transit contracts. london's new year's day parade gets under way in a few hours. wejoin one performing group's rehearsal. hello i'm nicky schiller. welcome to the programme and happy new year. across the world, people have been celebrating the start of 2025. right now it has turned midnight in hawaii so they will be celebrating on the beaches of honolulu and elsewhere. it's one of the last places to see in 2025. the world famous strip in las vegas in nevada hosted one of the last major fireworks displays of the new year. this was the scene as they partied in the strip in those hotels and casinos.

in the world famous las vegas. despite ongoing conflicts and tensions around the world, the new year is always a moment for optimism and celebration — and lots and lots of fireworks. greg mckenzie has been looking at the pictures. five, four, three... ..two, one. big ben chimes the biggest show in europe. tens of thousands of people lined the river thames to bring in the new year and watch a spectacular i2 minutes of fireworks. well, 100,000 people managed to get tickets to experience the fireworks show and many have told me here tonight that it was a once—in—a—lifetime opportunity. happy new year! absolutely mind blowing. what a... greatest city in the world. beautiful, beautiful. i thought it was fantastic. it's one of the best fireworks displays we've seen. and we have some pretty good ones up in scotland, too.

well, they didn't have them this year. i know, which is quite sad. so we're glad we came down here. bad weather across large parts of the uk meant edinburgh's outdoor hogmanay events had to be cancelled. it's a real shame, but never mind. and we're from wellington, which is actually known for its wind. and we're sort of thinking this isn't quite as windy as even we know it. celebrations have continued around the globe. this was the scene on the champs—elysees in paris. and germany, whose celebrations this year took place at berlin's iconic brandenburg gate. the uae saw the world's tallest building, the burj khalifa, come to life in dubai. three, two, one... while over in sydney, robbie williams helped bring in the new year celebrations there. from one of the first

to celebrate 2025, new zealand... ..to the last nations across north and south america, where new york city saw in their new year a short time ago. greg mckenzie, bbc news. these are some live pictures coming in from rome from st peter's basilica where you can see the congregation have gathered in vatican city. pope francis is holding a mass there. it's all part of world day of peace. so he will be delivering his message for world day of peace. we have had a little bit of a preview from the vatican, he will talk about listening to the plea of an endangered humanity. he will also talk about a cultural change saying all of us are debtors and he will talk about a journey of hope. we will hear

from the pope as part of this world day of peace and he will end with the goal of peace of course. there we can see him listening to the congregation and the st peter's basilica packed with people, that amazing building in vatican city, all for world day of peace. amid the celebrations, there is concern about what the 2025 holds in store, with conflicts raging in the middle east, sudan, the democratic republic of congo and ukraine. in the early hours of new year's day, russia launched a drone strike on the ukrainian capital kyiv, reportedly killing one person and damaging buildings in two districts, according to officials. the attack came as president zelensky gave an end—of—year address in which he said his country will do all it can to end the war with moscow in 2025 and halt what he called russian aggression.

translation: may 2025 become our year, the year of ukraine. - we know peace will not be gifted to us. but we will do everything to stop russia and end the war. this is what each of us dreams of. behind each of us stands mother ukraine. she deserves to live in peace. i wish this for all of us. president zelensky. years of gas supplies from russia to europe — sent via ukraine — have come to an end, marking an end of an era in the european union. the route has been in place for more than a0 years but ukraine's president zelensky, refused to allow further transits which he said were fuelling the russian war machine. the eu has had a year to prepare for the change and the european commission says the impact will be limited. earlier, i spoke to our central europe correspondent, nick thorpe on the impact these

