this is bbc news. the headlines at 8:30pm: police declare a major incident in leicester after reports of a major explosion on hinckley road. fire engines and ambulance and police are on the scene. labour shift their policy on europe. the shadow brexit secretary says the party would now keep britain in a customs union. airstrikes continue in the besieged syrian enclave of eastern ghouta, despite a un—agreed ceasefire. france and germany appealed to russia to put pressure on damascus. china's president, xijinping, could serve indefinitely under changes to the constitution put forward by the ruling communist party. there was show of unity between north and south korea at the closing ceremony, and the north says it will meet the us for talks. now on bbc news, it's time for the travel show. coming up on this week's show... we dig in for the night on a

snow—covered mountain in scotland. so we've been digging for a couple of hours now and the camera is finally starting to completely freeze over, and i am also freezing. there's tips on the best place to honeymoon. and i'm enjoying my own company at a new korean restaurant for solo diners here in seoul. that was really bad chopstick etiquette! first up this week, we're in the cairngorms national park in the heart of the scottish highlands. the frozen landscape is beautiful at this time of year,

but conditions can be brutal. and recently, a number of hikers have found themselves in trouble there after reaching higher terrain. the advice is never to attempt this on your own in bad weather conditions without an experienced mountaineer, so we sentjo whalley on an overnight tour with a guided group to learn some winter survival skills. this is the snowiest place in the uk. over 1700 square miles of glistening icecapped peaks. the snow makes it a popular spot for winter sports, but at this time of year, the weather in the mountains can also be unpredictable and extreme. if you find yourself lost in a blizzard like this, one of the best survival techniques is to dig a hole to shelter from the elements. i've scaled mount cairngorm with a tour group led by expert

guide andy bateman. he's going to teach us how to safely construct a snow hole. one of the best places to dig is this small valley, 1100 metres up the mountain. it's nicknamed the snow house because of the drifts that collect here. andy, i'm so cold! yes. it's so snowy. i can't actually imagine how we're going to stay here tonnight. well, the big killer in terms of your own temperature is the wind, and when we get in the snow hole, we are totally out of the wind. what is the windchill now? what's the sort of wind speed? we're in quite a sheltered hollow now, so it's probably only sort of five, ten, 15 miles an hour, something like that. when we came over the top, it was considerably more than that, as you very well experienced, but once we're in the snow hole, we'll be very sheltered. so we're going to get you warmed up, 0k?

so there's your shovel. while we've been preparing the equipment, three of the team, lorna, gregor and dave, have made a start on the hole by digging tunnels into the snowdrift. when they're deep enough, we'll connect them to form a cavern. we're just tunnelling into the snow at the moment. we've got to go in a good metre from the top here. do you want to come in and have a dig? yes. i'm just chopping away at this face here. and then how long does it take to do this normally, andy? it very much depends on the snow conditions. we've got relatively soft snow, but certainly three hours plus, sometimes as much as five hours. five hours, 0k. and it's about 3:30pm now, is it?

so it's going to go dark not so long away. this is a snow saw, designed to be able to cut through ice and snow, and by using this, we can often remove the snow far more efficiently, inasmuch as we can cut blocks out, rather than chipping away. and are we 0k under here, this isn't going to collapse? no. no, i mean the strength is in the thickness of the snow. this is a well — it's quite narrow so it's well supported, but when we actually make the living space, we want to make sure that that's narrow as well so it's well supported. there we go. oh, that was a good bit in the middle. i'll now get in there with a shovel. what is it about pushing yourself out of the comfort zone that people enjoy? i suppose it goes back to, it very much engages the brain. you forget about all the worries, you know, you are concerned about keeping warm, surviving. it takes life back to the elemental, you know, it's about survival. but surviving in style, we hope. so we've been digging for a comple of hours now and the camera

is finally starting to completely freeze over and i am also freezing over! so we're going to focus on digging. otherwise, we might not have anywhere to stay tonight. we chip and carve away at the ice until eventually, it starts to take shape. we've finally reached one of the most satisfying parts of digging, when the tunnels start to connect and we can reach through to each other. andy's built over 50 snow holes with groups of tourists, and shows us how to sculpt the roof with a saw to stop collapse and prevent drips. he assures me he's never had one fall down before. keep going. it's hard work, but it is finally starting to warm up in here. the average temperature in a snow hole hovers

around zero degrees, toasty compared to the freezing winds outside. we're making the hole big enough for six people and all our stuff, but in an emergency, even a small snow shelter can provide vital protection from hypothermia. we heave the biggest pieces of snow to the exit and use them to block up two of the doors, filling in the gaps to stop drafts getting through. there we go. thank you so much. oh, that is amazing! so, we made it. this is our beautiful snow hole, with a nice vaulted ceiling up there. and andy's very kindly cooking up a round of tea for everyone. you canjust see lorna and gregor are all the way down there.

