i'll tell you what, uchka. this has got to be one of the most stunning road trips i think i've ever been on. i'm in mongolia, leaving the capital, ulaanbaatar, for the seemingly endless grassy plains of the steppe... ..accompanied by my translator, uchka. i already feel like i'm getting, like, a slight taste of nomadic life, just mainly because we are surrounded by nothing but wilderness. yeah. it's a world away from my home city, london. spread over one—and—a—half million square kilometres live just one million nomads... ..raising livestock and moving their camps from season to season. i've heard living in the steppes can be pretty tough, so this is going to be a true, true test

of my resilience. but i'm looking forward to finding out if i've got what it takes. my name's lucy hedges and, for the next 48 hours, i'm leaving my home comforts behind to experience for myself the wonders... ..and hardships of this extraordinary way of life. i'll set up camp in a race against the elements... thunder rolls ah! you hear that? thunder is coming. ..track a herd across the mighty steppe... oh, and this saddle. chafing a little bit! ..and discover the bond between mongolians and their horses starts at a very early age. i can see they're all kids, they're all pretty small? yeah, that's how it's done here in mongolia.

our destination is an area called erdenesant, in the tov province, around 140 miles from the capital. oh, no! we've gone from sunny skies to rain in the space of a second. you never know, the mongolian sky. they laugh. mongolian weather is extreme. the summers are warm, but the winters can drop below —40 degrees celsius. and the country is recovering from its worst in recent memory. when you have a hard winter, we call it zud. zud. yes. 0k. the extreme cold and snowfall of the 2024 zud decimated livestock on the steppe. it's estimated more than seven million animals died. it's forced many nomads to reconsider their future.

so, it's been an incredibly painful and tough year for them. yes. yeah. here in erdenesant, i'm told as many as 15 families have given up herding and left the countryside in search of an easier way of life. but i've come to meet a family who have stayed. i can see some gers in the distance! i think that might be us. these traditional nomadic tents will be my home for the next 48 hours. i want to experience this way of life for myself and understand why some people are giving it up. do you know what? i'm... i'm excited, and i'm a little apprehensive in equal measures. i've never done anything quite like this before, but i—i'm ready for the adventure. we're here. sam bainoo!

so, about to say hello and meet my family we'll be staying with for the next couple of days. this camp is home to two families. my hosts are manlai, urna, and their 13—year—old son, gala. cakes and candy — it's like they know me! manlai, i'm lucy. lucy. thank you so much for having me. he speaks in mongolian. but, after our traditional greeting of fermented horse milk... oh, i'm getting used to that. ..our welcome is cut short. she chuckles wryly. so, apparently, the rain is coming very, very soon. so, we'll waste no time and get this ger built — and that's where i'll be sleeping for the next 48 hours. some of their neighbours have come over to help. but there's a lot to do, and not much time.

i'm staring at all these poles and thinking, "i don't know what i'm doing". 0k, lucy. mm—hm? let's hold these poles. the ger will be built around five of these trellises. the first problem is getting them in the right order. we are looking for numbers. 0h, 0k. yeah. but after some hunting, urna and manlai organise the pieces. this is a lot more complicated than setting up at glastonbury. you can see the rain clouds in the distance. this really is a race against the weather. i mean, no—one wants to put up a tent in the rain. but there's more at stake than us getting a little bit wet. this large roll of felt will be used as insulation — but if it's exposed to rain, it will rot, and the ger will be ruined. let's go inside? let's do it. yeah.

0k. before they roll out the felt, we have to finish fitting more than 50 roof poles. you can really see it taking shape now. thunder rolls. did you hear that? thunder is coming. so, the structure of the tent�*s up. and now, we're adding the felt. it almost feels like being buried alive. lucy, can you hold from that white fabric...? this?

yeah. yep. horses whinny. oh, dear, it's beginning to rain. right, lucy, do you mind...? yeah, yeah, yeah, of course. and then, go in... over the top. we are really racing against time now. indistinct chatter. but, just as the heavens open... thunder claps. ..we manage to get the waterproof layer on top. i'm not going to lie, i was fearing the worst, but it looks like we've made it! you guys are, like, amazing! with the floor laid and the furniture brought in, my own personal ger is complete. this is unbelievable. you know, two hours ago, this wasn't here. now the gers are safely up, i have a chance at a second hello — and this time, i'm bearing gifts. this is for you. a bottle of vodka for the grown—ups... and, for you guys... ..i got you some candies!

