this is bbc world news i'm matthew amroliwala. our top stories... the uk and the eu — get ready for a new chapter in their relationship — as the clock ticks down, to the post—brexit era. the highly infectious coronavirus variant that was first identified in britain, spreads to the us — with a second case identified in the state of colorado. i'll be speaking live to the governor of colorado, about what he intends to do to stop the spread of the virus. also on the programme... china approves its first, home—produced corona virus vaccine — for general use — claiming it's nearly 80% effective. and — goodbye 2020, hello 2021! this is the scene live in bangkok as thailand begins its new year celebrations. wuhan in china welcomes the new year

with a mass street party — but across the world celebrations are being scaled down due to the pandemic. we'll find out how different countries hello and welcome to bbc news. let's stick with those fireworks in thailand to celebrate the new year.

the bells are ringing out for all those lost in the pandemic. due to the coronavirus. and of course sweden, such a fascinating history as they took a very different approach to most european countries initially in terms of the levels of restrictions and then a couple of months ago, very rapidly altering course as they saw their cases and their death toll spiralling. so the bells ringing out there in stockholm to mark the number who have passed during 2020 and the covid virus pandemic.

and i just want to show you some picture that came to us in the last hour — this is wuhan. the capital of hubei province in china — where they're celebrating new year — it comes exactly one year after the city reported an unknown pneumonia outbreak to the world health organisation. remarkably the city has not reported a new locally transmitted case of the disease since may 10 — after lifting one of the strictest lockdowns in the world seven months ago. amazing scenes they read in the centre, and you just see the crowds gathering and so many close together still wearing masks, but as we were saying they the number of cases with a very, very quickly brought this under control with the most severe lockdown that we saw all those months ago, and since then of course

they have been very aware of any new outbreaks, but they've been clear and that is the end result. that they can see scenes like this as they can see scenes like this as they will come in 2021. just a few pictures from different countries around the world as they welcome in 21. now, one other moment to mark — at midnight brussels time, the united kingdom will complete its transition from the european union's single market and customs union — bringing an end to a partnership lasting almost 50 years. legislation to ratify the uk's post—brexit relationship with the eu became law early this morning. 0ur political correspondent jonathan blake reports. four and a half years on from the referendum result... the british people have spoken and the answer is, we're out. ..after resignations... i do so with no ill—will but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country i love. ..political turmoil...

behave yourself! be a good boy! ..and passionate protest... what do we want? people's vote! when we want it? now! ..the brexit process neared an end last night, with understatement in the house of commons. her majesty signified her royal assent to the following, european union future relationship act 2020. earlier, the prime minister signed the agreement he had struck with the eu, allowing boris johnson to claim perhaps his ultimate political victory. this deal satisfies the request of the british people to take back control, and what that meant was we now have the freedom to do things differently and do things better, if we choose. brexit has dominated politics for so long it's hard to imagine life at westminster without it, such a divisive issue won't disappear overnight. although smaller opposition parties remains bitterly

opposed to the trade deal, in the end, parliament gave its overwhelming support for a new set of rules and a new relationship with the european union. for businesses like this dairy farm in cheshire, it means more admin, at least, and some uncertainty still ahead. it protects our business and probably a great relief for many medium—sized businesses in the uk. there is an element of course, the great big christmas box with its ribbons and sparkles, you look inside, it isn't quite what we thought it would be, and we are now looking for the instructions to work out what we are doing. for now, the politics gives way to the practicalities, a new normal that some never wanted, but others have longed to see. jonathan blake, bbc news. 0ur correspondent vivienne nunis is in dover. just give me a sense of what it is like there in these final few hours,

and these sorts of changes there. welcome a matthew, there has not been a mad scramble of lorries, we might see some coming down the past behind me committees of the last lorries that cross over into the eu before we see that big change later this evening. there's one very departing, the very last ferry leaves at about eight o'clock tonight. that will be contending the last lorries, they don't need that documentation. after that everything changes. at 11 o'clock tonight local time the trading relationship with ee will profoundly change and this is exporting into the eu or need to have a whole lot more administration, bureaucracy, customs declarations and so a lot more paperwork to deal with. previously of course it has been like exporting onto the continent, at the same as moving goods from london to manchester, but that will all change tonight. inch of those businesses

