vladimir putin's political rival, alexei navalny, has described the decision to bar him from running in russia's presidential election due to a corruption conviction as "politically motivated". meanwhile, mr putin's supporters are preparing to officially launch his bid for re—election. pope francis has called for a negotiated solution to end the conflict between israel and the palestinians. in his christmas address at the vatican, he said he hoped for dialogue towards the peaceful coexistence of two states. he also addressed the plight of children scarred by conflict. an investigation is under way into why a bus ploughed into a pedestrian underpass in the russian capital moscow. four people were killed and several others injured. the driver, who has been arrested, says the breaks failed to work. london's euston station has been turned into a shelter for the homeless, as rail workers and charity staff served around 200 rough sleepers a full christmas lunch. volunteers worked overnight, after the last train left

on christmas eve, transforming the concourse with decorations, and laying out tables. caroline davies reports. festive preparation under the departures board as network rail volunteers prepare for their homeless guests. they're part of our community, they're here every day, and i think some places would maybe just shun them away, but for us, they are an important part of the community, they're here, we have to engage, we have to look after them and make sure that they're safe. local charities invited 200 guests to enjoy some festive music and a four—course meal — a meal which was only possible thanks to the donations from 45 different businesses and groups. jed has been squatting since he was 18. it's unique, like, they've got this space on christmas day. it's quite interesting to see somewhere like this on christmas day and see it put to some good use.

jesse now squats, too, but spent many years living in a tent, moving around the uk. you know, it's a nice, relaxing environment, it takes us out of the usual chaos of our lives, you know. as well as leaving well fed, guests were also given sleeping bags and thermal clothes to help them endure the winter cold. for these guests, for now, some christmas cheer on the concourse. caroline davies, bbc news. now on bbc news, the travel show. wow! that's just a taste of what's coming up in the next half—hour, as we take a look back at some of the best bits on what has been a truly memorable year. it's taken us to all four corners of the world, we've met some amazing people with some fantastic stories. but first, let's kick off with these ones. in a moment we've got me fishing

for my lunch here in finnish lapland and then rajan gets to be the first member of the public to take a ride on europe's tallest and fastest rollercoaster. but first, back injanuary henry travelled to turkey to explore a massive underground city recently found that is slowly revealing some fascinating stories about the country's history. wow, look at all of this. i find it hard to believe that people were living on top of here and all of this was actually hidden, so they had no idea this was here. that is insane! wow, that ceiling is unique. what's all this? this is a mystery and, according to the scientists, the monastery dates back to the sixth century a.d. the winding tunnels and hidden openings offered protection

from attacking armies. wow! look at that! i've actually heard of this spot because all of the archaeologists were very excited about this. this is a church, an underground cave church, dating back to the 12th century. going forward there are plans to turn sections of the cave network into an archaeological park with art galleries and boutique hotels. authorities hope to open it to the public in 2018 when visitors can see the excavations in theirfull glory. it's —13 degrees celsius today and guess what i've got lined up? it's a great way to keep warm. if you're cold, do that! yeah.

the real thrill here is actually trying to catch fish with a rod. can i have a go? yep. there are fish below are swimming under one metre of ice. well done! it's getting tougher now. argh! there's layers under, so... ah! see i did all the hard work and then you did a little bit! i take the credit! give me some reindeer hide! there's a real emphasis on low impact tourism here, which is playing a big part in protecting this fragile arctic ecosystem. you should admire my technique here. multitasking.

yeah, multiple chances to get fish. fishing isn'tjust done for the tourists, it's a real fact of life for many of the people who live here. with only a handful of shops around, most fish still have to be caught rather than bought, otherwise nobody eats. did we get a fish? look at that! it's a pike. it's a pike! and it's been messing up my net. so fish and potatoes on monday, potatoes and fish on tuesday... wednesday, maybe reindeer bits, thursday fish and potatoes. good diet! portaventura is a well—established theme park, spain's biggest in fact, and they get about 4 million visitors here a year. but now they're building something that they say will take it to a different level and will give us one of the most amazing

experiences in the world. i've come to ferrari land, licensed by the famous car brand, just as the finishing touches are being put to the site days before the launch. there are 11 rides here in total, but one in particular is hogging the limelight as the main attraction. a velocity accelerator ride called red force. two years in the making, it's now europe's and fastest ever rollercoaster. 112 metres high at a speed of 180km/h. that's nought to 180 in five seconds flat! shall we go for it then? yeah, let's go for it. come on, let's do it. just do it. 0h, we're going to get the best views from the front. you feel the force on your face as well. right...right. there's a loose bolt there. should that be... 0h, there's a loose bolt, is there?

