this is bbc news. the headlines: president volodymyr zelenzky says ukrainian troops are making rapid and powerful advances against russian forces. in his nightly video address, he asserted that in the past week alone, dozens of settlements had been recaptured in the south and east. he also acknowledged that both sides have suffered losses. twitter has confirmed that the world's richest man, elon musk, is going through with his bid to buy the company. mr musk had previously tried to back out of the deal, citing an unexpectedly high number of fake accounts. twitter shares were suspended following news of the reactivated proposal. musicians and fans pay tribute to the american country music star loretta lynn, who's

died at the age of 90. now on bbc news, the travel show. coming up on this week's show, we're day—tripping across the uk. and through here, and this way... oh, good boy! so, let's go.

with autumn coming into full swing here in the uk, summer seems like a distant memory with its record high temperatures and a bounceback in tourism, after two years of stop—start travel restrictions. well, earlier this year, we dropped in on some of the uk's top attractions and destinations, meeting the people getting as excited about travel again and hearing how they've had to adapt to survive. if you were watching last week, you will have seen how inverness in the far north of scotland is sprucing up their castle and how local businesses adapted to meet changing demands. but this week, we're looking back at what the story was in england, wales and northern ireland, starting with that great northern powerhouse and football and cultural hub, manchester. so, this is no ordinary taxi ride. hello! so, i have organised the weather for you today as well, not that i needed

to because it's always sunny in manchester. so, if you book with you, there is guaranteed sunshine? guaranteed sunshine. good to know. so, i've asked for a route that traces the history of the city to see how it's shaped the manchester that we know today. i won't spoil the tour, but the city's been a hotbed of innovative thinkers. it's where the suffragettes movement was born. it's where the duke of bridgewater brought canals, which cut the price of coal in half, spurring manchester to be the world's first industrial city. and it's where karl marx formed his ideas for the communist manifesto at this very spot, which happens to be in the world's oldest english—speaking library. even people from manchester don't realise that you can come in here and actually soak up the atmosphere, isn't it? so it's definitely worth booking an appointment and coming here.

come on, cat, are you ready for part two? oh, wow, look at this! you look so excited. i don't know which one i want to start with first! i was thinking about how i can do something different. maybe people were nervous about being in crowds or being in places where there was a lot of people, that the afternoon tea taxi tour would be ideal because you're all encapsulated in the back of the taxi, it's proved really popular. i have to pinch myself sometimes. �*cause how was it as a taxidriver during lockdown? it was really, really difficult. and as a tour guide as well, there was no tourists, and it's just starting to come back again now as the restrictions start to end. so, you think this is something you're going to continue then? i'm definitely going to continue it, yeah. before the pandemic, manchester was the third most visited city in the uk after london and edinburgh by international visitors. and one huge draw is its iconic music scene. famous bands to have come out of manchester? stone roses.

oasis. the smiths. simply red. elbow. 0k, love elbow. ah, really? but to find the bands of tomorrow, the northern quarter is where to go. it's home to some of the city's liveliest music venues. so i've come to night & day cafe. over the years, it's gained legendary status for showcasing big—named bands in their early days. just doing the sound checks. what was it like to suddenly play in front of a live audience again? kind of strange at first, wasn't it? but... yeah, it was quite — i remember being really i'iei’vous. we're going to check the drums. it's definitely picking up. - it's different, isn't it, now? i think people are more i confident to come out now and stand in crowds, - which there wasn't before. and it's that return of confidence in people that's breathing life back into venues like this. i'll be back laterfor the gig. but there's one more

thing i need to do. so, i'm no football expert, but i do know that it was here in manchester that the first professional football league was set up back in 1888. i've been told if you can't make a game, it's well worth doing a stadium tour. first, before we begin, how many of us are from manchester? two people! that's a big group that's not come from manchester! football is undoubtedly the city's biggest cultural export, with hundreds of millions of fans either supporting man united or man city globally. not that anyone would openly admit supporting the former here. is this the best bit so far? definitely. go on, then — which is yourfavourite one? theyjust got all the kids to line up at the top of the tunnel and walk out through the pitch side. it's so cute. did you just walk through the tunnel? yeah. how was it? um...it was fun.

