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hundreds of thousands of people, who are in rented accommodation worried about how they'll pay the bills with reduced incomes. but today the government confirmed it's extending the ban on landlords evicting tenants who can't pay, in england and wales, until september the 20th. there had been calls from charities to extend the measures, which were due to be lifted on monday. here's our home editor, mark easton. as we emerge from lockdown, for tens of thousands of people in england and wales there's deep anxiety — not just the virus, but of losing their home. covid cost david his job in high wycombe, and despite today's four—week extension to the ban on eviction proceedings, he still worries about paying the rent. well, we had guaranteed income, and now we don't. we do get some support from universal credit to help with things, but in all honesty it's not enough. itjust doesn't cut everything. do you think you'll be able to stay in your home? it's difficult times. there's a possibility that we could end up losing our home. david's landlord has been understanding up to now, but like thousands in high wycombe the terror of losing your income and then your home looms large. landlords, too, are worried they may fall victim to the financial impact of the virus. vikram daws advises many in high wycombe. landlords are going to have very real problems, because they themselves are running businesses so there's a lot at stake for the landlords who could, in turn, as a consequence, become homeless themselves. the eviction ban had been due to end on sunday, but in a last—minute agreement with the judiciary the ministry has announced no eviction hearings will be listed until mid—september. hundreds of eviction cases are already waiting to be heard here at high wycombe county court. across england, the queue is thought to be around 40,000 cases long, but social distancing means the courts can't operate at full capacity, so it could take more than a yearjust to get through the backlog, while more and more peoplejoin the wait for judgment. housing charities say while they're relieved the band's been extended and please the required notice of an eviction‘s been increased to six months, this last—minute u—turn doesn't solve the bigger problems. this isn't a silver bullet, but it will help in the short term. there are still people at great risk of losing their homes as the economic impact of the pandemic comes in, and the government needs to make sure it uses the time it's now got to legislate on issues like no fault evictions that it's promised to do for so long. the eviction ban has been extended to march in scotland and northern ireland. in england and wales, ministers have given themselves one month to come up with an answer to stopping the virus threatening the roof over people's heads. mark easton, bbc news, high wycombe. now on bbc news, it's the travel show and rajan datar completes his journey down the longest river within the balkans — the sava. he follows its route to bosnia and herzegovina, then east into serbia. i am on a voyage through the heart of the balkans, exploring the places that have grown up along the route of the river sava. it is a journey through four countries that just over 25 years ago were at war. my trip started at its source in slovenia and continued through to the wetlands of croatia. this week, i will be following the river to bosnia and herzegovina, and then east into serbia. and meeting those who live along the river banks, who want to move on from the conflicts of the ‘90s and show us what their part of the world is really like. the cascading waterfalls and historic cities of bosnia and herzegovina, now gaining more international attention. here in the north of the country, the river sava is on the tourist agenda, too. it is here that the river takes on a new and important role as an internationally recognised border. 0ver there is croatia and on this side of the river is bosnia and herzegovina, where i will be continuing my journey. it is a far cry from the beleaguered war—torn image some might have of bosnia and herzegovina. during the 1990s, the river here was the scene of the fiercest interethnic fighting. sparked by the break—up of yugoslavia. but today, the people who live here are recognising the river's potential. during the war, the river was a physical barrier separating opposing sides. attitudes towards the river might have changed during the war but the natural environment is still feeling the effects. land mines and munitions were used extensively in the river sava basin, which proved not only to be deadly but also polluted the water and the problem has been compounded by industrial waste. but this group of young people are determined that their natural heritage will not be placed in any further jeopardy. people think there is a war still in our country but it is not, it is finished. when we were at war, or after the war, older generations had time to think about nature but now, i am the new generation that can make that sense that we need to help our nature, so that same nature can help us. why is it important for you that the nature around here is protected 7 we have an unused nature that tourists can... potential. potential that tourists can help us. because we need money. tourism could be the answer to unemployment among young people. of course, like everywhere. how bad is unemployment? very bad. tourism may say that? —— save that. yes. i think it is the only choice we have. 0utside gradiska, on the flood plains of the river sava are these wetlands. it has been recognised as an area of international importance because it supports a range of endangered species. it is also under threat because some of the lakes have been drained and ploughed over for farmland. it is an issue the collective want to bring worldwide attention to by holding a music festival here. this man was one of the djs. what is it about the land here that worries you? the thing that worries me, it will all disappear, the lake. the lake was 11 and now it is only two lakes. tell me then, what is so special about this area that makes you and your friends want to come here and relax? the nature, it's breathtaking. when you look at the sunrise and everything, it's beautiful. we wanted to attract attention to here and we think, let's do a festival. maybe someone with money will say, come and stop here. more than 500 people from across the region came to the festival and the eco collective plan to hold more events here in the future. some people might say, how is playing music with a dj sound system helping the nature? because that is in right now, the festivals are in. i suppose what i'm saying is people may come just for the party, 0k. they'll go, yeah, great party, and they might go, not even knowing. when they come, when they see this beautiful place, they will stay. we are campaigning for saving this land — a festival is just the tool. and the eco collective aren't the only ones hoping to encourage people to visit this region. i'm heading through lush countryside to meet a man who wants to link up the whole of the sava route by bike. what is your grand plan for the whole stretch of this river? the grand plan is to connect first of all, to connect people alongside the river sava. it is connecting a few important cities, lubjiana, zagreb and belgrade. as you know, river sava was a war line. we want to change this to become more or less like a lifeline. this man thinks the plan could unite all four countries with a common purpose and he has cycled the entire 850—kilometre route with his team to show it can be done. there are hurdles to overcome, like areas with undetonated landmines, but he says if the route succeeds, the rewards will be immense. this is just one of the things that could help people to think about our mutual future, not divided future. we finish our cycle ride in this riverside city of brcko. its position on the river near the croatian and serbian borders mean brcko has been strategically important. its location also made a huge sticking point in the 1995 peace talks that sought to end bosnia and herzegovina's interethnic conflict by setting up two political entities within the country. 0ne representing bosnian muslims and croats, the other serbs. no one could agree which region brcko should be part of. the federation of bosnia and herzegovina or the serb republic. and so they made a decision. it would be neither. brcko has been called europe's only free city. in official terms, it's a semi—autonomous district with its own multiethnic government and education system. but achieving harmony hasn't been straightforward. for example, the local assembly could not agree on a shared memorial for those killed in the country's war, so they built three. brcko is a fascinating place to visit. it has been called a microcosm of the country as a whole because here you can experience the culture of all the different groups that make up this complex nation. that diversity is reflected in the music, too. this band specialise in performing folk songs from all the ethnic backgrounds that make up brcko. applause really good, fantastic. thank you very much. that was brilliant. and tonight, i'm joining the band. can i ask you first of all, how much of the music that you play is a combination of all the different cultures that are in this district? of course, no—one is pretending that brcko is a utopia. it has a fiendishly complicated government structure and there is lingering resentment about which community effectively has the most power. 0n nights like this, harmony reins. all of us are mixed. there are serbians, croatians, bosnians. we are all the same. i don't even remember if someone is that way or this way or anything. it doesn't feel. the atmosphere is very nice. life goes on and music goes on. yes. shall we have a go? not good. wow. such a nice feeling. next in myjourney, i am heading east along the sava route to serbia, the end point will be country's biggest city and grand capital belgrade. first it's this city of sremska mitrovica, on the river's northern bank. now on the face of it, this city centre is much like any other in serbia. what is intriguing and surprising is that beneath my feet, beaneath these streets are the ruins of a former capital of the roman empire. it was called sirmium then. the romans chose this spot because of its location on the sava. the word sirmium means flowing water. most of the roman city, including a colossal hippodrome, still lies beneath the modern metropolis but some remains, like this huge imperial palace complex, have been excavated. it was 1957 when the workers started to make apartment building and then these walls appeared. some historians think as many as 18 roman emperors were born in the territory of modern day serbia and that five of those were born here in sirmium itself. it's a heritage this archaeologist thinks is little known outside of the balkans, largely due to a period in the late—90s when serbia were seen by some as a political pariah because of the conflict in kosovo. do you think people are surprised that serbia had such a roman history? i think that it is not so much now. for a long time, we were isolated. we did a lot during that time, according to the protection of archaeological heritage. the archaeologists want the world to know about the incredible remains they have found here. they are using new 3d reconstruction techniques, so that people can digitally explore what parts of its ancient city might have looked like. these things which connect people, like roman heritage, like these things which are similar to all of us which makes us part of europe and this is ourjoint ask. the incredible history of sirmium is notjust linking sremska mitrovica with the rest of europe, it is bringing the region global attention. beneath this field, just outside the city is a roman palace. australian archaeologists from the university of sydney have joined with serbian colleagues to start the mammoth task of excavation. stephan is one of the people coordinating the dig. potentially, we are excavating the palace of roman emperor maximillianus hercules and if it turns out to be maximillianus hercules, this definitely is one of the most exciting finds in the world of european roman archaeology. the plan is to excavate the palace and find out more but it will take years. anything i can help with here? yes, you may. you can use this thing. shall i show you? yes. it sprays the water, so you can clean the mosaic stones. incredible, incredible. this is really pleasurable to literally uncover and expose works of building an art that were literally thousands of years old. incredible. and thousands of years ago, the romans continued down the river to build the ancient city, known today as serbia's capital, belgrade. this is its most famous landmark in its fortress can scene of many a battle to any last 2000 years. 0ver battle to any last 2000 years. over here you can see why. it's where our companion for the last 900 kilometres, the river sava meets the danube, making it the most strategic point in oui’ it the most strategic point in our journey. today, for it the most strategic point in ourjourney. today, for some premier league stars. how are you doing? you guys are professionals. what you are playing is different basketball, street basketball. it is completely different as a sport. how is it different? you play on the half court with a smaller boil. -- ball. you get 12 seconds to try and score, the opposing team drives out and begins their attack. i show them how it is done. i have a height disadvantage but it does not mean i am worse because i can nip through underneath. that is the theory anyway. serbia is ranked number one in the sport, which has been added toa the sport, which has been added to a line—up of the olympic games in tokyo. the season runs from august tilljune and you can buy tickets at the courts. the fortress grounds date back 32—macro millennia of military history but also bear witness to the recent turbulence in serbia. this was used against nato air forces serbia. this was used against nato airforces in serbia. this was used against nato air forces in the war over kosovan independence in 1999. evidence in the city centre of buildings bombed in the same conflict. the capital is not the war ravaged depressed city some people might expect it to be. belgrade has picked up a reputation for its head nightlife and pa rfait lined boulevards. the centre is a blend of neo— renaissance architecture and the blocks built when this was the capital of yugoslavia. perhaps the most distinctive features are these things, floating jetty switch sit along the banks of the river sava. —— ajeti's which set. deena says how important the jetties are to the city. belgrade is in this amazing geographical place, like on the complement of river sava and the danube. this city basically led by the weather. -- the confluence. tina feels the creative side of the city is often underestimated. in my opinion, i believe that the stereotypes around belgrade moved between two polar stereotypes. the first is belgrade and serbia are all stricken and belgrade is basically this new berlin, eastern berlin after the cold war, kind of like the newly found utopia for all the clubbers. i do not think belgrade applies to either one of theirs. the city is specific in its own way. she hopes a city can start to shake the perception held by some in the international community that they are intolerant to minorities. they do have a c -- a legacy to erect regard attitudes to minorities. we have had successful gay prides with huge support from police security. comparing to the first years of organising gay pride, when it was almost impossible to imagine it would be held, things have changed a lot. the face of the city is changing as well. 3 billion euros have been pumped into regenerating the belgrade waterfront, a project that has been controversial with some locals but it is hoped will bring investment and tourism to the capital. it is clear whatever the future holds for belgrade, the weather will still be at its very heart. so, my near 1000 kilometre voyage down the river sava to the balkans is complete and what a trip it has been! i have seen what a trip it has been! i have seen how the weather has been a crucial artery, stretching all the way back to roman times and how will we said it was the backed up to some of the most brutalfighting. for backed up to some of the most brutal fighting. for me backed up to some of the most brutalfighting. for me it has been truly incredible to see how the river is helping to heal the wounds of this conflict and let's hope it continues to make good friends out of old enemies. hello there. the last few days has brought some very windy weather across many parts of the country. on friday we had winds well over 60 miles an hour here in the south—west of wales, also the south—west of england and we saw those very strong winds pushing through the english channel as well, leading to some very dramatic weather watcher pictures taken earlier on in the day. now, for the weekend it's not going to be as windy. that's because the deep area of low pressure that brought those unseasonably strong winds is moving away into the norwegian sea, so already the winds are dropping. but we are going to continue to see some sunshine and some showers during saturday. and there could be some heavier ones moving down into scotland for a while, actually some longer spells of rain for northern ireland and those showers pushing into england and wales. driest weather, sunniest weather likely to be across southern counties of england and perhaps into east anglia. but for england and wales in particular, it's still a blustery day, not as windy but still those gusts of 35 to a0 miles an hour. it will take the edge off the temperatures, which may be a bit lower than we had on friday. top temperature of 22 degrees there, but further north and west, quite a few degrees cooler than that. those heavier showers continue into the evening before tending to fade away overnight. the wind continuing to drop as well. as we head into the second half of the weekend, well, there's a brief sign of this ridge of high pressure in from the atlantic, but all it's doing is it's changing the wind direction to a cooler north—westerly. again, the winds continuing to drop though on sunday, lighter winds for much of the country. some sunshine and showers for scotland, the heavier ones for northern ireland pushing into northern and then eastern parts of england with the risk of some thunderstorms too. our top temperature will be 21 degrees in the south—east on sunday, but quite a bit cooler, i think, than saturday across scotland with those north—westerly breezes. into the early part of next week, first of all we've got a weather system coming in from the atlantic. it's quite a weak affair really and the winds are light on monday, but we're looking at a lot of cloud to move its way eastwards and some patchy rain too, may be a little bit heavierfor a while across southern part of england and wales. drier weather in the north—east of scotland, but it's only 13 degrees in aberdeen and around 19 celsius in cardiff. and then for tuesday and wednesday, we've got another deep area of low pressure heading our way threatening to bring some more very strong winds across the uk. a spell of rain probably will be followed by some sunshine and some showers. good morning. welcome to breakfast with naga munchetty and charlie stayt. 0ur headlines today: hundreds of thousands of people in three areas of north west england are under tighter lockdown measures from today in an attempt to combat rising coronavirus cases. california asks australia to help thousands of firefighters battling huge wildfires, some of the worst in the state's history, which have killed six people. sta travel becomes the latest high—street firm to fall victim to the pandemic, putting around 500 jobs at risk. endland's cricketers will want to pile on the runs against pakistan this morning, including zak crawley, who resumes 171 not out, leaving them in a strong position
SerbiaAustraliaTokyoJapanUnited-kingdomRiversideCaliforniaUnited-statesAustriaRussiaKosovo ahmad nawaz, changed forever when his school was targeted by taliban gunmen. the attack left more than 130 children dead. ahmad, then aged 1a, only survived by playing dead. the road to recovery has been long, but ahmad's life is about to change again. he's accepted a place to study at oxford university. the bbc asian network's shabnam mahmood reports. that was a horrible day. i will never be able to forget the things that happened on that day. december 2014, over 130 children and their teachers died in an attack by the taliban on a school in peshawar in pakistan. my friends being killed, of course, in front of my eyes, and that's one of the pictures that i will never be able to forget. ahmad nawaz, who also lost his younger brother in the massacre, was shot in the arm. it shattered the bone at that time, and i had to go through 11 surgeries. so severe were his injuries, he was flown to a birmingham hospital, which specialises in trauma surgery. i met him shortly after his operation. he explained how he'd played dead to stay alive. i keet quiet and show myself dead to them, because the blood was so much, and my shirt was fully red and my face also was fully red, so, therefore, they think he has died. having made the uk his home, ahmad is determined to do well. now, he has secured a place at oxford university to study philosophy. i feel extremely proud having come from such an atrocity that happened a few years ago. i feel like this is a success, not only for myself, but also, all the people who got shot in that attack. i want to see all child go to school... like his friend, nobel peace prize winner malala yousafzai, who also survived a taliban attack ahmad is no less ambitious. i would also like to help people through my own organisation, which i am setting up now, to try and empower people to eradicate this problem of extremism from the world. this is the confirmation. going to oxford university is a dream come true for the teenager who lived through one of the deadliest terror attacks. i think my survival was a miracle in a sense, and now i am just trying my best to make sure that i can do something in the second chance that i have been given. shabnam mahmood, bbc news. now on bbc news, it's time for the travel show. i'm on a voyage through the heart of the balkans, exploring the places that have grown up along the route of the river sava. it's a journey through four countries that just over 25 years ago were at war. my trip started at the source in slovenia and continued through to the wetlands of croatia. watch out! this week, i'll be following the river to bosnia and herzegovina, and then east into serbia. i'm meeting those who live along the river banks who want to move on from the conflicts of the ‘90s and show us what their part of the world is really like. the cascading waterfalls and historic cities of bosnia and herzegovina, now gaining more international attention. and here in gradiska in the north of the country, the river sava is on the tourist agenda too. it's here that the river takes on a new and important role as an internationally recognised border. because over there is croatia, and on this side of the river is bosnia and herzegovina, where i will be continuing my journey. it's a far cry from the beleaguered war—torn image some might have of bosnia and herzegovina. during the 1990s, the river here was the scene of some of the fiercest inter—ethnic fighting. sparked by the break—up of yugoslavia. but today, the people who live here are recognising the river's potential. during the war, the river was a physical barrier, separating opposing sides. attitudes towards the river might have changed since the war, but the natural environment is still feeling the effects. landmines and munitions were used extensively in the sava basin, which not only proved to be deadly, but also polluted the water and the problem has been compounded by industrial waste. but this group of young people are determined that their natural heritage will not be placed in any further jeopardy. there are people who think it's a war still in our country, but it's not. it's finished. thank you. when we were at war, or after the war, older generations didn't have time to think about nature, but now it has ended and i am the new generation that came with that sense that we need to help our nature, so that that same nature can help us. why is it important for you that the nature around here is protected 7 we have an unused nature that tourists can... the potential. yes, potential that tourists can help us with that, because we need money. so tourism could be the answer to unemployment amongst young people? yes, of course. like