The areas of australia worst hit by bushfires, are now at risk of flash flooding and power cuts as a result of rainstorms. In the state of victoria many fires have been put out by the storms but giant hailstones have also damaged property. John donnison reports. In a year of extreme weather, for australians, it doesnt just rain, it pours. Hailstones the size of golf balls in the state of victoria. So intense, it shattered roofs. And all this in the middle of summer, as large parts of the country continue to burn. In melbourne, battered by high winds, few can remember such a dramatic shift in weather. Such a freak storm. I was watching television, i went into the bedroom and ijust looked out the window and the gumtree, which is two
stories high, just disappeared. It was a white out at this birthday party, abandoned as people huddled for shelter. And this is a cricket pitch. No chance of a resumption in play any time soon, with more rain and hailforecast in the next 2a hours. But after months of hot temperatures fuelling the devastating fires, this, for many, will be welcome relief. John donnison, bbc news. Now its time for a look at the weather with alina jenkins. Scotla nd scotland and Northern Ireland have had a generally breezy day, about some dense patches of fog 39, particularly across wales and the midlands and north west england. Visibility already less than 100 metres in places. We will keep the cloud in the breeze going across scotla nd cloud in the breeze going across scotland and Northern Ireland, that fog becoming quite dense there are
northern england, wales, clear skies elsewhere, you can see where the lowest entry will be. As low as 60 74 lowest entry will be. As low as 60 74 rural parts of england and wales. Compared to 8 9 for the north of scotland. A lengthy dry spell for many, this frontal system and using the cloud and some patchy rain into the cloud and some patchy rain into the far north and west of scotland later on monday. Scotland and Northern Ireland, again cloudy and breezy, that bog slow to clear across parts of england and wales. There will be some spells of sunshine, probably not much we saw today. It could be quite cold where the fog lingers. Hello, this is bbc news. The headlines the Queen Attends Church near sandringham after reaching an agreement with prince harry and meghan over their future. At a agreement with prince harry and meghan over theirfuture. At a libya peace summit, World Leaders have
agreed to uphold. The Prime Minister says he will raise the driving habits of military personnel with democratic footage emerged of another car being driven on the wrong side of the road close to where harry dunn died. China is banning plastic bags in its main cities in supermarkets and single use stores in restaurants. And space x has successfully carried out a test to determine whether its capsule can be returned safely to earth in the event of an emergency. Now on bbc news, its the travel show. This week on the travel show the swamp that is becoming a tinderbox. Lets rehydrate this peat. Same time, ready . Three, two, one. Whoo. Where the amish go on their holidays. I think we have been very blessed to have a place to go like this. People accept us and it is quite unique. Plus what will the 20s bring for travellers . 0ur global guru runs up his highlights for the coming decade. This week we begin the swamp. This area is home to dark
swarms of mosquitoes, blood sucking ticks, poisonous copperheads and rattlesnakes and even the occasional black bear. Back in the 18th century, this place was considered so bleak and inhospitable, it was given a name that was just as unwelcoming, the Great Dismal Swamp. It is right on the border between virginia and north carolina. Back when the us was formed, it was around 1 million acres. Today it is much smaller, about an eighth of his original size and it looks very different. Now it is a protected wildlife preserve with trails for biking and hiking and a lake for boating. But the changes have brought some problems. The wetlands are now much more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In 2011, a devastating forest fire burned through 6500 acres, taking more than 100 days to put out. I am meeting the man leading efforts to save the swamp. It is a beautiful but windy day out on lake drummond. Were getting pushed around a bit in the canoe. But weve got a good guide, chris. A little breezy. What are these beg trees here . These are bold cyprus trees. Bold cyprus actually used to dominate the Forest Community here, historically, because it was a wetter environment so these trees were very abundant. While the Great Dismal Swamp kind of sounds like the lair of a fantasy villain, but it is beautiful here. It is absolutely gorgeous. I mean, it has got diversity of different ecosystems all in this one landscape. The name does not give it a welcoming feeling but, once people get to learn the area, they realise how special it is. We are actually walking along washington ditch, named after George Washington who was one partner in the dismal swamp land company. These ditches were dug under his direction to drain the swamp, log the timber and then farm the land. To drain the swamp hes not the only us president to say that. No, no, i guess not. It took more than 200 years of development for the wetlands to drain and for the area to become just a little less dismal. In that time, the swamp featured in another chapter of american history. Before the civil war, runaway slaves came to hide here. They form communities