this is bbc news, the headlines... president zelensky says he'll keep asking western allies to send modern tanks to ukraine, after a meeting of more than 50 countries ended without agreement. in the uk, labour calls for the conservative party chairman nadhim zahawi to be sacked, after reports he paid a tax penalty, as part of a multi—million pound settlement with authorities. chris hipkins is set to become new zealand's next prime minister, replacing jacinda ardern who announced her resignation on thursday. and millions around the world prepare for lunar new year and the year of the rabbit. you're watching bbc news.

there are growing calls for the train company transpennine express to have its contract revoked after more than 40% of planned trains were cancelled this week. the operator, which runs trains in the north of england and into scotland, has apologised and said "high levels of sickness and a training backlog" caused the issues. spencer stokes has been on board to see what commuters have been making of the disruption. 7.20 in the morning and the manchester—bound platform at leeds is deserted. passengers appear to be staying away as a result of back—to—back train cancellations. the next fast train to manchester won't leave for an hour. crossing the pennines involves getting an overcrowded, stopping train. how long will this 43—mile journey take? on—board, we meet heather, heading to work in huddersfield. i have just let my boss know i will be late, there was nothing we can do about it,

they are understanding but it is a consistent issue and getting worse. i never had to do this before, now i do it on and off most weeks. it's the only train running, five trains this morning, just this one running. that's why i'm on this one. i am learning to drive but in this country we should be able to have a good public transport service in the north, and we just don't. we hope you have a great onward journey. - 30 minutes after leaving leeds, the train reaches huddersfield where it terminates. on the platform, richard, heading in the opposite direction, has been waiting since 7:15am. an hour and a half of cancellations. i've been commuting since 1990, and in all that time it has never been as bad as this. there seems to be a certain apathy towards it all, people just accept this is the way it is. above, the station clock has stopped, and the ticket machines are out of service. this seems like a railway fraying at the edges. i finally made it onto a manchester—bound train, we are going underneath the pennines, but it is nearly two hours since i

initially arrived at leeds station. transpennine say the problems are caused by very high levels of sickness and a training backlog. they say they are working flat—out to tackle the issues. but labour want the government to step in. i'm asking the goverment to strip transpennine express of its contract. management have failed, they were told seven years ago to start recruiting drivers and they have not invested in the workforce, that is exactly why we are in this mess. transpennine are owned by an international transport firm. the rail minister suggested this week the company has just a few months to improve the service. the transpennine express contract comes to an end in may. i am already looking at what needs to be done with bernadette and team, with regards to that contract. on a weekly basis, i have all of the data relating to what they are doing to turn matters around. eventually we arrive in manchester,

a journey in excess of two hours. returning to leeds was timetabled to take 49 minutes. but we crawled back to yorkshire, stopping and starting due to an engine problem. another hour and a half across the pennines on transpennine express. now it's time for the travel show. coming up on this week's show. during the pandemic, many of us realised just how intense was our passion for travel. and i am so excited about the opportunities to explore economically and responsibly this year. the ukrainian artwork that is now found a safe home on displayed a gallery in madrid. and who discovered the equator?

hello and welcome to the travel show, coming to you this week from behind—the—scenes at our home here at the bbc in london. it is here where we plan these shows and edit the films from all over the world, finding stories, juggling logistics and, just like everybody else, trying to find the biggest bang for our buck when it comes to travelling abroad. 0ver to travelling abroad. over the past decade here at the travel show hq it has budget. so no wonder we picked up a tip or two along the way

about how to get the most for our money. we get the best value we can by plugging in as much as on each we get the best value we can by packing in as much as on each trip, travelling light and using our network of local fixes and using our network of local fixes and produces as often as we can to help bring down travel cost and our carbon footprint. so how can you save money when you travel abroad in 2023? here is our global guru, simon calder, with some ideas. with so many of us feeling the squeeze financially, it is no wonder that some travellers are considering cutting back on adventures. when money is tight, seeing your ideal destination on tv or social media can stir up a load of negative feelings and leave you believing that your dream holiday is just that, a that your dream holiday isjust that, a dream. in 2022 the travel show team went dune bashing in qatar. attended age—old ceremonies in chile, and saw some amazing creatures that

also call this planet home at yellowstone. there is one over there _ there is one over there in the distance. and _ there in the distance. and this is how you can get to some of these destinations. the usa is full of wish list locations — hollywood, miami beach, new york city — and natural wonders like yellowstone, which lucy and the travel show visited in early 2022, coinciding with its 150th anniversary as a national park. this is old faithful, probably one of the world's most famous geysers. people saved for years to see amazing places like yellowstone but with the cost of living soaring, such trips becoming out of reach? as always, if you can travel at times of low demand, you will get the best deal. keep costs down by taking cabin baggage only.

