the first effective coronavirus vaccine has been developed — preliminary findings suggest it's capable of preventing more than 90% of people from getting covid—19. the developers, pfizer and biontech, describe it as a "great day for science and humanity". experts are warning of some logistical challenges ahead. as coronavirus cases in the us pass 10 million, president—electjoe biden has set up a taskforce of specialists who have worked with both democratic and republican administrations. he has warned of the effects of a second wave and called on all americans to wear facemasks and follow other safety guidelines. the armenian prime minister says he's signed a deal with the leaders of azerbaijan and russia to end the conflict in nagorno—karabakh. nikol pashinyan promised to disclose details in the coming days, but described the deal as ‘inexpressibly painful‘. russian peacekeepers are expected to be deployed to patrol the frontlines

in wales, the 17—day lockdown has ended, but experts say it will be another fortnight before the full impact of the restrictions is known. the lockdown has given way to a new regime of restrictions throughout wales, allowing non—essential shops to reopen, and giving permission to up to four people from different households to meet both indoors and outdoors. our wales correspondent hywel griffith has spent the day in merthyr tydfil, which still has one unlocked, but still uncertain. as businesses reopen, people here in merthyr tydfil are all too aware that the virus is still spreading. margaret and mavis are meeting again for the first time since the firebreak. we're a bit wary, frightened really. we've maybe put ourselves into something by coming up here today. maybe we'll have to go back into lockdown.

you know, before christmas, or let's. .. let's go and buy some stuff now! you're filling your shopping bags while you can? yes! definitely. laura's noticed people starting to stockpile — shopping while they can, sensing things could all change again. we're optimistic. we're hoping, and fingers crossed, and hoping we can make it through to christmas, and then we'll tackle next year next year! the buzz of getting back to work is mixed with having to learn a new set of national rules. for example, pubs can now welcome four individuals, but they must stay two metres apart. they are reopening with coronavirus rates across wales higher than they were before the firebreak, but numbers have been falling in recent days. provided people in merthyr, as in the rest of wales, do the things that we are asking people to do as we come out of the firebreak period, we can have some optimism.

but the path we are following in that part of wales is showing the advantages of the fire break period we have just completed. but some here are anxious and think local lockdowns would help. dr dai samuel lives and works in merthyr tydfil. he says the pressure on the front line is too great to hesitate. things are changing so quickly in our hospitals and in our communities. even within a few days, we're seeing the number of cases coming into hospitals increase exponentially. i think it will only take a few weeks, once those figures climb even more, for us to have to go back into lockdown. a further firebreak hasn't been ruled out but, for now, the hope is that communities can make it to christmas before any shutters have to come down again. hywel griffith, bbc news, merthyr tydfil. it has just it hasjust gone it has just gone half past three. now on bbc news, the travel show. this week on the show, things are getting cultural. soft,

white light from beyond the window makes? it is the east and juliet is the sun. . hello and juliet is the sun. . hello and welcome to the travel show, coming to you this week from the barbican centre in london. that was addie back in 2016 at the birthplace of shakespeare and as he so dramatically demonstrated, soaking up local culture is by far the most rewarding way to travel. as we know, cultural entertainment has been hit hard by coronavirus. this venue has

been open to the public again sincejuly but been open to the public again since july but as been open to the public again sincejuly but as of this week, it has had to temporarily close under the latest restriction. this week, we are going to reminisce, looking back at some of our favourite arts and culture moments on the show, and keeping our fingers culture moments on the show, and keeping ourfingers barely crossed that we will be back in the front row seat sometime $0011. the front row seat sometime soon. here is what is coming up. we will be seeing how carmen got lost in an arts festival in taiwan. and when mike sawjust festival in taiwan. and when mike saw just what festival in taiwan. and when mike sawjust what goes into rio's carnival. this is all for your parade? it is! plus, when i put my fingers to the test in la. but first, we join i put my fingers to the test in la. but first, wejoin adi in new york city. improvisation in its simplest form is the art of creating a scene 01’ form is the art of creating a scene or play, with absolutely no preplanning.