and they were called maroons. So these people chose to live in the swamp . Yeah, thats because life on a plantation was so horrific that they chose to be free and, if they had to go to live in the swamp to have their freedom, they just resigned themselves to do so. With mosquitoes, with snakes. Very courageous. Id say so. Eric has traced his Family History back to a slave, called moses grandy, who used to work in the swamp. After securing his freedom, grandy wrote a memoir. He did not have to live day to day in the swamp. He was on a plantation but he described how some of the people who lived in the swamp and who were enslaved, he described very vividly their conditions. I heard you are running tours . We do the underground Railroad Tour based on moses grandys slave narrative. Dealing with the Great Dismal Swamp on in the north of virginia. It is important for me to make sure that their history does not remain hidden and we are looking to carrying that on from generation to generation as well. But despite this areas dramatic past, its ecosystem is under threat. The drain started by George Washington has dried out large section of the swamp. Now chris and his team are trying to re wet it. This is one of our water control structures which acts as a little dam where we can manage the water, to raise water levels in the ditch, slow the drainage and then it allows to rehydrate the peat soil. These are called boards. We put them in these channels. Cool and so those are about what . Six inches, about half a foot. So it will raise the surrounding water, raise this water and then rehydrate the surrounding area. Correct. And why is that important . The Ditch Network thats been here dries out the peat, makes it more prone to severe wildfires. It also, because it subsides, it does not provide a base for our forest. You need healthy soil to have a healthy forest. It is hoped rehydrating the swamp will reduce the severity of future fires and, during the hurricane season, protect nearby communities from flooding. By holding more of the water in the swamp, instead ofjust funnelling down these ditches, which service pipe, i mean, drain pipes, it will actually reduce some of the peak flood flows and it also spreads out the extent of the flow across the landscape. Like a giant sponge. A giant sponge, exactly. Lets rehydrate this peat. Same time, ready . 0k. Three, two, one. Whoo. Nice. Well, it sounds like the swamp wont ever be as expensive or as dismal as it was during washingtons time but that is not the point, is it . No, we are never going to restore the swamp to what it was. What were trying to do, with managing the swamp is to bring back some of those past characteristics that are beneficial to promote resiliency going into the future. If you are planning a trip to virginia in the near future, here are some things we think
you should look out for where most people start is the state capital of richmond. 0ur tip is to head to the new neighbourhood of scotts addition, an Old Industrial zone that has been regenerated. In particular it has become a focus for the citys huge craft beer scene. Download a walking tour and enjoy a day of brewery hopping. Theres more than 30 to choose from so just make sure to take it easy. For the great outdoors, head for the blue Ridge Mountains and in particular Shenandoah National park. There are 500 miles of trails to explore and five campsites to stay on. Wild camping in the back country is also possible but check out shenandoahs websites for some of the rules and restrictions first. This part of the world is also nascar central. There are good short stockcar races at richmond and martinsville but the biggest is bristol motors speedway, just over the border in tennessee. The season runs from
april to september. It is cheaper to book tickets in advance but you can turn up on race day and see it as well. Make sure to get there early though as there is a real festival atmosphere and plenty going on besidesjust the racing. Still to come on the travel show 0ur global guru brings us his highlights for the next ten years. And how this place became the amish disneyland. I have learnt a very important part of how to win at shuffleborders pick a team mate that is much better than you. That is how you win. So dont go away. Hello again. At the start of a new year, it is always fun to make some travel plans for the coming 12 months. But the beginning of 2020 gives and excuse to extend that horizon for a full decade. So this week im picking some of my travel highlights for the next ten years. 2020, of course, is an olympic year and tokyo picks up the baton from rio. I am planning to be in the japanese capital for the games, but i wont be buying any flights or hotels until a few weeks before the opening ceremony, which is on the 24th ofjuly. I have observed a pattern emerge from all the summer olympics since, sydney 20 years ago. Initially, prices are high. But as the extravaganza approaches, it becomes clear that supply is outstripping demand and rates
begin to fall. In 2021, ill be heading for scotland for a transport revolution. By the end of next year, there will be self driving buses on a spectacular route, shuttling across the forth road bridge every 20 minutes and carrying half a million passengers annually between the scottish capital and the ancient kingdom of fife. But to comply with safety laws, each vehicle will have a driver on board. By 2022, dubais Burj Al Khalifa could be deposed as the tallest building in the world. Thejeddah tower on saudi arabias red sea coast is expected to stand at least one kilometre high once it is complete, with an Observation Deck about two thirds of the way to the top. It will also house the highest hotel in the world. The 12th of august, 2026, will be the height of the european