hands up? yep, thanks up. eyes wide open. you don't want to miss it. ok, i'll try my best! i'll try my best. see if you can tell the difference... here we go! ..between the seasoned coaster and the rookie tv presenter. no, i knew you wouldn't be able to. 0h! what the hell! you know, over the past year we estimate the travel show team

have clocked up over 60 countries, travelled through 2a different time zones, countless times, to give you some of the best stories from all over the world. and here are a couple where we met some truly inspirational and remarkable people. in a moment we'll see rajan report from gir national park, in western india, where he went on patrol with the real—life cat women who help to protect the endangered asiatic lion. but first, earlier this month i headed to america to join disabled athletes from across the globe who travelled to maryland to take part in a championship that pushes them to the limit and beyond. the working wounded games has adaptive athletes compete across a range of body building

and weightlifting challenges. volunteers! most para—sport is categorised by ability, but the working wounded games are different. by modifying rules for each individual athlete, they encourage people with a range of capabilities to compete together. let's go! and one 18—year—old competitor is getting a lot of attention. tell me what you're trying to do. and it's mainly because of your right—hand? there's no strength in it. nora has never been able

to complete a pull—up. unless she can now figure out a way, she'll finish last in this round. this is going to be a real challenge for her, physically and mentally. go, go, go! yeah! two in a row! how many had she done? there's no let up. it's then on to the rest of the workout. you were crying, you had tears. your coach was hugging you. why were you so emotional? it's ok, take your time. was that the first time you've

been able to do pullups? it's norwegian power! definitely. on average, the unarmed rangers cover 25 kilometres a day and have to tackle venomous snakes, leopards and poachers, as well as lions. if they did get agitated, how would you be able to tell from the animal? how would you know if you are safe, being this close to the animal? and it did get dangerous forjayshree early on in her career.

applications from women for these posts have rocketed and the rangers are role models and trailblazers in the region today. look at that mouth! the good news is that from once being in danger of extinction, numbers have climbed to over 500. the next much more welcome problem is if the sanctuary is actually big enough for their growing population.

up next, a couple of films that put my fellow presenters to the test. back in september, carmen faced her fears and took on some of japan's more challenging traditional dishes. first, back injanuary we skipped a hotel and arranged for christa to spend the night in a draft english church instead. thankfully she survived, but i'm not sure she'll be booking again next year. i am here for a spot of champing — church camping. it's available at 12 historic venues around the country. beautiful, ancient sites that are rarely, if ever, used as places of mass worship any more. a very big hotel room. money raised from letting champers like me means the crumbling buildings are spared a slow

and inevitable decline. somebody at the pub just told me that tonight is supposed to be the coldest night of the year, so that's good, as i head into my unheated church room for the night. i've got my air bed... sleeping bag... i've just got into bed and it's quite... i'm quite comfy, actually. quite cosy, given how cold it is and i can see my breath. i'm going to try to go to sleep now and try and forget that i am entirely surrounded by graves. it is quite cold.

i'm notably quite cold. i think a jolly good reason that champing is usually only done during the summer. deciding to come champing in the dead of winter was a really terrible idea. wow, look at this octopus. this is tsukiji in tokyo. this is the world's biggest fish market. the early morning tuna auctions are the biggest attraction. butjust the sheer range of creatures here makes forfascinating browsing. this is all so fresh. i think i need something with a kick. the outer market is where you can try some of the more exotic flavours. this is fish fermented with its own entrails in a salty liquid usually made from wheat, miso and soy.

mmm! laughs very strong! it is really chewy, really, very very strong. speaks japanese. carmen there taking on some of japan's more challenging tastes. so to finish off this special look back at 2017, here's a run through of some of my personal favourites of the year. and over the past 12 months we have been so privileged to really see up close some amazing animals all over the world, and meet the people who live and work alongside them. i can't think of a better way to finish the programme than to share with you some of those stories again. wow, look at that!

