against the background of rising nationalism, some french africans are leaving france for good. they're part of what's being called a silent exodus. this is theirjourney from france to africa, and a search for a place they feel they can call home.

with travel plans under way, tonight is a chance for menka to catch up with his extended family for one last time. he's 39, and has decided that his future lies elsewhere. he's one of a number of french—senegalese nationals who've chosen to leave france behind.

menka's mother was born in west africa and came to france when she was just a baby.

but the climate in france is changing. attitudes towards immigration are hardening, and right—wing nationalist parties are on the rise. they sing "la marseillaise" my name is nour abida, and it's been more than a decade since i left my home here in france. as a woman of colour, it wasn't always easy adapting to french culture.

i was 17, embarking on a new life in a foreign land. this is myjourney too. i think i was missing a part of myself, a part of my roots. it was very difficult to navigate these two cultures, so i really wanted to understand what pushes these people to make this choice. fanta guirassy was born and grew up in paris. she runs her own nursing practice, and this morning she's visiting one of her oldest patients, mrs delisle.

but within the year, she plans to quit paris and open a new nursing practice in senegal, the birthplace of her mother.

fanta is not alone. 91% of black people interviewed in a recent survey said they'd been victims of racial discrimination. and injune last year, riots erupted across france following the fatal shooting of nahel merzouk, who was shot by the police. he was 17. indistinct shouting

slave trade, the links between senegal and france are long and complex. marie d'almeida lives between paris and dakar.

three years ago, she set up a company helping europeans set up business here. she says that, with her help, more than 90 clients have since made the move.

nobody knows just how many people from the diaspora are making this move. french law prohibits the gathering of data on race, religion, and ethnicity. as departure day approaches, menka's plans are well under way.

he's going to submit his application for citizenship, which he hopes will be ready in time for his trip to dakar next month. marie is back in france after her trip to senegal. it's ramadan, and tonight, i've been invited to iftar, the breaking of the fast, with marie and the rest of herfamily. this is the holiest month of the muslim calendar, and an opportunity for muslims everywhere to have a deeper connection with the faith. it's estimated that 10% of the population in france identify as muslim. within the family, it's clear there is a rich cultural heritage.

but within the generations, there's clear division.

the case is still being investigated, but the riots shook the nation. they represented something much deeper that had been building for years — a real anger over the way marginalised communities are perceived to have been treated in france. from his paris apartment, menka runs a small travel agency called tukki katt. it caters to french africans looking to reconnect with africa and their cultural heritage.

he was an engineer at a top firm in paris, but gave it all up to pursue his passion. a former french colony and outpost of the transatlantic

joining marie are her cousin and uncle.

it's a delicate situation that many immigrant families find themselves in, trying to preserve their heritage, whilst at the same time navigating the pressures of assimilation. france has a strict ban on religious signs in state schools and all

government buildings. the laws, which date back to the 19th century, were designed to curb the influence of the catholic church and enforce what is known as laicite, or french secularism. but many french muslims feel it's their religion that's often been singled out. it's 5:00am on the outskirts of paris. this is les mureaux, one of the french banlieues, a multicultural, working—class community that's effectively segregated from the rest of the city. audrey monzemba is a primary school teacher in paris. she's unhappy with the current climate and she wants to leave. it's the morning commute, and audrey is heading into work.

in france, the wearing of the hijab has become hugely controversial. in 2004, it was banned in all state schools. racist crimes rose by a third last year, with more than 15,000 incidents based on race, religion,

or ethnicity. in order to preserve her modesty, audrey will discreetly remove her hijab before getting to school. fatoumata sylla creates software for the tourism industry and wants to set up business in west africa. but even in her own family, there's division.

both her parents are from senegal, but she and her brother were born in paris.

each of the returnees are taking a gamble, with no certainty of success. today, marie is organising a networking event for prospective returnees. it's an opportunity to meet senegalese business leaders and share advice. they laugh

menka has arrived in senegal, but unfortunately his citizenship hasn't come through. the thing is... ..i�*m, like, in a mission. i left the house to build something, but something big.

