this is bbc news. the headlines. iranian state television says the country's supreme leader has pardoned thousands of prisoners, including many who took part in recent anti—government demonstrations. some human rights groups believe 20,000 people have been detained over the protests since mid—september. new cctv pictures of missing lancashire woman nicola bulley have been shared by one of her friends. the images show the 45—year—old in the hours before she went missing whilst walking next to the river wyre, nine days ago. the united states is trying to find the wreckage of a chinese surveillance balloon, which it shot down over the atlantic on saturday.

beijing has accused the us of an over—reaction. the former president of pakistan, pervez musharraf, has died in hospital at the age of 79. general musharraf took power in a coup in 1999, and served as president for seven years from 2001. you are watching bbc news. those of the main story so far tonight. i'll be back with an explosive and at nine o'clock. don't worry, i know you will be watching happy valley! coming up on this week's show — nigeria's looted treasures and the battle to get them back. they will not have any other choice than to release what belongs to us, because the whole world knows they are stolen properties. we get the low down on europe's sleeper trains. we get the low—down on europe's sleeper trains. the private companies that are now embracing this

new passion for sleeper travel are getting people back onto trains and away from short—haul budget flights. and we head to south america and what's officially the most electrifying place on earth. hello and welcome to the travel show, coming to you this week from the historic university city of cambridge in the uk. now, it's the beginning of term and students are coming back, and like many generations

before them, they'll be benefiting from some of the best educational resources in the world. and that includes valuable treasures looted from afar on colonial expeditions. but we're here because the university has recently announced it's actually returning some of those, specifically benin bronzes, to nigeria. and it's there, in what was once known as the kingdom of benin, that i want to start this story. for centuries, this street, igun—eronmwon, has been famous for one particular craft — bronze casting. its name literally translates to "the place where bronze works are made". just five minutes from the palace, traditionally, it was the royal family and dignitaries who'd commission pieces to

mark historical events. aigbe anthony spent 15 years mastering his craft. i've been into bronze—casting from childhood. i was taught by my father, which my father was taught by the forefathers, and it has been a family business, family work. so we've grown into it as a living. he's part of an exclusive guild of bronze casters, which has 120 members that mostly work on this street, all practising a centuries—old technique where wax models are used to create a detailed mould for the bronze to be cast in. it will take up to two weeks to make a piece, and it'll take up to a month, depends on the size of the job, for the artwork.

whenever a tourist comes to nigeria, they want to visit this place, so they buy and they commission works. whilst the technique has remained the same, most are working off printed images, with little access to their ancestors�* original works. we have few ones that is still left, which is in family houses here, and we still have them in catalogues. yes, there are a few, not much. we don't have much access to it because much of them is stolen. ifeel bad, and i'm not too happy because this is our treasure. it's what our forefathers laboured to do. it's reckoned around 10,000 pieces were looted by the british

when they sacked benin in 1897, burning down the city's palace in the process. the bronzes were then sold to institutions around the world. now, there's no law in the uk which forces museums or other places to return stolen artefacts, but some institutions are doing it independently, like jesus college, cambridge. they were the first institution in the world to return a benin bronze, in 2021. more recently, germany handed back 22 bronzes and agreed to release over 1,000 items from their collections. the horniman in london has also sent pieces back to nigeria, and soon cambridge university's museum of archaeology and anthropology will follow suit.

we've identified 116 objects that were taken during the punitive expedition of 1897, and those are the objects that we will be transferring ownership of. i think it's impossible to overstate just how severe an act of vandalism and cultural violence this was. the heads that we see before us here were several of the objects that graced ancestral altars throughout the palace, and the purpose of those altars was very much to maintain the lineage, to maintain the kingdom. the plaques that had been removed from the walls throughout the city were visualisations of the benin kingdom's history and heritage, and those were all taken away in a wholesale export of this material, leaving very, very little behind. tell me, why are you now and only now returning some of the pieces? i think it's the right time for these collections to go back. one might say it's

long overdue. i think the main reason, the most recent reason, is that there has been a request from the nigerian government, and i think fundamentally for us, it's the right thing to do. these were stolen, these were looted. there are many, many different ways in which objects came to museums like this. there's such an awareness both within the uk and internationally of museums, colonial legacies, but also of the cultural heritage that is represented in museum collections. and we want the future retelling and care of these collections to be something that's really, really collaborative. now, this is not a sentiment shared by all. currently, the british museum in london has more than 900 items from the historic kingdom of benin, the largest collection of bronzes in the world, with no current plans to return any. the british museum sent the travel show a statement,

where they say that the collections offer an important opportunity for audiences to understand the history of the british conquest of benin city, and to reflect on the impact of that period of colonialism. they're in dialogue with the nigerian government about this, but also cite the british museum act of 1963, that it's their founding responsibility to care for the collection on behalf of the world — notjust the bronzes, but all the objects kept here. now, undoubtedly, that's not something that sits too well back in nigeria. the national museum in benin has the most accessible collection of bronzes for tourists to see, though a fraction of what it perhaps should be. the time is coming for the british, for london in particular, when they see neighbouring countries around them bringing the objects,

