon can be worth up toi million qatari riyals, which works out roughly at £200,000. bite, bite, more, more! 0k. finished. done it! i am a successful falcon handler! how do you know that the falcon is happy and healthy? this one, same as my son. this one is the same one from my family. i like this one, i give him everything, i take care about this falcon. when he is sick i take him to the emergency hospital or something, to be checked this one, what has happened. because i take care about this falcon, the same i take

care about my children. after arriving back at the city of doha, it was as if i had spent too long in the hot desert sun. i was greeted with what seemed to be a mirage. a herd of almost identical white arabian horses running around in front of me. i asked someone here how much each of these were worth, and his answer was "priceless". established by the ruling royal family, this world—class equestrian centre, al shaqab, is built on the site of a battle which took place in 1893 between the bedouins and the ottomans. the battle would eventually lead to qatar's independence and was won thanks to the speed

and bravery of the arabian horse. the vision of this place is simple — to breed and train arabian horses in their homeland to win a whole host of equestrian competitions across the globe. these purebreds, like al sakr here, are essentially treated like sporting superstars. nothing but the best for them! across the water from the corniche�*s towering skyscrapers is the souq waqif. its mud—rendered buildings and labyrinthine streets act as a juxtaposition to the state—of—the—art construction projects happening around it. but this is the beating heart of doha. over the centuries, merchants would sail straight into this place where the sea

lapped at its stone streets, or they crossed miles of desert to meet others and sell their wares, and that's the role it still plays today. and even the camels have stuck around! this place is as traditional as it gets in qatar. in a conservative and somewhat male—dominated society, chef shams al-qassabi is a trailblazer. shams is the souq waqif�*s first ever businesswoman and she made her mark by opening her restaurant, shay al—shoomos, selling

authentic qatari cuisine. 0h! you can taste the lemon. mmm. mmm! spicy! mmm! wow! strong! it has a tang. oh, i like this! oh, if you're giving me some more, i will have some more! thank you. the taste is so distinctive. her food's pretty tasty, but don'tjust

take my word for it — the walls of her restaurant are a who's who notjust of qatari culture, but international supermodels... gisele. ah, gisele, the supermodel? yes! ..hollywood stars... she is saying that this is my qatari mother. wow. ..and football legends. david beckham. this is number one! very good. he very, very nice. very good, yes. and friendly. is he handsome? gentleman. is he handsome? you would think he's handsome? nice! his manners. yes, this is very... she is like, "why are you asking about this?" i'm very shallow! i'm like this. i just care about looks! the world cup stadia are a perfect example of where old meets new,

from designs inspired by boats from qatar's pearl fishing days to a whole stadium made to look like a giant traditional headdress. and the opening match of the competition will be played here, at the 60,000—seater al bayt stadium. this is the perspective the players will have as they walk out onto the game for the first match of the tournament here at the al bayt stadium. perfect, pristine conditions. it is inspired by the bedouin tent, and, like in the past, i mean, like, this is, i mean, usually people who are living in the desert, when they welcome their guest, you can see, i mean, they would host them, they would have, like, the bonfire and, you know, welcome them, and for us, i mean, like, choosing it to be the opening of the world cup, it has this symbolic, because this is where the arab usually would be welcoming their guest. the stadium has

almost everything a fan or player could hope for. temperatures may be cooler when things kick off here in november, but in case it gets a bit too hot, there's air conditioning, notjust in the stands, but on the pitch itself. meaning that the temperature on the pitch will be a very comfortable 19 to 21 degrees. one of the first things the players will see when they arrive here is this mural. look closely and you'll see it's made up of faces of workers who helped to build this stadium. qatari nationals make up less than 15% of the country's population, so the economy relies heavily on workers from abroad. and one dark cloud hanging over the build—up to this event has been press reports about the deaths of migrant workers involved in the construction of the world cup sites. and although the qatari authorities strongly dispute the figures, they say that the world cup has been a catalyst

