this is bbc news, the headlines: iranian state media has reported the country's military as saying that a ukrainian airliner was unintentionally shot down because of human error. 176 people died in the crash on wednesday, including more than 50 canadian nationals. officials in the iranian capital tehran had previously denied any responsibility. the polls have opened in taiwan's presidential and parliamentary elections. incumbent president tsai ing—wen is going up against han kuo—yu who favours closer ties with beijing. the pro—democracy protests taking place in hong kong have cast a long shadow over the taiwan election campaign. the death has been announced of sultan qaboos bin said al said of oman — the longest serving ruler in the gulf. the sultan, who was 79, had ruled since 1970 — when he deposed his father in a bloodless coup. three days of national mourning have been declared. now on bbc news, the travel show.

the government has given a nice —— another slice of cash to work with the steelworks. 3000 jobs were lost. friday's announcement promises a boost of £71 million. called for more than four years but life could $0011 more than four years but life could soon be slowly seeping back. —— cold. the government today stumped up cold. the government today stumped up £70 million for the area. an investment, we are told, for the future. there is an exciting plan to make this a hub for clean energy, manufacturing and technology. there isa manufacturing and technology. there is a potential for thousands of new jobs to be created here which is vital for the area. much of the land

are owned by three thai banks. to successfully get the land back, the development corporation which wants to regenerate the area has to show it has the cash to do so. the biggest thing it enables us to do is going to the compulsory purchase enquiry that is starting in february, in the full confidence that we know we can deliver on the site. the major objection from the thai banks as we don't have the means to develop the site in the way we have set out to the public. the site encompasses the biggest regeneration project in the country. 1500 acres in total. 0ver regeneration project in the country. 1500 acres in total. over 100 1500 acres in total. 0ver100 companies already expressed an interest in the site. steel no more than that all apparently far from lost. now on bbc news, the travel show. this week on the show, i am in northern spain. i look ready, ifeel

ready, i am northern spain. i look ready, ifeel ready, iam ready. taking northern spain. i look ready, ifeel ready, i am ready. taking to space, kind offer. i am spending a night on mars. right now, we can resemble all the conditions that we are going to find on planet mars right here on planet earth. chinese new year is fast approaching and we have some travel tips for you. this water is cold. my face is so numb! welcome in iceland. and cat is taking a dip in the technology —— tectonic plates. it is so clear down here. it is freezing.

. no—one would have believed, in the last years of the 19th century, that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's. since aged g wells wrote of the martian invention in his 1887 novel wall of the world, the red planet has captured our imaginations. —— war. it is incredible to think that we can one day colonise mars. this year, virgin galactic‘s first customers hope to head into space in a 90 minute sub— orbitalflight for a head into space in a 90 minute sub— orbital flight for a quarter of $1 million. but if you don't have that

in the bank but still harboured dreams of being a space explorer, there are options here on earth so for the next 24—hour is, i will be learning how to live life like a mars colony was —— a mars columnist in spain. astroland is a place to set up to show humans how to cope living on mars from a psychological perspective but to also test out potential technologies. your emotions, you will feeljoy... potential technologies. your emotions, you will feeljoy. .. we we re emotions, you will feeljoy. .. we were briefed on how we might feel on mars as a colonist to get us into the right mindset. clearly, this is not a space shuttle but mars, this exercise, is going to be in a remote cave in our redondo and i have a feeling my sci—fi fantasies are about to become unlocked. the idea is to simulate how hard it would be

to survive on another planet with the barest of tools. this particular expedition is just the barest of tools. this particular expedition isjust for the barest of tools. this particular expedition is just for the night and is geared towards scientists who will be doing experiments as if they are on the red planet. wow. my god. down we go. but before any exploration, the team need to change. this is a bit i have actually been waiting for. my very own spacesuit although, it is a lot thinner than i thought. i thought it was going to be this giant space suit i was going to find a bit unwieldy but i think i can handle that. i look ready, ifeel ready... i'm ready. just one final touch. i'm

ready for my ascent into martian land. i'm a little bit scared, too. laughter. hold this. our land. i'm a little bit scared, too. laughter. hold this. 0uraim is to get to our base where we will be spending the night. it is anticipated that the first colonists to mars will also have to live underground in caves or lava tubes to avoid interstellar radiation. and there is no time to waste on the experiments. i am collecting some samples of the water that is trickling from above. it is quite cool trickling from above. it is quite cool. the guys have made discovery. they have discovered a rock showing signs of photosynthesis. strange because there is no light down here.

