this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm vishala sri—pathma. our top stories: celebrating the new year around the world. this is london, where crowds returned for the first time since the covid pandemic. more russian missiles land in kyiv in the early hours of the new year— following a day of attacks. kimjong—un orders the development of more powerful north korean intercontinental ballistic missiles. and tributes from world leaders to the former pope, benedict xvi, who's died at the age of 95.

celebrations to mark the start of 2023 are being held around the world — with rio the latest city to welcome the new year in the past hour. earlier, crowds thronged the streets of capitals from warsaw and stockholm in the east, to brussels, paris, madrid and london — where the countdown was projected within the london eye as midnight approached. 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. 0ur correspondent greg mckenzie was soaking up the atmosphere amongst the many thousands of revellers on the banks of the river thames. 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. 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. greg mckenzie from the banks of the river thames.

in scotland, the traditional hogmanay celebrations were back in force for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. around 40,000 revellers packed the streets of edinburgh to enjoy a spectacular firework display, launched from around the iconic castle which dominates the city skyline. 0ur correspondent alexandra mackenzie was amongst the crowd and sent us this update. edinburgh welcomed in 2023 in style. there's 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 theirs. 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. 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. 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. in russia, president putin delivered his traditional new year's address. but in ukraine, after another day of attacks, people wonder when they will finally have peace and security. hugo bachega, bbc news, kyiv. north korean state media say 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 said that there would be increased production of tactical nuclear weapons, to counter what pyongyang calls threats from the united states and south korea. earlier, north korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea of japan,

just hours into the new year. robert kelly is professor of political science at pusan national university in south korea. he says the response from the international community will inevitably be limited. yeah, i'm not really sure there is a whole lot we can do. i think there will be the usual statements about deterrence, that the united states is standing with south korea, that south korea is standing with its partners, right, the big case, the big countries in these case, particular, is south korea, japan and the us, and so there will be hopefully some kind of statement from those three governments, maybe some kind ofjoint statement, or something like that, but there is not a whole lot we can do, right? if we go and try to get more sanctions at the un, for example, the chinese and the russians will almost certainly veto that. north korea is already sanctioned pretty heavily. the big problem with sanctioning north korea is enforcement and north korean illegal behaviour. they do a lot of sort of mafia, you know, criminal stuff, in order to get the parts that they need, and so there is not a lot we can do i think other than the usual rhetorical things. we can't strike them, of course, it's too risky,

so we are kind of stuck. and, traditionally, north korea would look to china for support, and that has been an alliance historically. do you think they are going to receive the same sort of backing now, given what has been going on with ukraine and china's relationship with russia not being entirely clear either? yeah, i think so. i mean, it's kind of strange. china, i think has gone sort of further supporting north korea's nuclear and missile programme than i think a lot of analysts expected, right? i'll be honest — i'm rather surprised about this myself, and i think many others are, that china has reallyjust not used the leverage that it has over north korea to rein it in, even as the north koreans say, as you said in your report, right, that they are going to build even more nuclear weapons, more tactical nuclear weapons, more missiles — missiles that can strike the united states. all that kind of language is really threatening, and it is going to encourage south korea's neighbours, its democratic neighbours, south korea and china — and japan — to consider more extreme options. there is already a nuclear—weapons debate in south korea, whether or not south korea should build its own nukes now that north korea is not going to roll back, and china could help a lot and it is not. and i am genuinely surprised that china seems to prefer a nuclear north korea

to any kind of pressure on north korea, because unless the chinese help us, the north koreans are not going to stop, as you pointed out, because the chinese will bail them out of the un and elsewhere. and on that south korean reaction — and, yes, there will be pressure, presumably, in the region to build up a bank of reserves — and do you expect that to happen? my own sense is that that south korean nuclearization is probably a 50—50 issue right now. not injapan, althouthapan, you may have noticed, your viewers may know that around three weeks ago the japanese announced a defence strategy and are still going to substantially build up their ability to strike off shore, and that means particularly north korea and china, and they are going to sort of expand defence spending generally. but, i mean, this is what you get if the north koreans just keep going and going and going like this, right? they won't stop, and no matter how much we talk to them — you know, donald trump met kim jong—un three times, the previous south korean president met him three times — we have been talking to the north koreans about nuclear weapons for 30 years, and we are trying to get them to sort of brake or pull over or slow down orjoin some sort of arms control accord, and they will not, and so inevitably you are going

to get more and more extreme responses, and, again, here is why i am just surprised that china is willing to countenance this increasing anxiety in south korea and japan by not doing more to help us on north korea, but if they won't, here we are. robert kelly. president biden is among world leaders who have paid tribute to pope benedict xvi 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 was announced by his successor.