something perhaps the next couple of weeks that will let things bed in before they get things going again in the new year, others won't have that luxury, will they? well that's true. certainly accepting a bit of a local in trade across the new year period. many businesses hoping to wait and see if there is large—scale disruption before they shift their goods across the border. as you say commits businesses will not be able to do that. roll—on and roll—off as it's known. the trucks that come from across the continent containing food, they will not be able to put that off. but there's some pessimism, i was speaking to some customs agents here this afternoon. private companies that businesses used to go through their documentation to make sure that they can get their goods across the border. they were very pessimistic and they said there's not enough customs agents and turning away business over the past three weeks because they simply don't have the capacity or staff to deal with this new upsurge in paperwork that's

required. indeed hmrc, the customs agents here, they said that they expect something like 260 million customs declarations from uk businesses this year. that's a huge upsurge when you think about since 1983 there has been frictionless trade with the eu. so there will be a huge change and some custom agents here are protecting some disruption and possible delays. just briefly, individuals travelling, etc businesses you've got health guards, you've got insurance, you've got driving licenses, all of those things that people have to get up to speedin things that people have to get up to speed in terms of what happens now. yes couples certainly there's not many people travelling at the moment because of the coronavirus restrictions, but when they do start travelling those that are travelling in exceptional circumstances do need to get up to speed. also the of things, no pet passports anymore for instance. you can only go into the eu isa instance. you can only go into the eu is a british citizen for 90 days of free need a visa. it will have to

check at their mobile phone companies will charge them roaming charges. a lot of changes notjust for businesses but for individuals as well. tonight at 11 o'clock the whole system changes. thank you very much. the united kingdom has recorded more than 55,000 new covid—19 cases on thursday — that's the highest number of daily cases recorded. it also reported 96a deaths within 28 days of a positive test for the virus. those figures have come to us in the last hour. the highly anticipated 0xford—astrazeneca vaccine was approved for use yesterday — bringing with it — a change in strategy in how the uk aims to innoculate the population. like the pfizerjab, the oxford vaccine is most effective after two doses — but protection is provided after the first dose. the medicines regulator, has changed its advice that people should have their second dose three weeks after the first — now gps and hospitals — must prioritise getting the most

people possible, their first jab. the second can be administered up to 3 months later. earlier i spoke to dr helen sailsbury, a gp from oxford, who faces having to cancel more than 1,000 appointments for people already booked in, for their second pfizer dose, about the impact the decision has made. well, we were very surprised when we learnt last night that we were going to be expected to cancel the appointments that we'd already made for our elderly and most vulnerable patients who are coming back next weekend to have their second dose. it would be not only a huge amount of work because obviously it is a lot of work when you have to ring up that number of people and explain to them what's changed, but it's also... we're very unsure that this is the right thing to do. it doesn't seem that we have the science to show that this is the right thing to do.

certainly, the vaccine manufacturers as far as i know haven't said, "yeah, i'm confident that "giving a second dose much delayed will work. i'll come to the manufacturers in a moment. briefly, though, you told our producer you'd like matt hancock to do a shift on your phones. tell me why you said that. well, i just think that sometimes, decisions are made without really thinking through what the implications are, and there are both practical implications like actually having to have a conversation with over 1,000 patients about the fact that the arrangement you've made no longer applies and no, you don't know what's going to happen next, and no, you don't know what that means for the efficacy of the vaccine because they were told, "you definitely need two doses." but there's also the implications for trust — for trust in us as doctors, for trust in us as their own gp, and trust in the whole science project, the whole vaccine project if you keep changing the rules

all the time and say, "you definitely need two doses — oh, no you don't. "you can wait." colorado health officials say they may have found a second case of the coronavirus variant that was first identified in the united kingdom. colorado governorjared polis announced one confirmed case on tuesday, marking the first time the variant had been officially documented in the united states. yesterday, california became the second state to identify a case of the variant, and on a call with the californian governor, dr anthony fauci, said he wasn't surprised by its spread. i'm not surprised that you have a case and likely more cases in california. and we likely will be seeing reports from other states, colorado are the first to do that. i think you're going to start seeing it because if you have that much of a prominence of this in the uk with all the travel not only directly to the united states but through other countries intermittently like where you go