i can't believe we made it! cheers, everyone. cheers. woohoo! after a hot meal from the stove, we all try to settle down for the night. even with layers of clothing and a specialist sleeping bag, it does feel pretty chilly. but it's completely silent, we're hidden away from the gales outside. so, i survived the night. i've just been woken up, andy was outside chipping the ice away, because all this snow that's fallen overnight has sort of blocked us in, so he'sjust dug us out, and now he's making us a cup of tea. i think i've slept a little bit, but it's been very, very cold. the thought of heading back outside is daunting, but andy helps me to pack up and clamber out of the hole

into a blizzard of white. getting back down the mountain is a mammoth effort because of the swirling snowstorm, but that feeling of knowing we survived the night is exhilarating. still to come on this week's travel show... 0ur global guru's here with advice on an april honeymoon, and the best ideas for a big family break in france. and i'm keeping conversation to a minimum at a new restaurant for solo diners here in south korea. your destination inspiration every week, here on the travel show. welcome to the slice of the show

that tackles your questions about getting the best out of travel. coming up, singapore to italy overland. and the best location for a family celebration in france. first though, welcome to valletta, capital of malta, and for this year only, european capital of culture. the cultural programme for 2018 has a strong travel aspect, key themes include routes, cities and islands. valetta's twin capital is the northern dutch city of leeuwarden, where the artistic highlight in september and october involves 100 friesian horses performing in a drama about the perpetual struggle against the sea.

next, matt taylor from stafford in the english midlands is getting married in april, and he still hasn't decided on a honeymoon location. the bahamas are expensive to reach and to stay in, and not renowned for their depth of culture or great sightseeing. there's more on offer in dubai and the maldives, but that involves a long and expensive flight, at a time of year when the southern mediterranean is at its best. whether you are on the island of sicily, or here in malta, you can expect temptingly empty beaches, beautiful, clearskies, and feast on thousands of years of history, as well as heavenly cuisine. next, rita from verona in italy, is currently in singapore, where she's recovering from a serious infection,

and she wants to get home. as i am not fit to fly, are there any other options for me to travel via sea or land? turn your homeward journey into a two—week overland adventure. you can get the train from singapore through malaysia, to the thai capital, bangkok. take another overnight train, and that will get you across the border into laos. from the capital, vientiane, take a sleeper bus into vietnam, to the capital, hanoi. from there, it's a two—night overland journey to the chinese capital, beijing. then, for the next six nights, you can relax aboard the trans—mongolian train all the way to moscow. and would you believe, there's a direct train from the russian capital straight to verona, taking a0 hours? and finally, ann buckingham asks... montpellier is my recommendation,

with a colourful, compact old town that reflects everything we find enticing about southern france. sunlight dappling on terracotta roofs and ancient honey—coloured stones. cafe culture spilling out across beautiful squares, and chic restaurants, shops and hotels. there's a fine beach close by, and plenty of opportunities for exploring inland or along the coast, and all in less than two hours‘ flying time from gatwick. whether you're heading for the deep south or the far north, the travel show is here to help. so just e—mail the travel show, and i'll do my very

best to find you an answer. from me, simon calder, the global guru, here on the island of malta, bye for now and see you next time. korean food is becoming famous the world over, and it is here in seoul that you will find the best. i have come to discover a unique way to enjoy it. but first, i'm off to a market to pick up a warm snack or two along the way. it's pretty cold out here right now. feels like it's well below zero. but look at this place! it's bustling. you would think people would be at home with their heating on full blast, but no. you can't keep people away from korean street food. i like it. it's a good atmosphere. i don't know if you can see me through the steam, but this looks really interesting.