changes will have. well, obviously any discussion of gas, any cutting of gas supplies as you can see on a cold winter's day like this is very emotionally important. it is also strategically important and financially important. in practical terms it is the end of a five—year contract between naftogaz of ukraine and gazprom of russia, that pipeline about three hours ago ceased to receive gas, that was passing about a0 million cubic metres of gas a day through to slovakia initially and then on to countries like austria, hungary and italy. the european union says it has plenty of other suppliers. notably the united states which now supplies a great deal of gas to the eu, but also norway, qatar, other countries sending liquid gas to europe. but strategically and symbolically, it is the end of an era because for decades, as you said, actually since 1964, russia has supplied europe, initially eastern

in europe but then western europe with large amounts through many pipelines of cheap gas. now there is only one left supplying 5% of europe's needs, that's the turkstream pipeline coming up through the balkans. nick thorpe reporting. now, staying with energy... the average energy bill for households across england, scotland and wales has increased today. bills have risen by an average of 1.2% after the regulator raised its price cap in response to wholesale prices. on average, that's £21 more a year than under the previous cap. the rise is 10% lower than a year ago, and 57% less than during the energy crisis, which was fuelled by russia's invasion of ukraine. but it comes as millions of pensioners are facing a winter with less support, after the government decided to scrap winter fuel payments for those who do not receive pension credit or other benefits. emmanuel asuquo is a financial advisor. he explained what

the price cap is. so the price cap was brought in to just cap how much can be charged for the units when we talk about gas and electricity. and so it is just the units, not the amount. if you use more it's going to cost you more, if you use less it will cost you less. on average for the average household they say it is around 1,700, so this new increase means an extra £21 for the average user. like i said, it is for the average so if you use more it could be more than £21. someone like myself, i have a big family, i will pay more than that, but for people who use less it could be lower. we say it is not as much as the previous increase but of course when the energy crisis was on we had government support, each of us got money into our energy accounts, and of course a lot of people may have been on a fixed deal that has now ended. yes, so we are seeing people on fixed deals where the price

might be up, and we're also seeing we don't have the government support, like you said, the cost of living being higher in general, the cost of things, when we look at the weather it is colder. this is the coldest season right now so although maybe it wasn't as cold over the last few months we expect it to be colder now so people will be using it and it will be a big expense. the question is, are we likely to see further rises, do you think? probably from what we are seeing and with the report we havejust heard, yes, if it will cost more to get the actual gas and electricity to us, it will cost more. so, what is your advice if someone is looking at the different deals that are on offer? is it a time to look at fixing for a couple of years? what would your advice be to someone who is looking from going off that general tariff that companies have maybe on to a fixed deal? right now there is more competition so it is a good time for people to actually go to a comparison website and look at what price they can get. and if they can get a better deal. some of the deals we are seeing are people saving anywhere between £50 to £200

or £300 for the year so it is something worth doing and it's really easy to do. if you have a statement, you can use that, the details are on there and it can be done within a few minutes. we are into the new year so we have talked about fuel prices. is there anything else we need to worry about in terms of bills going up? we have seen the bus fare, transport has gone up, so it is going to cost more to work. we have seen inflation go up, we have seen interest rates have come down but we are still seeing inflation go up so we are seeing the cost of food and living, so it's a really important time for people to really analyse their outgoings, their costs, and really understand how much it costs to live the lifestyle you are living now and what changes do you have to make. that is financial adviser emmanuel asuquo. i should say there is much more on the energy price cap on what it means on the bbc news website and app. the number of migrants arriving in the uk in 2024 after crossing the english channel in small boats was up by a quarter on the previous year, figures show. 2024 was also the deadliest

year on record for the crossings, as simon jones reports. the boats have been getting bigger, with more and more people dangerously packed on to them, risking their lives in the world's busiest shipping lane with the goal of reaching the uk. this was christmas day, when more than 450 migrants made the crossing. to see that many people, they were sitting all around the edge, all down through the middle. they had their feet, some of them, dragging in the water. so it was massively overloaded. and we actually stopped our engines and sort of sat with... sat in that position, just watching that, just to make sure that nothing, you know, had sort of gone wrong because that was in the middle of the shipping lane as well. in 2024, a total of 36,816 people reached the uk on small boats. that represents an increase of 25% on 2023, though it's a fall of 20% on 2022.

