this is bbc news. with me, david eades. the headlines: the us is to release 50 million barrels of oil from its reserves in an attempt to bring down soaring energy prices, particularly that of gasoline. the move is being taken in parallel with other major oil—consuming nations, including china, india, japan, south korea, and the uk. a man accused of ramming a car into a christmas parade in the us state of wisconsin has appeared in court to face charges of intentional homicide. darrell brooks is charged with six deaths after another victim, a child, died. nearly 50 people were also injured in the attack in waukesha. north macedonia and bulgaria have declared days of mourning to remember victims of a bus crash on a bulgarian motorway yesterday. at least 45 people, mostly tourists, were killed when the coach crashed in flames in western bulgaria. the cause of the crash is still unclear. people in northern ireland

are again being asked to work from home where possible as part of a tightening of covid measures. northern ireland has the highest infection rate in the uk, and it's been climbing in recent days, with ministers at stormont saying that hospital admissions are up and will increase further in the coming weeks. scotland's first minister today said the vaccine passport system for entry to hospitality venues would not be extended, as cases there have fallen slightly. but all four uk nations are on alert in the face of rising covid numbers across europe. our health editor hugh pym reports. there's a stronger message on working from home in northern ireland, so businesses like this restaurant in belfast fear they'll lose out, with fewer people going into the city centre each day. we've worked really hard, and now it seems to be that people are cancelling. we're getting all of our stock in, getting ready. we have all of our staff organised, and unfortunately now, it may not look like certain things are happening. northern ireland's covid infection rate is now the highest in the uk. hospital admissions

are expected to rise, and ministers said intervention was required, including advising people to limit social contacts as well as working from home. there certainly are uncertain times, but now is the time for action. if we want to achieve the best possible outcome right now, then now is the time to act. case rates have fallen slightly in scotland, and nicola sturgeon announced that the vaccine passport system would not be extended to more venues, but she said taking a lateral flow test before socialising over the christmas period was vital to slow the spread of the virus. our situation is definitely more positive than we might have expected it to be at this point, but it is still precarious. we need to get the r number back below one, and that means having in place a range of proportionate protections to keep the country as safe as possible while we continue to live as freely as possible. at this pub in perth, they were relieved that vaccine

passports would not be required for customers at this stage, but concerned at the possibility that tighter rules may yet be introduced. you never know one day to the next what is going to be coming in next and whether we are going to be a viable business at the end of it. we feel quite lucky that we've managed to get this far, but whether we make it through christmas if they change things is a different matter. while uk covid infection rates are relatively high, they are not surging, as has happened in austria, the netherlands and germany, where a range of lockdown measures are being introduced. that's partly because the uk has moved ahead of some others with boosterjabs, though israel started earlier and has done more. and the boss of astrazeneca, pascal soriot, seen here on the left with prince charles at the opening of a new research facility in cambridge, offered up one theory. the uk, he said, had seen relatively fewer covid hospital cases because the az vaccine had a longer immune response than others.

but the guidance in england on lateral flow tests is being widened to include those planning to mix with others in crowded indoor spaces, a sign that officials are taking nothing for granted. hugh pym, bbc news. now on bbc news, it's the travel show. this week on the travel show: celebrating the world's most famous big wheel. this is brilliant. this is my london. a slice of britain on a remote japanese island. i hope i'm doing this right. you've gotta be fast! and racing to the finishing line in our icy siberian challenge.

hello and welcome to the travel show, with me, carmen roberts, coming to you this week from japan's semi—tropical yaeyama islands. later on, i'll be serving up one of these islands most surprising culinary specialities — a big battered british fish favourite, fish and chips. but first... the world's tallest observation wheel is now up and running, in where else, but dubai. it's known as the �*dubai eye'. it's 250 metres tall and has 48 pods, which means it can carry more than 1,700 people in one revolution. shortly after the millennium, the world's most famous big wheel was opened. and just as a pandemic hit, the london eye was busy celebrating its 20th birthday. so we went along to meet

some of the people who made it happen. the romans established london nearly 2,000 years ago. since then, the historic capital has developed an iconic skyline. for generations of us, it's always been dominated by two or three instantly recognisable historic buildings. when i was a kid, you could pick out st paul's cathedral, tower bridge and the palace of westminster as three silhouettes, which made the skyline look great. and that was the case for more than 100 years, and you kind of knew where you were. and then exactly 20 years ago, that was all thrown up in the air because that arrived. located on the banks of the river thames, the london eye offers a panoramic 360—degree view over the capital. standing at 135 metres tall, it's still the largest observation wheel in europe, and the most popular,

with more than 76 million visitors in the last two decades. it was opened back in the heady days of the year 2000, part of the celebrations that ushered in the new millennium. 0riginally, it was only supposed to be a temporary structure with a lifespan of just five years. it's really exciting. it has been a while since i was first on it, and it's still hugely popular. ok, here we go! the big step.