finally, we make it and it is a bit ofa finally, we make it and it is a bit of a squeeze in the decompression chamber. but the team are immediately analysing their samples. we are going to look at whether the water has any signs of life living inside it. they actually previously discovered a new species of amoeba. you have to capacity to analyse things through the day. what are you hoping to achieve by collecting samples from down here? new species, basically. in difficult parts of the

earth and other parts of the air. we have a table. the parties set with everything to meet your basic needs and after all that work, it is time for dinner. because course with chicken. wild berry yoga. they all sound the same. i'm going for one of my favourite dishes, bolognese. give ita my favourite dishes, bolognese. give it a stir, leave for ten minutes. it looks a little bit like plastic. but i'm so hungry. that is actually quite nice. while the others finish up quite nice. while the others finish up dinner, i sneak out to find out more about the project. also, any

excuse more about the project. also, any excuse to get suited up. how deep is this cave? sitting here by the station, we are hardly, hardly, one third of its actual size. it is so big that it actually resembles the giant lava tubes that we are going to find on mars. human beings will inhabit mars, it is a fact. the only thing we don't know right now is when it is going to happen. it could happen in 20,30, when it is going to happen. it could happen in 20, 30, 40, 50 years. right now, we can resemble all the conditions that we are going to find on planet mars and beneath planet mars right here on planet earth. 0ne of the goals is to extend the stays in the cave to see how people cope. very soon, we will meet teams of scientists and engineers and people

from all areas of knowledge and science. spending one month, several months, more than a year, in this station. when you are talking about isolating people for this long, there are so many people that will be so useful for space exploration. it isn't cheap. it includes preparation, training and about three days in the cave. i'm in mars. nasa's original roadmap to expand human presence beyond earth to mars was tentatively set to 2033 but an independent report has come out saying this is unfeasible. so for the ultimate travel experience, you will have to wait a little longer.

this is where i am sleeping tonight. it is the top bunk of a bunk bed. i haven't been in a bunk bed for a —— since i was about eight years old. i am not going to lie, i am actually very excited about getting into the top rung. it is a really cool sci—fi sleepover with all of my scientist buddies. but i'm not sure what time they get up in the morning. i have a feeling it is going to be very, very, very early. in space they say that you can't hear anyone scream so in astroland, i am really hoping you can't hear anyone snore. if spending a weekend in spain on mars doesn't ta ke a weekend in spain on mars doesn't take your fancy, here are some other things we think are worth considering. spain is one of the few

countries in the world where you can ski in the morning and swim in the afternoon. the ski station just outside grenada is the most southern ski resort in europe but it is also the country's highest with the season the country's highest with the season that lasts till early may. plus it is just a few hours' drive from the mediterranean coast. this april, the world dog show is being hosted in the capital madrid. 0rganisers are expecting as many hosted in the capital madrid. organisers are expecting as many as 20,000 pooches to attend. the event is being hosted by the spanish royal canine society and is open to dog lovers, canine experts and breeders. and well, we can't miss out spain's messiest festivals. this takes place in the last wednesday in august, 40 kilometres west of valencia. thousands of people come to take pa rt thousands of people come to take part ina thousands of people come to take part in a giant tomato fight. if you 90, part in a giant tomato fight. if you go, be prepared. take your goggles

and expect your clothes to never recover. we warned you. still to come... how to tackle chinese new year. had is the temperature of the water today? and cat is swimming in iglesia l water. —— lacey water. it is now time for trending travel. our regular topic to photos, stories and videos all happening online this week. do you know who is dutch and your netherlands from your holland? you might not be the only one confused. the dutch government finally decided it was time to make things easier

and would ditching the name holland. the famous orange colour but from now on the netherlands will be the official name starting january. and major events like the eurovision song cost —— song contest. and the olympic games later this year. authorities have banned large crowds in close cafe is in the city's train street. every day, tourists had to ta ke street. every day, tourists had to take pictures and experience may —— moment trains wash down the street just inches away from homes. authorities are now clamping down on tourist and shop owners. tourism pollution in japan appears tourist and shop owners. tourism pollution injapan appears to be a growing problem. kyoto has led a band on photography in parts of the neighbourhood amid a flurry of complaints about photography. it is not legally binding but the measure