stopping the boats — has been replaced by the labour government with a promise to smash the gangs organising the crossings. labour has accused the conservatives of leaving an appalling legacy of broken border security. the tories say that labour's decision to scrap the plan to send some asylum seekers to rwanda means there is no effective deterrent to bring numbers down. last year was the deadliest on record for crossings. the french authorities say more than 75 people lost their lives. at least three people died on sunday when their boat got into difficulty off the coast of northern france. what the government needs to do is notjust try and smash the gangs through enforcement activity, it needs to continue to do that, but also critically put in place legal routes so that people fleeing the war in sudan, for example, or tyrannical rule in afghanistan, are able to come here safely without having to take dangerous crossings. the numbers making thejourneys this way across the channel are far smaller than legal migration figures,

legal migration figures. the home office said, "we all want to end dangerous small boat crossings which threaten lives and undermine our border security." simon jones, bbc news. around the world and across the uk this is bbc news.

to the middle east. gaza's civil defence agency says at least 15 people have been killed and more than 20 others are injured following an israeli air strike injabalia, in the territory's north. the israeli military is apparently looking into the reported strike. since the start of the war in gaza, an estimated 17,000 children have been left alone or separated from the adults who should care for them. in a chaotic situation amid bombings and mass displacement, the un's children's agency unicef, has managed to reunite 63 children with their parents or guardians. with more, here's our middle east correspondent, yolande knell.

smiles now, but the children of the al—masri family have survived horrors. an israeli bombing killed jamal�*s parents and his cousin's mum and sisters. after they were rescued, like thousands of children in war—torn gaza, they were alone. we followed their difficult journey to be reunited with their grandma. translation: it's indescribable howjoyful i am, but my joy - is mixed with sadness. they came back without their parents. three months into what israel says is a new offensive to target hamas, the very north of gaza is now in ruins. the bereaved cousins fled with distant relatives who were filmed for us, saying a painful farewell. staff from the un children's agency had israeli permission to take the al—masri children south. covering a short distance involves a long drive and a laborious process, which unicef has managed in just a few dozen cases.

those children who are on their own, or who are with adults that aren't related to them, or even with extended family are even more vulnerable than than other children, which is why we have made these reunifications a priority. aunts and uncles celebrate the children's arrival. it's been over a year since they last saw them. for now, their home will be a tent in this displaced people's camp near khan younis. in these desperate circumstances, their grandmother tries to be a mother to them all. translation: when night comes, they are afraid. _ even if i hold them, they are scared. they say, "there's a plane, there's a strike." their mental health is not good. may god help me to raise them.

as they play, it's more secure for the cousins here. but nowhere in gaza is truly safe. kawther al—masri says she hopes for a ceasefire and for her grandchildren to rebuild their lives, not to become part of a lost generation. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. let's get some of the day's other news now. air accident investigators in south korea say they've successfully extracted initial data from the cockpit voice recorder of thejeju air plane, which crashed on sunday — killing 179 people. but investigators are still trying to work out how best to get into the flight data recorder. some of the toughest laws on the use of tobacco have come into force in the italian city of milan. smokers will be fined if they light up on city streets or crowded public areas as officials seek to improve air quality in one of europe's most polluted cities. ivory coast has announced french troops will no longer be

deployed in the country. until now it was home to france's biggest remaining contingent of troops in west africa. senegal has said it will also end military cooperation by the end of 2025. new year's day is always busy for support. now it's time for a look at today's sport with john watson. hello from bbc sport. we begin with football. european transfer windows are open as of the new year and already real madrid have made a move. they are chasing this man, trent alexander—arnold but liverpool have quickly rejected the approach. real have asked about doing a deal now to take the player to spain, but his representatives have said he's not looking to go anywhere this month. they could still get him on a free transfer at the end of the season when he's out of contract and will be a free agent. kicking off 2025 will be arsenal who continue their pursuit of liverpool who top the table