i have come along to the pit in manhattan to give it a go myself, it offers classes for first—time tourists as well as a place for more experienced comedians to hone their craft. leslie collins, and improvisation veteran, led the class. i think i did improvisation veteran, led the class. i think! did see improvisation veteran, led the class. i think i did see a ghost, not recently, but a few yea rs ghost, not recently, but a few years ago. to kick off, we did some warmup exercises. everyone was given a category, and had to list the seven things in quick succession. seven types of hairstyles! long hair, short hair, pigtails, the bob!|j of hairstyles! long hair, short hair, pigtails, the bob! i am really nervous, i'm about to name several different types, what's going on? what is patting my legs and rubbing my stomach? they are coming! trust me, with the pressure on, it's not as easy as it looks. seven

creatures that make bad housemates. a gremlin with one toe! game is over, time for the comedy to start. i let the pros go first. have you ever been in an old—time gang fight? go first. have you ever been in an old-time gang fight? all you are given is a word or song and where this get goes from there is totally up to you. my fists are always right bro.|j is totally up to you. my fists are always right bro. i like your attitude, like your game face. is too much! before long it was my turn, and with a knot in my stomach i took to the stage. you asked for a seven story bronze statue of yourself. i mean, you had a school and a hospital level so you could put this here. it's beautiful though. it is beautiful, don't get me wrong. i'm coming around to it.|j would think you would. it does ta ke would think you would. it does take a long to get around it.

all right, so the other guy definitely put in most of the work but i gave it my best shot. adi there, very bravely finding his funnybone in new york city. better him than me. just check out the pit‘s website, where you can find out about joining online classes. and ade isn't the only one who's taken part in an improvisation challenge. back before he was well known in hollywood, henry golding took part in an event known as a larp, or live—action role play, in poland. it was set in 1917 and all participants had to take on a character. now, did he learn his fine acting skills there that then shot him to hollywood fame? let's take a look. i have my character details here. my name is robert abbott. i'm a former war correspondent, a journalist, and i've seen all the atrocities that have been happening on the front line.

"you are short tempered. you weren't always this way. but the war has changed you, and not entirely for the better." i don't think i've kind of gotten into it, as of yet. how is the kind of easing into it? you just have tojump in or...? oh, that's a good question. is it safe to say that it's all in—game right now? yeah. you must... you must believe that everything is in—game. and if it's not, then you would know in some way. then people would do something. i hope so. because these ladies here, the one on the right is crying. and i want to kind of go... yes. exactly. .."are you 0k?" but you shouldn't? no. unless you're in character. yes, of course, if you want to do something about it, in—game, then of course it's all right. but, yeah, it is a trap. i do want to kind of feel that, but i'm quite conscious,

cos i've got these guys following me... oh, yes. all of a sudden, i'm handed a lifeline, a mission in the form of a little scandal. so, it seems like one of the young maids was spotted alone in the forest with one of the german nobles. ruffled hair and everything. and in a state of undress? oh, i wouldn't quite say so, but... ..i'm sure it wasn't far away. excuse me, ladies. could i have a moment of yourtime? i feel like it's down to me to expose the shady baron for what he is, and slowly and surely i actually begin to have fun. i heard something about a rumour and a maid... um, a baron and a maid. i don't know which maid. it's probably for the best that i don't know which maid. and do you know which baron? we... everybody seems to be getting a different name. a german baron, i don't know. a german baron. right.

where were you last night? i've had reports that they saw you quite late in the evening with a mysterious... ..young lady. mysterious? that is what they say. it is nothing mysterious. it's the lady and me talking about family relations. 0k. yes. and we talk about the war. right. i can't get anything out of the baron himself. so my only other route is to head down to the servants' quarters to find his mistress. but i find my way barred. well, ifind it a bad question, to be perfectly honest. still pondering my next move, i get dressed for dinner. and the actor was heard shouting, "no, alexander, i am not your man." the nuggets of gossip i've been given delight my dinner mates. i would not lie.