hopes will give tourists more respect for its residents. have you tried a silfie? it is to support the urgent work needed to renovate the sigman freud museum. they are hoping to raise more than 5000 euros by the end of 2020. i wonder what the man himself would think of all of this. while some of us are getting over the christmas blues and new year's headaches, in another part of the world it will soon be the lunar new year. officially beginning in january 25, families across southeast asia will be reuniting in celebration. chinese new year is celebrated around the world by chinese communities, so here is the trending guide of what to expect in the year of the rat. 2020 is the

year of the rat. those born in this yeari year of the rat. those born in this year i said to be sharp, sensitive, yet stubborn. not that many people believe that. what they do believe is that it brings trouble and bad luck, which is why you see people born in the year of the rat where lots of red, an auspicious colour which is meant to ward off evil spirits and misfortune. chinese new year is all about family reunions. traditionally, elderly grandparents or their children and grandchildren come home for the all—important family dinner. this mad dash is also the reason behind the world's largest humanlike —— human migration, known as the spring migration, known as the spring migration, or chunyun. last year, 3 billion ships were made in this festivity. but as china prospers, more and more people choose to go abroad for chinese new year's, leaving grandparents less than pleased, celebrating on their own. read packets of hong bao are red

envelopes filled with lucky money to give to children on chinese new year. the greeting for happy new year is xin nian kuia lie in chinese mandarin. make sure to keep sending us your stories and photographs of the places you live and the places you love. maybe next time you will be trending in trouble. —— travel. next up, cut mo is in iceland at the thing blair national park, taking an icy dip between two tectonic plates. —— thingvellir. bubbling, spluttering and creeping. iceland is a country alive, sat on a fault line between two tectonic plates and

enduring brutal weather conditions, it is constantly being shaped by powerful natural forces. which it is constantly being shaped by powerful naturalforces. which is why i have come to thingvellir national park, because here, back in the 18th century, earthquakes torre rift in the valley and left behind what some say are the clearest waters in the world. —— tore a rift. soiam waters in the world. —— tore a rift. so i amjoining waters in the world. —— tore a rift. so i am joining a tour group to snorkel in what is called the fisher. our group is so international, even our guide is in italian. basically, we have to be here. first of all, silfra is the only place on earth you can actually dive between two tectonic plates, and as! dive between two tectonic plates, and as i show you guys over there, there is the edge of the american tectonic plate. five kilometres on the other side of the valley there is the beginning of the eurasian tectonic plate. the silfra fissure sits between these two plates, which move apart at 2.5 centimetres per year. when it formed, glacial meltwater filled the gap. what that

is just two degrees above freezing. i can't believe i am actively going to go swim in glacial meltwater. it seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that i'm actually here, i don't know. but it is notjust me who was a little apprehensive. tell me how you ended up here? him! we saw a video on youtube a while ago, the last time we came to iceland, and we thought, that's cool. let's do it. that is cool. in both tenses. yeah, pretty much. just seeing the tectonic plates should be very cool, and one in a lifetime experience, i guess. unless you come again. that is twice in a lifetime. maybe make that decision after you have gone in. yeah, i will do that.

that decision after you have gone in. yeah, iwill do that. so that decision after you have gone in. yeah, i will do that. so finally we start to head in. when you are ready. all right. that said, it's time. it's quite difficult, walking down the stairs. i can feel the water squeezing in my suit. yeah, soon water squeezing in my suit. yeah, soon ijust come towards me, just to lea n forward. soon ijust come towards me, just to lean forward. yes, perfect, like that. and you just fly. do you feel all right. now we can start to go. 0h, all right. now we can start to go. oh, my god. this water is cold! my face is so numb! it has only been, like, ten seconds. welcome to iceland! water is already flooding into my gloves. apparently it is going to get warmer. all right,

guys. i will move in front of the group and you follow me all the way. everyone, it's ok, guys. thumbs up! there we go. amazingly, it takes up to 100 years for the water to filter from a nearby glacier and on through volcanic rock to arrive here. and if you think all water is as clear as each other, think again. here, the underwater visibility can be as much as 100 metres. so far, so good. my