everywhere. how bad is unemployment? ah, very bad. so tourism may say that? yes. i think it's the only choice we have. just outside gradiska, on the flood plains of the sava, is the wetland. it's been recognised as an area of international importance because it supports a range of endangered species. but it's also under threat as some of the lakes have been drained and ploughed overforfarmland. it's an issue the collective want to bring worldwide attention to by holding a music festival here. mirko was one of the djs. what is it about the land here that worries you, and what's happening to it? the thing that worries me is it will all disappear, all the lake — it was 11, now it's only two. la kes ? yeah. so tell me then — what is so special about this area that makes you and your friends want to come here and relax? nature, nature, especially nature because it is breathtaking. when you look at the sunrise and everything, it's beautiful. so we wanted to check, let's do a festival. maybe someone will, with the money, come and say, "stop that." more than 500 people from across the region came to the festival, and the eco—collective plan to hold more events here in the future. some people might say, how is playing music with a dj sound system helping the nature? because that's in right now. the festivals are in. but i suppose what i'm saying is people might comejust for the party, 0k. they go, yeah, great party! and they might go, not even knowing... when they come, when they see this beautiful place, they will stay. we are campaigning for saving this land. that is all. just the two. and the eco—collective aren't the only ones hoping to encourage people to visit this region. i'm heading through lush countryside to meet a man who wants to link up the whole of the sava route by bike. what is your grand plan for the whole stretch of this river? well, the grand plan is actually to connect first, to connect people along the sava river. it's connecting a few important cities. well, once you know sava river was a war line, we want to change this, to become more or less like a lifeline. he thinks the plan could unite all four countries with a common purpose, and he cycled the entire 850—kilometre route with his team to show it can be done. there are hurdles to overcome, like areas with undetonated landmines. but he says if the route succeeds, the rewards will be immense. this is just one of the answers that really could help people to think about a mutual future, not divided future. we finish our cycle ride in riverside city of brcko. brcko's position on the river near the croatian and serbian borders means it's been strategically important for centuries. its location also made it a huge sticking point in the 1995 peace talks that sought to end bosnia and herzegovina's ethnic conflict by setting up two political entities within the country — one representing bosnian muslims and croats, the other, serbs. no—one could agree which region brcko should be part of — the federation of bosnia and herzegovina or the serb republic. and so, they made a decision. it would be neither. brcko's been called europe's only free city. in official terms, it is a semi—autonomous district with its own multi—ethnic government and education system. but achieving harmony hasn't been straightforward. for example, the local assembly couldn't agree on a shared memorial for those killed in the country's war. so they built three. brcko is a fascinating place to visit. it's been called a microcosm of the country as a whole because here you can experience the culture of all the different groups that make up this complex nation. and that diversity is reflected in the music too. singing this band specialise in performing folk songs from all the ethnic backgrounds that make up brcko. clapping really, really good. fantastic. how do you do? thank you so much. that was brilliant. and tonight, i'm joining the band. can i ask you, first of all — how much of the music that you play is a combination of all the different cultures that are in this district? singing of course, no—one‘s pretending that brcko is a utopia. it has a fiendishly complicated government structure and there is lingering resentment about which community effectively has the most power. but on nights like this, harmony reigns. singing all of us are mixed. there are serbians, croatians, bosnians. we are all the same. i don't even remember if someone is that way or this way or anything. it doesn't feel... the atmosphere is very nice. and life goes on, and music goes on. yes. absolutely. well, in that case, shall we have a go? not good. power! wow! that's such a nice feeling! clapping next on myjourney, i'm heading east along the sava route to serbia. my endpoint will be the country's biggest city, and its grand capital, belgrade. but first, it's the city of sremska mitrovica on the river's northern bank. now, on the face of it, this city centre is much like any other in serbia, but what's intriguing and surprising is that beneath my feet, beneath these streets are the ruins of a former capital of the roman empire. it was called sirmium then. the romans chose this spot because of its location on the sava. the word ‘sirmium' means flowing water. most of the roman city, including a hippodrome, still lies beneath a modern metropolis, but some remains, like this huge imperial palace complex, have been excavated. it was 1957 when the workers starting to make an apartment building and then these walls appeared. some historians think as many as 18 roman emperors were born in the territory of modern—day serbia, and that five of those were born here in sirmium itself. it's a heritage this archaeologist thinks is little known outside of the balkans, largely due to the period in the late ‘90s when serbia was seen by some as a political pariah because of the conflict in kosovo. do you think people are surprised that serbia had such a roman history? ah, i think that it is not so much now, and for a long time, we were isolated and we did a lot during that time, according to the protection of archaeological heritage. and the archaeologists want the world to know about the incredible remains they found here. they're using new 3—d reconstruction techniques so that people can digitally explore what parts of this ancient city might have looked like. these things which connect people, like roman heritage, like these things which are similar and central to all of us, which makes us a part of europe. and this is ourjoint past. and sirmium's incredible history isn'tjust linking present—day sremska mitrovica with the rest of europe, it's bringing the region global attention. beneath this field just outside the city is a roman palace. australian archaeologists from the university of sydney have joined with serbian colleagues to start the mammoth task of excavation. stefan is one of the people coordinating the dig. potentially, we are excavating the palace of roman emperor maximianus herculius and if it turns out to be emperor maximianus herculius, it definitely is one of the most exciting finds in the world of european roman archaeology. the plan is to excavate the palace and find out more. but it's going to take years. anything i can help with here? anything i can do? yes. you may, in fact, you may use this thing. what does this do? shall i show you? yeah. it sprays the water, so you can clean the mosaic stones. incredible. this is really pleasurable to literally uncover and expose works of building and art that, you know, were literally thousands of years old. incredible. and thousands of years ago, the romans continued down the river to build the ancient city of singidunum — known today as serbia's capital belgrade. this is belgrade‘s most famous landmark, its fortress, the scene of many a battle during the last 2,000 years. and if you look over here, you can see exactly why. it's where our companion for the last 900km, the river sava, meets the danube, making it the most strategic point on our entire journey. but today, the fortress grounds are the venue for more peaceful, if still fiercely contested, combat. and today, for some premier league stars. lazar. how are you doing? hi. now, you guys are professionals, but what you're playing is a different kind of basketball, right? it's street basketball? yeah, street basketball. it looks like basketball, but it's a completely different sport, you know? how is it different? it's different because you play in half a court, you play with a smaller ball, and play three on three. 0k. you get 12 seconds to try and score and after each goal, the opposing team drives the ball out beyond the arc on the court and begins their attack. and i show them how it's done. 0h! well done! i've got a height disadvantage, but it doesn't mean i'm worse because i can nip through underneath — well, that's the theory, anyway. serbia is ranked number one in the world at the sport, which has just been added to the line—up for the 2020 olympic games in tokyo. and if you want to catch a match at this venue, the season runs from august untiljune and you can buy tickets at the courts. yes! come on! the fortress grounds date back through two millennia of military history, but also bear witness to the more recent turbulence in serbia. this weaponry was used against nato air forces in the war over kosovan independence in 1999. there's evidence, too, in the city centre of buildings bombed in that same conflict. but the capital is not the war—ravaged, depressed city that some people might expect it to be. in fact, belgrade has picked up quite a reputation for its hedonistic night life and cafe—lined boulevards. the centre is a blend of neo—renaissance architecture intermingled with the brutalist blocks built when this was yugoslavia's capital. but perhaps the most distinctive features of the city are these things — floating jetties called splavs — that sit along the banks of the sava. dina tells me how important the river is to the city. i think it looks more like the riviera than a river. well, yeah. basically, i mean, given that belgrade is in this amazing geographical place, like, on the confluence of the sava and danube, like, two great european rivers, this city basically lives by the river. dina works at a pioneering cultural centre in the artistic riverside neighbourhood of savamala, and feels the creative side of the city is often underestimated. i think, it's in my opinion, i believe that the stereotype surrounding belgrade kind of moves between two bipolar stereotypes. the first one, i would say, is the old type of belgrade and serbia being this war—stricken country. and the other is that belgrade is basically this new berlin, eastern berlin after the cold war, so kind of like the newly found utopia for the all clubbers. and honestly, i don't think that belgrade kind of applies to either of those. because the city is specific in its own way. dina hopes the city can start to shake the perception held by some in the international community that belgrade, and serbia as a whole, are intolerant to minorities. we do have this legacy of retrograde attitudes towards minorities but we must all keep in mind that all those things were in the past. in recent years, we have had successful gay prides in belgrade — although with huge support from police security — but comparing to the first years of organising gay pride, when it was almost impossible to imagine that it would be held, the things have changed a lot. and the face of the city is changing too. 3 billion euros have been pumped into regenerating belgrade‘s waterfront. it's a project that's been controversial with some locals, but that it's hoped will bring investment and tourism to the capital. it's clear that whatever the future holds for belgrade, the river will still be at its very heart. and so, my near—1,000km voyage down the river sava, through the balkans, is complete. and what a trip it's been. sings in serbian i've seen how the river has been a crucial artery stretching all the way back to roman times. and how, more recently, it was the backdrop to some of the most brutal fighting of the 1990s. both sing in serbian for me, it's been truly incredible to see how the river is now helping to heal the wounds of that conflict. and let's hope it continues to make new friends out of old enemies. both sing in serbian hello there. at the moment, the weather doesn't feel much like late summer. over this weekend, we have seen of sunshine and showers. we have got more