a resolution demanding a halt to israeli settlement—building on occupied palestinian land. israel's traditional ally the united states abstained, saying it wanted to signal its backing for the creation of a palestinian state, as part of a future peace agreement. italian police have shot dead anis amri, the man suspected of carrying out the attack on a christmas market in berlin. amri was killed in a shootout in a suburb of milan when he was stopped for a routine identity check early on friday. the star wars actress carrie fisher has suffered a heart attack on a flight from london to los angeles. she is now thought to be in a stable condition. the 60—year—old had just completed a tour to promote her new autobiography. extensive rail engineering is starting across the country. the

biggest resignalling scheme on the network's history will close the line between cardiff central and the valleys, and several stations including paddington and london will either be partially or completely shut for several days. our transport correspondent has more. it is going to be the biggest rail upgrade ever taken on, and it all starts late tonight, hitting services across south wales, london and manchester. the lack of trains will make the roads busier. this was the m6 today. and it is a popular time to fly away for the holidays. here is sta nsted. so why do they always pick christmas to close the railways? we have a huge programme of works that we have to deliver, as part of our railway upgrade programme, and some of that work just can't be done on a live railway. we have to shut the railway. and so christmas is the best time to do it, because it's one of the quietest times of year. 2a,000 engineers will work on 200 sites across britain. well, one of the biggerjobs they are doing this christmas is to open up and test

these new lines between the concrete blocks there. critically, they unblock a bottleneck between the trains going from heathrow into paddington station in london. it will hit services across the country. paddington station will actually close for six days after the last train leaves tonight. services at other big stations, including london bridge, charing cross and liverpool street, will be severely affected. there will be no trains late on christmas eve between cardiff central, bridgend, newport and the valleys, because they are resignalling the whole area. it's affected me that i have to take an extra day off work, because of the replacement bus service not being good enough for what i need. but i understand the work needs to be done. they know it's the busiest time of year. families want to get together, and they haven't seen each other for a while, and they're

all disrupted, aren't they? totally inconvenient, because a lot of commuters over the christmas period, shopping between christmas and new year. as ever, leave plenty of time before you head off, and doublecheck your train is even running. hello, and welcome to the last travel show of 2016 — with me, ade adepitan, coming from the amazing monuments of petra in jordan. exploring the ancient city was one of the highlights of my year — and what a year it's been. the team has visited over 70 countries and had some incredible adventures, so why don't you sit back, relax, and see if we've picked one of your favourites, as we look back on 2016... now we get to have so much fun

working on the travel show. we fly all over the world, we meet incredible people, do cool stuff, but most importantly we get to share our adventures with you, and those adventures don't get much more spectacular than rajan‘s trip to china back injune — where he got to explore some amazing destinations that even the guidebooks don't seem to know about. 500 square kilometres of sandstone and minerals,

the dazzling colours were formed by water erosion. they were created during the same geological shift that formed the himalayas some 80 million years ago. as spectacular as the rainbow mountain range is, what is almost as incredible is that until the turn of the millennium, hardly anybody in china, let alone the rest of the world, had even heard of it. and that is an unlikely story in itself, which begins at this man's house. one day, a photographer passed by mr lei as he was carrying out his normal farmer's chores. so before 2000, then,

no one recognised that this was a beautiful natural wonder? soon, other photographers latched onto this undiscovered gem, and their photos caught the eye of famous film director zhang yimou. he shot a remake of the coen brothers film blood simple here, and its success in china made the mountains famous. that was rajan there getting off the beaten track in china — fantastic. now, the rest of us have been busy all year bringing you the best stories in travel, and here's

some of my favourites... first up, a story from right here in petra, where i was lucky enough to join a team of archaeologists searching for ancient treasures. this is the temple of winged lions, a religious complex built in around ad 27. i'm liking your office, glen — i like what you've done with it. no, this is a beautiful place, this is... glenn is in charge of the site, and tells me how the problems here started in the 1970s when the temple was first excavated. they uncovered this cool monument, but didn't do a wonderfuljob with doing the things necessary to preserve it forfuture generations. whenever you excavate a monument, you have to pull a lot of the earth out of the ground in order to reveal it. and so the earlier project dumped a lot of that earth and so, as you'll see, we're trying to re—excavate those