at the halfway stage, when they face brentford later in what is the only game in the premier league today. we have to continue to be like a hammer. be there every day, every day, every day. and i mean, if somebody wins all the matches, congratulate him and let's go to the next season. but if they don't, which in the history it hasn't happened, we will be there. posting this picture last night was the west ham forward michail antonio on his release after three weeks in hospital. he broke his leg before being released from his vehicle after a serious crash. he said in his post, "every year i'm asked what i'm grateful for, and every year i've struggled to find the right words. this year i know exactly what i'm gratefulfor, being alive." it was certainly a lucky escape. ac milan's new manager sergio conceicao has targeted a champions league qualifying spot after a disappointing start to the season has left them eighth in serie a outside the european places.

the portuguese spoke on tuesday after his appointment to replace compatriot paulo fonseca who was sacked following six months in charge. conceicao will depart with his players for saudi arabia and his first game in charge when milan take onjuventus in the italian super cup semi—final in riyadh on friday. inter milan face atalanta in the other semi on thursday. the novak djokovic/nick kyrgios doubles partnership is over for now. the pair who teamed up at the brisbane international were beaten in the second round by nikola mektic and michael venus. kyrgios and djokovic famously didn't get along which made it something of a surprise to see them teaming up here. but both are using the event as a warm—up for the australia 0pen which starts on january 12th. the world number two iga swiatek steered poland into the united cup quarter—finals with 2—1 win over the czech republic. they had lost the men's singles but swiatek always looked like levelling

things against karolina muchova. and after winning that tie 6—3, 6—4, she then went on to help hubert hurkacz make amends for losing to tomas machac, overcoming him and muchova in the mixed doubles. this might serve as a bit of new year's inspiration — kenya's beatrice chebet has become the first woman to run 5,000 metres in under 14 minutes. she smashed the women's world record in barcelona finishing in 13 minutes and 54 seconds. she has history, she won 5,000m and 10,000m gold at the paris 0lympics last year, and now has this record to boot. really impressive time from her. and in the nba, lebron james continues to make history, becoming the first player to play an nba game in his teens and his forties — continuing to showcase his remarkable longevity. he turned 40 on monday — celebrated the milestone with 23 points against his former team,

the cleveland cavaliers — but was unable to lead the la lakers to victory, losing 122—110. and if you're a fan of sports stats, here's one from this man. victor wembanyama has become the first player in nba history with 300 points, 100 rebounds, 50 blocks, 50 assists and 40 three—pointers in a single month. he closed out a historic month with 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 26 minutes as the san antonio spurs rolled to a 122—86 victory over the la clippers on tuesday. two players with natural born talents, i think you will agree, nicky. that's all from me. back to you. absolutely, certainly more talent than i have got! thank you, john. london's blustery weather has delayed the start of the annual new year's day parade — and there will be no

inflatable floats involved. you wouldn't want those flying around in the high winds. 0ur reporter, meghan 0wen, is with some performers preparing to take part. well, this is a taste of what is to come. in the next few hours, i'm joined by some of the 8,000 performers who will be bracing the wind and the rain to take part in london's new year's day parade. this is secondary school 18 all the way from mexicali in mexico. there are actually representatives from 26 countries in this year's parade, so they'll be playing in the next few hours. they'll be taking part in that three—kilometre parade route. well, i'm joined by mel and you've helped to organise all of this. how hard has it been to get everyone here? it was very hard for the kids and the

family of the kids, and they worked, like, for a year, to collect the money and be here in this important day for them, you know. and of course, paco and carnaval del pueblo helped us seriously to achieve this dream for the kids. what does it mean for them to be here? it is, you know, their dreams. they love music. and to be and play in another country is a dream for the kids. amazing. well, we'll be able to speak to one of the performers. isabella, thank you so much forjoining us. how does it feel to be here in london? well, i'm actually so nervous right now. it's really hard to, like, play with all this rain. and because i'm from mexico, mexicali specifically, it's really like nervous to talk to people. and being here isjust amazing. ijust love it here. is this the first time you've taken part in this parade? yeah, it is. well, i have been part of this orchestra for the past three years. i already passed and i'm at high school right now.