to push through reforms. looking at a young country, and even when you want to change policy and procedures, and even when you put the policy and procedures, the implementation of it, it's a journey and you can see like there is progress happening when it comes to their accommodation, to their wage — protection of their wages, as well as, like, i mean now, i mean with the abolishing of the kafala law, people can actually change jobs and we have introduced like a new minimum wage in the country, so there has been progress. always actually take constructive criticism on board. there is more room to actually progress, but i mean, like, i do believe this is — will be one of the biggest social legacies of the world cup. they're expecting over a million fans to attend this year's world cup, but some people ask — will everybody be welcome? for us, i mean, like, everyone is welcome and what we actually ask people is to respect our culture and our tradition. i mean, public displays of affection, whether it's

heterosexual or it was — or homosexual, it's something people frown upon here in qatar, so what we will ask people going to come and enjoy the game, and at the same time, actually respect the local custom and tradition of the country. last year's arab cup proved that qatar knew how to host a major sporting event. but what about the fans who like to cheer on their team with a drink in hand? first, i mean, alcohol is not a part of our culture, but hospitality is. alcohol is available in a licensed hotel and during the tournament, there will be a designated area where people can — who would want to actually consume alcohol — can actually watch a football match and have a drink. away from the news reports is a whole nation of people waiting in anticipation to see what will happen when the biggest football tournament on earth

arrives on qatar's shores later this year. and i, for one, want to know what it means to those who call this country home.

hello. if you're on your summer holidays across the southern half of the uk this weekend, you're probably loving the weather, but if you're after some rainfall, maybe not so much. that rain once again limited to parts of scotland with most places staying dry. that shows up on our rainfall charts

for how much is mounting up over the next five days. chiefly across scotland and even then mainly towards the north and west. notice no blue on the chart for england and wales, it stays dry, not just for the next five days but potentially well beyond that. as for the rainfall today, easing off to parts of western scotland compared with the morning. we'll have further rain at times this afternoon on the blustery wind spreading into 0rkney and shetland. the odd shower elsewhere here, northern ireland. a bit more cloud through northern england, north wales and north midlands. the sunniest in the south, highest temperature, 22—25. some a little bit cooler than we expect at this stage in august. through this evening and overnight, it will turn quite fresh again across england and wales under clear skies. a little bit of cloud here and there. more cloud, though, across scotland. further rain and drizzle, especially across the west. temperatures, though, holding up here and in northern ireland tonight, but the blue, the green colours across parts of wales, the midlands, south west, indicating temperatures in single figures again to start tomorrow, but another dry and sunny day for much of england and wales. varying amounts of cloud. a bit more cloud to cumbria,

northumberland, southern and western scotland. west of scotland, some further light rain or drizzle. that'll stop the temperatures rising a little bit. but elsewhere starting to lift up a touch. and a brighter, slightly warmer day across parts of the north and north—east of scotland. but it's the north and north—west of scotland for monday where we get to see more in the way of rain. a bit of patchy cloud clearing up for england and wales. most places dry, sunny, and with winds going in a south—westerly direction it will start to feel warmer more widely with temperatures into the 20s. maybe 27, 28, 29 degrees towards some southern counties of england. that slightly warmer air has been pushing in off the atlantic as we go into the start of next week. around an area of high pressure. high pressure sits with us, the air stagnates, dry on the ground, sunshine overhead. it starts to warm up day by day. certainly scotland, northern ireland, a little bit sunnier and warmer than the weekjust gone. the far north of england seeing those temperatures creep up into the mid if not high 20s. the further south you are, though, we could actually get back into heatwave territory again with temperatures in the high 20s, low 30s, and certainly the return of warmer nights.

bye for now.

this is bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. the headlines... israel carries out air strikes on gaza. palestinian militants fire rockets in return. it's in the worst escalation of violence there in more than a year. explosions are heard in gaza this morning after israel's military says its operation against a palestinian group could last for days. "broken and devasted." the british parents of 12—year—old archie battersbee say all legal routes to try and keep their son alive have been exhausted. they're preparing for his life support to be switched off. russia and ukraine accuse each other of shelling europe's biggest nuclear power plant. there are warnings of possible dispersal of radioactive particles.

the us conspiracy theorist — alexjones — is ordered to pay