showers to come during the second half of the weekend. the big cricket match of course is taking place at southampton, england, on top, hoping for some more wickets. and generally speaking, the day should be dry. there are not going to be many showers across this part of the country. many places will start sunday dry with some sunshine. showers coming into northern ireland, spilling now into southern scotland, northern england, moving into the midlands and into the afternoon down towards the south—east. some of those showers could be happy, possibly thundery. more showers for wales in the south—west, the winds will be lighter on sunday, turning north—westerly in scotland, but there should be very few showers away from the far south. it will be quite cool air, temperatures only 14—16 degrees. we could make 22—23 in the south—east ahead of those heavy showers. those will move away fairly quickly in the evening, lingering a little bit longer across northern england and then later in the night, we will see some rain coming into wales and the south—west, but some clearer spells elsewhere. a little bit cooler, though, i think, by monday morning, particularly in scotland. and quite chilly in the glens of scotland for this time of year. monday is a messy day, i think we have got more cloud and patchy rain in the morning moving eastwards across england and wales and then some sunny spells, a few showers around here and there. the winds will be quite late on monday, again, temperatures may be making 17 in the central belt of scotland to a high of 21 in the south—east of england. a fairly quiet day, but the changes overnight into tuesday, perhaps lingering into wednesday. we've got more gales arriving across the uk, particularly in the south, and this is where we are more likely to have some further trouble disruption. another dose of very windy weather, and usually windy for this time of year as a deep area of low pressure again sweeps its way across the uk. when arriving overnight, the wind is picking up by the morning in the south—west in particular, blowing it northwards, probably not reaching northern scotland, the winds really picking up across wales, the midlands, southern england, gusts of 50—60mph along some of exposed coastal areas. a bumpy ride again on tuesday, temperatures probably don't mean a great deal in that rain, it is going to be pretty cold for most of the day, highs 21 again in the south—east. welcome to bbc news. i'm james reynolds. our top stories: the russian opposition leader, alexei navalny, remains in hospital in germany. his supporters say his condition is very worrying. the us house of representatives votes to pass an emergency bill to inject $25 billion into america's cash—strapped postal service. lithuania and poland deny claims that nato is building up its forces along their borders with belarus. tiktok takes on trump. the chinese company behind the social media app says it will sue the us government.
SerbiaPeshawarNorth-west-frontierPakistanAustraliaTokyoJapanUnited-statesUnited-kingdomBelarusChina wales. the wintry blast has hit victoria and wildlife has had to contend with the icy conditions. but there are fears that trees and power lines could collapse under its weight. forecasters have said this is a one in a 15—year weather event. australia is a land of extremes. snow falls on its mountains every year, but the amount varies. want to have a taste? no. the complex slope pressure system that brought this wintry spectacle is expected to ease. a world away up in the tropics, the temperature in the city of darwin on sunday will reach 3a celsius. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben. hello. there are still a few to few days of august remaining but as far as the weather is concerned, it will feel like autumn has arrived early at times this week. more wind and rain to come, particularly around tuesday and wednesday, it will turn cooler later in the week as well. some showers in the forecast later today and most will ease tonight although some will return to south west england and parts of wales and some of these could be on the heavy side. a mild night in the south but cooler further north, some spots in scotla nd cooler further north, some spots in scotland out in the countryside could get down to two or three degrees. a cool start in the northern half of the uk, one or two showers here, but a lot of dry weather and this cluster of showers will run across the midlands, east anglia and the south—east before clearing away and many places will be dry into monday afternoon. the small chance of catching a shower, temperatures between 16 to 20 degrees and then we get to tuesday, a deep area of low pressure bringing heavy rain and some unseasonably strong winds. hello this is bbc news. the headlines. pupils should go back to school after the summer holidays — england's chief medical officer seeks to reassure parents as millions of children prepare to return to the classroom. many more are likely to be harmed by not going, than harmed by going, even during this pandemic. 0pposition protesters in belarus gather for another demonstration in minsk — two weeks after president lukashenko‘s disputed election victory. president trump declares california's wildfires a major disaster — releasing federal funds to victims who've lost their homes. snow in south—east australia — the unseasonal weather's been triggered by antarctic air. now on bbc news, it's the travel show and rajan datar completes his journey down the longest river within the balkans — the sava. he follows its route to bosnia and herzegovina, then east into serbia. i'm on a voyage through the heart of the balkans, exploring the places that have grown up along the route of the river sava. it's a journey through four countries that just over 25 years ago were at war. my trip started at the source in slovenia and continued through to the wetlands of croatia. watch out! this week, i'll be following the river to bosnia and herzegovina, and then east into serbia. i'm meeting those who live along the river banks who want to move on from the conflicts of the ‘90s and show us what their part of the world is really like. the cascading waterfalls and historic cities of bosnia and herzegovina, now gaining more international attention. and here in gradiska in the north of the country, the river sava is on the tourist agenda too. it's here that the river takes on a new and important role as an internationally recognised border. because over there is croatia, and on this side of the river is bosnia and herzegovina, where i'll be continuing my journey. it's a far cry from the beleaguered war—torn image some might have of bosnia and herzegovina. during the 1990s, the river here was the scene of some of the fiercest inter—ethnic fighting... sparked by the break—up of yugoslavia. but today, the people who live here are recognising the river's potential. during the war, the river was a physical barrier, separating opposing sides. attitudes towards the river might have changed since the war, but the natural environment is still feeling the effects. landmines and munitions were used extensively in the sava basin, which not only proved to be deadly, but also polluted the water and the problem has been compounded by industrial waste. but this group of young people are determined that their natural heritage will not be placed in any further jeopardy. there are people who think it's a war still in our country, but it's not. it's finished. thank you. when we were at war, or after the war, older generations didn't have time to think about nature, but now it has ended and i am the new generation that came with that sense that we need to help our nature, so that that same nature can help us. why is it important for you that the nature around here is protected 7 we have an unused nature that tourists can... the potential. yes, potential that tourists can help us with that, because we need money. so tourism could be the answer to unemployment amongst young people? yes, of course. like everywhere. how bad is unemployment? ah, very bad. so tourism may save that? yes. i think it's the only choice we have. just outside gradiska, on the flood plains of the sava, is the wetland. it's been recognised as an area of international importance because it supports a range of endangered species. but it's also under threat as some of the lakes have been drained and ploughed overforfarmland. it's an issue the collective want to bring worldwide attention to by holding a music festival here. mirko was one of the djs. what is it about the land here that worries you, and what's happening to it? the thing that worries me is it will all disappear, all the lake — it was 11, now it's only two. la kes ? yeah. so tell me then — what is so special about this area that makes you and your friends want to come here and relax? nature, nature, especially nature because it is breathtaking. when you look at the sunrise and everything, it's beautiful. so we wanted to check, let's do a festival. maybe someone will, with the money, come and say, "stop that." more than 500 people from across the region came to the festival, and the eco—collective plan to hold more events here in the future. some people might say, how is playing music with a dj sound system helping the nature? because that's in right now. the festivals are in. but i suppose what i'm saying is people might comejust for the party, 0k. they go, yeah, great party! and they might go, not even knowing... when they come, when they see this beautiful place, they will stay. we are campaigning for saving this land. that is all. just the two. and the eco—collective aren't the only ones hoping to encourage people to visit this region. i'm heading through lush countryside to meet a man who wants to link up the whole of the sava route by bike. what is your grand plan for the whole stretch of this river? well, the grand plan is actually to connect first, to connect people along the sava river. it's connecting a few important cities. well, once you know sava river was a war line, we want to change this, to become more or less like a lifeline. he thinks the plan could unite all four countries with a common purpose, and he cycled the entire 850—kilometre route with his team to show it can be done. there are hurdles to overcome, like areas with undetonated landmines. but he says if the route succeeds, the rewards will be immense. this is just one of the answers that really could help people to think about a mutual future, not divided future. we finish our cycle ride in riverside city of brcko. brcko‘s position on the river near the croatian and serbian borders means it's been strategically important for centuries. its location also made it a huge sticking point in the 1995 peace talks that sought to end bosnia and herzegovina's ethnic conflict by setting up two political entities within the country — one representing bosnian muslims and croats, the other, serbs. no—one could agree which region brcko should be part of — the federation of bosnia and herzegovina or the serb republic. and so, they made a decision. it would be neither. brcko‘s been called europe's only free city. in official terms, it is a semi—autonomous district with its own multi—ethnic government and education system. but achieving harmony hasn't been straightforward. for example, the local assembly couldn't agree on a shared memorial for those killed in the country's war. so they built three. brcko is a fascinating place to visit. it's been called a microcosm of the country as a whole because here you can experience the culture of all the different groups that make up this complex nation. and that diversity is reflected in the music too. singing this band specialise in performing folk songs from all the ethnic backgrounds that make up brcko. clapping really, really good. fantastic. how do you do? thank you so much. that was brilliant. and tonight, i'm joining the band. can i ask you, first of all — how much of the music that you play is a combination of all the different cultures that are in this district? singing of course, no—one‘s pretending that brcko is a utopia. it has a fiendishly complicated government structure and there is lingering resentment about which community effectively has the most power. but on nights like this, harmony reigns. singing all of us are mixed. there are serbians, croatians, bosnians. we are all the same. i don't even remember if someone is that way or this way or