bodyis as 100 metres. so far, so good. my body is completely numb to the cold water. and now all that is left to do is enjoy the view. it is so clear down here. it is amazing. the colours totally pop. all the rock formation, as you can see, is really, really nice. between the two tectonic plates, we have these beautiful colours. the red carpet on the rocks, it looks likejellyfish. some kinds, they can only grow in really cold water, and we have at least 18 hours of daylight here. they did a test of the water at silfra and this water is 30 times clearer than what you buy in the supermarket. no way! it is basically

just h20. i should have bought my water bottle! 0h, just h20. i should have bought my water bottle! oh, yes! what do you think the temperature is today.- the moment it is pretty chill, but around two or three celsius, or 36, 30 eight fahrenheit. it feels -10. it is pretty cold, yes! i know the point is to lie on my front looking downwards, but this is actually also very relaxing. 0h, downwards, but this is actually also very relaxing. oh, yes. i feel like a popsicle! and not in a good way. i will definitely do that again. that was amazing. well, that's all we've

got time for this week. butjoin us next week when mike is in the usa to find out why virginia's great dismal swamp isn't so after all. this area is home to dark swarms of mosquitoes, bloodsucking tics, poisonous rattlesnakes mosquitoes, bloodsucking tics, poisonous rattlesna kes and mosquitoes, bloodsucking tics, poisonous rattlesnakes and even the occasional black bear. catch us for that if you can, but until then, from me and the rest of the travel show team here northern spain, it is goodbye.

hello there. there was a good view of the wolf moon for many parts of the country early on in the night — that was before all this cloud rolled in. a lot of it is quite high cloud. the zone of thickest cloud that's stretching across scotland and northern ireland is on that weather front there. that is continuing to bring some outbreaks of rain. ahead of it, the winds are going to be howling. we are drawing in the milder winds from a long way south, so after a cold start, temperatures are continuing to rise to these sort of numbers by the end of the night. nine, ten, maybe 11 degrees. still on the chillier side across east anglia, mind you. we've still got the rain coming into scotland and northern ireland. heavy over the hills. a little trickle this way, very slowly southwards. some quite wet weather over the cumbrian fells and later into snowdonia. eventually, the rain turns more showery in scotland, through the afternoon. the winds will start to ease a bit, but it stays very windy across england and wales — strong to gale force winds here. but, as we've seen, it's mild air so for many parts of the country, we've got double—figure temperatures — perhaps as high as 12 or 13 degrees. the weather front bringing that band of rain will sweep its way down toward south—eastern areas overnight on saturday night and then leaving behind that, we are going to find

showers coming in on a cooler air stream from off the atlantic. we've still got some rain to clear away first thing across the south—east of england. once that goes, we will see a batch of showers coming in across wales through the midlands. those could be rather heavy in the morning before easing off during the afternoon. further north, some sunshine and some showers — most of them in the north—west of scotland, where it will be wintry over the hills. we're back in to cooler air on sunday, particularly across the northern half of the uk. still double figures for a while in the south—east. it won't be as windy. but only briefly, because look what is coming in from the atlantic — a storm is brewing. that's going to be racing our way, probably heading to the north—west of scotland. after a reasonably quiet start with some sunshine around, it probably will stay dry across eastern areas, but the winds will continue to strengthen — particularly out towards the west, where we'll see this rain moving in,

and that's going to be quite heavy. the strength of the wind could cause one or two issues. 60, maybe 70 miles an hour or more across some western parts of the uk. of course, it's a mild wind direction and those temperatures are going to be up to around 8—11 degrees. that sets the scene on what is going to be a very changeable week ahead. we're going to find further areas of low pressure, rain at times, strong winds. for the most part, it will be mild.

good morning, welcome to breakfast with ben thompson and nina warhust. our headlines today: iran's military says it unintentionally shot down a ukrainian plane — killling all 176 people on board — because of ‘human error‘. charting a new course — the duke and duchess of sussex are said to be hopeful that talks on their future can be concluded sooner rather than later. a sombre weekend for two high—street favourites as debenhams begins a programme of store closures and the last mothercare branches shut their doors. liverpool face tottenham in the game of the day in the premier league. jose mourinho hoping to halt jurgen klopp's charge