this is bbc news. the headlines: the search for survivors of a plane crash in nepal has been called off for the night. at least 68 are now confirmed dead. at least 22 people killed and 72 injured during a missile strike on an apartment building in the eastern ukrainian city of dnipro. president biden declares a state of emergency in california as it's hit by a succession of severe storms. at least 19 people have died and thousands have been told to evacuate their homes. a seven—year—old girl has life—threatening injuries after a suspected drive—by

shooting outside a memorial service in london. police have described it as "shocking" and "senseless". labour leader sir keir starmer says he has "concerns" over the gender recognition legislation passed in scotland last month as he considers 16—year—olds too young to change their legal gender. you're watching bbc news. now it's time for the travel show. this week on the travel show... mastering the tile with a style in morocco. you're doing a greatjob! am i doing a greatjob? well, i tried. 0k, down the hatch. nick tries out a 1,000—year—old delicacy in turkey. and we're talking tortoise on the coast of senegal. why is he called bill, can i ask? i because he arrived the month where bill clinton was elected. so you are named after a president! |

hello, and welcome to morocco and the historic city that's sometimes known as the country's cultural capital, fez. from its medinas and mosques to its madrassas, fez is steeped in cultural heritage — so much so that the medina of fez is listed as a world heritage site. mind—blowing! absolutely incredible.

this is the attarine madrasa. it goes back to the 14th century, and it is perhaps the best example of what they call zellij. zellij is a style of mosaic tile work made from individually hand—chiselled pieces that is found all across morocco, as well as parts of tunisia, algeria and southern spain. the detail — tiny, tiny detail. the art form dates back over 1,000 years, but the more intricate and colourful designs, which have become synonymous with moroccan architecture, were developed in the 14th century.

despite its mixed origins and geographical spread, experts like fouad believe that zellij is a vital part of his country's history and culture. authorities here have long wanted to formalise zellij's moroccan connection. it's not uncommon for countries to do this by gaining un—recognised intangible cultural heritage status. for example, the french recently achieved this

with the humble baguette, as have jamaica with reggae music. but in the case of zellij, morocco went a stage further and insisted on having it patented. it's part of a drive to protect the country's assets from cultural appropriation and commercialisation. we call it the positive protection, and that is just to protect their traditional knowledge or, in this case, cultural expression from other people using it in a different way and exploiting them. it's not black and white, there is a lot of nuances. the use of traditional culture, expressions of knowledge. what is black and white is the threat to its future. the skilled craft is facing competition from cheaper mass production and fewer people interested in taking up the practice. i travelled to a traditional workshop just outside the medina to find out

just what goes in to this ancient process. how many of these do you think he does, every... every day? yeah. so, every day, it depends if, for example... he can make up to 1,000 pieces a day. has he ever banged his fingers? they chat. no, never. never? sayyid's craft skills were learnt as a boy — and some zellij producers are worried that these techniques will not be passed down to future generations. and that's partly because pay and working conditions are not as attractive as in other industries. sayyid earns around 12 euros a day. so, as you've seen, he's doing this by hand as well. yeah, look at that. nothing else. wow — and, again, this is exactly the same way they've been doing this for hundreds of years. apprenticeships can take up to a decade.

and for most people, it's a lifelong dedication. so we do have our artisans who work as a couple, 0k? the first one who is the one responsible of cutting the tile, as you're seeing here, with this specific type of stencil, 0k? you just take the shape of it, the design of it. he starts cutting it one by one, piece by piece, with a sharp hammer. i don't know who i think i am, but i'm going to have a go at trying to create a shape from this. and apparently you have to sit down exactly the way this guy was sitting down before. so here we go. it can take six months just to achieve the correct sitting position, let alone try to cut and shape the tiles. you're doing a greatjob! am i doing a greatjob? oh, there we go.