from uk to france, france to the united states, etc, then canada has cases. so, i don't think that the californians should feel that this is something odd. this is something that's expected. let's take a look in a bit more detail about the situation in the us. covid cases continue to remain high across america. there were 229,349 in the last 2a hours. there were also 3,808 people who died with covid in the last 2a hours that takes the total across the us to 310,259 covid deaths since the pandemic began. in colorado, meanwhile, there have been 330,859 total cases of the virus detected and 11,750 people have died of covid in the state since the pandemic began. i'm joined now by the governor

of colorado, jared polis. very grateful for your time here on bbc news, let's return to those cases of the uk variant. how concerned are you by that cropping up concerned are you by that cropping up in colorado could tell that this was not exactly the kind of new year's gifts that we were wanting from the united kingdom, but nevertheless we expect that this virus is likely in many states. colorado scientists were the first to discover the variance, isolated, it's a train for them. it was an individual who is part of our colorado national guard. we fully expect that it's already here, as indicated with so much travel and commerce between our two nations. we also know that it's not whether prevalent because we've also been analysing the strains are a number of cases, it's not yet the predominant strain in this part of oui’ predominant strain in this part of our country but i can certainly vouch for it being the case. as you're saying it's probably been seeded for travellers in november

and december, tell me about the measures you put in place since you became aware of its presence there in colorado. we've requested from the national authority to have a temporary halt to visitation for nursing homes for residents. they are being inoculate and now, nursing home should be inoculated byjanuary 11. but for this last month and a half we want to have a hiatus on visitation in those facilities with the prevalence of the virus in our state. how difficult has the whole tight rope and in terms of when to open a window close. you closed rescue slopes initially they've now reopened. restaurants under certain restrictions. just give me a sense of what the dilemmas are like there for a governor trying to navigate a way through this. force in our

world —class way through this. force in our world—class skiing, beavercreek, winter park, aspen, it is safe because it's outdoors and naturally socially distant. part of the experience that's missing is bars at night, there's restaurants and some dining. we cannot have the same kind of packed environment that we were accustomed to. for people that want to enjoy snowing, skiing, boarding, sledding, hiking, colorado has great and beautiful outdoor mountain resources and we encourage folks to visit. and eve had very close quarters experience of covid—19 to be her husband going down with a in december. when i went through the figures there it is absolutely startling, over 340,000 deaths now. i think over 40,000 deaths in the last 16 days. when you watch what's going on does even scare you?” think in colorado about one in six coloradans have had covid at this point, nationally it's even more,

about one and five. and you know, there's trouble we are fortunate to be among the lucky ones. i had very mild systems, but my partner had to be hospitalised. we have read the lucky ones. most of when thing is for folks to wear a avoid parties or me with others this new year's eve and important to celebrate in their own homes. final question about the vaccine, because a number of states already complaining about the roll—out of a president from pushing back and saying it's down to the states. how is it going where you are? we can certainly use more but we've begun vaccinating everybody at 70 and up. work through our health workers that work in the words, it will take with the current quantities were expecting four to five weeks before we can complete the vaccination of everybody 70 and up the vaccination of everybody 70 and up in ourstate. the vaccination of everybody 70 and up in our state. is going to take time tojoin.

up in our state. is going to take time to join. thank you for being with us on bbc news. china has given its first official approvalfor the general use of one of its own vaccines. sinopharm — who developed the drug — say its 79% effective in phase three trials, which were conducted outside the country due to low numbers of coronavirus cases in china. this vaccine — and several others — are already in use in the country, after being granted emergency licenses months ago. jerome kim — director general of the international vaccine institute in seoul — compared this vaccine to others we've heard of recently. the pfizer and moderna vaccine are made from rna. these are new, different kinds of vaccines. we've never had approved rna vaccines before. the astrazeneca—0xford vaccine is made from a chimpanzee adenovirus vector, again not a vector that has previously been approved for use in humans. the chinese vaccines are what we call whole inactivated, they have grown a batch of virus and then killed it with a chemical substance. and they take the purified whole