anything. it doesn't feel... the atmosphere is very nice. and life goes on, and music goes on. yes. absolutely. well, in that case, shall we have a go? not good. power! wow! that's such a nice feeling! clapping next on myjourney, i'm heading east along the sava route to serbia. my endpoint will be the country's biggest city, and its grand capital, belgrade. but first, it's the city of sremska mitrovica on the river's northern bank. now, on the face of it, this city centre is much like any other in serbia, but what's intriguing and surprising is that beneath my feet, beneath these streets are the ruins of a former capital of the roman empire. it was called sirmium then. the romans chose this spot because of its location on the sava. the word ‘sirmium' means flowing water. most of the roman city, including a hippodrome, still lies beneath a modern metropolis, but some remains, like this huge imperial palace complex, have been excavated. it was 1957 when the workers starting to make an apartment building and then these walls appeared. some historians think as many as 18 roman emperors were born in the territory of modern—day serbia, and that five of those were born here in sirmium itself. it's a heritage this archaeologist thinks is little known outside of the balkans, largely due to the period in the late ‘90s when serbia was seen by some as a political pariah because of the conflict in kosovo. do you think people are surprised that serbia had such a roman history? ah, i think that it is not so much known, and for a long time, we were isolated and we did a lot during that time, according to the protection of archaeological heritage. and the archaeologists want the world to know about the incredible remains they found here. they're using new 3—d reconstruction techniques so that people can digitally explore what parts of this ancient city might have looked like. these things which connect people, like roman heritage, like these things which are similar and central to all of us, which makes us a part of europe. and this is ourjoint past. and sirmium's incredible history isn'tjust linking present—day sremska mitrovica with the rest of europe, it's bringing the region global attention. beneath this field just outside the city is a roman palace. australian archaeologists from the university of sydney have joined with serbian colleagues to start the mammoth task of excavation. stefan is one of the people coordinating the dig. potentially, we are excavating the palace of roman emperor maximianus herculius and if it turns out to be emperor maximianus herculius, it definitely is one of the most exciting finds in the world of european roman archaeology. the plan is to excavate the palace and find out more. but it's going to take years. anything i can help with here? anything i can do? yes. you may, in fact, you may use this thing. what does this do? shall i show you? yeah. it sprays the water, so you can clean the mosaic stones. incredible. this is really pleasurable to literally uncover and expose works of building and art that, you know, were literally thousands of years old. incredible. and thousands of years ago, the romans continued down the river to build the ancient city of singidunum — known today as serbia's capital belgrade. this is belgrade‘s most famous landmark, its fortress, the scene of many a battle during the last 2,000 years. and if you look over here, you can see exactly why. it's where our companion for the last 900km, the river sava, meets the danube, making it the most strategic point on our entire journey. but today, the fortress grounds are the venue for more peaceful, if still fiercely contested, combat. and today, for some premier league stars. lazar. how are you doing? hi. now, you guys are professionals, but what you're playing is a different kind of basketball, right? it's street basketball? yeah, street basketball. it looks like basketball, but it's a completely different sport, you know? how is it different? it's different because you play in half a court, you play with a smaller ball, and play three on three. 0k. you get 12 seconds to try and score and after each goal, the opposing team drives the ball out beyond the arc on the court and begins their attack. and i show them how it's done. 0h! well done! i've got a height disadvantage, but it doesn't mean i'm worse because i can nip through underneath — well, that's the theory, anyway. serbia is ranked number one in the world at the sport, which has just been added to the line—up for the 2020 olympic games in tokyo. and if you want to catch a match at this venue, the season runs from august untiljune and you can buy tickets at the courts. yes! come on! the fortress grounds date back through two millennia of military history, but also bear witness to the more recent turbulence in serbia. this weaponry was used against nato air forces in the war over kosovan independence in 1999. there's evidence, too, in the city centre of buildings bombed in that same conflict. but the capital is not the war—ravaged, depressed city that some people might expect it to be. in fact, belgrade has picked up quite a reputation for its hedonistic night life and cafe—lined boulevards. the centre is a blend of neo—renaissance architecture intermingled with the brutalist blocks built when this was yugoslavia's capital. but perhaps the most distinctive features of the city are these things — floating jetties called splavs — that sit along the banks of the sava. dina tells me how important the river is to the city. i think it looks more like the riviera than a river. well, yeah. basically, i mean, given that belgrade is in this amazing geographical place, like, on the confluence of the sava and danube, like, two great european rivers, this city basically lives by the river. dina works at a pioneering cultural centre in the artistic riverside neighbourhood of savamala, and feels the creative side of the city is often underestimated. i think, it's in my opinion, i believe that the stereotype surrounding belgrade kind of moves between two bipolar stereotypes. the first one, i would say, is the old type of belgrade and serbia being this war—stricken country. and the other is that belgrade is basically this new berlin, eastern berlin after the cold war, so kind of like the newly found utopia for the all clubbers. and honestly, i don't think that belgrade kind of applies to either of those. because the city is specific in its own way. dina hopes the city can start to shake the perception held by some in the international community that belgrade, and serbia as a whole, are intolerant to minorities. we do have this legacy of retrograde attitudes towards minorities but we must all keep in mind that all those things were in the past. in recent years, we have had successful gay prides in belgrade — although with huge support from police security — but comparing to the first years of organising gay pride, when it was almost impossible to imagine that it would be held, the things have changed a lot. and the face of the city is changing too. 3 billion euros have been pumped into regenerating belgrade‘s waterfront. it's a project that's been controversial with some locals, but that it's hoped will bring investment and tourism to the capital. it's clear that whatever the future holds for belgrade, the river will still be at its very heart. and so, my near—1,000km voyage down the river sava, through the balkans, is complete. and what a trip it's been. sings in serbian. i've seen how the river has been a crucial artery stretching all the way back to roman times. and how, more recently, it was the backdrop to some of the most brutal fighting of the 1990s. both sing in serbian. for me, it's been truly incredible to see how the river is now helping to heal the wounds of that conflict. and let's hope it continues to make new friends out of old enemies. both sing in serbian. hello there. we are moving into the last full week of august and i think at times it is going to feel as if autumn has arrived early. we are going to have another bout of wind and rain as we head through this week. and it is going to turn cooler as well. to the rest of today, temperatures generally in the mid to high teens, to the low 20s in the south. a mix of sunshine and showers and then through tonight, many of those showers will fade. a few will linger and a few more heavy ones will push back into the south west and parts of wales by the end of the night. mild in the south, 13, 1a degrees, but a very chilly night across northern ireland, the far north of england and particularly scotland. some sheltered glens could get down to two or three degrees. so, a cool start to tomorrow across the northern half of the uk, but will will see a decent amount of sunshine. further south, this little cluster of showers will be pushing its way east across parts of the south midlands, into east anglia, the south—east, before clearing away and then a lot of dry weather through the day, with some spells of sunshine, just one or two showers, but those temperatures none too impressive for this time of year, 15—20 . and then we get to tuesday and this is our bout of very wet and windy weather, a deep area of low pressure, pushing its way in. some heavy rain driving northwards and then getting stuck across parts of northern ireland, northern england and southern scotland. some very persistent rain here. some really strong winds, especially for central and southern parts with gusts of up to a0 or 50 are maybe 60 mph in the most exposed places and look at the temperatures. just 12 degrees in aberdeen, may be getting up degrees in aberdeen, may be getting up into the 20s for southern england and south wales. now that deep area of low pressure will slide away during tuesday night, still plenty of white lines, plenty of isobars squeezing together on the charts for wednesday morning, a windy start down the east coast, but wednesday is coming down day. the winds will ease and we will see dry weather and spells of sunshine, maybe one or two showers, 22 degrees in london, most places between 1a and 19 degrees. thursday and friday will bring some rain at times, but the big thing into the weekend will be the temperatures. they will be dropping away, nowhere likely to get to 20 degrees by day and by night, many of us degrees by day and by night, many of us down into single digits and that will only add to the autumnal feel. this is bbc news with the latest headlines at 2pm. as more pupils prepare to return to the classroom — england's chief medical officer says the risk to schoolchildren from coronavirus is low. many more are likely to be harmed by not going, than harmed by going, even during this pandemic. 0pposition protesters in belarus hold a big demonstration in minsk, two weeks after president lukashenko‘s disputed election victory. president trump declares california's wildfires a major disaster — releasing federal funds to victims who've lost their homes. but there's snow in south—east australia —