but little do i know there's a plan in store for me. ok, so what we have here is a telegram, which will be sent in the game to be delivered to robert abbott at 7.30pm. and what this telegram says is, "to robert abbott. robert, your correspondence accreditation has been revoked by the war 0ffice. we did everything we could, but they wouldn't budge." thank you very much. "i'm sorry. you won't be going back to the front. come back to london. we'll sort out what comes next." this is preposterous! i came here with integrity...of journalism, and you throw it in my face, all of you! it is not my fault that the baron can't keep his hands off women! a servant, nonetheless. so away with your press pass, away with your nobility!

0h, an impressive effort, i think you'll agree, and maybe even a little glimmer of the star he was to become. well, at the start of the year, before coronavirus came along and changed all of our lives, mike corey headed to rio in brazil to have a look at all of the big preparations going into carnival and to understand the amazing impact it has on the local community. mike: carnival began here almost 300 years ago as a ball for the portuguese elite. but since then, it's opened up to everyone. local groups called samba schools prepare all year round for the event, signing floats, costumes and planning epic dance routines. these schools are often located in poor neighbourhoods, which, beyond carnival preparations, also provide havens for local children, teaching them vital skills to help them later in life. this is you in the photo? yes. it's got to be right.

with... this one. yes, that's me. the smile's the same. king benefited first—hand from the social outreach provided by her samba school. you know, when you grow up in a favela, you don't have a lot of opportunities, so when you get a chance to be... ..have one opportunity, you just grab it. so i start at the social project. i was about nine. and then i got a chance to learn english. that's why i'm communicating with you, because i got the course for free through this special project. so, this is the part that most people don't know — there is a behind—the—scenes where they are worried about people to actually be part of the samba schools, right? so... party's good. but the social idea, it's much more important. patchy public funding means the samba schools have to find clever ways to support themselves. king's school, grande rio, has turned to tourism. they've opened the doors of their workshop to those who want to catch a glimpse of the monumental effort that

goes into carnival‘s centrepiece parade. along with other ex—samba school students, king is now one of the tour guides here. wow. this is the backstage of the carnival. this is the most fun i've ever seen in a warehouse. i think so. we have actually six floats in here. only six floats? only six inside of this warehouse, only six. i guess i assumed this was a float, that's another float... no. ..that‘s a third float. but they're going to be the size of city blocks. yes, yes. they'll be massive. you can really see the scale of the operation. i'm having a hard time understanding this. this is all for your parade? it is. this is only for our samba school. all this warehouse, all these costumes is ours. all the welding, the sewing, the machines. everybody‘s working on one show, your parade. yes. everything. we can have about 3,000 costumes easily. grande rio has been running for more than 30 years. the school's current leader,

camilla, has grown up with it. we have, like, a educational programme called the school of carnival. and we have many courses all through the year for free. when you meet the families and the kids and you understand the passion that they have, why not to get this and transform the tool of education? people's life better. of course, parade, it's amazing, something something more for these kids. mike in brazil back injanuary. well, what a difference a year makes. we managed to get a hold of camilla to find out what's happened since.

soon as the pandemic started, we needed to close the warehouse. and this was in the middle of march. it was a disaster. and if you go out to our warehouse now, it's very sad, because you're going to see no—one working there. we had to adapt, as all the world did, to start to run our activities in an online way, because we wanted to talk to a lot of people so we didn't stop to give support to the families. even if there wasn't the money support, but the emotional support that i think everybody needs at this time as well. so, carnival usually happens and february or march. i don't know if carnival is going to happen next year. our love and our enthusiasm, it's still inside of us. so we're waiting for better times.