she speaks in mongolian. so, how long have you been living here in this area? wow, a long time! they move their camp around four or five times a year. the family own around 120 animals, including horses, sheep, and goats. the herd is their main source of income. the horses, they train for racing, the sheep, they sell for meat, and the goats�* wool will be turned into cashmere. and everyone�*s expected to pitch in, whether it's theirson, gala, or me, in my traditional mongolian outfit, called a deel. she chuckles. thanks, mum. stand still. they laugh.

so, i've got these. what are we going to be doing today? ok. we're picking up animal poo. lovely! let's go. little man! during term time, gala boards at a school in the local village 10km away. come on, give me a go. i can't let you do all the hard work. dried horse manure is a readily—available energy source that nomads have been using for thousands of years. hoo! like, we need a spoon now. it keeps falling through the fork. kind of wishing the pole was a little bit longer. what's your favourite job? that sounds like a fun job.

better than picking up poo, isn't it? yes. they laugh. the bucket�*s full — that means the job's done. just here? mm—hm. uh—huh? i think that deserves a high five. bam! she laughs. this is the moment that i have been absolutely dreading. so, i'm walking in almost complete darkness to find a place to pee. i've been smacked in the face by countless creatures... ..so i'm going to do what i got to do, and then, hotfoot it back to my ger! it's been a really great first day, but one thing i have learned about life out here in the steppe is that these guys are really up against the elements. so, fingers crossed the weather stays decent

throughout the night. lucy groans. finding the willpower to get up. oh—ho! ifeel like we're going to have some fun. hi, manlai! so, what are we doing this morning? all right. safety first, of course. they chuckle. ok, let's check... mm—hm. hoo—hoo! a bit concerned about the size of the saddle! oh, no. it has been a while since i've been on a horse. it's a bit smaller than i might have wanted.

so, we're off to find the herd. manlai is up at 5am every morning to guide his animals to fresh pasture. he whistles. wow, this view! shepherding is one of the world's oldestjobs. but extreme weather and large herds have degraded much of mongolia's pasture land, making the work of nomads like manlai that bit harder. as for me, i'm still getting to grips with the wooden saddle. chafing a little bit. there they are. goat bleats. come on, come on! this is amazing.

i'm on horseback in the middle of the steppe, in mongolia. this is what it's about, right? hey! i could get used to this lifestyle. herding on horseback, gorgeous scenery... ..getting goats in line. just call me nomad lucy. manlai. hey! hey. they laugh. talk to me about how you met your lovely wife. and tell me a bit about your son. so, does he embrace

the nomadic lifestyle? but the family had a tough time over the winter, as manlai wants to show me. so, this is an animal graveyard. there's just so many of them. it's a lot. manlai says they lost around 200 goats and sheep over the winter.

the zud killed more than 10% of all of mongolia's livestock. and, according to the un, the frequency and severity of these extreme weather events have increased over the past decade, which they say is largely due to climate change. it's a sobering reminder of the day—to—day reality of living out here at the mercy of nature. i want to spend a bit of time with urna. herding is often seen as a male activity,

so she's left to do a lot of the less glamorous work. and it's clear to me, there's no shortage of stuff to do. so, urna, what are we doing? what are we making? these steamed dumplings will be packed with mutton. do you make this often? urna kneads the dough... give it some welly! they laugh. ..then rolls it out into little discs, ready to be stuffed. ok, i'll give it a go. how's that? right. too much, too much. ah. that better? lucy laughs. so, urna, with last winter being so harsh, what was it like for you, running the household?

it might not be as striking as riding across the steppe, but to me, it's obvious that this is just as important a part of nomadic life. mm! urna chuckles. 0oh, it smells good. dumplings! get your dumplings! i think there's enough for everyone. is it good? yes? ha! nice! that's what i want to hear. one for the cooks. so much flavour.

coming from the bustling metropolis of london, i wasn't sure how i'd cope with the isolation. but i've been surprised by how big a welcome i've received. the sky is pretty. she laughs. in many ways, out here, in one of the sparsest places on earth... hey! ..this is a less lonely place than the big city. it's my final evening, so i want to take a moment with urna and manlai and ask them if they'd ever leave the steppe. yeah.