i actually kind of felt like a footballer. �*cause that's my dream job — to be a footballer. how long have you wanted to walk through that tunnel? nine years almost. nine years? yeah. �*cause it�*s your birthday, right? yes, it�*s my birthday on monday. ok, so is this the best birthday present? probably, yeah. best birthday present i�*ve ever had by a mile. mum, don�*t cry! time to get back to see the gig as it wouldn�*t be a complete day in manchester if you didn�*t experience some of its famous nightlife. manchester is definitely springing back from a very tough few years. but what struck me most is how proud the mancunians are of their city. a cultural hot spot of the north. well, after my day out in manchester, for a complete

change of pace, i headed off over the pennines into staffordshire for the ultimate thrillseeker�*s day out. hello from alton towers, the largest theme park in the uk. now, it�*sjust opened for the season without any government restrictions in place, and although it�*s been around for over a0 years, i have a confession to make — this is my first time here. so, let�*s go! sprawling over 900 acres, this was once the residence of the earls of shrewsbury. and being a theme park novice, i�*ve enlisted some help. we�*re about to do the three rides that they�*ve got up on the stratosphere. shawn sanbrooke is a full—time roller—coaster vlogger with a lot of followers. no worries! are you a celebrity? i wouldn�*t say that. ijust love theme parks, i love sharing my adventures. but it�*s all good fun. i love it.

i think i can guess what we�*re going to go on, but just confirm it. we are going on nemesis! nemesis is a classic, and is europe�*s first ever inverted coaster. it also happens to be shawn�*s favourite. it�*s an aggressive start to the day. screaming shawn, why do you love this so much?! screaming that is my first ride. it�*s intense, but it�*s great. i love it so much. four times you go upside down on that ride. that was pretty fun actually. it was fun. that�*s a great photo, that. it�*s strange to think it was only a short time ago attractions like this fell silent. but this is a place that has a long history

of embracing change. before it was a theme park, its main attraction was its gardens. during lockdown, it was an opportunity to get people back out into some fresh air, so we were able to clear some of the pathways that were not necessarily used previously, and people could come back to alton towers and revisit it as, you know, its intended purpose for a great garden. and for a little bit of escapism too. of course, yeah, because obviously, the earl shrewsbury wanted to collect all of these elements from around the world. we�*ve got the dutch gardens behind us, the pagoda fountain, which was eastern in origin, we�*ve got grecian mixed in with the gothic architecture of the time. well, the gardens have been perfect to change the pace. but with over a0 rides and attractions, i better cross a few more off my list. i�*ve been told there�*s one ride i simply have to try.

it�*s called the smiler, and it�*s even collected its own following of super fans that cosplay in the colours of the ride. guys, you look fantastic. thank you! um...so, tell me about smiler. i first saw the ride and i was just completely awestruck. from then on, itjust became a big massive obsession, and now i...this is how i dress daily now! i started a, like, a group. you started this website and that�*s how you all became friends, because you organised... yeah! ..to meet up here! this is the first time we've met up with each other. . yeah! oh, really? yeah! this has been a long time coming then. oh, yeah! so, i�*m still not sure if i want to commit to this ride. it�*s the world�*s first iii—loop roller—coaster and promises to challenge both your body and your mind.

meet instagramer roller coaster rachel and her ten—year—old daughter sapi who is yet to ride the smiler. but is she finally tall enough? we think so, if we�*ve checked right! we hope so, yeah, we hope so. yeah, we�*ve been checking at home, marking her off on the wall! well, now i have no excuse. wish us luck. this is scary. screaming yeah! after my day here, i can see places like this mean more to people than thrill seeking alone.

i work in healthcare, i work in elderly care, and it was quite tough during lockdown and things, so to be able just to come back, it was amazing. i class alton towers as my little piece of heaven on earth, that�*s how it makes me feel. but one thing that became clear during all those months of lockdown and travel restrictions was just how much everyone values open spaces and fresh air, which is why a while back, we sent lucy to the heart of rural mid wales to find out how covid helped to create a totally new outdoor experience. the national park is home to over a thousand farms largely dedicated to livestock. and with over 250,000 visitors a year, one particularly savvy farmer has developed an interesting business model — trekking with sheep. he�*s checking me out,

he�*s just checking — he�*s checking i�*m all good. his problem is he can�*t really see very well because his hair is so long, it�*s in his face. meet patches, my new pal for the afternoon. do you want more food? i need to prove that i�*m your friend. oh, it feels really weird on my hand! you�*ve got a very warm tongue there, patches. come on. patches, you can have more food in a moment. the plan is to follow a trail around the farm with my fluffy companion. he�*s pretty obedient. sometimes he kind of veers to the left or right and i feel like i�*m the one being walked. it turns out to be trickier than it looks. come on, patches. come on. so, nicola, since lockdown, have you seen demand for this experience growing? yeah, so a lot of people want to be outside in the open air. this experience, because we are

able to be distanced, there isn�*t so much pressure on that, and people just enjoy being with the sheep and being able to stroke the sheep and actually being able to be physically be around them, whereas normally, theyjust see them in the fields and they run away. when we first opened, it was quite slow. we didn�*t really have that many people. i think people were a bit wary. they were a bit, like, "hmm, really? walking sheep?" never — not actually heard of that before. we started it because it was similar to alpaca trekking, but with sheep, it�*s more native, and we ourselves were used to looking after sheep, whereas alpacas were something a bit different and a bit scary. now, before i head off, nicola says she�*s got one more surprise in store. welcome to wales�*s very own crufts—inspired goat agility training course. so, the easiest one to start with is probably this one.