most transatlantic airlines now charge extra for anything you want to check into the hold but at the same time offer generous hand luggage allowances and there is less chance that your valuables will go astray. in april, uk air passenger for prices to north america saw increases of up to £191. you can avoid the tax by taking a ship to dublin or a train to paris and booking a flight from there. but allow plenty of time to make the connection — if you miss the connection — if you miss the onward flight you will not getting a refund. the same idea works in the opposite direction. if you are starting in north america and planning to visit a number of european countries, make britain the first nation you visit, not the last. for all its colour,

scenery and wonders, south america appears on the wish lists of surprisingly few travellers. and that may not be about to change. according to a survey by the uk travel association, significantly fewer travellers this year are looking to visit a country they have never been to before. with shrinking disposable income, thatis with shrinking disposable income, that is understandable. but try and think big. in late march, carmen and the team switched spring for the southern hemisphere autumn in the long, thin and spectacular south american nation of chile and took part in some amazing experiencing. when you think of mummies you think of the egyptians wrapped in bandages but these guys here, there are masks, sticks where their bones were and what is fascinating is that the smaller mummies of children and babies. south america really rewards travellers who can invest time

and a trend we have noticed at the travel show, supported by industry data, is that the average length of stay is increasing. if you can spend weeks rather than daysin if you can spend weeks rather than days in a place you will get under the skin of it and have a much more enriching and enlightening experience. even better, staying with a family to understand the culture more deeply and to keep a lid on costs. homestays are easy to find online and typically have a minimum stay of a week or two. last month, the first—ever and sometimes controversial fifa world cup to be held in the middle east came to a thrilling conclusion as argentina lifted the trophy in qatar. every global sporting event creates a kind of travel vacuum after the game is over. but the alluring setting, the culture, the nature not

to mention the sunshine and the beaches, remains as ranjan discovered when he visited the golf state in the buildup to the tournament. —— gulf. so i put my mouth here. yes. and bite, yes. — and bite, right hand. again, _ and bite, right hand. again, again. if the middle east is on your list of places to go this year, now could be a very good time to be there. since the world cup, qatar has a vast number of hotel rooms to fill and so it has become the region's bargain basement location. in february, a room in a good budget hotel in central doha, five minutes walk from the national museum, ten minutes from the souk, is selling at around $60 a night. roughly half of what you would pay for the equivalent property across in dubai.

at the travel show it is not just money we're looking to save, it's the planet as well. happily, the two often go hand—in—hand. last summer, ade and the team saw the effects of climate change itself. since the fires have hit this whole area it now looks very different. as they visited the greek island to see how it is recovering from devastating forest fires. look at that. just as far as the eye can see, all you are looking at is burnt trees. environmentally, tourism is unquestionably part of the problem. but if greece is on your travel agenda this year, then there are ways of limiting there are ways of limiting the impact on the planet and your pocket. between the two biggest cities, the capital athens, and thessaloniki in the north it used to be that the only quick way to make

the journey was by plane. thankfully there is a new and much more environmentally friendly high—speed railway taking underfour hours between the two cities. you can save money by being under 2a or over 64, and you can save money by being under 24 or over 64, and if you are somewhere in the middle, sign up for the ht card. it is free and gives you a 15% discount reducing the cost of the cheapest ticket to under 8 euros. this is the classic africa of storybooks and the location of storybooks and the location of the great migration. this, for me, the most remarkable travel show trip of 2022 was the one that ended the year.

a 2—parter out in africa called how does a blind girl go on safari in which visually impaired social media star lucy edwards joined the team in kenya. honestly, when you call him a blessing, he is a blessing. it is a blessing to be blind because it means he is meant to teach people a lesson. he is meant to be here to get people... to get them to understand you should not be poaching these beautiful animals. the film made me think more deeply about africa and in particular the wildlife that coexists, often uneasily, with humanity. i have been lucky enough to go on safari in seven african countries and ifound on safari in seven african countries and i found the costs are lowest in uganda and zimbabwe, with namibia also offering some good deals. to limit the cost and the environmental impact,

consider going on a guided walking safari rather thanjust consider going on a guided walking safari rather than just hopping into the nearest 4x4. you might find it a more memorable experience. during the pandemic, many of us realised just how intense was our passion for travel. and i am so excited about the opportunities to explore economically and responsibly this year. i have not regretted a single trip i have ever taken, only those i had to cancel. go out and see the world. i will meet you on the road. next we are off to ecuador, and in the 18th century, french scientists thought they had discovered the location of the equator. but they got it wrong. thousands of years earlier the pre— encoders were almost able to plot location almost as accurately as a gps and we find out how they did it.

