The queen has addressed the Scottish Parliament to mark 20 years of devolution. In a speech to msps she said shed watched scotland grow and prosper since holyrood took on its legal powers two decades ago. Our correspondent Alexandra Mackenzie was there. Scotland is an old nation with a relatively new parliament. Its seen two decades of devolution. The queen, joined by the duke of rothesay, said she fondly remembered the opening ceremony. Today she was back addressing the current msps. I have no doubt that for most of these last 20 years this striking chamber has provided exactly that a place to talk. But, of course, it must also be a place to listen. A place to hear views that inevitably may differ quite considerably, one from another. And a place to honour those views. The Political Landscape has changed dramatically since 1999. Thats whats called competition, i think. The first first minister was the labour leader, the late donald dewar. Nicola sturgeon was then a young snp msp. Now shes first minister. The 290 acts of parliament that have been passed so far have varied in their impact. But from land reform in the first parliament, to equal marriage in the last, to the Social Security act in this, they have all made scotland a better place. Some in the crowd had come to grab a glimpse of the queen. 0thers came to mark a moment in scotlands political history. Independence wise, i was totally against it. But i can see why weve got our own parliament, for coming forward with certain laws. The Scottish Parliament has allowed us to have a bit more of a voice for the nhs in scotland, and certainly some of the initiatives that have come forward in scotland. As the queen leaves the Scottish Parliament, people here say they feel a mixture of optimism and uncertainty about the next 20 years. The emphasis today was on unity. But as brexit dominates the uk political agenda, the snp government has said it brings an independent scotland a step closer. As the late donald dewar said, devolution is a journey with no end. Alexandra mackenzie, bbc news, edinburgh. Now on bbc news, the travel show. Three, two, one. Laughs. Getting mucky in the name of conservation in thailand. Highfive we meet the man who has visited all a19 Us National Parks. And trending travel. And going under in austria. Were starting this week in thailand, in the small, coastal village of khlong khon, in Samut Songkhram province, 90 minutes south west of bangkok. Few International Travellers venture here, but in recent years the amazing transformation of its ecosystem has begun to draw people, like me. While it may not be one of the most beautiful ecosystems, its actually quite full of life. Theres snails, cockles, crabs, macaques, birds all kinds of wildlife here. There is a monkey right here with a crab in its mouth. This place is quite an experience. Because here in what might look like in endless sea of mud, there are local delicacies and a story of a community who have fought back from the brink of disaster. I arranged to meet up with a local guide to show me around. And as we get farther out from the village, you can see the ingenuity that these people have taken to the rivers. So all morning, at low tide, they push like theyre on a skateboard and they pick the cockles the clams. And i hear that travellers can give it a try, too. This local fisherman is on hand to show me how its done. On all fours, right . Chauffeur service, not bad at all. The mud is so slick and slippery, one little push. You go pretty far. But then finding cockles is no easy task. This, this is a cockle . Its the size of a marble. Were finding this little, tiny clam. laughs . 0k. Look at that, its tiny. Its like finding them in the dark, right . You just have to stick your hand in, you grab a crab, you grab a snail. Hopefully something doesnt bite back. 0h, something moved on my foot, i dont know what that was. Lets go forward. You are so good at this. The cockles live in small little holes, and theres a lot of holes. Big ones, small ones, so its a certain sized hole that has a cockle inside. Im still trying to figure out which ones those are. Well, after an hour, even i managed to find some cockles, but the fishing here hasnt always been so good. The shellfish, shrimps and crabs which thrive in this environment were also at the brink of collapse just a few decades ago because of the dramatic loss of one simple thing, mangroves. Industrial shrimp farming left the mangrove forest decimated, and with it a fragile ecosystem that the villages depended on to survive. But the local people began to fight back. Laughs. More hair, yeah, you had more hair then laughs. Paiboon helped bring hundreds of people from nearby villages to replant the mangroves. Eventually, their work began to pay off and it caught the attention of royalty. Ok, when i knew i was going to be planting mangroves, i brought hiking boots. Good traction, kinda of waterproof, apparently this is not the footwear of choice. We wear these. Which is a fusion of yoga pants and a womens brassiere, and i put these on my feet, and we go almost waist deep in the mud, and thats how we plant mangroves. So, iam ready. Three, two, one. Laughs. This is this is really. Im knee deep and im still sinking further. How does it work . One, i got one. So dig a hole. And you plant it in, just like a normal tree. All right. Over 32 years since the replanting began, the mangrove forest has regained a third of what was lost. Right here . Thats good . 