holiday season, and the date for a total eclipse of the sun. The stripe of darkness will traverse the spanish cities of bilbao, zaragoza and valencia before arriving here, on the island of majorca. In 2027, the Great BritishUniversity Cities of oxford and cambridge should be reconnected by train. 60 years after the Old Railway Line was ripped up, they will be barely an hour apart. Currently the journey by bus or connecting trains takes at least twice as long. The line will also serve two very different tourist attractions. Bletchley park, the top secret home of Second World War codebreakers, and bicester shopping village, which is exactly as it sounds. Los angeles gets another year in the olympics sun in 2028. The Southern California city last
hosted the games in 1984. Since then, Downtown Los Angeles has been revitalised, and that is where i plan to base myself. After the closing ceremony i will walk along to Union Station and step aboard an intercity train, either the express service that is likely to be running by then to las vegas, or the california high speed rail link to san francisco. And 2030, well, that marks the intended completion date of an 8000 kilometre swathe of woodland stretching across africa from senegal to eritrea. The great green wall project aims to transform the sahel, the region to the south of the sahara desert, and build local resilience to climate change. The hope is to create 10 million jobs, some of them in tourism, as travellers flock to see the changing face of africa and what is billed as the largest
living structure on the planet. Thats it for now, but keep your questions coming. You can contact us on any of our social media accounts, and i will do my very best to help. See you next time. To end this week, i am headed down to sarasota, on floridas glorious gulf coast, where every year a small neighbourhood is transformed by one of americas most distinctive communities. Welcome to pinecraft. Since starting as a tourist resort in the 1920s, this has become a holiday hotspot for the amish. We have a mural here depicting everyday amish life. And a friendly man welcoming us. Maybe we can ride the horse. The amish are christians that have held on to a simple, rural way of life. They are best known for their regimented plainclothes, worn for reasons of humility and modesty. They also reject most forms of modern technology, some even avoiding electricity from the national grid. Well, i guess we grow up working. I mean, we dontjust sit around doing nothing. Its always, youve got something to do. And, like, in the evening, of course we read books. We dont have tv. And our children like to come home, we have cookouts. It is a very secure life. You grew up in an area where your life was always, sort of, you knew what to expect. Course as time goes on its not so simple any more, you know . We dont do things like we did 100 years ago or 50 years ago. This might look like a normal street in central florida, but actually many of these are amish holiday homes. And if you look right here, this is a power line. Even the amish want to kick back on vacation. The neighbourhood offers more modern conveniences than you might find in one of their traditional settlements. Bicycles and golf carts replace horse and buggies, and the holiday homes, they all have power. We heard there is a saying that whatever happens in pinecraft stays in pinecraft. Every winter and spring, an estimated 5000 people come to visit. But if youre not amish, you might have to prepare for a cold reception. They tend to keep themselves to themselves, not so much out of unfriendliness than modesty. And when the camera comes out, everyone tends to scatter. Ive been to a of places and ive met a lot of people, and i fit in most the time, but here, obviously i stick out like a sore thumb here, and i dont exactly know how to interact. So it can feel a little
bit lonely at times. I head to a hotel which welcomes both amish and non amish guests, where, luckily, john and wilma have agreed to sit down with me, and even then we take a while to warm up. So we will have some fun, make a few little pieces for television, and tell some stories like this one. Can you both tell me a bit about pinecraft . Theres no other place like it in the world, i dont think. Why do you say that . Its really a social life for older people. You go to the park, it is kind of a Gathering Place where people come, sit and visit. There is shuffleboard down there. And people, a lot of the older guys are shuffling, mostly men, but there is always one court open for the women. So, yeah, you get to know people from a lot of different areas. Different denominations, you know . They come in here and it has been interesting that people, what we would call outsiders, that are not really amish, just happen to be in the area, and now they are coming back ever since. There is that cincinnati couple, some of them. Yeah. We have become Close Friends with them. They are nice, clean people, you know . Not. People that you dont have to be ashamed of. I think weve been very blessed to have a place to go like this, that people accept us and, yeah, its quite unique. 