—— pre incas. this is the south american nation of ecuador. famed for the wildlife haven that is the galapagos islands and large swathes of the amazon rainforest. let's not forget the meaning of ecuador�*s name itself. the equator. and in 1982, to mark its position as the middle of the earth, this monument was opened on the site of the imaginary line that divides the northern and southern hemisphere. since then it has attracted hundreds and thousands of visitors. its location was based on a series of expeditions carried out by the french academy of science in the 18th century, known as the french geodesic commission. but since the advent of gps,

it has been discovered that the site is actually wrong by about 240 metres. this, in fact, by about 240 metres. this, infact, is where the equator is. now, it may feel wrong to compare technology from the 18th century to what we have in the modern day, but a civilisation known who lived in ecuador even before the incas had already worked out the true location. travel to this point above the city of quito

and you will find an important pre—inca astronomical observatory used to learn more about the seasons as well as space.

as the world faces ever—growing problems such as climate change, experts like cristobal believe that this discovery proves that some of the answers we need don't lie with new discoveries in the future but lay buried in our past.

well, finally this week, a year on from the start of the war in ukraine, it's not only the country's population and infrastructure that has come under bombardment, but also much of its cultural heritage. recently, a secret convoy of trucks containing 51 works of art managed to avoid russian shelling and slipped out of ukraine to travel all the way to travel all the way to madrid for safekeeping, and if you're heading to the spanish capital, you can see the collection there until the end of april. here is the story of how it got there. the cultural heritage of ukraine

is in danger at the moment. i think that modernism is in danger too, and in a sense the paintings were taken to too, and in a sense the paintings were ta ken to safety. i hope that they will stay in europe for a long period of time. the national museum of ukraine is situated in the government district of kyiv. it's basically a stone's throw from the cabinet of ministers where, of course, is situated very close to the presidential administration, so in case of attack on the government district, the museum will be in very high danger.

the quantity of problems which we faced was unbelievable. museum staff basically barricaded themselves in the cellar, where paintings were removed, literally two months living in this cellar, because they could not go home because they could not go home because public transportation did not work. electricity cuts, air raids, and of course, we had many problems organising shipment of this art. as you can imagine, there is no insurance company in the world which is ready to ensure anything moving through ukraine.

two trucks reached the polish border. we were already relieved, and in that very moment, a missile exploded in a polish village. poland immediately closed the border, and that moment everybody thought that it was the beginning of the third world war. talk to ukrainians, they blame poland, and after more than ten hours on the border, both organised passage for these trucks. when the border was still closed. and by sheer miracle, the trucks arrived to madrid on time.

for us, these works are symbolic, and of course it's a part of the cultural heritage. it's a part of their identity, and they are extremely happy that they are right now in madrid, in safety. during the opening, i was pinching myself to be sure that it's a reality, because it was so difficult to believe that it will happen. that, in a sense, for me it was a miracle.

let's hope those pieces of art will one day be able to be enjoyed back in kyiv. well, that's all we've

got time for this week. coming up next week, we're off to new york to see how the big apple's legendary nightlife is finally back with a bang, and also asking just how ethical is it for tourists to go and see agent egyptian mummies in museums thousands of years after they died. these are human bodies, and no—one would accept to have a member of his family displayed in such a manner, where people take selfies. well, that's bound to be a good one, so hope you can catch that next week. and don't forget there is more great travel content on the bbc. the details are at the bottom of your screen now. but in the meantime, from me, carmen roberts, and the rest of the travel show team at hq in london, it's goodbye.

hello. milder air is trying to push on from the atlantic at the moment, but it is going to be a real struggle over the coming days. it is all linked into this zone of cloud which is pushing off the atlantic to the overnight period into saturday. it does mean a grey day for parts of scotland and northern ireland. could be further drizzle especially across western scotland and some hill snow into the grampians. much of eastern scotland stays dry. increased cloud later across the north west of england telling the sunshine hazy, but for much of england and wales, sunshine overhead and a cold day, especially where the fog lingers. one or 2 degrees if the fog does not shift. that compares with eight or nine celsius in western scotland. remaining breezy through the night with another batch of heavy rain pushing through late in the night. cloud increases to wales and western parts of england, so not as cold compared to last

night, but a very cold night a few central and eastern england with a sharp frost —7 for one or two rural areas. compare that to nine celsius in the far north of scotland and northern ireland. the area of high pressure extends into russia and under that it keeps things dry and cold to the south—east, some fog patches across parts of east anglia and the south—east. reasonably sunny for the midlands, but much more cloud for north west england and wales, and temperatures are struggling to lift over here. a mild day for northern ireland and scotland. we do it all again on monday. a similar weather pattern with mild air around the far north, wetter conditions on monday in the far north of scotland with the breeze. still potential around the irish sea coast for patchy rain and drizzle, but some sunny spells to the south and east of england, where the fog clears. some of that fog will

linger and it will remain two or three celsius for parts of east anglia. ten or 11 to the north and west. the pattern does not shift into tuesday. it is this weather front that could bring some slight changes into the first half of the week but on tuesday we could reach 14 celsius in parts of scotland. in the south, you can see from the london forecast, only lifting a little bit for this time of year. always mild across scotland and northern ireland.

this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. our top stories: president zelensky says he'll keep asking western allies to send modern tanks to ukraine after a meeting of more than 50 countries ended without agreement. in the uk, labour calls for the conservative party chairman nadhim zahawi to be sacked after reports he paid a tax penalty as part of a multi—million—pound settlement with authorities. chris hipkins is set to become new zealand's next prime minister, replacing jacinda ardern, who announced her resignation on thursday. there are urgent calls to nhs mental health helplines in england going unanswered, because services are overwhelmed. and millions around the world prepare for lunar new year and the year of the rabbit.