it's actually going at less than one kilometre an hour, but nonetheless, you've got to get on in time. here we are, 135 metres high, right at the top. and this is brilliant. this is my london. i know this place really well. i was born just over there, i live just over there, and every iconic building you want to see is here — buckingham palace, the millennium bridge, st paul's over there, the river thames. it's fantastic. this is london's equivalent of the eiffel tower and the empire state building. this is the view that everybody wants to get.

automatic voice: stand clear of the opening doors. i think we're about to get off. our time is done. 30 minutes and it's all over. the architects were david marks and julia barfield, a renowned husband—and—wife team. julia, just take me to the beginning of this whole project. how did it all start? well, it started with a competition in 1993, and what the competition called for was a landmark to celebrate the millennium. the competition was abandoned, but david and julia decided to plough on regardless. david, sadly, died in 2017, butjulia still has great memories of that time. now, i think this is the prototype, if you like. we looked at so many different designs for the actual structure. you know, it's huge, but we wanted it to be light in feeling.

so we looked at very many different engineering solutions for that with different geometries, and then this seemed to be the optimal geometry in the end to make it very light. it was disappointing that the judges didn't think any of the ideas were good enough, but, you know, we thought it was a good idea, so we started a company, which was called the millennium wheel company, and we put in a planning application. we gradually got more and more exposure to the project, and we did a deal with british airways and we put a lot of our own money in, but we mortgaged the house and whatever, but then they gave us some serious money in order to be able to properly pay engineers. and so it kind of had a snowball effect, really, and because it was at that extraordinary time of the millennium, you know, ifeel that, you know, something extraordinary could happen. but it wasn't all plain sailing. there were still some people

who were unconvinced. did anybody say, "listen, look at it, it's a horrible eyesore, it looks...it�*s ruining the skyline"? yes! no, they did, absolutely. so when we were doing the consultations, we went to the royal fine art commission, and the chairman of the royal fine art commission did not like it at all. he was apoplectically against it. so there were people who were against it of course. and even now... even now... ..some people say... well, yes, i mean, i'm sure there are some people who don't like it, but, you know, that's... you know, you can't have everything! there were 32 capsules in all, representing the 32 london boroughs. each of them had to be floated down the thames and installed one by one. it's one thing to actually

design a structure on a piece of paper or in a computer programme, but to actually then build it on site is a completely different set of challenges. they built the london eye kind of flat on the river, so it was much easier to attach all the different parts of it, and then once it was nearly finished, they craned it up into its final position, so some really, really clever construction and engineering went behind this structure. in the last 20 years, the london eye's become something of a minnow — it's been overtaken by big observation wheels in las vegas, singapore and dubai. but for ex—london mayor ken livingstone, it isn'tjust about the wheel. people come from all over the world to be here and all over the rest of britain. we've got more restaurants than paris or new york, we've got more bars, we've got more museums, more cinemas. this is an amazing city to live in. there's so much you can do. you fought for it to survive. would you fight for it

to survive for the foreseeable future? it could be here in 100 years�* time. i mean, they'vejust got to keep packing it up, repairing it when things go wrong. people are always going to want to come and take their kids on this, and have that amazing view across the whole stretch of london. the skyline is changing all the time with dozens more skyscrapers in development, each one causing its own controversies. but now, you hardly hear anything about this iconic structure being an eyesore. not bad for something that was supposed to be torn down 15 years ago! well, stay with us. we've got lots of great stuff coming up after the break. we'll be seeing how good old british fish and chips go down on a tropical japanese island. really good. i think it's the actual best fish and chips i've ever tasted.