not at secondary. but it's really, like, amazing to accompany my old school now, and i'm so happy right now. some of the performers who will take part in new year's day parade in london and you can see pope francis has been holding a mass at st peter's basilica in the vatican, all part of world day of peace. he is being wheeled on his wheelchair through the crowd taking part there. hello. despite an improving weather picture for some today, the impact of the rain that's fallen so far will be felt all the way through into the afternoon. the clearer skies are on the way from the north, although with some shower clouds and colder air. but it's this band of cloud here which has been producing the heaviest of the rain. if i take you to the southern half of the country through the afternoon, that heavy rain becoming confined to southernmost counties.

on it a line of pretty intense rain and gusty winds for a time, but clearer conditions developing to north wales, north midlands and northwards. now, to the northern half of the country, it's a different story. we've got a little bit of sunshine here and there, but a batch of rain and sleet and hill snow pushing its way out to southern scotland, into northern ireland and northern england this afternoon, and then frequent snow showers in the north of scotland, where temperatures will be dropping and just a few degrees above freezing by the end of the afternoon. and even further south, a good five, six degrees cooler than we started the day as that colder air pushes its way in. then the heavy rain this evening just on the south coast will gradually ease away. takes a lot longer though for the channel islands before that rain departs. we'll have some wintry showers around the coast, but snow showers in northern scotland. but inland areas, there'll be clear skies and it will be cold and frosty. a widespread frost with some ice around into the morning. as for thursday, it looks like it's going to be a sunny day though. so for your commute back to work if you're returning to work on thursday, lovely day for many. there'll be snow showers in northern scotland,

northern ireland and down some of these eastern coasts of england, maybe one or two into north wales as well. but for the vast majority, thursday will be a sunny day, but a day in which temperatures struggle to get above freezing for some, and with an added wind chill making it feel closer to around -1 to -6, that cold air still in place with us. on friday. these weather fronts throw in that cold air, a sign that we will see batches of clouds and showers pushing their way southwards. rain and sleet, mainly for northern ireland, north wales, northwest england, but further snow showers in the north of scotland and one or two still close to some eastern coasts of england. for most though another day of sunny spells and another day of feeling that chill. temperatures struggling to get above freezing again in parts of northern england and scotland, especially. with that cold air in place, we could see some mist and fog into saturday morning. winds lighter by this stage. some wintry showers in the north of scotland still, but we've got to watch what happens beyond saturday, where this next weather system pushes in. as it hits the cold air, we could see some snow across

parts of the uk for sunday.

a very happy new year. it is 10:30am. iwill a very happy new year. it is 10:30am. i will have a full bulletin at 11am. i will have a full bulletin at 11am. now on bbc news — a look back at the royal year. a year like no other. first the king, then the princess of wales diagnosed with cancer. this, of course, came as a huge shock, and william and i have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. good man, this one. prince william called it the hardest year of his life, supporting his wife and family while flying the flag for britain abroad, honouring the fallen on the beaches of normandy

80 years on from d—day. and harry, the party prince, back in the uk. last christmas, there was nothing to suggest that 2024 would be a royal year dominated by illness. but three weeks later, first, a palace statement that the princess of wales had had planned abdominal surgery the previous day, and the following hour it was announced the king was to undergo a procedure for an enlarged prostate. by the time the king left hospital after a three—night stay... how are you feeling? ..health groups were reporting a significant increase in men getting their own prostates checked. the king seemed in good spirits, but the news was about to take a dramatic turn. hello. good evening. welcome to bbc news where, in the last few moments,