SerbiaAustraliaTokyoJapanMidlandsLeicestershireUnited-kingdomBelarusRiver-wellWestern-australiaKosovo patel hello this is bbc news the headlines. as more pupils prepare to return to the classroom — england's chief medical officer says the risk to schoolchildren from coronavirus is low. many more are likely to be harmed by not going than harmed by going, even during this pandemic. president trump declares california's wildfires a major disaster — releasing federal funds to victims who've lost their homes. opposition protesters in belarus hold a big demonstration in minsk — 2 weeks after president lukashenko‘s disputed election victory. and health charities are urging the government to take action to tackle the increasing numbers of people seeking help for drinking too much alcohol during lockdown. now on bbc news, it's the travel show and rajan datar completes his journey down the longest river within the balkans — the sava. i'm on a voyage through the heart of the balkans, exploring the places that have grown up along the route of the river sava. it's a journey through four countries that just over 25 years ago were at war. my trip started at the source in slovenia and continued through to the wetlands of croatia. watch out! this week, i'll be following the river to bosnia and herzegovina, and then east into serbia. i'm meeting those who live along the river banks who want to move on from the conflicts of the ‘90s and show us what their part of the world is really like. the cascading waterfalls and historic cities of bosnia and herzegovina, now gaining more international attention. and here in gradiska in the north of the country, the river sava is on the tourist agenda too. it's here that the river takes on a new and important role as an internationally recognised border. because over there is croatia, and on this side of the river is bosnia and herzegovina, where i'll be continuing my journey. it's a far cry from the beleaguered war—torn image some might have of bosnia and herzegovina. during the 1990s, the river here was the scene of some of the fiercest inter—ethnic fighting... sparked by the break—up of yugoslavia. but today, the people who live here are recognising the river's potential. during the war, the river was a physical barrier, separating opposing sides. attitudes towards the river might have changed since the war, but the natural environment is still feeling the effects. landmines and munitions were used extensively in the sava basin, which not only proved to be deadly, but also polluted the water and the problem has been compounded by industrial waste. but this group of young people are determined that their natural heritage will not be placed in any further jeopardy. there are people who think it's a war still in our country, but it's not. it's finished. thank you. when we were at war, or after the war, older generations didn't have time to think about nature, but now it has ended and i am the new generation that came with that sense that we need to help our nature, so that that same nature can help us. why is it important for you that the nature around here is protected 7 we have an unused nature that tourists can... the potential. yes, potential that tourists can help us with that, because we need money. so tourism could be the answer to unemployment amongst young people? yes, of course. like everywhere. how bad is unemployment? ah, very bad. so tourism may save that? yes. i think it's the only choice we have. just outside gradiska, on the flood plains of the sava, is the wetland. it's been recognised as an area of international importance because it supports a range of endangered species. but it's also under threat as some of the lakes have been drained and ploughed overforfarmland. it's an issue the collective want to bring worldwide attention to by holding a music festival here. mirko was one of the djs. what is it about the land here that worries you, and what's happening to it? the thing that worries me is it will all disappear, all the lake — it was 11, now it's only two. lakes? yeah. so tell me then — what is so special about this area that makes you and your friends want to come here and relax? nature, nature, especially nature because it is breathtaking. when you look at the sunrise and everything, it's beautiful. so we wanted to check, let's do a festival. maybe someone will, with the money, come and say, "stop that." more than 500 people from across the region came to the festival, and the eco—collective plan to hold more events here in the future. some people might say, how is playing music with a dj sound system helping the nature? because that's in right now. the festivals are in. but i suppose what i'm saying is people might comejust for the party, 0k. they go, yeah, great party! and they might go, not even knowing... when they come, when they see this beautiful place, they will stay. we are campaigning for saving this land. that is all. just the two. ——tool and the eco—collective aren't the only ones hoping to encourage people to visit this region. i'm heading through lush countryside to meet a man who wants to link up the whole of the sava route by bike. what is your grand plan for the whole stretch of this river? well, the grand plan is actually to connect first, to connect people along the sava river. it's connecting a few important cities. well, once you know sava river was a war line, we want to change this, to become more or less like a lifeline. he thinks the plan could unite all four countries with a common purpose, and he cycled the entire 850—kilometre route with his team to show it can be done. there are hurdles to overcome, like areas with undetonated landmines. but he says if the route succeeds, the rewards will be immense. this is just one of the answers that really could help people to think about a mutual future, not divided future. we finish our cycle ride in riverside city of brcko. brcko's position on the river near the croatian and serbian borders means it's been strategically important for centuries. its location also made it a huge sticking point in the 1995 peace talks that sought to end bosnia and herzegovina's inter—ethnic conflict by setting up two political entities within the country — one representing bosnian muslims and croats, the other, serbs. no—one could agree which region brcko should be part of — the federation of bosnia and herzegovina or the serb republic. and so, they made a decision. it would be neither. brcko's been called europe's only free city. in official terms, it is a semi—autonomous district with its own multi—ethnic government and education system. but achieving harmony hasn't been straightforward. for example, the local assembly couldn't agree on a shared memorial for those killed in the country's war. so they built three. brcko is a fascinating place to visit. it's been called a microcosm of the country as a whole because here you can experience the culture of all the different groups that make up this complex nation. and that diversity is reflected in the music too. singing this band specialise in performing folk songs from all the ethnic backgrounds that make up brcko. clapping really, really good. fantastic. how do you do? thank you so much. that was brilliant. and tonight, i'm joining the band. can i ask you, first of all — how much of the music that you play is a combination of all the different cultures that are in this district? singing of course, no—one‘s pretending that brcko is a utopia. it has a fiendishly complicated government structure and there is lingering resentment about which community effectively has the most power. but on nights like this, harmony reigns. singing all of us are mixed. there are serbians, croatians, bosnians. we are all the same. i don't even remember if someone is that way or this way or anything. it doesn't feel... the atmosphere is very nice. and life goes on, and music goes on. yes. absolutely. well, in that case, shall we have a go? not good. power! wow! that's such a nice feeling! clapping. next on myjourney, i'm heading east along the sava route to serbia. my endpoint will be the country's biggest city, and its grand capital, belgrade. but first, it's the city of sremska mitrovica on the river's northern bank. now, on the face of it, this city centre is much like any other in serbia, but what's intriguing and surprising is that beneath my feet, beneath these streets are the ruins of a former capital of the roman empire. it was called sirmium then. the romans chose this spot because of its location on the sava. the word ‘sirmium' means flowing water. most of the roman city, including a hippodrome, still lies beneath a modern metropolis, but some remains, like this huge imperial palace complex, have been excavated. it was 1957 when the workers starting to make an apartment building and then these walls appeared. some historians think as many as 18 roman emperors were born in the territory of modern—day serbia, and that five of those were born here in sirmium itself. it's a heritage this archaeologist thinks is little known outside of the balkans, largely due to the period in the late ‘90s when serbia was seen by some as a political pariah because of the conflict in kosovo. do you think people are surprised that serbia had such a roman history? ah, i think that it is not so much known, and for a long time, we were isolated and we did a lot during that time, according to the protection of archaeological heritage. and the archaeologists want the world to know about the incredible remains they found here. they're using new 3—d reconstruction techniques so that people can digitally explore what parts of this ancient city might have looked like. these things which connect people, like roman heritage, like these things which are similar and central to all of us, which makes us a part of europe. and this is ourjoint past. and sirmium's incredible history isn'tjust linking present—day sremska mitrovica with the rest of europe, it's bringing the region global attention. beneath this field just outside the city is a roman palace. australian archaeologists from the university of sydney have joined with serbian colleagues to start the mammoth task of excavation. stefan is one of the people coordinating the dig. potentially, we are excavating the palace of roman emperor maximianus herculius and if it turns out to be emperor maximianus herculius, it definitely is one of the most exciting finds in the world of european roman archaeology. the plan is to excavate the palace and find out more. but it's going to take years. anything i can help with here? anything i can do? yes. you may, in fact, you may use this thing. what does this do? shall i show you? yeah. it sprays the water, so you can clean the mosaic stones. incredible. this is really pleasurable to literally uncover and expose works of building and art that, you know, were literally thousands of years old. incredible. and thousands of years ago, the romans continued down the river to build the ancient city of singidunum — known today as serbia's capital belgrade. this is belgrade‘s most famous landmark, its fortress, the scene of many a battle during the last 2,000 years. and if you look over here, you can see exactly why. it's where our companion for the last 900km, the river sava, meets the danube, making it the most strategic point on our entire journey. but today, the fortress grounds are the venue for more peaceful, if still fiercely contested, combat. and today, for some premier league stars. lazar. how are you doing? hi. now, you guys are professionals, but what you're playing is a different kind of basketball, right? it's street basketball? yeah, street basketball. it looks like basketball, but it's a completely different sport, you know? how is it different? it's different because you play in half a court, you play with a smaller ball, and play three on three. 0k. you get 12 seconds to try and score and after each goal, the opposing team drives the ball out beyond the arc on the court and begins their attack. and i show them how it's done. 0h! well done! i've got a height disadvantage, but it doesn't mean i'm worse because i can nip through underneath — well, that's the theory, anyway. serbia is ranked number one in the world at the sport, which has just been added to the line—up for the 2020 olympic games in tokyo. and if you want to catch a match at this venue, the season runs from august untiljune and you can buy tickets at the courts. yes! come on! the fortress grounds date back through two millennia of military history, but also bear witness to the more recent turbulence in serbia. this weaponry was used against nato air forces in the war over kosovan independence in 1999. there's evidence, too, in the city centre of buildings bombed in that same conflict. but the capital is not the war—ravaged, depressed city that some people might expect it to be. in fact, belgrade has picked up quite a reputation for its hedonistic night life and cafe—lined boulevards. the centre is a blend of neo—renaissance architecture intermingled with the brutalist blocks built when this was yugoslavia's capital. but perhaps the most distinctive features of the city are these things — floating jetties called splavs — that sit along the banks of the sava. dina tells me how important the river is to the city. i think it looks more like the riviera than a river. well, yeah. basically, i mean, given that belgrade is in this amazing geographical place, like, on the confluence of the sava and danube, like, two great european rivers, this city basically lives by the river. dina works at a pioneering cultural centre in the artistic riverside neighbourhood of savamala, and feels the creative side of the city is often underestimated. i think, it's in my opinion, i believe that the stereotype surrounding belgrade kind of moves between two bipolar stereotypes. the first one, i would say, is the old type of belgrade and serbia being this war—stricken