and we'll be catching up with our three hardy lithuanian adventurers as their mission to cross the frozen lake baikal in russia draws to a close. i have another idea. so don't go away. the humble fish and chips is a staple of the great british diet — one that i've been missing since moving from the uk 10 years ago. but i'm in luck — i've been told this traditional takeaway has finally arrived on japanese shores in the unlikeliest of places. i've travelled to a small island south of okinawa to try it out. so we're making our way across ishigaki island. it was a 3—hour plane journey from tokyo and we're actually around 400km from the 0kinawa main island itself. we're actually closer to taiwan

than we are to japan. so i've been to ishigaki a few times — it's an easy island getaway from tokyo. and while i've had a lot of good seafood here — i've never actually had british fish and chips. you must be sam. hi! hello! nice to meet you. so tell me about bonnie blue and your business here, sam. we're trying to do kind of uk—style fish and chips with beer batter, but we use 0kinawan beer and we use local fish and nori seaweed on the chips as well. and what do the locals think of this fish and chips with the beer batter? in ishigaki, people love fish and they love deep—fried food as well, so i think it fits in nicely with the kind of food that people like, but it's also something new for everyone to try. but there was no time for yapping — i needed to learn

how to make this british classic before the lunchtime rush arrived. so, sam, what's your secret? well, i won't tell you my secrets but you can give mea hand. 0k. here's some gloves. thank you. this fish is local 0kinawan fish, it's hiromachi, so it's a cold—water, white—fleshed fish... great. ..and it's delicious. before every single order, we get fresh beer... whoa! ..it�*s bubbly. so, why do you use fresh beer? we want the bubbles to make it nice and fresh so that when the batter goes into the oil, it's going to bubble up and be really nice and crispy. so the consistency is very important — it has to be just right, so... like this? yeah, i think that's perfect. we're going to cover the fish in the batter and then, as you drop it in the oil, you want to kind of brush it... 0h! ..a little bit, like that, 0k? and then i'm just going to drop

these chips in as well, and then if you could do the other two fish. how's my brushing technique? for the first time, it's ok. i've never done this before! wow! if we have a lot of orders on, you're going to have to... right. ..get them in there. gotta pick up the pace! yeah, come on. it's my first ever fish and chips. just when i thought it was my time for a break, i had to get to grips with another of their delicacies — a deep—fried snickers bar. yes, you heard right — a deep—fried chocolate bar. sam's wife kumi was on hand to show me how this famous scottish dish was made. can you smell it? mmm, yeah, i can smell the chocolate. it's really bubbling! all right, a small bite, here we go. mmm. this side was a bit more gooey.

that's peanuts. mmm. not sure i want to get in my bikini after this. but there was no time for a quick dip or sunbathe, anyway. so we've got a bit of a lunchtime rush, and i'm finding it a bit stressful. fish and chips, please. since the pandemic, lots of british expats have struggled to leave japan, and so it's of no surprise that a taste of home is just what the brits are after. we've got a lot of orders up here, maybe about five or six fish and chips to do. seven! eight! eight orders on. eight orders! argh! do you get stressed, sam, with this big lunch—hour rush? no. when in ishigaki, everything is island time. island time! yeah. we have the beach and everyone�*s happy to wait a little bit, so... it's got to lookjust right. yes, please. presentation is everything. this is my reputation on the line. chuckles.

i'm feeling the pressure! there's hungry hordes out the front of the van! i hope i'm doing this right! you've got to be fast! oh, it's too much! i can't remember the chip placement. sam, you work fast. this is good. you've done this before. 0nce or twice! here's your fish and chips. oh, thank you very much. there you go. please don't drop it. here you go! after all that hard graft, what did the customers think? i really like the chips �*cause they've got a nice texture to them. it'sjust beautiful. really, really nice. and the fish isjust crunchy enough. . so far, so good, but now for the real test — the deep—fried snickers bar. you're not getting it. did you expect it to be so good? no, ididn�*t. what, deep—fried snickers? eugh! it's gorgeous! but not everyone is convinced.

it's terrible! laughter. it's really, really bad! oh, well. everyone loved the main course, at least, and i've certainly enjoyed my time making these exotic takes on british classics. it's really good! who would've thought a chippy van would've made it here, to an island over 6,000 miles away from the uk? and people say british food doesn't travel well! well, think again! well, next up, we're headed to russia where, for the past two weeks, we've joined an intrepid trio of adventurers as they make their way across the frozen surface of lake baikal — the world's largest freshwater lake. last week, we left karolis, jurgis and max braving minus 30—degree temperatures as they tried navigating an ice crack that stretched

on for kilometres. and they're doing it all in an open—topped car dating back to the soviet era. we rejoin them on the final leg of theirjourney in much more comfortable circumstances — warming up at one of the hot springs dotted around the lake. it's only aokm to our destination, and max says we shouldn't celebrate yet, even though it's maybe just some hours of drive. we never know for sure, what's — right, max? babushka is not the most reliable car, you know that. she is reliable, but tired. and ourselves, we are not in the best condition anyway now, so... max, can you sing something? sings quietly. volume up, volume up!