0k. Fun fact about the mangrove tree. Theyre actually shaped this way, like a torpedo, because when they fall from the trees, they go bloop and theyre supposed to stick in the ground themselves. And so they can basically plant themselves. And there we go. 0k. Mangrove forest, one step bigger. Highfive much of this area is now under royal protection, meaning that the new mangrove forest cant be destroyed. And the village has become a model for others working to protect and restore their mangrove forest. But maybe tourists arent the best people to help restore this fragile ecosystem. Id heard that a healthy mangrove forest needs a range of mangrove species in order to survive, which tourists cant really co ordinate. Prapuspong told me that this has been considered. And of course, theres more than one way to get clean after a day exploring the mangroves. Im told that years ago, local kids found another use for these boards. Its great to give Something Back when youre travelling. But hey, it is even better if you have a little fun along the way. Laughs. And if thailands in your travel plans, here are some things we think you should look out for. Also in Samut Songkhram theres the amphawa floating market that has that classic image of thailands bustling waterways. Floating markets have long been popular with travellers, so beware of less authentic imitations made just for tourists. But here in amphawa among the boats and stalls, youll see mostly locals and domestic tourists in a market with a truly authentic place in the community. It is beautiful and atmospheric, day or night. If youre a music lover, you might not associate jazz with thailand, but had to the small riverside town of pai injuly and youll find a jazz and blues festival drawing on talent from throughout the country. Its the Perfect Place to spend an evening after a day exploring the local hot springs and waterfalls. Thailand also has some of the best diving and snorkelling opportunities in the world. Visit the Similan Islands on the south west coast and youll find that these remote, wild islands, set within the protection of a national park, have an abundance of marine life to discover. To preserve their fragile ecosystem, the islands are closed to tourists between may and october, but outside these months you can easily visit on a daytrip from the mainland. And finally, if youre planning ahead and want to see a true spectacle this year, had to the ancient Northern Capital of chiang mai in november, when the yi peng and loy krathong festivals coincide. They are spectacular and dramatic festivals of light. The yi peng lantern festival looks ahead to the coming year and youll get an opportunity to make a new years wish as you release one of hundreds of lanterns which decorate the night sky. Still to come on the travel show ill have your guide to this summers Music Festivals in europe. And we find out what it takes to be champ of a sport thats not for the fainthearted. So dont go away. While youre exploring this part of thailand, you cannot miss this spot. If you can believe it, this railway is still active, a train goes right down the middle of this market. And while you might think that the market grew around the train line, its actually the other way around. The market has been here for over a century as a place for the fishermen to sell their goods and so when a train line was built here to come through a few years later, theyjust didnt move. When the train comes, the market steps aside, locals call it the umbrella pulldown market. Announcer please, for oncoming or departing trains, please always be aware of standing behind the red line. Standing behind the red line. This is crazy woah, woah, back, back, back. Train horn. It comes so far off the tracks. Suck it in, suck it in laughter. Whew. Hi the trains pass through up to eight times a day, but make sure to check the timetable if you want to come and see them. Whew, 0k. Thats incredible. Make sure not to miss this if you come to thailand. Its now time for trending travel, the top photos, videos and stories happening this week. This is more than the usual planning argument going on in spain, the Sagrada Familia applied for a Building Permit in 1885 but the citys Council Never got around to responding to the application. 