inactivated virus and inject it. that is actually a very common kind of vaccine that has been in use for decades. so it is a vaccine type we are familiar with, in general it can be manufactured in large quantities, and it is relatively easy to make. although this one has some slight twists to it. it tends to generate a level of antibody protection — that is protective immune responses or defensive responses — that are at a level with many of the other vaccines. and the efficacy is in the same range also. so this is good news. but i think that, critically, this kind of vaccine not only has to be approved by the chinese regulatory authorities, but it has to also be approved by the world health organization, and other organisations, in order to have general applicability and use around the world for global health.

they are under extreme pressure due to the sheer weight of covid cases. seriously ill patients have been moved to hospitals in the south west, as intensive care units reach capacity. there's been a small number of patients transferred around the country, very long distances, to enable them to receive intensive care. so, patients have come both to plymouth and to bristol from kent. it comes as the daily number of confirmed cases of coronavirus hit a new record. also this evening: the delay to the return of secondary schools in england will be as ‘short as possible' say ministers — but for some families it's a worry. it's going to be quite stressful to keep the children under control, working quietly during the work day.

as of midnight, another 20 million people in england are in tier 4 — the highest level of covid restrictions. the end of a nearly 50 year marriage — at 11pm tonight, the uk leaves the trading bloc of the eu. and a rare sight of fireworks this new year — sydney bucks the global trend for a celebration muted by covid. good evening. several nhs hospitals in london and the south—east say they are under extreme pressure because of a surge in the number of people falling seriously ill with covid—19. 0ne senior intensive care doctor has gone so far as to accuse anyone who ignores the rules on social distancing as having

"blood on their hands". in a sign of the strain on intensive care units, seriously ill patients from kent have been moved to hospitals in the south—west. today's figures, which show a further increase in cases, suggest the pressure is only set to grow. here's our health editor, hugh pym. a major london hospital today, this critical care unit for covid patients were set up last weekend, ina ward patients were set up last weekend, in a ward formerly used for patients recovering after major operations. 12 to 14, 18, 20 by the end of the day, two a day. and then we are full. university college hospital is now caring for more than 200 covid patients. numbers are increasing by 596 patients. numbers are increasing by 5% every day. today, there was a plea to the public to follow social distancing rules over new year and weeks ahead. what we are really, really on our knees begging is for people to do their part... yeah, to

ta ke people to do their part... yeah, to take the pressure. once again, we being asked to dig a bit deeper, work a bit... which we are desperately trying to do but we are shattered. finding enough beds, ventilators and other equipment is one thing but ensuring there are enough staff to cope with the surge in covid patient numbers is a really big challenge. there are relatively high number is absent because of sickness and the need to self—isolate. and hospital management say there are no easy or insta nt a nswers. management say there are no easy or instant answers. we are over full capacity. we are doing much more than we usually do. so it's excessively busy, so you need staff thatis excessively busy, so you need staff that is actually educated and trained to care for very sick people and we do not have endless amounts of that type of staff available. some hospitals in the south—east of england are now so stretched that patients arriving at a&e are being treated in ambulances and it emerged today that in some cases, covid

patients are having to be sent across england for treatment. because in the south—west we have been less stretched, what we have done is activated systems and processes that we had set up some time ago to find intensive care beds further afield than would normally be the case. so patients have come both to plymouth and bristol from kent. back at uch, they are creating another ward into an intensive care unit but they know the 20 beds here will fill quickly. with viewing any doubt that january will be even tougher. hugh pym, bbc news. the latest government figures show there were 55,892 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means that the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 42,765. and 964 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. it means on average in the past week, 554 deaths

were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 73,512. hughjoins me hugh joins me now. we're ending a very bad year in a really serious situation? yes, reeta, and it won't get any easierfor the nhs yes, reeta, and it won't get any easier for the nhs at all, even harder because what the fear is that we haven't had any case numbers really which might reflect the mixing of households on christmas day. that is probably yet to come through. already, you can see cases going up even higher, above 50,000 toa going up even higher, above 50,000 to a new high. the message really from the front line is that they wa nt from the front line is that they want the public, they are pleading with the publicjust to want the public, they are pleading with the public just to follow the rules over the new year period and beyond, to avoid things getting really out of control in hospitals. we have had their senior intensive ca re we have had their senior intensive care specialist saying the public

will have blood on their hands if they don't follow the rules and don't wear masks. already you are seeing the difficulties the london and the south—east, patients having to be sent some distance for treatment because of capacity rapidly running out. also questions today about the administration of the pfizer vaccine? that was unveiled earlier in december and the gap between the first two doses was set at three weeks. so the first people to have the first doses have been having a second one after three weeks. but when we got the oxford astrazeneca result yesterday, the approval, experts decided that it was so effective after a first dose that for both pfizer and oxford— astrazeneca, it would be rolled out to as many people as possible, with maybe up to 12 weeks before the second dose came along. gps had said thatis second dose came along. gps had said that is making all their plans very difficult to follow through because they have had to cancel people who are coming back. there has been some doubt about the data behind this 12

weeks but the regulator, the mra chain said they have looked at the efficacy and they are convinced it will be suitable up to 12 weeks after the first dose. many thanks. hugh pym there. the education secretary for england, gavin williamson, has said he wants secondary school closures to be as "short as possible," after delaying their reopening amid a surge in cases — stating he's "absolutely confident" there'll be no further delay. mr williamson also said there was "absolutely no reason" that schools should not be ready to mass test pupils for covid—19, following strong criticism of the plans from teaching unions. here's our education correspondent, dan johnson. charlie and lewis are five years old and facing more time at home. how long before it's the walls they are climbing customer they onlyjust got used to the idea of the holiday is ending. do you want to go back to school? yes. what would it be like if you couldn't? boring! yeah,

strange and boring. it is strange and potentially tricky for parents in this part of hertfordshire. my other son is two and a half so it's really difficult when you just have oneipad really difficult when you just have one ipad and it is all on there and then the little one wants to see what's going on. problems keeping up with the e—mail, especially with having multiple number of kids. you know, you have to keep track of who is going to school and who isn't. these latest changes in england mean only secondary school pupils taking exams will go back on the 11th of january. all other secondary pupils will be learning remotely until at least the 18th. most primary schools will open as normal on monday, except those in virus hotspots like london and the south—east, which will stay close to all the key worker and vulnerable children. in northern ireland, the return will be delayed by a week learning is planned for pupils in wales until january 11 than in scotland, classrooms won't fill up until the middle of the month. the delay is partly to allow secondaries in

england to test people for the virus. not only are we giving them that extra time in order to be able to fully roll this out across all secondary schools, we are giving them £78 million worth of of additional funding. on monday of next week, all secondary schools are going to be getting a drop of tests, all the equipment they need. the government's priority throughout has been to keep as many schools open for as long as possible, but there are concerns about the reality of further home learning, especially of these closures are extended. there is confusion about some of the details and practicalities. there is frustration about the timing of these decisions. it's unfortunately something we have become accustomed to, in terms of late announcements, delayed announcements and sometimes you turns as well. ourjob is really to make sure the pupils get a clear as education as possible. in south—east london, the brown family

have more childcare to juggle alongside other priorities. my partner who has cancer, i'm concerned about him, he will be at now home home—schooling the children andl now home home—schooling the children and i start a newjob next week and and i start a newjob next week and a secondary school. so i am concerned that kids are spreading it in schools. at the same time, i think their education is so important. and it is that balance thatis important. and it is that balance that is tough to get right, for families and politicians. the virus is striking back with a force strong enough to bring more destruction but there is determination to limit its impact. dan johnson, bbc there is determination to limit its impact. danjohnson, bbc news, watford. covid loves a crowd — that's the warning message from nhs leaders, who are urging people not to celebrate the new year with anyone outside their household. as the new variant of coronavirus continues to spread rapidly, 20 million more people in england entered tier 4, the highest level of restrictions. duncan kennedy reports.

this is lincoln, beyond the fog, a place of cathedrals, castles and now covid's most severe restrictions. the city joins covid's most severe restrictions. the cityjoins the whole of the east midlands going into tier four. the cityjoins the whole of the east midlands going into tierfour. 2020 with one final sting in its tail. burnley is another place where the dark colours of the map have encroached. a town of 90,000 people joining the lockdown. as an essential worker, ic that it's ridiculous, to be honest. it's u nfortu nate ridiculous, to be honest. it's unfortunate but it has to be done. and hopefully soon we will be back in tier1 and the virus will be ove rco m e in tier1 and the virus will be overcome hopefully.” in tier1 and the virus will be overcome hopefully. i think the more you look at it, the deeper you think about it, the more it will affect you. it is notjust urban areas going into tier 4. this is on the borders of hampshire, wiltshire and the new forest, a place where locals have turned to dark humour to

lighten the new mood of lockdown. have turned to dark humour to lighten the new mood of lockdownm rural areas, you would have thought we might have escaped the worst of it, we haven't. the speed with which the new variant has been spreading locally is no different to anywhere in the urban areas. so it doesn't surprise me that we have to follow the same rules as everyone else. town or country, north or south, the government says infection rates have forced the changes in tiers. in fa ct, forced the changes in tiers. in fact, another 20 million people were brought into the tier 4 level in england over night, bringing the total to around 44 million people. that is three quarters of the population of england. but look at this. not pictures from the archive but dan pulling a pint at his local pub today in the isles of scilly. it is the only place left in tier 1. for a fuel, new year's eve will be a shared, safe moment. the pub is

busy, which is a good thing, obviously. food —wise and drinks visor is busy. and then i've got quite a lot of people booked in for our new year's eve menu tonight, so that's a good thing again. like the isles of scilly, the world will reopen again and the word tiers will lay on the pages of history books. but not now, notjust yet. duncan kennedy, bbc news. at 11 o'clock tonight, the united kingdom will complete its transition from the european union's single market and customs union — bringing an end to a partnership that lasted almost 50 years. legislation to ratify the uk's post—brexit relationship with the eu became law early this morning. our political correspondent alex forsyth reports. it's almost five years since this moment, the date set for a referendum that would change the country's course. one of the biggest decisions this country will face in our lifetimes. fast forward through what came next. they were campaigns,

promises, heated protests. prolonged negotiations, high profile resignations. the country i love. behave yourself! parliament paralysed as westminster wrangled, then another public verdict and after this testing year, a last—minute trade deal, a political win for the prime minister. the essential purpose of this bill is to accomplish something that the british people always knew in their hearts could be done. for businesses, it means change as of tonight. this butterfly farm in stratford—upon—avon exports species across the eu. they have been preparing for no checks and paperwork but even with such a deal that is uncertainty. this brexit malarkey should have been sorted out in the summer then we could have asked the nitty—gritty questions to people that might know some answers. my frustration is nobody has known anything. the issue that has so divided here will no longer dominate but it will not disappear entirely.

they will still be things to settle as the practicalities of brexit kick in. we left the eu back injanuary, but things broadly stayed the same — until now. as of 11pm tonight the changes in our relationship with the eu will start to take effect. the way we trade, travel, work, our immigration system. there might have felt like some false starts before but this is the moment when we start to understand what brexit really does mean. what was promised in 2016 by the leave campaign does not exist. for those who have campaigned on both sides, sometimes for decades, this a moment to mark. ijust wish i was 21 again, frankly, because, my goodness, what prospects lie ahead of us for young people now to be out there buccaneering, trading, dominating the world again. i will be feeling a sense of regret, as will many people in the country, and others will feel elated

by what happened and that's a reflection of the division but we now have to move on and come back together as a country. the ports and borders may be the first to feel the impact in coming days and weeks but whether time for rejoicing, regret or resignation this is the start of a wider change in our relationship with those across the channel. alex forsyth, bbc news. with the brexit transition period coming to an end, boris johnson's father stanley johnson has said that he will apply for french citizenship. stanley johnson's mother was born in france, and the 80—year—old remain voter said it was a question of reclaiming a nationality he'd always considered to be his by birth. he said he would always be european. the former manchester united and scotland football manager tommy docherty has died following a long illness. docherty, known as the doc, was best known for his five—years at old trafford, overseeing an fa cup win over liverpool in 1977. he played for preston over 300 times and won 25 caps for scotland. he was 92.

it may be a challenging end to a difficult year, but that hasn't stopped people around the country getting out to make the best of the winter weather. snow and ice has continued to hit many parts of the uk overnight, but in manchester families enjoyed the heavy snowfall this morning. yellow weather warnings were in place until mid—afternoon for much of scotland, northern england, the midlands and wales. new year celebrations around the world have been mostly muted by the pandemic, but many people have still been keen to mark the end of a difficult year. in those countries with fewer coronavirus cases, the traditional fireworks have gone ahead — but with strict covid conditions — while in the uk the usual midnight celebrations have been cancelled. our correspondent sarah campbell reports. four, three, two, one! auckland, new zealand, one of the first places to welcome in 2021.

the festivities were not what they normally would be, but as in sydney, australia, it was felt the occasion should be marked with a firework display. both countries have managed to keep covid infections relatively low and that has to be cause for celebration. in wuhan, china, where the coronavirus took hold a year ago, crowds gathered this evening to watch the countdown. life largely returning to normal. across much of the globe, though, it is a different story. in 2019,100,000 people crowded together to see in the new year in london. who could have guessed how different life would be 12 months later? covid restrictions mean that large gatherings — as would normally be the case here on victoria embankment — simply can't happen. but as the fireworks are cancelled this year there won't be much to see at midnight anyway. it would be really nice to have had something like fireworks, just to kind of celebrate the new year.

hopefully a lot more to look forward to in 2021 as opposed to what we have had to go through with the pandemic. personally i am disappointed but i understand, yeah. i work in a hospital and i know how hard it is that we should stay apart and we should celebrate new year at home tonight. instead of fireworks, a light show filmed at the london eye has been made available on social media. in edinburgh, too, revellers who would normally fill up these streets on hogmanay are being asked to stay at home instead and watch a pre—recorded drone display filmed above the scottish capital and the highlands. stunning images to welcome in 2021, a year in which it is hoped the uk will be able to recapture its party spirit. sarah campbell, bbc news. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. we're back with the late news. now on bbc one it's time

for the news where you are. goodbye. you're watching bbc news. the time is 5:42pm. i'm olly foster at the bbc sport centre. after a record breaking year in formula 1, lewis hamilton has been knighted. he's one of a number of sportsmen and women who have been recognised in the new years honours list.

adam wild reports. in a year of unprecedented challenge, lewis hamilton has excelled, leading from the front. he won a seventh world formula 1 title days after being crowned bbc sports personality of the year and he now becomes sir lewis hamilton. he deserves his knighthood. he has always been an exceptional talent. but it is incredible what he has achieved this year. not a good year for most of us on the planet, but a pretty good for him. jimmy greaves, one of english football's greatest ever goal—scorers, is awarded an mbe as is his fellow world cup—winner ron flowers. british billiejean king cup captain anne keothavong also becomes an mbe. and after a 40—year career in sport including snooker, darts and boxing,

promoter barry hearn receives an obe. the best thing that has come into my life for a long time. i am really chuffed. also honoured former rugby league star rob burrow for services to sport and awareness campaign since being diagnosed with motor neurone disease. rugby league players, and former players, they don't get too many of these awards, but he does not need a medalfrom us. he deserves every honour. so proud of him. other recipients in the list include director of rugby at exeter chiefs an obe, and the captainjoe simonds becomes mbe. former england captain gillian coulthard appointed mbe for services to football. and for his charity work, former

jockey bob champion becomes cbe. adam wild, bbc news. the former manchester united and scotland manager tommy docherty, the doc has died at the age of 92 after a long illness. he had five years in charge at old trafford and though they were relegated he got them back up into the first division and won the fa cup in 1977. he spent most of his playing career at preston and was capped 25 times by scotland, he also managed chelsea, where he won the league cup in 1965, aston villa, derby, qpr and wolves. he has died at the age of 92. manchester united striker edinson cavani has been banned for three games and also fined £100,000 by the fa for a social media post earlier this month which was deemed to be racially offensive. he will miss their next match against aston villa, and also the league cup semi—final against manchester city and their fa cup tie against watford.