they come out, then you can give them a little bit of food, and then they�*ll walk down the other side. all righty. up you go. come on, you can do it. you can do it! climb, climb, yeah! yay! here we go. well done! this way. ..good boy. i�*m getting tangled. yeah! and through here...and this way. oh, good boy! so, how did you start with these agility courses? we�*ve seen dogs do agility, we�*ve actually seen pony and horse agility, and we�*ve seen some videos on youtube of people doing sheep agility, and we thought we�*ll have a go. goats — why not? so...and goats love to climb. yes. they love to just jump and just cause havoc. as we saw...yeah! so, we thought why not have a go and see whether they enjoy

it, and they seem to love climbing things. yeah, i was gonna say — they do seem to really enjoy this. they really do. and they�*re learning as well. exactly. these guys are only about 16 weeks old now. they haven�*t been doing it that long, so it�*s all new to them and they�*re just loving every minute of it, really. yeah. so, what�*s the purpose? obviously, you know, you said to me they�*re learning, they�*re learning skills, but do they compete? no. not yet — not yet! we haven�*t seen any goat agility competitions yet. yeah, yeah. there�*s always a first for everything. exactly, exactly. maybe we�*ll enter in some dog agility with the goats. i�*m sure we�*ll get some funny looks there. lucy there in the beautiful brecon beacons. well, for our last adventure, i cross the irish sea to visit northern ireland, a place that�*s sometimes missed off the map when it comes to the uk�*s most amazing attractions. but as i found out, this part

of the emerald isle really does deserve to be on everyone�*s bucket list. hello from belfast. now, i�*vejust flown in, but my plan is to head straight out of the city and explore the causeway coastal route. now, the capital is the perfect starting point to tackle the i20—mile road trip, which hugs the north—east coastline. so, let�*s go. to make this trip a bit more sustainable, i�*ve hired an electric car. whilst it�*s certainly possible to drive the whole route in a day, you definitely won�*t have time to stop at all the sites, and there are a lot of sites. however, i�*ve made a plan, and i know where i�*m going to hit first. this little waterfall is welsh�*s gully. right, so we�*ve made it down

to the start of the path. this is the original sign from 1902. watch your head coming through here. the gobbins is a three—mile walk along the cliff path. before covid, half the visitors came from abroad. but during covid, obviously nobody could travel, so they all wanted to come and do their staycation with us. how have you found it? that was brilliant. really, really good. very enjoyable. the path was conceptualised by the civil engineer berkeley deane wise. he helped bring the railway system to northern ireland, and he wanted to create a unique attraction for people to take the train to. this is the original day trip, isn�*t it, from belfast? it is the original day trip from belfast. long dresses and heels. long dresses and heels, wide brimmed hats, the lot. but they would�*ve come along here for the day, the same we have been doing all during covid. yeah... doing their day trips, just anywhere within ireland or locally. so, in some ways, covid and what�*s happened over the last two years has almost brought back the spirit of the gobbins. it�*s come full circle. yeah! yeah.

so, my next stop is an hour up the coast, but then i need to take a little detour off. welcome to the dark hedges, one of the most photographed natural phenomena in northern ireland, mostly due to a particular tv show. well, where are you from? barcelona. from london. we're from british| columbia, canada. oh, wow. you�*ve come a long way. yes! and what brings you to the dark hedges? game of thrones. yeah, we�*ve seen every episode, haven�*t we? yep! if you�*re wondering, this is the scene that�*s made it so popular. adrian runs a game of thrones tour business. he calls himself �*the other sir davos�* as he was actually an extra and body double in the tv series. the trees have been here for over 2a7 years, mostly unknown, until game of thrones came along and decided to use it in a tiny little part of a scene in season two, and then that kind of put it on the map. so, as a tour guide now, how have you found it over the past few years?

most tourism completely shut down, and it gave it an opportunity to kind of recover from the over—tourism, you know. yeah. did it get quite damaged then? especially the verges, you know? even though the road is closed, and it has been closed to traffic since 2017, it has given it a chance to recover a little bit, you know. now that�*s ticked off my list, i�*m headed back out to the coast. it�*s only 15 minutes up to a place that�*s just reopened after two years. this is the carrick—a—rede rope bridge, first built by salmon fishermen over 250 years ago. 0oh, it�*s pretty bouncy! up until the �*70s, this wasjust a single rope bridge with a handful of gapped planks, so i�*m super glad it�*s been updated, because this is amazing, and i wouldn�*t have done it back then.