well, i tried. after assembling all the pieces, we'll bring them all the way to another artisan who is responsible of putting the pieces next to each other. every single piece, it's like a type of puzzle. so what does 0thmane think about morocco�*s successful claim of ownership of zellij? morocco is very well known when it comes to its culture and traditions, and the heritage, the culture of the heritage that we have, is typically moroccan, and those artisans that we're talking about are typically moroccan as well. as for the future, it's hoped that the craft — with its new protected status — will survive, thrive, and proudly proclaim "made in morocco".

now, if you're thinking of taking a trip to morocco in 2023, here are some travel show tips as to things you might want to see and do. now, did you know that morocco is the very first country on the african continent to build a high—speed railway? whipping along at 320km per hour, the al boraq service will take you from tangier in the north to the capital, rabat, and down to casablanca in around two hours. that's less than half the time of the older network. and there are plans afoot to expand the line to marrakech and fez, and eventually to other major cities. if you're into photography, then head to chefchaouen — considered one of the prettiest and most photogenic places in morocco. nicknamed the "blue pearl" for its traditional

blue—and—white painted houses, the city sits at the foothills of the rif mountains in the north of the country. and if you're visiting, don't forget your hiking boots for a trip up the surrounding mountains. you'll be rewarded with spectacular views of the city from above and another perfect photo opportunity. now, something that's highly recommended notjust here in fez, but all across morocco, is the traditional mint tea. especially good after a heavy meal. served as a sign of hospitality, it's made of fresh peppermint, water, sugar and green tea, and is said to have healing properties. stick around because after the break, there'll be more from morocco — plus... does that hurt, or is thatjust like getting your ears pierced? it's going to hurt, but it's going to... save your life at the same time. yeah. we meet the man bringing

west africa's turtles back from the brink of extinction. this is bab boujloud. it's one of the seven gateways into this walled city, the medina. and my task, my challenge, is to go from here to another gateway, another of the seven gateways, as quickly as possible. now, you may say, "very easy." i think you might be wrong because there are 9,000 alleyways here, which makes it the biggest medina in the world. am i allowed to look at google maps? no, i'm not. i think that is actually going down a blind alley. i'm not going to do that. 0h, now, we've got some choices to make.

no, that way, i think. i saw a sign earlier on which said "no donkeys". this guy has got through somehow. but some people who are actually born within the city walls never leave the city walls during their lifetime. whoa! there's a man in more of a hurry than even me. some of these hats would be perfect. honestly, this is the kind of place i would stop at if i had time. but i have not got time. thank you so much. this is a square called seffarine. and as you can hear... ..this is the original tin pan alley. we have walked from one gate to another through the medina of fez.

and can i say it's been an experience. next up, wejoin nick kwek on his culinary quest to find the real taste of turkey. kayseri, a city bang in the middle of turkey, which once upon a time was part of the old spice route. today, it's mostly known for its neighbour, cappadocia, the ancient land of fairy chimneys. but for me, the food is what makes the destination. i grew up in the kitchen. my parents ran chinese restaurants in scotland, so my childhood was a constant mix of cultures, tastes and flavours. and now i'm on a mission to uncover more authentic dishes and ingredients from around the world. what's lured me here is a delicacy that dates back over 1,000 years. a meat called pastirma, which is this dried beef, a speciality only

found in this region. and it's still prepared here the old—fashioned way. pastirma is as important to this area as parma ham is to italy, and it's mount erciyes, which towers over the city, that creates the perfect climate to cure the meat. i can't wait to taste it for the first time. hello, how are you? lovely to meet you, i'm nick, how are you? taking me behind the scenes is hulya, whose granddad started this factory back in the �*50s. and the way they prepare pastirma here is still true to tradition. vegetarians, you may want to look away. this is the first stage of the process where they put loads of salt onto the beef. and this is an entire bath of beef. the salt kills the bacteria and then the meat is hung out to dry, not in the refrigerator, but the good old sun.