country. and the other is that belgrade is basically this new berlin, eastern berlin after the cold war, so kind of like the newly found utopia for the all clubbers. and honestly, i don't think that belgrade kind of applies to either of those. because the city is specific in its own way. dina hopes the city can start to shake the perception held by some in the international community that belgrade, and serbia as a whole, are intolerant to minorities. we do have this legacy of retrograde attitudes towards minorities but we must all keep in mind that all those things were in the past. in recent years, we have had successful gay prides in belgrade — although with huge support from police security — but comparing to the first years of organising gay pride, when it was almost impossible to imagine that it would be held, the things have changed a lot. and the face of the city is changing too. 3 billion euros have been pumped into regenerating belgrade‘s waterfront. it's a project that's been controversial with some locals, but that it's hoped will bring investment and tourism to the capital. it's clear that whatever the future holds for belgrade, the river will still be at its very heart. and so, my near—1,000km voyage down the river sava, through the balkans, is complete. and what a trip it's been. sings in serbian. i've seen how the river has been a crucial artery stretching all the way back to roman times. and how, more recently, it was the backdrop to some of the most brutal fighting of the 1990s. both sing in serbian. for me, it's been truly incredible to see how the river is now helping to heal the wounds of that conflict. and let's hope it continues to make new friends out of old enemies. both sing in serbian. hello, we have a changeable week ahead but the start of the week isn't looking bad. here's the forecast, sunny spells and showers on monday. on the whole, not a bad day. tuesday is looking very different, an atlantic storm is developing around 1,000 miles away from is heading in our direction and it is going to bring heavy rain and gales. but in the short term it is not too bad. apart from a few showers in the morning across southern parts of wales and the south of england, they should clear away, though maybe one or two showers in the north in the afternoon, on balance a fine day for most of us. 20 in london, the mid or high teens in the north, here's that spell of heavy weather approaching, monday night into tuesday, developing low pressure, developing storm, propelled by a powerfuljet stream, as i said, it will bring a spell of rain and gales, quite widespread gales across the uk. so here it is approaching the uk early on tuesday morning. you can see the rain sweeping into western and northern parts of the country. the gales wrapping around this low pressure. it will sweep across the uk during tuesday. the heavy rain will be in the north end of the day, in the south it might brighten up, but look at the winds, inland could be in excess of 50 mph and in excess of 60 around the coasts and that could prove troublesome for some of us who could see disruption, branches lying around and that sort of thing, so not a pleasant day at all for many of us on tuesday. wednesday will still be very windy around the north sea coast. anywhere from newcastle to norwich. as the low pressure pulls away, still some very strong winds down the side of the country, but further west it is going to be much calmer and by the afternoon the wind should dive down and wednesday is probably going to be our best day of the week with dry weather, pleasantly warm up to 21 degrees, in the south of the country, and then on thursday we go back downhill with more rain sweeping in off the atlantic. it won't be as windy, though, on thursday. this is more of a rain type sort of thing rather than gales. here is the outlook for the week ahead. you can see the weather icons change from day to day quite a bit. temperatures in the south will be around the 20s, mid or high teens in the north. that's it from me. bye— bye. this is bbc news. i'm rajini vaidyanathan with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. central minsk has seen crowds of up to 200,000 protesters demanding belarus's president lukashnko resign over what they see as a fraudulent election. state television has released a video of president lukashenko arriving at his palace by helicopter, wearing a flak—jacket and carrying an automatic weapon. secret recordings emerge of president trump's sister being highly critical of her brother. we'll look at what they might mean for his campaign for re—election. the change of stories, the lack of preparation, the lying, holy bleep. the uk's chief medical adviser offers advice to parents worrying about their children going back to school, saying it's the best place to be. many more are likely to be harmed by not going than harmed by going, even during this pandemic. weather conditions threaten to make california's wildfires worse — with fears lightning strikes could start new blazes. and plenty of fans watching but none in the ground — as the champions league final gets under way in lisbon.
SerbiaAustraliaBosnia-herzegovinaGlasgowGlasgow-cityUnited-kingdomLisbonLisboaPortugalMinskBelarus-general- certainly some poor travelling conditions. not as windy further north but, with the heavy rain continuing, if you're in aberdeen, for example, with a strong wind off the north sea, those outbreaks of rain, temperatures of just 13 or m degrees, it will not feel too pleasant. 22 degrees down towards the south. all the while, though, the far north of scotland, the northern isles particularly, will stay dry with some sunshine. now, through tuesday night, you can see this curl of wet weather. here is our area of low pressure, still spinning its way through, still providing some pretty strong winds. those winds only slowly easing through the early hours as our area of low pressure drifts out into the north sea. but you can still see plenty of white lines, plenty of isobars on the chart for wednesday morning. we will still have some very gusty conditions across eastern scotland, and particularly eastern coastal counties of england. some rain as well. but from the west, things will be calming down through the day. the winds will slowly ease. we'll see some spells of sunshine. it will feel fairly cool, though. temperatures of 13 degrees for aberdeen, 19 for plymouth, 21 there in london. some more rain in the forecast for thursday and friday. it shouldn't be as windy at this stage. some dry weather in prospect for the weekend, but it is going to feel pretty chilly with a northerly wind across the uk. this is bbc news, the headlines: now on bbc news, it's the travel show, and rajan datar completes his journey down the longest river within the balkans, the sava. he follows its route to bosnia and herzegovina, then east into serbia. i'm on a voyage through the heart of the balkans, exploring the places that have grown up along the route of the river sava. it's a journey through four countries that just over 25 years ago were at war. my trip started at the source in slovenia and continued through to the wetlands of croatia. watch out! this week, i'll be following the river to bosnia and herzegovina, and then east into serbia. i'm meeting those who live along the river banks who want to move on from the conflicts of the ‘90s and show us what their part of the world is really like. the cascading waterfalls and historic cities of bosnia and herzegovina, now gaining more international attention. and here in gradiska in the north of the country, the river sava is on the tourist agenda too. it's here that the river takes on a new and important role as an internationally recognised border. because over there is croatia, and on this side of the river is bosnia and herzegovina, where i will be continuing my journey. it's a far cry from the beleaguered war—torn image some might have of bosnia and herzegovina. during the 1990s, the river here was the scene of some of the fiercest inter—ethnic fighting. sparked by the break—up of yugoslavia. but today, the people who live here are recognising the river's potential. during the war, the river was a physical barrier, separating opposing sides. attitudes towards the river might have changed since during the war, the river was a physical barrier, separating opposing sides. attitudes towards the river might have changed since the war, but the natural environment is still feeling the effects. landmines and munitions were used extensively in the sava basin, which not only proved to be deadly, but also polluted the water and the problem has been compounded by industrial waste. but this group of young people are determined that their natural heritage will not be placed in any further jeopardy. there are people who think it's a war still in our country, but it's not. it's finished. thank you. when we were at war, or after the war, older generations didn't have time to think about nature, but now it has ended and i am the new generation that came with that sense that we need to help our nature, so that that same nature can help us. why is it important for you that the nature around here is protected 7 we have an unused nature that tourists can... the potential. yes, potential that tourists can help us with that, because we need money. so tourism could be the answer to unemployment amongst young people? yes, of course. like everywhere. how bad is unemployment? ah, very bad. so tourism may say that? yes. i think it's the only choice we have. just outside gradiska, on the flood plains of the sava, is the wetland. it's been recognised as an area of international importance because it supports a range of endangered species. but it's also under threat as some of the lakes have been drained and ploughed overforfarmland. it's an issue the collective want to bring worldwide attention to by holding a music festival here. mirko was one of the djs. what is it about the land here that worries you, and what's happening to it? the thing that worries me is it will all disappear, all the lake — it was 11, now it's only two. la kes ? yeah. so tell me then — what is so special about this area that makes you and your friends want to come here and relax? nature, nature, especially nature because it is breathtaking. when you look at the sunrise and everything, it's beautiful. so we wanted to check, let's do a festival. maybe someone will, with the money, come and say, "stop that." more than 500 people from across the region came to the festival, and the eco—collective plan to hold more events here in the future. some people might say, how is playing music with a dj sound system helping the nature? because that's in right now. the festivals are in. but i suppose what i'm saying is people might comejust for the party, 0k. they go, yeah, great party! and they go, not even knowing... when they come, when they see this beautiful place, they will stay. we are campaigning for saving this land. that is all. just the two. and the eco—collective aren't the only ones hoping to encourage people to visit this region. i'm heading through lush countryside to meet a man who wants to link up the whole of the sava route by bike. what is your grand plan for the whole stretch of this river? well, the grand plan is actually to connect first, to connect people along the sava river. it's connecting a few important cities. well, once you know sava river was a war line, we want to change this, to become more or less like a lifeline. he thinks the plan could unite all four countries with a common purpose, and he cycled the entire 850—kilometre route with his team to show it can be done. there are hurdles to overcome, like areas with undetonated landmines. but he says if the route succeeds, the rewards will be immense. this is just one of the answers that really could help people to think about a mutual future, not divided future. we finish our cycle ride in riverside city of brcko. brcko‘s position on the river near the croatian and serbian borders means it's been strategically important for centuries. its location also made it a huge sticking point in the 1995 peace talks that sought to end bosnia and herzegovina's ethnic conflict by setting up two political entities within the country — one representing bosnian muslims and croats, and the other, serbs. no—one could agree which region brcko should be part of — the federation of bosnia and herzegovina, or the serb republic. and so, they