do you hope that your wonderful son will continue this nomadic way of life? well, only time will tell what choice he will make. and it'll be the right one for him, i'm sure. you know, this is not an easy way of life. the toilet is wherever you want it to be, and they're up against the elements at any given moment. but what i've also seen is just how much they really enjoy living life out here. they're surrounded by family and so much love. and honestly, it has been such a pleasure to witness. i am so excited to find out what's in store for tomorrow. playful chatter.

my final morning coincides with an annual event here in erdenesant. hoo! so, what's happening? i feel like something very, very exciting is about to take place. yes. today, we are watching a horse race. mm—hm? i can see they're all kids, they're all pretty small. yeah, that's, how it's done here in mongolia. horse racing is a national pastime in mongolia, particularly during their festival season known as naadam. the minimum age for competing is just eight years old. after riding for 10km, the competitors gather at the starting point... ..and then, almost without warning... lucy laughs.

look at all the drama, the drama! i love it! that was the start. i feel like that wasn't a fair start. all right, go, go! let's go! she laughs. what kind of a start was that?! go, go, go! we got to catch them! woohoo, we have a winner! still not quite sure what i just witnessed, but everyone seems to be having a great time. i'll be honest, it made me feel a little uncomfortable, watching small kids race like that. i can see the adults have got the certificates. yeah. where are the kids? where the riders? er, riders are chilling their horses now. oh, ok. yeah. so, this isn't the parents stealing the glory, no? no. good, good! just checking. yeah.

lucy laughs. when the competitors have warmed down, everyone gathers to hear gala sing a giingoo — a tribute to the god of horses. he sings in mongolian. and that's our little guy! i've had little more than a glimpse of life here on the steppe, with none of the hardships these families face when the temperature drops and the food is in short supply. but i'm leaving with a whole new appreciation of the resilience and perseverance of all those holding on to their nomadic traditions, and the awesome spectacle of the mongolian steppe.

hello. it is shaping up to be a rather mixed weekend of weather — and exactly what mix you get depends on exactly where you are. across england and wales, it will often be dry, and there will be some spells of sunshine. scotland and northern ireland will bear the brunt of some outbreaks of rain and some rather brisk winds. this is saturday mornings weather chart — quite a complicated one, actually. this little area of low pressure to the southwest of us, just weakening and diving away southwards. but there is one weather front just bending its way in towards the southeast corner — that'll bring some cloud and some bits and pieces of rain northwards across the southeast of england and east anglia. elsewhere, good spells of sunshine, but for northern ireland and for the north and west of scotland, we will see these outbreaks of quite heavy rain pushing in, and the winds will be strengthening, as well — some pretty brisk winds up towards the northwest of scotland.

temperatures north to south around 12—16 celsius. now, through saturday night, i think this cloud will tend to pull away from the southeast of england. this frontal system will push its way southwards and eastwards, and will weaken. many places will see some clear spells — and don't forget, through the early hours of sunday, the clocks go back an hour, so you do get an extra hour in bed. it will also turn pretty chilly actually into the start of sunday morning, temperatures well down into single digits. i think there will be some places that get quite close to freezing, especially up towards the north of the uk. but that does mean most places will start sunday with some spells of sunshine. england and wales mostly holding on to that, but once again, northern ireland and scotland will see thickening cloud and some outbreaks of rain, and it will still be fairly windy here. temperatures down a little bit — nine celsius in lerwick, 14 in london and in plymouth. as we head on into monday, that weakening frontal system in the north pushes southwards and eastwards, so some bits and pieces of rain

across england and wales. northern ireland and scotland largely dry, but there will be a lot of cloud, could be some misty, murky conditions in places and temperatures perhaps creeping upwards once again, around 13—16 celsius in most locations. as we head deeper into the coming week, well, high pressure really takes charge of the scene — and that is likely to lead to a fairly long spell of dry weather for many places, but with some low clouds, some mist and fog. and then, there are signs that, by the end of the week, things will start to turn colder.

conducting, quotte, "precise strikes on military targets in iran". the region has been bracing for an israeli retailion against iran for its missile attack a few weeks ago. the israeli defence force released a video statement on x a short time earlier. here's idf spokesman daniel hagari. here's daniel hagari. in response to months of continuance attacks from iran against the state of israel, right now the israeli defense forces conducting precise strikes on military targets in iran. the regime in iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking israel since october the 7th on seven fronts, including direct attacks from irradiance oil. like every other sovereign country in the world, the state of israel has the right and the duty to respond. 0ur defensive and offensive capabilities are