fingers crossed things are looking up soon. well, still to come on the travel show, carmen's put through her paces at an arts festival in taiwan. oh, my god! and i get my hands on the trend that was sweeping la dance culture back in 2015. so, stay with us. next up, we're off to taiwan, where carmen headed to take part in an arts festival and soon found out she was in a little over her head. let's find out how she fared back in 2018. so, it's the annual taoyuan arts festival and a local dance company have invited me to take part in a performance that they're doing for today's parade. hi, you must be roger. hi. iam. let's get to it. well, 0k. the festival is held every year close to taipei, and teams from all over the country and further afield come to compete in a celebration of music and dance. it's a big high—profile event, so my team are taking a real

risk by letting a total novice join their ranks. 0k. you go around the circle. round the circle? 0k. with only an hour to go before the start of the parade, troop leader roger walks me through my role. i'd rather be hiding somewhere at the back, but he's got me leading the whole team. look at the dragon. swing. swing this way. yes. oh, so like an eight. yes. like an eight, 0k. the idea is that the dragon follows the ball and stick that i'm holding. if only i knew where i was meant to be heading. she yells and laughs oh, my god! miraculously, the other performers follow my somewhat frantic lead. let's just hope they'll be this accommodating when we do it for real. further downtown, the crowds are building, and so are my nerves. i hope no—one laughs at me. in the first section of the parade, a dozen or so local high schools will compete for best performance. the streets are crammed with friends, families

and teachers all waiting to see their groups perform. 0h, there's at least a thousand people here. it's a lot more than i thought. 0k, tell me when. now? and all of a sudden, i'm on. my mind seems to go totally blank and it's all the noise and colour. luckily, roger is there to give me a push in the right direction. where? over here? somehow the team follow my lead, although i really have no idea where i'm going. ok, now in the middle? yes, yes! nice. she laughs it's ok! and then my big dragon stick seems to develop a mind of its own.

oh, sorry! she laughs i was really, really nervous and it was quite stressful. oh, my gosh! i tried to remember my moves. i think i only hit two people with the ball. but it was — it was exciting. my mind went totally blank when i got out there, and i forgot to count how many times. and, oh, it was... it was a panic. i was in a state of panic. i'm sorry to the people that i hit with the ball. it seemed to go on forever. and i can't believe i was part of a dragon dance on the streets of taiwan. who would have thought? and, finally, i'm no stranger when it comes to cultural activities on the show — from eerie underwater music in denmark to ice music in norway. but i want to head back to 2015, when i took a trip to los angeles to try my hands at gloving. it was a trend in dance culture at the time, popular along the american west coast and starting to spread elsewhere.

and a warning — this does contain flashing images. glovers perform what are called light shows, kneeling in front of one person to take up their entire field of vision. it's transformed from a novelty prop to a form of dance, performance art, or even a sport, with its own terminology and scoring system. it's a very strange thing, all of this. you can see how much training has gone into these performances, it's kind of amazing. five years ago, brian lim created what's now one of the leading companies that makes these gloves. they've built a huge community of glovers and host the international gloving championship each year.

my girlfriend actually got me into gloving. she put gloves on me at the club of avalon in la and ijust fell in love. we created an event called friday night lights. first week, it was 10 people, then 20, then 30, then 50 to 100, until it was just like, "get the hell out of here, kids." so, how do these gloves work? it's actually quite simple. these are the elite microlights that actually go inside the fingertips of the gloves and they have an accelerometer in here so that when you move it, it knows to change the colours even faster. but it hasn't always been an easy ride for glovers. some venues and events have banned the gloves amid concerns that they may have unwanted associations with drug culture and that people sitting watching light shows could cause a fire hazard. and that's why we created

the hashtag #glovingisnotacrime because glovers are not criminals. today you see these glovers here, they're harmless little kids, you know, just trying to practise their art form. so, these competitions, when you have, you know, 50—plus judges, you have a scorecard where you're being ranked on what makes a great light show, it really legitimises the art form itself. materia was a runner—up in the open gloving contest. all flow comes from one simple move, which is the finger roll. 0h. that is what everyone says. this is the hardest my brain has ever had to work. i'm not kidding. so, this could lead into going here, going there going here, going here, going here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here... do it a little bit quicker. one, two, three, four, five. and grab and turn and click and meet and figure eight. boom. both: boom! boom! well, that was five years ago, back in 2015. so, did gloving take off?