137 years later, the gaudi designed masterpiece has finally been granted permission to carry on with the work. With the hope it will finally be finished in 2026. With all the talk about space being the next frontier in travel, the question was asked where could you go once you get there . well now nasa are inviting people to pop over to the International Space station. Nasa is saying this will roughly cost 11,250 us every day and food, air, medical and fitness resources add another 22,500, totalling roughly 32,750 us every single day. Travel to the space station is not included. Have you ever been stuck in a station wishing you had something to read . Well, these have landed in canary wharf. After being installed in france, the us and hong kong. The machines, made by French Company short edition, will dispense free one, three and five minutes stories from famous authors. And you can even submit your own stories online, a perfect time for a tail before your trip. Interested in turtles and 5 star resorts . Of course you are. The coco palm dhuni kolhuin the maldives are looking for an intern to work thee this august. Those wishing to be considered must submit a short video and a 500 word cover letter explaining why they would be a good fit for the role. They dont need to have previous experience, but they must be over the age of 18 years and keen to work in a related field. A man who has visited a19 Us National Parks in one long trip has just finished. After his father died of cancer, mikah meyer decided to take time out and go on and an ambitious three year trip. So i travelled to every single state and territory across the united states, almost 200,000 miles in total to visit everything from our National Parks to our National Seashores to National Preserves and national reserves. Everything from hiking mountains to rafting rivers and visiting our most important cultural and historic landmarks. In europe, were now heading into summer and that means the start of the festival season. And there are hundreds to choose from. From dance to folk, to city to countryside, from glamping to camping. Heres our trending guide to whats hot, whatever your taste and wherever you are. Major festivals are no longer about a week in a muddy field with nowhere to keep clean. Some festivals are so well kitted out theyre like mini hotels, with yurts and buses to sleep in so you enjoy every day feeling fresh. Make sure you take a lock for your tent if you plan to leave anything in there as things sometimes do to go missing. If waiting to get back home after a big weekend in the field is not your thing, then theres a big rise in people making a holiday around a one day city or island festival. Worldwide is in sete, just outside of montpellier. Sonar is bang in the centre of barcelona. Some of these, like futur in torino offer hotel accomodation with your gig ticket, leaving you only to work out how to get there. If thats not your musical streak, the stunning town of verbier has a two week festival where you can enjoy Classical Music by night and stunning scenery by day. No matter what you love, remember these golden festival rules dont over instagram to make absent friends feel a bit jealous. Make sure you make new friends and that you actually do enjoy the festival. Dont forget a hat or forget where your tent is and dont be that person who forgets to put on the sun lotion. And who knows . Maybe next time you will be trending in travel. Now were in austria where beneath the ice of the Southern Lake of weissensee, one of the worlds most well known games get an icy makeover. Im a professional free diver. Free diving means you go diving without any equipment. Just the mask and the air in yourlungs. It was a dream from my childhood, i always was in love with the water. At the beginning when i did my first free dive i was so fascinated that i was hoping for something to go again under the ice. Then we found out that ice hockey is an actual sport, you have to work hard for it, even on the land. And it was so much fun that we made regulations about it. In one World Championship we had eight different nations and in each nation we have two players. Are you ready . The main problem is always the fact that the other players, because a normal hockey player makes no sense under the ice, you need good free divers, very good ones. Its already a big challenge to go under the ice. Its a cold temperature, difficult orientate and to come up to the surface whenever you want. Its a very quick game. And because we are so quick you need much more oxygen. I cannot break my legs, my arms, like in the real ice hockey, so its much safer under the ice. Under the ice, the only problem is you can easily lose orientation. You need to calculate how much time you have to swim to the hole. For me, it makes no difference if i have ten World Records are 11 World Records, now i want to use my World Records to take attention and bring attention to all the provinces we have here. Now the problem is trying to break my world record attempts. If you want to play against me, in ice hockey, under the ice, you are more than welcome. But of course, despite his invitation, dont even think about doing underwater ice hockey without expert help and supervision. Well, thats all for this week. But coming up next week christa heads to dublin to try her hand at cosplay. And ade is in dubai checking out one of the biggest gardens in the entire world. This place is like the Chelsea Flower Show on steroids. So make sure not to miss it. But for now from me, mike corey, and the rest of the travel show team here in thailand, its goodbye. Hello again. With temperatures of 3a recorded of both northolt and heathrow in west london. Temperatures would be quite so london. Temperatures would be quite so high today because we have at lentigo moving in. It will still be warm they would temperatures up to 25 so just not as hot. Yesterday ended with a bit of a bang, a bit of a lightning show across parts of scott, particularly around the aberdeenshire