translation: we are moved as we recall him as such - a noble person, so kind, and we 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... bells toll. habemus papam! ..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. 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. well, a number of bishops would've 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. so, he was the pope who called me to that service. and then, there's usually a new bishop orientation in rome that year and so, at the end of that, we had the chance to meet with the holy father. he spoke to us as a group and then, he met with each one of us individually. it was a short conversation but in that short conversation, one could see that he — get a sense of his gentleness, almost grandfatherly

kind of approach, his interest in you. you know, 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's 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's 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, iam — 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 and 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. and you mentioned there his legacy. in that report from aleem maqbool, he talked about how it was quite a different approach when pope — 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 pope we need at the time and so, a figure likejohn paul during the communist times and really coming into the modern era. pope benedict 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 where we needed some kind of reflection, some kind of deeper understanding, some kind of deeper roots so that the church then could enter into this next phase which pope francis is taking us on, which is a very outward kind of a phase, now — now take what you've experienced in prayer and bring it to the world. bishop robert brennan

of the brooklyn diocese. this is bbc news. the headlines — celebrating the new year around the world. this is london, where crowds returned for the first time since the covid pandemic. as midnight struck in ukraine, there were reports of more russian missile explosions. earlier, a civilian was killed in a strike on kyiv. violent protests have broken out in bolivia following the arrest of a powerful opposition politician. russell trott reports. agry scenes in santa cruz. protesters have attacked buildings, lit cars and blocked roads. it's 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 prosecutors have denied. the governor has maintained his innocence. it's 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 to 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. russell trott, bbc news. travellers from china to australia and canada will need to provide a negative covid—19 test from the fifth of january. the announcement comes as cases of coronavirus continue to rise in mainland china after beijing dropped the country's zero covid policy. 0ther other nations have already taken similar measures. 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. croatia has become the 20th member to join the eurozone and has now adopted the euro as its currency. emily brown reports. a new year, a new currency. croatia says goodbye to its kuna currency as it adopts the euro. this is the moment the country's finance minister pulls out the first euro bill from a cash machine. and croatia will become the 20th member of the eurozone after nearly a decade since he joined the eu. the nation of 4 million peoplejoins the the eu. the nation of 4 million people joins the schengen zone which allows people to move freely around its member nations. but croatians have mixed feelings about the change. translation: it is . reat change. translation: it is ureat for change. translation: it is great for me _ change. translation: it is great for me to _ change. translation: it is great for me to have - change. translation: it 3 great for me to have kuna when i came to croatia but the euro

is easier, it's easier when you are in europe. 17 is easier, it's easier when you are in eur0pe-_ are in europe. ? we can be emotionally _ are in europe. ? we can be emotionally attached - are in europe. ? we can be emotionally attached to - are in europe. ? we can be| emotionally attached to the kuna — emotionally attached to the kuna because of history but one has to— kuna because of history but one has to live — kuna because of history but one has to live realistically, it's always _ has to live realistically, it's always better to be with someone who is strong, who is something _ someone who is strong, who is something than to be on the sidelines. something than to be on the sidelines-— something than to be on the i sidelines._ i love sidelines. translation: i love kuna and as — sidelines. translation: i love kuna and as you _ sidelines. translation: i love kuna and as you can _ sidelines. translation: i love kuna and as you can hear- sidelines. translation: i love kuna and as you can hear we i kuna and as you can hear we have as much as a pension allows. ~ . , , allows. meanwhile, experts say ado-atin allows. meanwhile, experts say adapting the — allows. meanwhile, experts say adopting the euro _ allows. meanwhile, experts say adopting the euro will- allows. meanwhile, experts say adopting the euro will help - adopting the euro will help protect croatia's economy at a time when inflation has been soaring globally since russia's invasion of ukraine. and it is hoped entry into a borderless area will boost to the tourism industry. it's an important milestone in the history of croatia, the euro and the eu as a 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. dance music plays

theatrical music plays. joyful music plays. fireworks pop. dance music plays.

i cried because of a lot of emotion and i have never seen such great fireworks. four, three, two, one... joyful music plays. fireworks pop. triumphant music plays. and before we go, let's take another look at the scenes of celebration on the banks of the river thames in london as 2023 dawned. big ben bongs. cheering.

fireworks pop. big ben bongs. this is london. that's it from us for now. you can reach me on socials — i'm @bbcvishalasp. and from all of us, thanks for watching. hgppy happy new year.

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 south east another mild day in the south. very cold, though, further north. and 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 south—east 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'll 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.

the headlines: celebrations on copacabana beach in rio dejaneiro as brazil welcomes 2023. earlier, london marked 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. north korean state media says the country's leader kimjong—un has ordered the development of new intercontinental

ballistic missiles. the report also said that there would be increased production of tactical nuclear weapons, to counter