and, lastly, chaman — a paste made from a mix of spices — is lathered onto the meat. the precise recipe is closely guarded, but the extra special ingredient here is the human touch. it's a dying art — ahmet tells me there are very few chaman masters coming through the ranks. such a recurring theme across the board in food, when you have a delicacy such as this, there's only a handful of people left that really are perfecting the art of making it. the rest of it's just becoming commercialised. 0k, down the hatch. flavourful and spicy. yet in recent times, pastirma's fallen out of fashion. so, i'm taking some to istanbul, to a chef who wants to change that. i'm at the newly renovated galataport — home to some

of the city's best restaurants. chef umut is taking traditional turkish classics and reinvigorating them, giving them a bit of a modern upgrade in the form of small tapas. chef umut! yes. lovely to meet you. how are you? welcome. great to meet you. this is for you — it's the pastirma. for me? what's on the menu? this is baklava pastirma. wow! sweet dessert pastry mixed with salty, meaty beef? the beefy baklava crackers will be topped with hummus, mushrooms and more pastirma. we're also pickling pastirma and serving it with a fig chutney. i've never had pickled beef before. watch your fingers. wow, look how green it is! your dishes are so colourful. it reminds me of roald dahl�*s george's marvellous medicine.

cheers. welcome. great to meet you. oh, wow! and the result? absolutely sensational! who knew? by re—imagining old ingredients, umut has created something both fresh and, at the same time, classic. finally this week, we're off to west africa on the trail of one nature lover who's celebrating 30 years of protecting some of the region's most vulnerable wildlife. some call him the father of the turtles and his work may have already rescued one species of terrapin from extinction. we sent emeline nsingi nkosi to meet him close to his home in senegal. about three hours�* journey

south, away from the traffic and chaos of senegal�*s capital, the dust and aridity begins to give way to greenery. mangroves and, crucially, seagrass start appearing here along the coastline and the wildlife becomes more abundant and precious for all number of reasons. turtles, tortoises and terrapins have been a big part of west african traditions and symbolisms and in some tribes, they are revered as being a good luck charm, a good omen — which is why it's so surprising that their numbers have been going down so much. all five species of sea turtles that nest on these beaches are endangered, thanks to fishing activities and pollution, but this man's made it his mission to save them. i'm going to put a tag and after that, we are going to let it go. 0h, let me remove that little sand for you. now, you can breathe clearly! why the tagging — i mean, why is it done? with that, we can track the migratory pattern for the animals. when we know that,

we are going to be more accurate in the strategy we need to implement in order to save this species. ah! because the more you know about the species, the more you are going to be able to save them. ifeel like i need to hold my breath. 0h, breathe in! does that hurt or is thatjust like getting your ears pierced? yeah, it's going to hurt but it's going to... save your life at the same time? yeah. tomas is about to celebrate 30 years of working with turtles in senegal. his work has brought him awards and recognitions from around the world. he's so gentle with it. i mean, he's — you can see that these turtles actually are his babies. that's quite an impressive sight — i've never seen it and i'm sure all of these people haven't either. everyone literallyjust ran down to the beach and see this release. tomas started as a teenager,

rescuing african spurred tortoises — the second—biggest species in the world. since then, his work in northern senegal has saved the last remaining colony of adanson�*s terrapin from collapse. and these days, he's working on a new encyclopaedia and planning the continent's biggest turtle research facility on a plot near his home. it's a big project. we are going to take several years and a lot of fundraising, a lot of work in order to have a facility who will be like a base camp for everyone who wants to get involved in conservation, turtle conservation, in africa. what would you like your legacy to be? my legacy will be africa and africans who value nature, who want to protect nature, understanding nature is part of our identity. and as an african, this is the place where, like,

as david attenborough was saying, this is the kingdom of wilderness. all the kind of amazing animals, like turtle and tortoise, who emerged from africa 260 million years ago, they need to remain in africa, africa needs to be their paradise. 0n the outskirts of dakar, in the back yard of his dad's old farm, tomas has built this village of the tortoises. it's popular with tourists and school groups but it's also a hospitalfor sick and injured turtles. you see the remains of the place where they dig or they draw a hole in order to put a rope to attach the turtle. wait, why was a rope attached to the turtle? yeah, because when you have them in captivity and you don't want them to dig in the middle of your lawn... oh, no! ..you want to have it like a rope in order to control the animals. but now, tomas is taking me