area. We had some lively downpours and also in edinburgh. It was in the first time edinburgh. It was in the first time edinburgh had some pretty nasty weather so far this june with some localised loading caused by the intense downpours here. Those thunderstorms have in working out into the north sea so the weather is coming down at the moment. If you are heading outside over the next few hours, the only real places likely to see rain is across western scotla nd likely to see rain is across western scotland particularly the highlands and Western Isles but otherwise its and Western Isles but otherwise its a largely dry picture those temperatures are still slowly coming down. 15 or 16 degrees in the centre of london as we start off sunday and sunday promises to be a much fresher day weatherwise. There will be some dry weather around, the best of that across the south and east, the north and west always prone to showers in scotlands case, in the north west, some lengthier spells of rain. Winds are coming around from the north westerly direction into the northern corner of scotland so here, temperatures arent going to be too impressive. 12 in low work, 1a for stornoway but further southwards for england and wales, still some warm sunshine. 2a, 20 five degrees and the warmest areas and 20 in aberdeen as well wont feel too bad as well. The heatwave is still with us in europe but that is coming to an end over the next few days as the at lentigo slowly displaces those incredibly high june temperatures and we replace it with something of and we replace it with something of a north westerly wind for us. Monday, that will continue to dragon showers across the north west of scotla nd showers across the north west of scotland but also, cloud tending to very, a few showers for perhaps the north west of england and wales but also some spells of sunshine coming to elsewhere. Temperatures 18 in newcastle, 22 in london and then looking really for the rest of the week ahead, actually, theres a lot of dry weather to come with some sunshine. Temperatures were scotland and northern ireland, generally high teens to low 20s. England and wales, low to mid 20s and the warmest areas. Thats your weather. Hello and welcome to bbc news. Im reged ahmad. President trump prepares to visit the Demilitarized Zone between north and south korea, but will kim jong un be there . Nearly a month after sudans brutal crackdown, hundreds return to the streets of the capital demanding civilian rule. Hello and welcome. President trump is in south korea where he hopes to inject new life into stalled nuclear talks. Hes set to visit the de militarised zone which separates the two koreas and extended an invitation to kim jong un to come and shake hands. Lets go live to our correspondent mariko 0i, who is near the de militarised zone. Thats right. You can see the barbed wire is behind me, thats the demilitarised zone which divides the two koreas, which technically speaking are still at war since the korean war of the 1950s. Donald trump is scheduled to visit later this afternoon, he is currently meeting with resident moonjae in of south korea in seoul before a short press c0 nfe re nce south korea in seoul before a short press conference before coming here. As you said, he tweeted yesterday saying he wouldnt mind meeting up with kim jong un, to which saying he wouldnt mind meeting up with kimjong un, to which north korea said it was an interesting question but the question remains whether he will be there when donald trump arrives. Laura bickerjoins us, seoul correspondent. We dont know whether he will be there but one could argue this is a big photo op after the collapse of the hanoi summit. You could look at this in two ways, one, a glorified photo opportunity, what could they do in such a short space of time . Donald trump will be in this demilitarised zone for less than two hours, what could possibly be discussed in that time, especially afterthe could possibly be discussed in that time, especially after the breakup of the hanoi summit and considering the positions of the us, they still wa nt the positions of the us, they still want north korea to denuclearise first before they prepare to ease economic sanctions. North korea want the opposite, they want a step by step proposal whereby they give up something and eventually over time sanctions are eased. When it comes to the two positions, that hasnt changed, so what can a handshake change . 0ne hasnt changed, so what can a handshake change . One of the things people keep telling me is the decades old distrust that exists in north korea and washington when it comes to these two enemies. Just the point of them coming together, just that simple handshake, the more meetings they can have, many people will argue, the better. They are the two ways of looking at this. Is it a good thing, reality tv style politics, watching the border wondering if they will meet . 