made a decision. it would be neither. brcko‘s been called europe's only free city. in official terms, it is a semi—autonomous district with its own multi—ethnic government and education system. but achieving harmony hasn't been straightforward. for example, the local assembly couldn't agree on a shared memorial for those killed in the country's war. so they built three. brcko is a fascinating place to visit. it's been called a microcosm of the country as a whole because here you can experience the culture of all the different groups that make up this complex nation. and that diversity is reflected in the music too. singing. this band specialise in performing folk songs from all the ethnic backgrounds that make up brcko. clapping. really, really good. fantastic. how do you do? thank you so much. that was brilliant. and tonight, i'm joining the band. can i ask you, first of all — how much of the music that you play is a combination of all the different cultures that are in this district? singing. of course, no—one‘s pretending that brcko is a utopia. it has a fiendishly compensated government structure and there is lingering resentment about which community effectively has the most power. but on nights like this, harmony reigns. singing. all of us are mixed. there are serbians, croatians, bosnians. we are all the same. i don't even remember if someone is that way or this way or anything. it doesn't feel... the atmosphere is very nice. and life goes on, and music goes on. yes. absolutely. well, in that case, shall we have a go? not good. power! wow! that's such a nice feeling! clapping. next on myjourney, i'm heading east along the sava route to serbia. my endpoint will be the country's biggest city, and its grand capital, belgrade. but first, it's the city of sremska mitrovica on the river's northern bank. now, on the face of it, this city centre is much like any other in serbia, but what's intriguing and surprising is that beneath my feet, beneath these streets are the ruins of a former capital of the roman empire. it was called sirmium then. the romans chose this spot because of its location on the sava. the word ‘sirmium' means flowing water. most of the roman city, including a hippodrome, still lies beneath a modern metropolis, but some remains, like this huge imperial palace complex, have been excavated. it was 1957 when the workers starting to make an apartment building and then these walls appeared. some historians think as many as 18 roman emperors were born in the territory of modern—day serbia, and that five of those were born here in sirmium itself. it's a heritage this archaeologist thinks is little known outside of the balkans, largely due to the period in the late ‘90s when serbia was seen by some as a political pariah because of the conflict in kosovo. do you think people are surprised that serbia had such a roman history? ah, i think that it is not so much now, and for a long time, we were isolated and we did a lot during that time, according to the protection of archaeological heritage. and the archaeologists want the world to know about the incredible remains they found here. they're using new 3—d reconstruction techniques so that people can digitally explore what parts of this ancient city might have looked like. these things which connect people, like roman heritage, like these things which are similar and central to all of us, which makes us a part of europe. and this is ourjoint past. and sirmium's incredible history isn'tjust linking present—day sremska mitrovica with the rest of europe, it's bringing the region global attention. beneath this field just outside the city is a roman palace. australian archaeologists from the university of sydney have joined with serbian colleagues to start the mammoth task of excavation. stefan is one of the people coordinating the dig. potentially, we are excavating the palace of roman emperor maximianus herculius and if it turns out to be emperor maximianus herculius, it definitely is one of the most exciting finds in the world of european roman archaeology. the plan is to excavate the palace and find out more. but it's going to take years. anything i can help with here? anything i can do? yes. you may, in fact, you may use this thing. what does this do? shall i show you? yeah. it sprays the water, so you can clean the mosaic stones. incredible. this is really pleasurable to literally uncover and expose works of building and art that, you know, were literally thousands of years old. incredible. and thousands of years ago, the romans continued down the river to build the ancient city of singidunum — known today as serbia's capital belgrade. this is belgrade‘s most famous landmark, its fortress, the scene of many a battle during the last 2,000 years. and if you look over here, you can see exactly why. it's where our companion for the last 900km, the river sava, meets the danube, making it the most strategic point on our entire journey. but today, the fortress grounds are the venue for more peaceful, if still fiercely contested, combat. and today, for some premier league stars. lazar. how are you doing? hi. now, you guys are professionals, but what you're playing is a different kind of basketball, right? it's street basketball? yeah, street basketball. it looks like basketball, but it's a completely different sport, you know? how is it different? it's different because you play in half a court, you play with a smaller ball, and play three on three. 0k. you get 12 seconds to try and score and after each goal, the opposing team drives the ball out beyond the arc on the court and begins their attack. and i show them how it's done. 0h! well done! i've got a height disadvantage, but it doesn't mean i'm worse because i can nip through underneath — well, that's the theory, anyway. serbia is ranked number one in the world at the sport, which has just been added to the line—up for the 2020 olympic games in tokyo. and if you want to catch a match at this venue, the season runs from august untiljune and you can buy tickets at the courts. yes! come on! the fortress grounds date back through two millennia of military history, but also bear witness to the more recent turbulence in serbia. this weaponry was used against nato air forces in the war over kosovan independence in 1999. there's evidence, too, in the city centre of buildings bombed in that same conflict. but the capital is not the war—ravaged, depressed city that some people might expect it to be. in fact, belgrade has picked up quite a reputation for its hedonistic night life and cafe—lined boulevards. the centre is a blend of neo—renaissance architecture intermingled with the brutalist blocks built when this was yugoslavia's capital. but perhaps the most distinctive features of the city are these things — floating jetties called splavs — that sit along the banks of the sava. dina tells me how important the river is to the city. i think it looks more like the riviera than a river. well, yeah. basically, i mean, given that belgrade is in this amazing geographical place, like, on the confluence of the sava and danube, like, two great european rivers, this city basically lives by the river. dina works at a pioneering cultural centre in the artistic riverside neighbourhood of savamala, and feels the creative side of the city is often underestimated. i think, it's in my opinion, i believe that the stereotype surrounding belgrade kind of moves between two bipolar stereotypes. the first one, i would say, is the old type of belgrade and serbia being this war—stricken country. and the other is that belgrade is basically this new berlin, eastern berlin after the cold war, so kind of like the newly found utopia for the all clubbers. and honestly, i don't think that belgrade kind of applies to either of those. because the city is specific in its own way. dina hopes the city can start to shake the perception held by some in the international community that belgrade, and serbia as a whole, are intolerant to minorities. we do have this legacy of retrograde attitudes towards minorities but we must all keep in mind that all those things were in the past. in recent years, we have had successful gay prides in belgrade — although with huge support from police security — but comparing to the first years of organising gay pride, when it was almost impossible to imagine that it would be held, the things have changed a lot. and the face of the city is changing too. 3 billion euros have been pumped into regenerating belgrade‘s waterfront. it's a project that's been controversial with some locals, but that it's hoped will bring investment and tourism to the capital. it's clear that whatever the future holds for belgrade, the river will still be at its very heart. and so, my near—1,000km voyage down the river sava, through the balkans, is complete. and what a trip it's been. sings in serbian. i've seen how the river has been a crucial artery stretching all the way back to roman times. and how, more recently, it was the backdrop to some of the most brutal fighting of the 1990s. both sing in serbian. for me, it's been truly incredible to see how the river is now helping to heal the wounds of that conflict. and let's hope it continues to make new friends out of old enemies. both sing in serbian. hello there. last week, storm ellen brought us some very wet and windy weather. this week, we have another named storm. this is storm francis, named by the met office. you can see this hook developing in the cloud structure, on the satellite picture. this shows an area of low pressure that is deepening rapidly. it will continue to deepen as it moves across our shores. an unusually deep low for the time of year, bringing some unusually strong winds. with that, some heavy rain. it's a combination that could well cause some disruption. so, that rain already setting in for many of us. it will continue to pile northwards through the day. it then slows down across parts of northern england, central and southern scotland, northern ireland. some rain feeding back into wales. so these areas could see some localised flooding. and then we have the winds, which will be strengthening through the day. during the afternoon, quite widely across england and wales, we will see gusts of 50 to 60mph, some exposed coasts and hills in the west could see gusts of 70mph. that could cause minor damage, certainly some poor travelling conditions. not as windy further north but, with the heavy rain continuing, if you're in aberdeen, for example, with a strong wind off the north sea, those outbreaks of rain, temperatures of just 13 or 1a degrees, it will not feel too pleasant. 22 degrees down towards the south. all the while, though, the far north of scotland, the northern isles particularly, will stay dry with some sunshine. now, through tuesday night, you can see this curl of wet weather. here is our area of low pressure, still spinning its way through, still providing some pretty strong winds. those winds only slowly easing through the early hours as our area of low pressure drifts out into the north sea. but you can still see plenty of white lines, plenty of isobars on the chart for wednesday morning. we will still have some very gusty conditions across eastern scotland, and particularly eastern coastal counties of england. some rain as well. but from the west, things will be calming down through the day. the winds will slowly ease. we'll see some spells of sunshine. it will feel fairly cool, though. temperatures of 13 degrees for aberdeen, 19 for plymouth, 21 there in london. some more rain in the forecast for thursday and friday. it shouldn't be as windy at this stage. some dry weather in prospect for the weekend, but it is going to feel pretty chilly with a northerly wind across the uk. this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk, on pbs in america or around the globe. my name's mike embley. our top stories: the first day of the republican convention draws to a close, and donald trump is officially made the republican nominee. an overnight curfew comes into effect in wisconsin with protests of the police shooting of another unarmed black man. germany says russia must investigate the suspected poisoning of one of president putin's most outspoken rivals, lexington only. doctors in hong kong say a person has been rei nfected kong say a person has been reinfected with coronavirus. we will have more on what that might mean.
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