this is menka's new neighbourhood, where he will finally put down fresh roots. his extended family lives just next door. for now, menka's journey is over. but another chapter in his life isjust beginning.

if i'm being honest, i think i went on this journey for my own personal reasons. i also wanted to understand why i left. before i started this journey, i used to think that i would find a place where i would feel at home. but i've come to realise that actually... ..home is not necessarily a single place. i think it's way more complex than that. i think it can be reconnecting with your roots, in the music that we listen to, in the food that we eat. but, really, i think it's in the places and in the people that bring us that deep sense of connection.

it's also a reminder of the resilience that resides within all of us. fanta's plans are on hold while she waits for her business visa. he speaks french menka is still waiting for his citizenship, but business is going well. he is already working on his next venture — a dating app for senegal. and audrey hasn't got a firm date yet, but says her dream is still very much alive.

hello there! big changes on the way later this weekend — more on that in a moment. yesterday, well, we had some sunshine around. more of it more widely actually, but not everywhere, of course, towards northern ireland, some western parts of scotland, much more cloud. and that's moving its way southwards at the moment. it's coming in around this area of high pressure, a couple of weak weather fronts on the scene, too — this one here bringing a little rain southwards across england and wales. but because we've got more cloud around, it's not going to be as cold to start with on thursday morning. could be a few mist and fog patches, mind you, across southwest scotland and the northwest of england. those will lift, it'll cloud over in the northwest of england, turn more cloudy in western scotland, and we'll keep the cloud across northern ireland. elsewhere, there could be a bit

of sunshine, but not as much sunshine as we had on wednesday. the cloud and any drizzle clearing southern england, and it should brighten up a bit in the afternoon. temperatures typically 11 or 12 degrees, maybe a bit higher than that in the far northwest, with the winds coming in from the atlantic around the top of that high pressure. that's going to get squeezed a bit, mind you, on friday, this weather front eventually bringing some rain towards the northwest of scotland by the end of the day. ahead of that, the southwesterly wind will be freshening, blowing in this cloud, a few spots of rain for western hills and coasts. further south, where the winds are lighter in south wales, the midlands and southern england, there could be some early mist and fog and then some sunshine around here. temperatures nine or ten degrees perhaps, but milder further north, where we've got the stronger winds. and that rain that's in the north west of scotland will be pushing its way into england and wales on saturday again. it's quite light and patchy rain. and to the north the winds are picking up again, especially in northern scotland. and this is where we'll see the bulk of the showers getting blown in, and things are starting to get a little bit colder here across scotland, whereas further south

temperatures still into double figures. so things are changing over the weekend. pressure is going to be dropping and we're going to find some weather fronts arriving and rain developing more widely on sunday. but what happens after that is the wind direction changes, the air coming, if anything, all the way down from the arctic, that colder air is pushing its way southwards. so a big change in the weather for the beginning of next week. it's going to be feeling a lot colder. daytime temperatures typically only six degrees. and i think overnight, we're going to have some frost around as well. and there could even be a bit of snow over some parts of scotland.

lead said live from singapore, this is bbc news.

president—elect trump announces more cabinet nominations, including a surprise pick for attorney general, as republicans secure control of both chambers of congress. earlier donald trump returned to the white house for talks with the outgoing presidentjoe biden, after his election triumph. a transition that is so smooth it will be as smooth as it can get. i it will be as smooth as it can net. , . get. i very much appreciated, 1. you get. i very much appreciated, j- you are _ get. i very much appreciated, 1. you are welcome. - torrential rain hits parts of spain again, with thousands of residents forced from their homes. and hundreds of tourists facing chaos and delays on the indonesian holiday island of bali after volcanic ash made it too dangerous to fly.

welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm steve lai. we begin in washington, where in the past few hours, we've seen a wave of key cabinet picks from president—elect donald trump. that includes florida republican congressman matt gaetz as his attorney general.