they are so cute! i'm amazed at how much banana a little monkey like that can eat. laughs that monkey must have eaten at least ten bananas. they can eat more than ten. the villagers here believe these monkeys are sacred. there are two types — the cheeky mona, and the black and white colubus, which is slightly more aloof. harming either species is strictly forbidden under local law, which means these villages have become a century. —— sanctuary. in fact the monkeys here are loved so much, that once they die they are given a proper burial. here, the monkeys belong

to the gods, so the villagers have to stay with the monkeys peacefully here. if we harm them or punish, we get the same punishment from the gods. so we have to stay with them peacefully, and that is why the monkeys are unique from other parts of ghana. what kind of patients do you have? we have all kinds of illnesses, sicknesses, knife wounds, gunshot wounds. some have diarrhoea, constipation, cataracts, some have serious cancer, tumours. the most difficult case are the victims of landmines. for this elephant, each day starts with her prosthetic leg

being fitted, so she can walk out for breakfast. adult females weigh just under three tons on average. so the prosthetic is needed to give vital relief to her other three legs which are under enormous pressure. how long did it take her to get used to the prosthetic leg? five to seven day. the focus here is working with elephant owners in the community to help any animal that needs medical attention. they also have a nursery section and i am fortunate enough to be able to see... what is the baby's name? his name mina.

amazing to see elephants like these that might have died in the wild, learning the ins and outs of what goes on here it has been absolutely amazing. i won't forget it any time soon. i am heading out early in the morning to see something i am told you can only see here in dubai.

it's a new twist on traditional arabian falconry and i hear it's going to be truly breathtaking. 0k. we're about to release 0beron from the basket. so what's going to happen next is, i've untied him, you'll see he is wearing a transmitter on his tail, that is so i can find him if he flies away. ready, guys? five, four, three, two, one... orchestral music. wow! amazing. well done. did you want a go? oh yeah, i'd love to.

oh yes. peter has helped to hand rear these birds from birth, and the bond of trust between them is vital. it is clear that for him the falcon‘s welfare is paramount and months of work goes into training the birds to get them used to the sights and sounds of the balloon and its passengers. if practised correctly, these birds are in good shape. essentially the bird is not suffering? absolutely. what more could you ask for? that's it for our look back at 2017 here on the travel show.

we have had such a great time seeing even more of the world and being able to share that with you guys, and i hope you have enjoyed notjust following me but the rest of the travel show team too, as we explore the world together. please make sure you join us again in 2018, but in the meantime, all that remains is for me to say goodbye from here in finnish lapland, and join the rest of the team, wherever they are in the world, in wishing you a happy and healthy new year. bye— bye. hello.

not quite in sync with the big day itself but our wether for boxing day the weather will feel more christmassy and, in the next few days, some of us will see some snow. the reason why, colder air is moving back in across the uk. 13 degrees celsius the top temperature for christmas day. most of us in single figures fora few days to come. an indication ofjust how cold it's getting will be the threat of ice on untreated surfaces as boxing day begins. more especially in scotland, parts of the pennines too. and we're getting some sleet and snow to begin the day in the southern uplands, northern pennines, to the relatively low levels in places, for a wintry start to boxing day, so be aware of that. there will be more wintry showers ciming into northern scotland. a few showers for northern ireland. a massive mixture of rain, sleet and snow for some across the pennines, northern england. and a few showers to come into the north—west, to add to that as we go on through the day, that could have a wintry flavour to these as well, more especially on hill.

south of all of that, though, i think you'll be struck by sunshine for a change, after several grey, murky days. but it will feel colder. as we go on through the day, if you are planning a boxing day walk, to it early. south wales, south—west england, you see what's coming — heavier rain coming back into the afternoon, with a strengthening wind once again. so let's take a look at that — 3 o'clock in the afternoon and it will be pretty wet here. the rain beginning to extend further east across southern england as well. to the north of that, take advantage of the drier and sunnier weather. still a few showers dotted about in northern england, mostly rain at this stage, into northern ireland too. but quite a bit of fine weather, a sunnier afternoon for southern scotland, for the central belt, compared with the morning but there weill be quite a few sleet and snow showers peppering northern scotland at this stage. and behind those things, it could well turn icy again going through the night.

going through boxing day evening, into wednesday, we need to watch this weather system for snow developing into parts of wales and the midlands. sill some uncertainty about the details here. but some sleet and wet snow possible too. the back edge of this, as it begins to pull away eastwards going into wednesday. this is bbc news. i'm mike embley. our top stories: vladimir putin's political rival — barred from the election — lashes out as the president's supporters prepare to kick—start his campaign. the pope calls for negotiations to end the conflict between israel and the palestinians. investigators in moscow are trying to find out why a bus ploughed into a subway entrance, killing at least four people. the queen pays tribute to victims of terrorism — as the royal family celebrates christmas with its soon—to—be newest member. hello.

his main rival has been banned from running