0r politics, watching the border wondering if they will meet . Or any contact is something to be applauded . At the same time donald trump was asked casually if he would consider crossing the border and he said sure and if that happens he would become the first sitting us president to step into north korea s. President to step into north korea s. Thats going to be a moment we are all looking out for. We saw it between kim jong un and president moonjae in between kim jong un and president moon jae in when they met last april. At the bbc its one of our most replayed moments of last year, the moment when kim jong un casually holds moonjae ins the moment when kim jong un casually holds moon jae ins hand the moment when kim jong un casually holds moonjae ins hand and they go over the border and they walk back and forth. Thats a moment President Donald Trump has thought about and wondered whether he could have that. Evenif wondered whether he could have that. Even if there isnt a meeting, and many believe that it might happen, but even if there isnt donald trump will give a message to kim jong un at the border. After hanoi, there was this fear that talks have stalled, we would end up in an entrenched position whereby no one was going to move. There is an opportunity here and both leaders see it. Would use a Donald Trumps focusis see it. Would use a Donald Trumps focus is increasingly going to be the real action in 2020 you say. His Foreign Policy has moved towards iran, getting a positive update on this is closing . I was washington correspondent before being seoul correspondent, so this has been one of his key policy initiatives, to engage with north korea. It may be unconventional but many in seoul believe lots of other things have been tried, why not try engaging. Theres been a fear in south korea that as attention draws to 2020, that as attention draws to 2020, that donald trump would get distracted and forget about north korea. In north korea there have been signs, whether its been short range missile tests, that they are trying to poke donald trump into some kind of action. It may be certainly that hope is in seoul where they are sitting there looking through blinkered eyes, wondering whether this is going to happen or not. The hope within the blue house is that these talks will go ahead. Laura bicker, thanks for that. All eyes on that border, whether kim jong un will be there when donald trump arrives later this afternoon. We will keep an eye on it. Thanks, mariko 0i in south korea. Its almost four weeks since the brutal crackdown in sudan. Hundreds of protestors were killed by the Security Forces after weeks of peaceful sit ins across the country. Despite the internet being cut off by the authorities, activists have managed to re group themselves and many people are mobilising for a mass rally this weekend. Mohanad hashim reports. People are back out on the streets of khartoum only three weeks after a brutal crackdown. Their strong desire for civilian rule outweighs their fear of another confrontation. Its not that big a couple of hundred people, maybe. But the simple fact they are going back at it, and in their neighbourhoods, is telling us something that these people are going to try and do this for as long as they can. 23 year old mohammed lost his best friend, mahmoud, on the 3rd ofjune. Since my last visit in may, khartoum feels like a different city. Theres a huge presence of the Rapid Support forces, and the former sit in site has become inaccessible to foreign media. Across khartoum, families are still mourning their loved ones. This womans 26 year old son was killed too. Despite her loss, she defiantly intends to continue demonstrating. Meanwhile, the military is seeking to bolster its support base. Here he is waving his stick, general hemeti of the Rapid Support his men, locally known as the janjaweed, are accused of leading the bloody crackdown on june 3rd. They are now in control of the capital and show no intention of leaving. These demonstrations are happening daily. Sudans revolution is not over. The young men and women driving it know that unseating the military could cost them their lives. Mohanad hashim, bbc news. We will keep across all the events in south korea as donald trump meets with moonjae in, in south korea as donald trump meets with moon jae in, the in south korea as donald trump meets with moonjae in, the south korean president , and visits the demilitarised zone. Stay with us. Global questions travels to sydney to ask if the multiculturalism dream has failed. Do too many communities live separately, pursuing segregation rather than integration . Hello and welcome to sydney, australia, for this edition of lowball questions with me, zeinab badawi. This is a city at the heart of the so called lucky country, a melting pot of diverse countries. Weve come here to get a sense of what people think about living with those who have a different race, language and customs. Multiculturalism has become the defining feature of our modern, mobile, globalised world. Is this progress or a source of tensions . Well, now im here right by the historic harbour bridge and the iconic sydney opera house. Absolutely gorgeous, arent they . And ive got my panel here and also our terrific audience. And if you wa nt to our terrific audience. And if you want tojoin our terrific audience. And if you want to join the conversation, dont forget you can, it is too. We have got a veteran senator for the ruling conservative liberal party, the daughter of italian immigrants. She has
vimarsana.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.