0n johns recommendation, i head to the park, hitching a ride on a very nontraditional mode of transportation. My new guide is immanuel, a long time resident here in pinecraft. So this game is called shuffleboard. Yeah. And whats the point . The point is to get your puck on the area that is marked. In shuffleboard, players are awarded points for landing discs within the scoring area. But land it in an area called the kitchen, and you are deducted ten points. So my team mate is the guy over in the blue. It seems like quite a popular sport. It is, very popular in the wintertime down here. And away we go so i will try to get up there and see what i can do. Thats right. All right, here we go. My first ever shuffle. My first ever shuffleboard. Three, two, one. Aw, i knocked us both out i am hitting them, which i think is good. But no one has scored any points. 0h. It turns out the Shuffleboard Court is definitely the place to be. John has come over all the way from the hotel to cheer me on. Im afraid you are not ready for the tournament. I was playing better until you showed up, i swear. So are we going to play or what . No, im just watching. Just criticising . Yeah, i like to criticise. No, i dont think that was good. Their score goes up, oui score goes down. And now were 26 and theyre on 68. You might think theres four more rounds left but, it ends at 75. Which means if they score one more. So if we dont knock this yellow one out, we lose. He has to knock two of them out. And that looks like it is game over. Game over . You win . We win. Well, it was a learning experience. Thank you so much. Thank you, that was so much fun. I appreciate it. How was i . Iwas 0k . Yeah, for the first time. Ok, thats good to know. Apparently, all it takes to make friends in pinecraft is losing a game of shuffleboard. Well, it looks like i will have to practise my shuffleboard skills. And while i do that, coming up next week. Lucy is in the basque country, where tourists have been paying over the odds for a local favourite. And rajan is injeddah, the gateway to mecca, finding out about the citys incredible cultural heritage. I seem to be part of the band
which is great, but ive no idea what im doing so make sure not to miss that. But for now, from me, mike corey, and the rest of the travel show team here, in the united states, its goodbye. Hello, its been a day of two halves across the uk, cloudy and breezy for much of scotland and Northern Ireland, sunnier and colder for england and wales. But its fog were concerned about overnight, particularly across wales, the midlands and northwest england. Visibility already less than 100 meters in places. And we have met Office Warnings for the fog overnight. Well keep the cloud
and the breeze going. Plus, much of scotland and Northern Ireland that fall becoming quite dense through parts of northern england, into the midlands, wales, maybe into east anglia as well. And see where the lowest temperatures are indicated by those blue colours, minus six or minus seven for rural parts of england and wales, compared to eight or nine across the far north of scotland. This area of High Pressure is the dominant feature, not just through tomorrow, but for much of the weeks were little dry weather in this forecast. A front to the far north of scotland will introduce some rain here later in the day. And a lot of cloud still across scotland and Northern Ireland, some brightness across eastern counties. That fog will be slow to clear across parts of england and wales, making for quite a cold day and probably a bit more cloud across east anglia and southeast england. But light winds for many. Quite a windy day, though, across the northern and western scotland. But these gusts could touch 50 or 55 miles an hour at ten or 11 celsius here or like six to nine celsius elsewhere, but closer to freezing where that fog is slow to clear. And another cold and frosty start to Tuesday Morning across central and southern england. But gradually, those
frost will start to lift as the week wears on. This is tuesday. High pressure still with us. This frontal system trying to push its way southward, but running into an area of High Pressure. So really no rain on it, butjust a lot more cloud around on tuesday. Again, some problems with overnight mist and fog. A cloudy day for many, but still some bright or sunny spells, the best of which will be along eastern coast. And where that fog is slow to clear, again, its going to be quite a cold day on tuesday across parts of england and wales. But getting closer to double figures across parts of scotland and Northern Ireland. This High Pressure is still with us on wednesday. Its not going anywhere at all. Last time we saw such a lengthy dry spell was back in september. But it will be introducing some quite moist air. So for the middle part of the week, once again, quite a bit of cloud around. Best chance of any sunshine will be for eastern counties of scotland and england. Temperatures starting to come down by day to eight or nine celsius the high on wednesday. So to sum up the week, a dry spell for many, some frosty nights at
first gradually turning a little bit milder, but also further mist and fog by. This is bbc world news today. Our top stories. World powers agree to uphold a un weapons embargo as part of efforts to resolve the conflict in libya. Queen elizabeth makes her first public appearance since the announcement that harry and meghan will drop their royal titles and all official duties. Documents seen by the bbc show how africa s Richest Woman made herfortune by corruption and exploiting her own country, angola. And a crucial test for elon musks spacex astronaut