earlier archaeological dumps. we have specialists who come and actually work and train and work with the local community. and the idea is that the locals then train tourists to help out too. 0k, i've got some skills, man. have you got a digger here or something? yeah, we're ready to go. ready? 0k, stand back — let the master get to work! any scorpions? is that cool? i'm terrible — i can't find anything! well, i might not be having much luck, but over the last few years they've found all sorts here. painted pottery, coins, lamps and decorations from the temple. it's crazy to think that these amazing bits of jewellery and pottery have just been lying

forgotten in a pile of earth. now, as more pieces are retrieved and catalogued, it's hoped we can learn more about the everyday lives of the people who built this incredible city more than 2000 years ago. next, the waterways of kerala in india. henry headed there injanuary to explore the labyrinth of canals, rivers and lakes that twist through the state. kerala's calling card is its unique backwaters. 25 years ago, the houseboat industry didn't exist, but in 1991 a tour operator saw the potential in modifying defunct cargo boats for tourists. it was an instant hit and revolutionised tourism here. from just a handful of boats in the 90s, there are now more

than 1000, offering people a unique insight into village life along the waterways. time for me to take the helm... a little bit of throttle... there we go. i've noticed it's quite loose but then there's a little biting point. it's not that easy. it isn't. sitar music. in october, carmen headed deep into the andes in search of one of peru's best kept secrets. tucked away in the eastern andes, cuispes didn't feature on the tourist map until fairly recently. but a few kilometres away lies

a spectacular discovery that has changed all that. hidden in these rainforests are some of the tallest waterfalls in the world. yumbilla is split into four almost sheer drops, and i'm going to try an abseil down the bottom section — with a lot of help. so this is where it starts. i'm going to rappel down here, into this little waterfall, about ten or 12 metres into a pool, and then from there we'll abseil down the rest of the waterfall, which is about a 70—metre drop. and i'm one of the first people to do this. i'm attached to a harness and instructed on the safety apparatus that will allow me to control my descent. your legs, carmen — 90 degrees. 0k. hold them, but lean backwards.

taking off is terrifying. so far, so good, but halfway down i'm in for a shock. it is slightly unnerving that we're going to lose the rock now — we're going to go into freefall. ok, i can do this... we reach the last part of the descent, and i'm so relieved to finally get to the bottom. i know it's crazy. i didn't expect quite so much water! that was amazing — what a rush! carmen there in peru, back in october. well, stay with us as we continue our look back at 2016 here on the travel show — the year that i got to play one of shakespeare's most famous characters.

at last! but soft, what light through yonder window breaks? it is the east, and juliet is the sun. one of the nicest things about being a travel show presenter is that you get the chance often to get really close to some amazing wildlife, and 2016 was no exception. so here are some of our favourite animal encounters of the year... in april, henry headed into the rainforests of the cardamom mountain range in cambodia tojoin an anti—poaching squad that's on the front line of wildlife conservation. this ride is getting bumpier and bumpier — it's almost like trying to stay on a bucking bronco! woah!

deforestation is destroying animals‘ habitats. that's not the only man—made dangers they face here. the remains of snares can be found all around. it's a strong piece of stick, 0k, planted underground, so when he's coming, getting his piece of fruit or whatever it is, and he's getting caught here. right, so there is a bit missing here? yes, it's missing. a piece of fruit, and i believe something else is missing. so a lot of these traps are designed to maim rather than kill, so they can collect them alive? yes. having seen the indiscriminate damage that snares like these do to even much larger animals than their intended targets, it's quite shocking to see one up close. with so many families in rural cambodia teetering just above the poverty line, i suspect that most of those engaged in the snaring and logging are just hoping for a way to help themselves and their families get by.

but witnessing it myself, i also come face—to—face with the brutal impact this can have. in september, it was all about these little fellas — fairy penguins. they live on phillip island off the southern coast of australia. we sent christa there to meet them. this penguin parade draws most of the visitors here, and it's not hard to see why. 0h, they're so cute! there are hundreds of them — alljust marching up the beach with their big fat belly like they're late for an appointment! absolutely gorgeous. hello. they even offered me the chance to help, and i was not going to pass up an opportunity to get up close and personal with a penguin. so... 0h! i'll hold onto it.

penguin attack. oh, i'm sorry! i'm sorry — we'll be really quick. we've just spotted them. yes. now to botswana in southern africa. rajan was there earlier this year on the trail of rhinos at a sanctuary dedicated to the survival of the species. wow. 0k, we're going to take a bit of a risk. he has actually been as close as ten metres before to a rhino without them sensing he is there, and we are going to see how close we can get. ok, let's do it. it may be best if only mike comes — if we get this close, yeah. it's hard to grasp —

one of this planet's great survivors, such a dignified shy beast, is under threat because of man's vanity. rajan there finding out about the battle to save southern africa's rhino in botswana, back in september. ok, now, to finish our round—up of the year, here's a bunch of stories that prove that no two trips are ever the same. and if you're thinking of signing up as a travel show presenter, you'll need to expect the unexpected — so here's some classic clips of us presenters trying, and sometimes failing, to do all sorts of different

things around the world... the ninja — a mysterious undercover agent in feudaljapan. skilled in espionage and assassination, living in the shadows — and now you can apply to be one. farfrom hiding in the dark, the next generation of ninjas answered a job ad — full—time, centraljapan, salary around 1600 us dollars a month. hundreds of people applied and auditioned for the jobs, including many from overseas. i might look the part, but can i cut it as a real—life ninja? to be honest, i'm a bit nervous. i don't want to fall flat on my face and embarrass myself. i do kind of feel ninja—like here... laughter ok, i don't think ninjas are meant to giggle.

0k... music it's so high. this wall‘s as tall as me! yelps each event features ten volu nteer storytellers who are picked at random. and every other saturday my sister, who was older, a friend and i would go to the movie...

they can talk up to five minutes each, and are then given a score by a team ofjudges. the winner goes on to perform at the moth grand slam, so no pressure then! applause keep it going! here she comes — keep it coming! come on, just make herfeel good, bring her up — here she comes. i'm a traveljournalist, and a little while ago i was injapan and i was there to interview a very famous chef, and he's bringing out — with great sort of pomp and ceremony — this dish he's created for me, and it's coming towards me and it has kind of a crab leg sticking out the top... and of all the things that ijust can't eat — and there are many things i can't eat — just seafood is right up there at the top. there is almost nothing from the sea that i will happily put in my mouth, and so i asked my translator, i was like, "and what is this?", and she kind of looked at me, and she asked the chef, and she said, "oh, it's

fugu, you know, fugu — the japanese pufferfish, right? you know the one that if theyjust prepare it very very slightly wrongly you die, because it's full of neurotoxins," and i was like, "oh!" so i went to put it in my mouth, and i kind of bit down on it and it... it didn't yield in the way i thought it would. it popped in my mouth like a cist, you know? like... laughter despite my nerves, and to my total surprise, i camejoint runner—up at tonight's contest. cajun music chubby carrier is a grammy award winner and a third generation of a legendary zydeco playing family. you should try it, man — yes, yes, yes. it's all percussion in zydeco. how are you doing that?

you have the rhythm going like this in the air, and that's it. a little like that? that's it! yeah, but then when i touch the thing... but when you hit the board, you lose it. why? i don't know. music and then after my frankly disastrous ten—minute lesson, this happens... bbc travel here, london, england, y'all... show me a little segment of how you would use the alphabets to tell the story. please, come. rolling the eyes is...

getting excited. i think it's me being an amateur, but when i try to do it my vision blurs, but your vision doesn't blur? no — long. 0h, ok, you focus on the distance? long—distance. long—distance, 0k. i'm focused here — that's why i'm going cross eyed! that's the secret. laughter traditionally, a classic kathakali performance can go on for many hours, sometimes a whole night. but some modern audiences have shorter attention spans, so the artform has had to adapt. you lost me! here at shakespeare's birthplace in stratford—upon—avon, you can see where it all began, with guided

tours around the house that he was born in. he was the third of 13 children, the first boy... in an exhibition for this anniversary year, you can also see a copy of the first publication of shakespeare's plays. but soft, what light through yonder window breaks? it is the east, and juliet is the sun. romeo, romeo! wherefore art thou romeo? deny thy father and refuse thy name; or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and i'll no longer be a capulet... comic record scratch sound well, if you put it that way, love, i'll be up there. 400 years on this year and still going strong, william shakespeare — although i'm not sure what he would make of my acting.

i did give it a little bit of depth, though! 0k, well, that's it from us for another year, and we'll see you again next year, and i do hope you enjoyed following us on all our travels in 2016. but for now, in the meantime, from me, ade, and all the team, we wish you a happy and healthy 2017. happy new year! hello again. yesterday's weather was all about storm barbara, the second named storm for the season. it has been a quiet winter season so far. there is barbara, the curl of cloud working into the uk. the strongest winds

are in the scottish islands. reports of power supply problems here. transport was disrupted as well. into the atlantic, our next storm system is forming. this is connor. again, it will be bringing strong winds to the north of scotland, especially for boxing day. the weather watchers were out enjoying those strong winds. large, crashing waves being driven out into the bay in lerwick by those strong winds. the winds will continue to blow, with plenty of blustery showers. that is how we start the day. showers falling wintry across the higher ground in scotland, with snow mainly above 200 metres elevation, perhaps 100 metres at times. it is mainly in the hills where we will see that. because of that, we could have icy conditions on some of the roads first thing. england and wales, a lot of dry weather to start the day. a few isolated showers working into north—west england and across wales as well first thing in the morning. the further south and east you are, the better chance you have of starting the day on a dry note with a fair bit of sunshine. but it will be quite breezy for all of us. through the rest of the day,

those gale—force winds will continue to bring plenty of showers in. again, they will be falling as snow up in the hills of scotland. a more general spell of rain moving into northern ireland late in the day. turning damp here. for england and wales, a mainly dry day with sunny spells. temperatures between 8—11 degrees. colder than that for northern ireland and scotland. the cold air will be behind us to start christmas day. mild air is on the way. these are the temperatures first thing on the big day itself. christmas day, quite windy. a lot of cloud around. this cold front will push south during the day bringing wet weather for northern ireland, the north of england, and north wales. to the south of the front, still quite mild. temperatures could reach 111—15 in the mildest spots. further north, cold air moving in. that means late in the day, some of us could see a white christmas. the chance of getting a bit of snow in the hills of northern scotland. for boxing day, remember connor? i showed you that on the satellite picture. it is bringing strong winds to the northern isles of scotland,

where we have an amber met office weather warning in force. 80 mph gusts a possibility. gale—force gusts for the northern half of the uk. further south, quite windy. a lot of dry weather with sunshine. temperatures between 7—8. later next week, the weather should calm down, and we will see a return of some night—time frosts. hello, this is breakfast with rogerjohnson and naga munchetty. train passengers are warned of delays, diversions and cancellations as the biggest ever upgrade to our railways gets under way. i'm here at ealing broadway, where passengers will have to use this because paddington is close to two trains for the next six days. -- closed. good morning, it's christmas eve, saturday, the 24th of december.

actress carrie fisher is rushed to hospital after a suspected heart attack on a flight from london. calls for unity as the prime minister uses her christmas message to urge british people to come together after brexit and a year of division.