i've never seen anything like this before. it's egg on bread, and if you look inside you can see it baking in the oven. let's give it a try. let's give it a go... that's quite good. it's egg with a very sweet bread. a nice combination. although many koreans enjoy eating on the go, when it comes to sitting down to a proper meal, it's usually done with a large group of friends and family. so i'm meeting a group of local foodies and bloggers who'll give me the lowdown on how to share a meal korean style. hi, guys. how are you doing? sorry i'm late. wow! let's get eating!

i was laughing about the scissors! you know, western peoplejust find this concept strange. why is it so important for koreans to eat communally? 0bviously, food is a social activity, however in korea it plays a role in terms of... for example, if i'm with someone younger, i feel the need to feed them. i'll like cut something up and put it on their plate. like, here, enjoy. give me your plate. 0k. for me, this is very common. there's an order for people to be served, as well. really? what's the order to be served in? age? 0r seniority. you're the guest of honour, so you get it first. wow. seniority! i heard in korea that if you pour your own drink, you will have an ugly spouse.

is that right? it's different for every group of family and friends. you can give the other person bad luck. so i have to pourfor you. and then i should receive it with two hands. 0k. i'll pour it with two hands. what happens if you spill it?! because korea went through such a long time of poverty, i think that food is so symbolic of what we have now. and being able to watch someone eat or share food together is more meaningful than just giving nutrition. i like to watch people eat. it's a korean girl thing. really? you watch them eat on social media? people do that here as well. you can live stream people eating. that's also a huge deal.

it seems that all koreans enjoy company, whether they are eating together or tucking in online. but in a country where family ties and traditions are strong, i've heard there is still something of a taboo about actually going out to enjoy korean food on your own. although life here in south korea is changing, and with more young people choosing to live alone, a couple of new restaurants have opened up for those who enjoy their own company and traditionalfood. i'm off to check one out. i'm eagerly awaiting my meat and my barbecue for one to be delivered. it is very exciting. you see the vent here? that will suck up the fumes so i don't smell like a barbecue when i walk out of here. there's a guy next door, but he doesn't seem to be keen to have a chat. she laughs.

gosh, it's really quiet here. do i get scissors? wow. there's a lot of heat coming off this. it's such a strange concept. normally when i come to a korean barbecue, i'm with a huge group of people, friends, family, or even work colleagues. and usually other people do the grilling. i don't know if it is a good place to come if you are single. you are surrounded by single people, but everyone is on their phones, there is a partition between the walls and no—one wants to talk to each other. 0ops, i'm burning this now! that was bad chopstick etiquette. you're not meant to go like that with your chopsticks. it shows that i'm not very good. see, this is the thing

where you miss having other people with you. i'm not the best barbecue grill person, so this is not the most relaxing. i feel like i'm trying to multitask a lot of things at once. i could do with another set of hands, really. but it is quite nice to not feel pressured to talk to anybody. delicious. compliments to the chef. if you're thinking of heading to south korea any time soon, here are some travel show tips on things you could see and do. seoullo 7017 is the south korean capital's version of the high line in new york. this former innercity highway has been turned into the biggest green space in the city, with 211,000 trees

and plants lining the route, along with cafes and performance spaces. it's all part of efforts to make seoul more pedestrian—friendly. a three—hour high—speed train ride from seoul is the second city of korea, busan, and the gamcehon cultural village. this former rundown area overlooking the coast has been renovated and repainted, and you'll find murals and sculptures created by the locals here as well, making it a big attraction for tourists. and if you didn't manage to catch the winter olympics, do not despair. there are dozens of annual winter themed festivals here in south korea. one to look out for is the yearly ice fishing festival close to the olympic site in pyeonchang, where thousands of tourists and locals use rods, traditional lures and even their bare hands to catch trout from the icy river. it runs every year throughout february, so wrap up warm. that's it for this week,

but i hope you can join us next week on the travel show when... christa is in norway, as she takes a journey along one of the world's most spectacular rail lines in search of the roots of norwegian music. it's kind of the sound of nature. fiddle plays. this is great. and don't forget, if you want to follow us on the road you can sign up to our social media feed. until next time, from me carmen roberts, and the rest of the travel show team here in seoul, it is goodbye. you are watching bbc news, let's

return to the developing story in leicester. police have declared a major incident after reports of an explosion in the hinckley road area of the city. emergency services were cold just after 7pm this evening following reports of a blast. a spokeswoman said six fire engines had been requested, and it was being treated as a search and rescue operation. images from the scene, as you can see, show that there was smoke, fire and major damage caused toa building. smoke, fire and major damage caused to a building. 0fficials smoke, fire and major damage caused to a building. officials have closed carlisle street and part of hinckley road, which is the main arterial a 47, road, which is the main arterial a a7, and they have asked people to avoid the area. on the line now is a man who lives next to where the explosion happened. thanks very much

for joining explosion happened. thanks very much forjoining us. what did you hear, see and feel? basically, i was putting my son to bed, we heard it was a bang, i thought it was a car accident. the house shook. i thought, a car accident couldn't have that much impact. minutes later, two or three minutes later, we heard emergency services going down. ambulances, fire engines, emergency services, the response was quite quick. we looked out the window and i could see the fire engines coming. but we worked sure what it was. i didn't think it would be an explosion. how close are you to the building that has been affected ? to the building that has been affected? literally just to the building that has been affected? literallyjust round the corner. how have the police responded? we were hearing that about 60 houses have been evacuated? we have been evacuated, we have not heard anything. i would say literally after the house shook, the emergency services were there. i

would imagine the response was very quick. yes, we have seen some pictures and it looks like it is a 2—storey building, a shop with a flat above it. yes, it is a polish supermarket. i think it was open, it's usually quite a busy supermarket. just outside, there's a bus stop. lots of people, you know, they are around that street at this time. people are hanging around there. there's a pizza hut delivery place and bars near there, so i'm hoping there's not too many casualties. but there probably will be, i would casualties. but there probably will be, iwould imagine. casualties. but there probably will be, i would imagine. and would the shop by open at 7pm on a sunday, normally? yes. we can see from the photographs that quite a few people we re photographs that quite a few people were of riaz leads drawn towards the sound of the explosion. and the photographs showed that the night sky is lit up with the fire that

started as a consequence of this blast, whatever it was. what can you see outside of your house now? so, outside you can still see the smoke coming, and also the emergency services are stored there. there are helicopters around at the moment. —— are still there. that's what i can see from my window. tell us about this particular stretch of the road? it looks from the pictures that we can see, it's a real mix of residential and commercial properties. yes, so there's a few shops which are quite busy, and then it's surrounded by houses. but it's also a major route into leicester and into the city to enter, so it's quite a busy road. you are only about a marrow, i think from the high street. less than that, yes -- about a mile from the high street. what do you need to hear from the authorities, being so to this? our

families are worried about us being so families are worried about us being so close to an explosion, just making sure it is safe. a lot of houses have been evacuated. just really, what is the explosion that happened? i mean, people are speculating it is a gas explosion, but i'm on twitter and others are speculating other things. it'sjust to make sure that we are safe. yes, and i'm sure that will be a crackly what the authorities are trying to establish, won't it? —— that will be likely what the authorities are trying to establish. i'm glad you are safe, keep well this evening. she lives just a few metres around the corner from that convenience store in leicester on hinckley road, the aa7, where there has been a blast tonight. the police are now treating it as a major incident. more throughout the evening on bbc news. now the weather with sarah. good evening, if you have been keeping up their forecast, good evening, if you have been keeping up theirforecast, you good evening, if you have been keeping up their forecast, you will have heard there is very wintry weather on the cards, disruptive

snowfall towards the east. eastern scotla nd snowfall towards the east. eastern scotland eased in england will see big —— the cloud, subzero temperatures across the board. a widespread frost and iciness. most of the snow showers towards the east will be well scattered through monday morning, many places staying dry, best of the sunshine further west, that cloud will filter is we further east. temperatures a few degrees above freezing, but when you add on that easterly wind it will feel more like —3 or —5 for many of us. feel more like —3 or —5 for many of us. a cold day on monday. further heavy snow showers towards the east as we had three monday evening. 0vernight into tuesday, we can see heavier and more persistent snow in eastern england and eastern scotland. the met office have issued an amber warning for potential disruption. bye for now. nemtsov,

this is bbc world news today. our top stories: a suspected chemical attack in syria. activists say these pictures are from a hospital in eastern ghouta, an area that's been under intense attack for a week. the political crisis in the democratic republic of congo — security forces open fire on a rally calling for president kabila to go. china's xijinping could remain china's xi jinping could remain as president for many years, and proposed constitutional changes. a team from poland trying to be the first to conquer the world's

second—highest peak in winter — so why did one of the climbers strike out his own?