we managed to get hold of evan, aka materia, to find out what's happened since. our last international gloving competition, igc, was hosted back in 2016. got to give a huge shout—out to corey defeo, known in the gloving community as teddy. his new competition called four kingdoms collide, that really kind of brought the vibe back. it kind of reignited a lot of people's hearts to realising the legitimacy of this competition and gloving as well. we also have gloving's first and only book, mastering the art of gloving. gloving has had an immensely, immensely huge impact on me. it just connected me with some of the most amazing groups of people. you know, through gloving, i was able to find these people to the point that it no longer revolves around gloving. you know, i've secured such amazing friendships with, you know, the best people in the world. and it wouldn't be there

if it wasn't for gloving. well, that's all we have for today. but here's what's coming up next week. alana yzola heads west to las vegas to find out why more people have been eloping during the pandemic. i think it's time for my big day! let's go. so, dojoin us, then. but in the meantime, materia, play us out. travel show theme tune plays

hello there, we've got a bit more murky weather to come over the next few hours. now, this weather watcher picture, i quite like it. this is the fourth rail bridge of course or at least half of it. the other half is subsumed beneath low cloud, the fog and the murk. futher southwards meanwhile, we've got these bands of rain crossing england and wales moving at a northeastward direction thanks to an area of low pressure. this weak low pressure is also drifting northeastwards. but some of this rain is actually washing the fog out of the atmosphere. so, it's not quite as murky as it has been. still some mist, still some low cloud. the really dense fog is away from that rain across northeast england, particularly eastern scotland and some patches through the central belt. and where it is worse, the fog, visibility down to 100 metres so it is really quite dense. tricky travel conditions are to be expected if you're out and about over the next few hours. a mild night though and a mild start to tuesday.

this little low pressure will continue to push its way northeastwards with a few more bursts of rain during the morning, a lot of cloud and remember the murky weather too for east scotland, northeast england. that mist and fog taking awhile to lift into low cloud. through the day though, i'm optimistic that we'll see an improvement in the weather. a little bit more in the way of sunshine breaking through the cloud. there will still be a few showers dotted around, mind you, into the afternoon but it's another mild one. temperatures 13—15 celsius. there'll be some further change in the weather midweek though. another area of low pressure is going to move in. this one is much more potent. this band of rain will get all of us, and the rain will become really quite heavy and squally. so, sudden heavy downpours and as well as that, it's going to be very windy as well with the strongest winds just rolling in on and ahead of the front. also becoming quite windyjust behind the front as it works and across the south coast of england. now, the wind gusts could be stronger to bring down a few tree branches. so, we could see some localised disruption. and this band of squally rain with strong gusty winds will continue to push eastwards as we go on through wednesday night.

now, as that band of rain clears eastwards, we'll see something of an improvement in the weather to take us into thursday as this ridge of high pressure builds in behind us. that means that we'll have some descending air. that will break the cloud up nicely and will see the weather brighten up with some decent spells of sunshine. thursday probably the sunniest day of the week but then further changes on friday. more rain is on the way.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. i'm mike embley. our top stories: coronavirus breakthrough relief as an american pharmaceutical giant reveals a vaccine it says is more than 90% effective. i have never felt professionally such a moment ofjoy, and we were justjumping up and down in the shares ofjoy for humanity and medical advances, to put an end to this dreadful pandemic. the armenian prime minister has signed a peace treaty to end six weeks of fighting in nagorno—karabakh. he called the agreement ‘painful‘. as coronavirus cases in the us exceed ten million, president—electjoe biden sets up a taskforce and tells americans to wear facemasks.