they will not have any other choice than to release what belongs to us, because the whole world knows they are stolen properties. there is no place like home. by the time this object comes home, it is going to do a lot of things. it will heal the wounds, it will create more jobs for our people. it will create more tourists to visit our museums. and on that note, plans are under way to build a brand—new museum to house their returning heritage. the edo museum of west african art is scheduled to open in 2026, and they're optimistic it will be filled with their missing bronzes. fingers crossed the museum project goes smoothly. but if you can't wait that long, here are some alternatives from around the

world that you could consider. starting in asia, the national museum of cambodia in phnom penh is filled with reclaimed stolen statues. a lot of the items here were looted from temples across the country, including from the famous angkor wat. a team is constantly working on tracing and bringing back their antiquities from museums and private collectors around the world. over in canada, the winnipeg art gallery has recently opened a centre showcasing the world's largest collection of inuit art. it's called qaumajuq, which means, "it's bright, it is lit," with a building very much inspired by being in the arctic landscape. more than 27,000 artworks are on display, including a large portion which is on loan portion which is on loan from the northern communities. travelling south into the us, why not check out the first american national museum designed

and run by indigenous peoples? it's part of the smithsonian institution group, this one based in washington. the building is made out of materials closely connected to the native communities across the continent. inside, you'll find more than 800,000 objects, along with regular workshops and talks. over to morocco next, where you may remember we sent ade to the newly—opened modern african art museum in marrakesh. there, you'll find lots of artworks from around the country. its whole thing is about making art accessible, and the first sunday of every month, you pay whatever you want, or can afford, to enter. finally to papua new guinea, where its national museum in port moresby has the task of protecting and preserving the country's cultural, military and natural heritage. some locals see it as a spiritual home, due to its heritage inside.

alongside its archaeological objects, it also has natural history specimens and contemporary local artworks. ok, so stick around, because there is loads more still to come in the programme. simon's got his top tips for booking onto europe's sleeper trains. and the place where lightning almost certainly strikes twice. hello and welcome to london st pancras international, britain's european train terminal and one of the most beautiful rail stations in the world. in east asia, covid travel

restrictions are finally unwinding in 2023. while mainland china is still closed to tourists, hong kong has lifted almost all its pandemic—related rules. 0verseas arrivals must simply take a lateral flow test within 2a hours of their flight departing to hong kong. back here in europe, ferry links are being restored after the peak of the pandemic. the fascinating french port of le havre, a unesco world heritage site and gateway to the seine—maritime region, gets reconnected with portsmouth in southern england from march. also restored, international rail services from renfe, the main spanish train operator, from barcelona to lyon in southern france, which brings us on to my tip of the month. improvements in european

rail services have made a cross—continentaljourney an increasingly cheap and appetising prospect this year. for example, on the main high—speed link in spain between the two biggest cities, madrid and barcelona, travellers can now choose from four competing operators. plenty of 9 euro one—way tickets are available, booking several months ahead. and even at short notice, you can typically payjust 35 euros. great news, too, for those of us who believe that the most civilised way to travel across europe is by sleeper train. a new dutch enterprise, european sleeper, is starting an overnight service from brussels, antwerp, rotterdam and amsterdam to berlin. travel writer monisha rajesh, who's about to head off on a trip to istanbul on three separate sleeper services.

it can be expensive, but there are plenty of options, depending on your budget and what kind ofjourney you're looking for. tickets start at the very lower end, where you can travel in an upright seat overnight. but you can get seats for starting at around 45 euros, going up to around 270, if you want to be in a private compartment with a lovely big bed and an en—suite bathroom. tell me more about the new brussels to berlin sleeper — is it really significant? i think it is, because i think the private companies that are now embracing this new passion for sleeper travel are getting people back onto trains and away from short—haul budget flights, which is what i think all of us want to see because of climate change. can an overnight train really compete with fast and frequent and generally low—cost flight? i think it's quite hard to get people to come onto a train for 16 hours at a cost which might be double what you would spend on a flight. but i think you will find people

at least looking into it more, considering train travel. and if they don't have to be somewhere very fast, i think it's something that people will definitely embrace. lots of viewers are asking why long—haul airfares, particularly on routes from europe to asia and australia, have increased so much. well, partly the russian invasion of ukraine is to blame. it's greatly increased fuel costs, which are all the more significant on very long flights. also, the closure of russian and ukrainian airspace means that many routes have to travel much further. staying with air travel, what's happening with airport security checks here in the uk? well, byjune next year, the current limits on liquids, aerosols and gels should be lifted, making the security checks much faster and less stressful. that's all for now from here at london st pancras international. wherever your next rail journey takes you,

i hope it's a great success. and do keep sending in your travel questions. for now, from me, goodbye. i'll see you next time. now, here in the uk, we are slightly obsessed with the weather, but maybe not quite as much as in not quite as much as in the lightning capital of the world. ok, that's not its real title, but in the remote parts of venezuela where the catatumbo river meets lake maracaibo, lightning strikes 140 to 160 nights a yearfor hours on end. cat moh has been finding out more. this is what the earth's capital of lightning looks like.