# no woman no cry... actually, he is sleeping. completely sleeping. i have even painted... laughter. woo! laughter. good! laughter. are you ready? are you happy?

i'm satisfied! max, i need to swim. i'm postponing this for, like, what, already two days or something like this. uh-huh. please use your tools. the ice is about one metre deep. so i'll make a small mine. korobeiniki by nikolay nekrasov plays. so fresh! i have another idea.

0k, we have some technical issues here. one of the tubes is broken and our cooling liquid is gone. so, basically, our engine is boiling right now. i cannot recognise the distance any more. i don't know if the camera can see the lights on the shore, but how far away it is, i don't understand. i think it's around 30, 40 kilometres. ok, so we needjust water now, right? water is coming. freezing.

we did it! how many days it was — eight? seven. 980km. yes, potentially, we think. we think. yep, but we did it. yes! laughter. i love you guys!

i had a brilliant trip here on ishigaki but now, it's time for me to return to the mainland. we'll be serving up another brilliant show for you next week, though, when in our dubai special, lucy will be at the delayed expo 2020, where 192 countries have come to present their own unique visions of the future. plus, she'll be visiting a truly spectacular tropical biodome. and trying an inflatable assault course with a difference. laughs. ok, so that is a lot harder than it looks! sojoin us for that, if you can. and don't forget, we're online at bbc travel and you can catch up on any programmes you might have missed over on the bbc iplayer. but until next time, from all of us here in japan, it's goodbye.

hello there. later this week, not only is there potential for some more disruptive weather heading our way, but something much colder, as well. wednesday starts off on a chilly note with a bit of frost in places, but some mist and dense fog patches possible across parts of england and wales — the winds have been lightest through the night. a bit more of a breeze through scotland and northern ireland to get under way, and some wet weather for the morning rush hour — this weather front here, a cold front, will bring the first run of colder air further and further southwards as we go through the next 2a hours. in the southern half of the country, a bit of a chill, temperatures

not rising much — we still have light winds and a relatively quiet day, lots of mist and fog around. the morning rain, though, across scotland and northern ireland is replaced by sunshine and scattered showers, some heavy with hail, turning wintry in the far north of scotland, particularly on the hills. but turning wetter later on, northwest england, north and west wales as that cold front slowly makes its way southwards and eastwards. a little bit of patchy rain and drizzle to the south and east, we'll see some wetter conditions here through wednesday night. at the same time, very windy through wednesday night into thursday, and the far north of scotland seeing gusts of wind 50—60 mph — and that'll bring colder air, a very cold thursday morning commute, but a bright, crisp one for many — really good visibility, sunshine for the most part. some showers around the western and eastern coasts, but most of the showers will be in the north of scotland, where snow could even come down to sea level later, and an added wind—chill to go with what will be a cool day. and then things turn much more disturbed — through thursday into friday, particularly friday night and saturday, this area of low pressure transferring its way southwards. cold air wrapped around it, which means a greater chance of things turning to snow for some, but it's the winds which could be the key feature. even on friday, the winds really

starting to pick up — outbreaks of rain initially pushing southwards and eastwards, but the showers that follow in its wake will turn increasingly wintry — over the hills for many, but even to lower levels in the northern half of scotland, and it will be a cold day. but through friday night into saturday, as our low pressure transfers its way southwards, we could see gales, if not severe gales develop along that weather system, working its way south and, as i said, there could be a bit of snow mixed in, too. and that will take us into saturday, as well. now those strong winds could be a problem in some parts, we could see damaging gusts of wind, some travel disruption around to take us into the weekend. even if you don't see those damaging winds — widespread gales and, as i said, that risk of rain and snow, too. see you soon.

welcome to bbc news. i'm david eades. our top stories: 100 days of the taliban, and afghanistan's humanitarian misery deepens by the day. we have a special report. the 50 million barrel gamble: joe biden releases huge reserves of us oil as he seeks to bring down soaring energy and gasoline prices. so today, i'm announcing that the largest ever release from the us strategic petroleum reserve to help provide a supply we need as we recover from this pandemic. a one—yearjourney covering 7 million miles: nasa launches a spacecraft on a test mission to save the earth and destroy itself. and still in space — harnessing the sun's rays for electricity: