hello, and welcome to the programme. new year celebrations are taking place across western europe and africa. crowds are in the streets of capitals from warsaw and stockholm in the east to brussels, paris, madrid and also edinburgh and london, where 2023 is now two hours old. it's the first time since the pandemic began that large—scale events have taken place. let's begin with the scene at the river thames in central london. over 100,000 revellers welcomed in the new year to the chimes

of big ben, where the countdown was projected within the london eye in the lead—up to midnight. a spectacular firework display lit up the skies for around 12 minutes in what was thought to be the largest display in europe, with over 12,000 fireworks. there were tributes to the late queen elizabeth, to ukraine's resistance against russian invasion, and 50 years of pride celebrations. the display returned to the banks of the river thames for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. 0ur correspondent greg mckenzie has been soaking up the atmosphere amongst the many thousands of revellers. i am absolutely speechless. that was a 12—minute spectacular. the biggest firework display in the entire europe having taken place just a few minutes ago, and in an incredible way to start the new year. big ben, the chimes — the bongs of the big ben started as did the fireworks over here at the london eye — iconic around the world. a 12—minute spectacular

extravaganza. i am actually speechless having watched it right here, and just behind us are hundreds of thousands, or 100,000 people, who managed to get tickets, and now you can hear the famous song, auld lang syne, which isjust playing in the background, people cheering and celebrating to 2023. there were messages being played out with those fireworks — a message with the queen, a message from the mayor, in terms of the yearjust gone. 2022 is no more. and we now focus on the new year, 2023. turning to ukraine now, and the new year celebration has been rather more restrained. in the capital kyiv there was a curfew an hour before midnight. there have been reports of missile strikes in the city in the early hours of sunday morning, and air raid sirens have been sounding across the country. president zelensky released his new year message before that happened. here's what he had to say to his fellow ukrainians.

translation: we fight| and will continue to fight for the sake of the main word — victory. it will be for sure. we have been approaching it for 311 days. we gave it a lot of strength, but at the moment, when it seems that you can't go any further, remember that we have already passed with you. there has also been a muted new year celebration in moscow. residents have had to go without any firework display after authorities closed the red square citing covid restrictions. russia's president vladimir putin has also broadcast a new year's message — filmed standing in front of a group of russian military personnel — and putting across his view of the invasion of ukraine. translation: for years, the western elite have i hypocritically assured us of their peaceful intentions, including the resolution of the difficult conflict in donbass. in reality they were encouraging neo—nazis

who continue to carry out military and blatantly terrorist actions against the peaceful citizens of the donbass people's republic. the west lied about peace but was preparing for aggression and they are not ashamed to admit it openly and they cynically use ukraine and its people to weaken and divide russia. we have never allowed anyone to do that. we will not allow anyone to do that. north korean state media says the country's leader kimjong—un has ordered the development of new intercontinental ballistic missiles with the capability to carry out a nuclear counter attack. the report also says he has ordered �*massive production of tactical nuclear weapons�*. the statement comes after a series of rocket tests carried out by north korea in recent days. mr kim is also reported to have said that his country's new rocket launchers are capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, with all of south korea in range.

north korea is banned from developing long—range missiles and nuclear weapons by the international community — and there hasn't yet been any response to these new claims. we'll bring that to you as soon as we have it. you are watching bbc news. president biden is among world leaders who have paid tribute to pope benedict the sixteenth, who has died at the age of 95. the former pontiff will lie in state at st peter's basilica in the vatican from monday. his funeral will take place on thursday. 0ur religion editor aleem maqbool looks back now at his life. cerebral by character, benedict was a prolific author, and more at home with scholarship than pastoral work. he led the world's catholics for eight years and then abruptly resigned, the first pope to do so in 600 years.

bell tolls the passing of the man considered by hundreds of millions around the world to represent a direct link to jesus is announced by his successor. translation: we are moved as we recall him as such - a noble person, so kind. and to feel such gratitude in our hearts, gratitude to god for having given him to the church and the world. joseph ratzinger was born in southern germany. he was just six when the nazis swept into power. his parents were hostile to the regime, and though their son entered junior seminary in 1939, he was forced to join the hitler youth just two years later. he and his brother, georg, were ordained on the same day in 1951. georg became a parish priest, joseph chose a quite different kind of ministry. first, a doctorate, appointments at prestigious universities, and then the vatican. as a cardinal, he upheld traditional catholic teaching

on abortion, contraception and homosexuality. he even spoke against rock music and the harry potter books. whenjohn paul ii died in april 2005, he was one of the church's longest serving cardinals and presided over the funeral. afterjust four ballots, white smoke from the sistine chapel announced cardinal ratzinger�*s election. the oldest pope for 275 years. as pope benedict xvi, he sought to re—evangelise the west. it was an attempt to roll back the advance of secularism in europe and north america. but in it lay an acknowledgement of the church's declining influence in its traditional heartlands. back in rome, the church was beginning to confront the scandal of sexual abuse by priests around the world. he was forced to deny that he'd

played any role in covering up abuse, but the cases continued to mount. he later acknowledged he'd made mistakes in handling the matter. in february 2013, he shocked the world, announcing he would resign at the end of the month, citing age and failing health. the election of his successor, pope francis, represented a break with much of what benedict had stood for. he was probably one of the outstanding theologians of the 20th century. he was a great scholar, but he had this clarity of expression, so he was a philosopher, a thinker, and a european, but francis is quite different. he's from latin america, he brings a whole different resource to the life of the church, one which pays more attention to what you might call popular movement.

they're quite different and complimentary in a way. pope benedict upheld the creeds of the church and taught them with conviction. he died as he lived — thinking and writing about how to defend and advance those creeds in an increasingly secular world. and aleem maqbool is at the vatican. it is an unusual situation, this extraordinary, historic week that will culminate on thursday with a sitting pope presiding over the funeral of his predecessor. highly unusual, but as you say, lots about this week was unusual because so many of the rituals that we associate with the death of a pope were already carried out when pope benedict stepped down in 2013. like the sealing, like the closing of the papal apartmentjust over my left shoulder, like the breaking

of the ring he wore as pope. but what we do know over the coming days is that lots of people will get their chance to pay their respects because he will lie in state from monday for three days. it's expected that around 30,000 people a day will come here to file past to pay their respects. and then on thursday, tens of thousands more from around the world are likely to come here to pay their respects to a man who, as we've been hearing in the reports, as we've been hearing from people all day, really was a thinker, a theologian, an intellectual. and whatever you think about his, what was a complex legacy, he was an incredible vessel of this accrued learning, accrued knowledge over decades, this lived experience that really was unrivalled in the catholic world. earlier i spoke to bishop robert brennan of the brooklyn

diocese in new york. he told me what it was like to meet the late pontiff. a number of bishops would have had the opportunity to meet with him through visits and other things like that. my own experience was shortly after being named a bishop in 2012. he was the pope who called me to that service. there's usually a new bishop orientation in rome that year and so at the end we had to meet with the holy father. he spoke to us as a group and then he met each one of us individually. it was a short conversation but in that short conversation one could see that — get a sense of his gentleness, almost grandfatherly kind of approach, his interest in you. he would ask questions. when i had another opportunity just to greet him, he would ask me about the work i was doing and what i enjoyed doing about it. for a man who's got so much responsibility, it is nice to take an interest in individual people.

what impact has his passing had on the catholic community where you are, in new york? on one level, there is always the sadness that comes with death, and having been prepared for it by asking for prayers — that pope francis asked for prayers, there is something very beautiful, very human about the whole thing, but we're also filled — or at least i am filled — with tremendous gratitude. looking back on the legacy that was just described in your report, realising the impact he had on the direction of the church over nearly, a good part of the 20th century, because even as a young priest he was an assistant to a bishop in the deliberations of vatican ii and many of his suggestions were incorporated into the doctrines and the letters, so he really had a huge impact on the church.

and then serving in the congregation for faith and then as pope, same thing — he took that deep intellect, that interest in people, and most of all his love for god. he was a very holy, very prayerful kind of man and you could see that and even hear that in his tone of voice. you mentioned there his legacy. in that report from aleem maqbool, he talked about how it was quite a different approach to when the current pope sort of came to be. what do you think it will be his legacy or would he have liked it to have been? i am a great believer in the fact that the lord gives us the hope we need at the time and so a figure likejohn paul during the communist times and really coming into the modern era, pope benedict xvi brought us i think a sense of spirituality, an invitation to come to know

jesus christ more deeply, to understand him, to listen to what the lord has to say in the gospels, a sense of prayer, some of the updating of the liturgy draws us more deeply into the mystery. so i think that it was the time when we needed some kind of reflection, some kind of deeper understanding, so kind of deeper roots so that the church could then enter into this next phase which pope francis is taking us on which is a very outward kind of phase, now take what you have experienced in prayer and bring it to the world.. there is a special programme about the life and death of pope benedict at ten past seven. as we've heard, as midnight struck in ukraine, there were reports of more russian missile explosions.

the head of the ukrainian armed forces said air defences had shot down 12 of 20 cruise missiles. it came after a heavy barrage of missile and drone strikes on friday night. residents there have been told by the authorities to remain in shelters. from kyiv hugo batchega sent this report. on new year's eve, kyiv gets pounded. in the heart of the capital, a hotel is hit. luckily no one was here. in this residential district, more destruction. this video was filmed moments after the attack. aliona was at home when it all happened. translation: me and my husband were literally thrown _ into the corridor. we heard glass shattering and then there was an explosion — one after another. we came to the street and saw ambulances and casualties. you can see the point of impact,

where debris from a missile that was intercepted fell from the sky. one person was killed there — a mother of two who was in the kitchen, making dinner to celebrate the new year. president zelensky accused russia of deliberately targeting civilians. translation: several| waves of missile strikes on new year's eve, missiles against the people. those who did this are inhuman and they've lost. but in ukraine, after another day of attacks, people wonder when they will finally have peace and security. hugo bachega, bbc news, kyiv. two men have been charged with the murder of 23—year—old cody fisher, who died at a nightclub in birmingham on boxing day. kami carpenter and remy gordon, both from birmingham, will appear in court on monday. five others arrested in connection with mr fisher's death have been released on bail. a man has died and another has been injured following an avalanche on the north face of ben nevis.

the lochaber mountain rescue team and a helicopter were dispatched to help the two climbers yesterday afternoon. a 48—year—old man was pronounced dead at the scene and a ao—year—old was taken to hospital for treatment. this is bbc news, the headlines: new year is being celebrated around the world — this is london where crowds returned for the first time since the covid pandemic. scotland has also been celebrating the new year — or hogmanay, as its known there — with its own spectacular fireworks display. as with london, it's the first time in three years that the event has not been limited by covid pandemic restrictions. the event was held in edinburgh, with the fireworks launched from around the castle which stands in the centre of the city. our correspondent alexandra mackenzie was in edinburgh for the festivities. she sent us this update. edinburgh welcomed in 2023 in style. there is nothing quite

like hogmanay in scotland, and edinburgh welcomed back the street party this year. because of coronavirus it was the first one in three years. there were around 30,000 people here on princess street in edinburgh, when it turned midnight. they sang auld lang syne, they ceilidh danced, and just had a great time enjoying the party. it didn't matter that it was a bit �*dreich�* as we say here in scotland. it was quite cold, it was raining, but everyone just forgot the weather and had a good, old party. also, edinburgh castle behind us — there were fireworks there throughout the night, and then the grand finale at midnight to bring in 2023 — six minutes of fireworks. it was just absolutely spectacular, and also, down in princes street gardens, 10,000 people enjoyed the music, the entertainment.

pet shop boys are continuing there as people here are continuing to enjoy the party. although we've gone into 2023, people here don't want to go home, they want to still enjoy a great atmosphere here in edinburgh — hogmanay tonight. croatia is beginning the new year with a new currency. it's switching from the kuna to the euro. at the same time, it's alsojoining the borderless schengen area, allowing passport—free travel to neighbouring countries. croatia committed to adopting the euro when it became the newest member of the european union in 2013. let's turn to the covid outbreak in china now which has seen canada become the latest country to impose travel restrictions on visitors. the number of cases has been increasing, after china dropped its zero—covid policy, which had seen millions of people placed into lockdowns. in the city of wuhan, where the coronavirus

was first recorded, people released balloons to mark the beginning of 2023. president xi jinping also touched on the pandemic in his new year address, insisting that his change in policy was justified. translation: after strenuous efforts, we have overcome unprecedented difficulties and challenges, which are not easy for everyone. at present, the epidemic prevention and control has entered a new stage. it is still a difficult period but everyone is working hard, with perseverance, and there is light at the end of the tunnel. violent protests have broken out in bolivia following the arrest of a powerful opposition politician. emily brown reports. a scene of anger in santa cruz. protesters have attacked buildings, lit cars and blocked roads. it is in response to the arrest of regional governor, right wing opposition leader luis fernando camacho.

translation: the police who serve the mas communist regime in bolivia are repressing the people at a peaceful march. the governor was detained by armed police for an alleged role in political unrest which saw president evo morales flee the country in 2019. luis fernando camacho's supporters say he was detained in an operation which resembled a kidnapping, something the prosecutors have denied. the governor has maintained his innocence. it has led to tensions between demonstrators and bolivian police, which has quickly turned into violence. translation: we must denounce the abuse of the police _ to the movement to socialism, who have beaten me, thrown me and have come close to throwing a blunt object at my head. the strikes have seen protesters take to the streets through the night too, torching cars and hurling fireworks a police who responded with tear gas to try to disperse the crowds.

meanwhile, some companies said they would pause sales while camacho remained injail. the mood in santa cruz is tense. the unrest in bolivia's capital has the potential to cause disruption across the country. emily brown, bbc news. a man in the uk who vowed to complete a marathon on every day of 2022 to raise £1 million for charity, has completed his final run. gary mckee from cumbria, in north—west england, began his challenge last january. and he continued every day running each marathon in around 11.5 hours. howard johnson reports. let's go. he's run more than 9500 miles, often finished his daily 26.2 mile route before starting work and has gone through more than 20 pairs of trainers. meet cumbrian marathon man gary mckee, speaking here to bbc breakfast,

before he set off this morning for his 365th marathon. a little bit nervous. it's not about the distance, it just about. .. ..it is the last one and i've got all these people out to support me and it's incredible that everybody�*s came out on the run on my last day. but it went without a hitch, running the distance injust overfour hours. the streets were lined. it was raining, but everybody was still out, just clapping and shouting. all the cars had stopped, we had the whole road. and it was fantastic, coming up and seeing everybody there and being out. it was something i'll always remember. and all that effort was worth it. the father of three has hit his target of raising £1 million for cancer charities. his late father had suffered from the disease. tomorrow, gary will put up his feet for the first time in a year. but he's already indicated he's ready to run again to help those in need. howard johnson, bbc news.

let's return to new year celebrations now and countries around the world have been ringing in 2023 with fireworks set against some spectacular backdrops. take a look. music playing fireworks pop

music playing i cried because of a lot of emotion and i have never seen such great fireworks. cheering music playing fireworks pop music playing

some spectacular fireworks. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ bbc vishala sp. from all of us, a very happy new year. thanks for watching. hello there, and a very happy new year to you. well, we ended 2022 on a very unsettled note. there was lots of heavy rain around, which led to localised flooding and also some snow and ice, particularly across scotland, but things look a lot better across the southern half of the country for new year's day, the 1st of january. there will be some sunshine around, but further showers further north. and we hold on to the rain, and sleet and snow across much of scotland. so further disruption possible from localised flooding and also from icy conditions. now, you can see why on the pressure chart, low pressure sits to the north of the uk. it's within here and the cold air mixed in with it where we'll see further snow, certainly over the higher ground of scotland, north of the central belt. rain to lower levels

but it looks like that rain and snow will tend to clear away through the day. furthersouth, it's a bright start to the day. there will be some blustery showers across southern and western areas, but then it clouds over into the afternoon with rain starting to push back into southern and southeast england. another mild day in the south. very cold, though further north. it looks like the sleet and snow will tend to peter out slowly across scotland. there'll still be a few wintry showers around and a couple of showers dotted around central and southern areas, but, again, a milder night to come across the southeast, but some colder air further north. some of that chillier air working its way into irish sea coastal areas and into wales as well. and the reason for it is because this bump, this ridge of high pressure, will nose in, bringing some cooler north westerly winds, and you can see the blue colours indicating a slightly colder wedge of air there, with the ridge of high pressure for monday. but it won't last long, milder air will be waiting in the wings as we move through the week. so we'll have a couple of showers across northern and eastern parts of the country. otherwise, for most, it's a much drier, brighter day. quite a lot of sunshine around to start the new week.

a few showers, wintry in nature across western scotland, a few showers down towards the channel islands, but it will be a chilly day despite more sunshine, around 3—8 celsius will be typical, but low pressure sets back in as we roll through the week. it'll turn quite wet and windy for a while around the middle part of the week, and as that low starts to pull away, it starts to drag in some colder north westerly winds towards the end of the week. so i think as we move through tuesday, wednesday, thursday, it will tend to be on the mild side, wet and windy at times, but then signs of itjust turning a bit colder across all areas towards the end of the week. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines: london is amongst the latest capitals in western europe and africa to mark the new year with a firework display. this is the first time in three years that crowds of revellers have been allowed to attend in the uk during the covid pandemic attendance was restricted. blasts have been heard in kyiv in the early hours of the new year. earlier the head of the ukrainian armed forces said they shot down 12 cruise missiles. president zelensky said ukraine won't forgive russia for the wave of missile attacks in which one civilian was killed and many injured. president biden is among world leaders who have paid tribute to pope benedict xvi who died on new year's eve

at the age of 95. the former pope will lie in state at st peter's from monday, and his funeral will take place on thursday.