much like at the dark hedges, the national trust says it�*s noticed how nature has recovered on the site with fewer people going. now, numbers are limited to help nature thrive, so if you want to cross the bridge and explore the little island, you have to pre—book online first. from carrick—a—rede, it�*s a beautiful drive along the coast, passing some noteworthy sites from ballintoy harbour, the giants causeway, the beautiful dunluce castle ruin, and then to portrush, which will be where i end my trip. but first... did you know that this area is home to the oldest licensed whisky distillery in the world? bushmills was granted its license by king james i in 1608, and fortunately for me, their tours have just kick—started again after a two—year hiatus. so, really, to get it from the barrel... so... we always like a little bit of ceremony, so... don�*t drop any.

into the barrel — not a drop to be spilt. it�*s such precious liquid. if you have a nose, you get these lovely — it�*s very friendly, very vanilla, toasted wood. really, with bushmills, it�*s very friendly on your palate. so, it actually draws you in. and, actually, put it to your ear... it�*s saying, "try me, drink me, you�*ll love me." it�*s been a packed schedule, but i�*ve heard there�*s no better way to end your day in northern ireland than at a traditional family—run pub. we�*re lucky we have the live music at least once a week. it�*s great to get musicians back in the bar as well �*cause they�*re the life and soul of it, and they create the atmosphere, you know? 0h, we�*re starting again! so much of the causeway coastal

route relies on tourism, and now, with the last of the attractions finally reopen in time for summer, it seems this part of the emerald isle is back in business and ready to extend that famous irish hospitality. hello. wednesday gets off to a windy start, a wet start in northern and western areas. got an area of low pressure which is spinning up across the uk and will quickly move on towards scandinavia, there�*ll be a trailing weather front from it though that�*ll rain southwards which will begin wednesday dry and following on behind, it�*ll be sunshine and blustery showers. this is how things look at 6:00 in the morning. bit of a wet night

in northern ireland and across much of scotland, heavier rain for wales and north—west england. look how mild it is, though, through wales and england in particular as the day begins. quite quickly the rain out of northern ireland, it�*ll be out of much of scotland by end of morning, brighter skies following on behind with scattered showers, some heavy and maybe thundery, moving through quickly on gusty winds. wales and northern and western england turning drier into the afternoon, sunny spells, chance of a shower, and through the afternoon, spell a brief spell of rain moving through east anglia and the south—east after what is a dry start to the day here, maybe a few sunny spells. it is a windy day, these are some wind gusts, there�*ll be stronger ones through irish sea coasts, particularly north wales and north—west england, very windy to begin the day and temperatures actually come down a bit once the rain has moved on through so it will feel cooler and particularly fresher into the afternoon. of course, that�*s helped by that gusty wind. we continue with some showers moving in overnight, wednesday into thursday, particularly towards the north—west of the uk mayjust merge to give a longer spell of rain moving in here. it will become mainly dry the further south you are through wales and england, lower temperatures, so a cooler start to the day on thursday. high pressure to the south keeping many southern areas essentially dry on thursday.

whereas another set of weather fronts are coming close to northern ireland and scotland so here, there�*ll be a few showers around to begin the day but the idea will be that it�*ll tend to cloud over and we will see some outbreaks of rain coming into northern ireland and push in parts of scotland. by the end of the day, some of this could be quite heavy in places, notice further south, though, it is mainly dry and a quite bit of sunshine around here. more heavy rain in parts of northern ireland and scotland, overnight and into friday, then pushing through wales and england on friday, very slowly, mind you. behind it, so further north you are, you�*re back into the sunnier skies, brisk winds still, there�*ll be showers around, some of them could be heavy, maybe with a rumble of thunder. an area of high pressure nosing in across the uk to give many places a dry start to the weekend before we see further outbreaks of rain, mainly to the north and west as we go on through sunday.

welcome to bbc news — i�*m david eades. our top stories: the worst drought in a0 years leaves hundreds of thousands of somalian is facing extreme hunger. somalian is facing extreme hunaer. x; :: :: :: :: :: somalian is facing extreme huner. 5:11: 11:11: , somalian is facing extreme hunuer, ,':ifi :: i: i: i: , ., hunger. 300,000 people are livina hunger. 300,000 people are livin: in hunger. 300,000 people are living in famine _ hunger. 300,000 people are living in famine conditions . living in famine conditions with another 2 million on the brink of famine. so it is hard to imaginea brink of famine. so it is hard to imagine a situation more desperate, more urgent, more compelling. ukrainian forces retake yet more territory abandoned by russian troops. we have an extended report on the high price being paid. russian army uniforms and boots, all of this cast aside by russian troops. what happened here wasn�*tjust a defeat for president putin. it was a complete humiliation.