to see the head honcho here. this is bill. so, does bill know you? no... would you say that he...? usually, turtles are not like dogs. they don't celebrate you like my dog celebrates me when i come back at home. 0k. but at the same time... and that is frustrating because i spend more time and more energy serving them than my dog. laughs. that is the reality. he's between 70—80 years old, and he and tomas go way back. so, you saw bill in the zoo when you were a teenager? a teenager, yeah. wow. because i spent a lot of time going to the dakar zoo — in fact, that was my favourite place to go. why is he called bill, can i ask? because he arrived the month where bill clinton was elected. so, you are named after a president. laughs. i hope you feel the weight of your name. yeah! you don't hear much

about terrapins and tortoises but tomas has dedicated his life trying to correct that and make sure that they don't go extinct. and you know what? i've got a feeling that he just might win. what a truly remarkable man doing such important work there in senegal. right, well, that's it for this time. butjoin us next week if you can, when... with the rising cost of living high on the agenda for many of us when planning our holidays, we'll be finding out if you can travel like our team and still have leftover change in your pocket, from going on safari in kenya, to america's bucket list destinations. this is old faithful, probably one of the world's most famous geysers. that's next week. in the meantime, why not check out a whole host of travel—related content on the bbc by following the links on your screen right now?

in the meantime, from me, rajan datar, and the rest of the travel show team here in morocco, thanks for watching and goodbye. hello. some much colder weather on the way for all of us in the week ahead. we have seen so much rain so far this january, it will become relatively drier, but arctic air plunges across the uk in the coming 2a hours, and, my goodness, it will look different outside in that it will be drier, but it will feel much different too because it will be cold. snow is a possibility for some this week. despite things being relatively

drier, we are trying to pin down smaller systems, like this one that will run through the channel overnight tonight, and the detail on what they will do. tonight it looks pretty wet for southern counties of england, but also a difficult wintry mixture, i think, particularly towards the south—east towards the end of the night. for the weald of kent, for the downs we could see some snow to start us off monday and there will be a significant risk of ice. ice just about anywhere as we are expecting a widespread frost. snow showers will continue across northern scotland on into monday, as well. some parts of scotland won't get above freezing through the day. everywhere else, it's much chillier than it has been of late, but with lighter winds. monday into tuesday, the same thing. a little weather feature developing within a bigger area of low pressure running the show. always quite tricky to pin down these smaller features. at the moment for tuesday there is the potentialfor some heavier, more persistent snow somewhere across southern england. don't take that positioning there though with the leaning towards the west too literally.

it is shifting a little bit as we move from model to model. basically, these smaller features don't really exist within this big low yet, so it's hard to track them until they start to really shape up. by wednesday, if anything, our uncertainty will be this low to the east in the north sea and whether it will drag any snow showers into north sea coasts. the current thinking has the snow showers across scotland and running down into the irish sea. for many for the week ahead, a lot of fine weather, with bright crisp blue skies after frosty starts. at the end of the week, potentially, we are going to start to look towards the west for our weather systems to come back in again, so the potential for things to turn more to rain again by friday and for us to see our temperatures lifting up a little as we approach next weekend. in terms of the coming five days, elements we are confident about, it will be cold, there will be frosty nights, look out for ice, but pinning the details on the snow, bear with us and stay tuned.

this is bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the search for survivors of a plane crash in nepal has been called off for the night. at least 68 are now confirmed dead. everybody is confused because this pilot is one of the most experienced and well—respected pilots of nepal. at least 22 people killed and 72 injured during a missile strike on an apartment building in the eastern ukrainian city of dnipro. president biden declares a state of emergency in california, as it's hit by a succession of severe storms. at least 19 people have died, and thousands have been told to evacuate their homes.