this is relampago del catatumbo, or catatumbo lightning. it's only found in one remote part of venezuela and only accessible by boat along a route largely populated by wildlife. a three—hour journey from puerto concha, the lightning occurs above an area where the catatumbo river meets lake maracaibo. average temperatures here can hit above 32 degrees celsius all year round. some of the nearest human neighbours to this amazing display are in a village built on stilts, called an 0loga.

locals say catatumbo lightning is a symbol — a symbol of respect from nature. here, they call it �*ploy�* — which in english means �*curiosity�*.

nasa has since declared it earth's lightning capital. catatumbo's 250 lightning flashes per square kilometre every year equates to a staggering total of 1.6 million bolts of lightning annually. the strikes are often visible for seven to ten hours per night. if the elements could write poetry across the sky, it would surely look like this.

well, that's it for this time, butjoin us next week if you can, when... 0oh, crafty! look at this! ..christa's in switzerland, finding out about how a vast network of bunkers lying beneath the surface... oh, wow! ..have been adapted over the years. mmm! oh, that's lovely! and she heads to a hot—air balloon festival with a unique view of the swiss alps. this word gets used a lot, but there's something quite magical about being up here. but don't forget, until then, you can find a whole load of other amazing travel content from the bbc online by using the tags on your screen right now. until then, from me and the rest of the team here in cambridge, it's goodbye.

hello again. i'm sure you noticed the big change in weather pattern we had over the course of the weekend. saturday, the uk was underneath this area of cloud, not much sunshine around at all, whereas on sunday, we had much sunnier weather, particularly across england, wales, northern ireland and at times parts of scotland as well. now, with those sunnier conditions came quite a drop in temperatures. take kinloss in northern scotland — here on saturday, we had temperatures up to 12, but sunday, it's about four degrees cooler. now, high pressure is dominating the weather picture. that's what's actually brought the sunny weather during sunday. and that high pressure is still with us as we head into monday as well. now, with that comes a sharp frost across england and wales,

widespread with temperatures in the countryside, i suspect getting down as low as —5 or so. there'll be some patchy frost as well for eastern scotland where the skies stay clear, too. but in the northwest, a lot of cloud and it could even bring a few patches of drizzle first thing monday morning, although i would imagine most of that will clear off as we head into the afternoon with some bright weather pushing in here as well. still, the best of the sunshine will be further southwards across england and wales, the highest temperatures where we have that cloudy weather moving into the northwest. now, looking at the weather charts through monday night, you can see across england and wales initially, the skies will be clear, but i think later on in the night, this is night where we are likely to see quite widespread and dense patches of fog forming across parts of southern england, southern wales, the midlands and east anglia. now, with that, it's freezing fog, so it's probably going to hang around quite a bit into tuesday, perhaps well into the afternoon. and given that, there'll be some areas that stay quite grey and quite cold. further north, we've got a very weak weather front. this stripe of cloud pushing

southwards through the day could bring an odd spot of drizzle across parts of southern scotland, northern ireland and into northern england through the course of the afternoon. but i think still the emphasis will be on a lot of dry weather. now, we'll see further change in the weather patterns into wednesday. change in the weather we start to get more of a south—westerly wind, so perhaps the mist and fog not as extensive and those winds have a better chance of blowing a few holes in the cloud sheets across eastern areas of the country. temperatures ranging from around 9 or 10 for scotland and northern ireland, where it continues to be mild. england, wales, those temperatures, 6 to 8, are closer to what we'd expect at this time of the year. now, for thursday, we've got another change on the way as this cold front pushes its way southwards. it's going to be quite a weak front, so not a lot of rain left on it by the time it reaches southern england. by the time it reaches southern england and wales, but it will be introducing some cooler airjust for a time. now, across northern scotland on thursday, we're looking at plenty

of showers and some of these will be falling wintry, so a little bit of sleet mixed in. for example, in lerwick there will be some snow in the scottish mountains, but you have to go up pretty high otherwise, it's rain and a bit of hail that you might come across. you see the temperatures around 8—9 degrees celsius widely. now, heading into friday, south—westerly winds return and they'll be dragging in some milder air. so temperatures in lerwick thursday about five degrees celsius, but those temperatures will come up through friday. we'll see rain at times across northern scotland, but 8 degrees in lerwick come the afternoon, ten come the afternoon, 10 degrees for stornoway. further southwards, temperatures across england, wales range between 7—10. now, next weekend is looking dry as well. high pressure that we have still holding on to the south of the uk should mean that we'll have largely dry weather across england and wales with more sunshine. always likely to be a bit more cloud, though, across northern parts of the uk. bye— bye.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. iranian state television says the country's supreme leader has pardoned thousands of prisoners, including many who'd taken part in recent anti—government demonstrations. new cctv pictures of missing lancashire woman nicola bulley have been shared by one of her friends. the images show the 45—year—old in the hours before she went missing next to the river wyre, nine days ago. union leaders in the uk urge the prime minister to intervene in the dispute about healthcare pay. the biggest week of strikes in the history of the national health service is due to start on monday. the pope has said the criminalisation of homosexuality is a sin and an injustice.

but he added that the roman catholic church couldn't