listen into the let's listen into the countdown.- let's listen into the countdown. ., countdown. five, four, three, one, countdown. five, four, three, one. two _ countdown. five, four, three, one. two tw0- _ bell

tolls as big bands chimes ring out around the signalling a year that's new, raise a glass, turn up the volume and welcome 2022. $5 turn up the volume and welcome 2022. �* , , ., , 2022. as we share this midnight moment and _ 2022. as we share this midnight moment and imagine _ 2022. as we share this midnight moment and imagine all - 2022. as we share this midnight moment and imagine all that . moment and imagine all that still to come let's relish the magnificent things we achieved in 2021. we rallied around our nhs heroes as they rolled out the vaccination and we stood beside our three lions, heads raised and proud, united together as a nation. we won 121i together as a nation. we won 124 paralympic metals, one of the greatest halls we've ever seen and our star, and morata

raducanu one the us open, she's only 18. we saw the return of live events and re—claim companionship and camaraderie tom daly brought home gold and still found time amid a party cup 26 convened in glasgow aspiring to build a world that heals and marcus rashford and his fans gave out 21 million free school meals. this progress punctuates the end of night but when all is said is done this world must keep on turning. so we say goodbye to 21 and within this magic midnight moment there's only one thing left to do. come on let's light the night sky up and journey together into 2022.

everyone, welcome. 2022! our first stop is. .. planet earth! _ 2022! our first stop is. .. planet earth! culture - 2022! 0urfirst stop is... i planet earth! culture colour and — planet earth! culture colour and sound!

the next station is... wembley! footballs greatest _ the next station is... wembley! footballs greatest moments. i the next station is... wembley! l footballs greatest moments. the men did us _ footballs greatest moments. men did us proud in last footballs greatest moments. th; men did us proud in last year can the — men did us proud in last year can the women go one better? the players take the knee united _ the players take the knee united in their stance against racism — united in their stance against racism. �* . . ., ., ,

racism. again and again they stream forward, _ racism. again and again they stream forward, this - racism. again and again they stream forward, this looks . stream forward, this looks promising and... that is brilliant! that is well done. the crowd goes wild, the country goes wild. indie the crowd goes wild, the country goes wild. we hope to see ou country goes wild. we hope to see you in _ country goes wild. we hope to see you in london _ country goes wild. we hope to see you in london for - country goes wild. we hope to see you in london for the - country goes wild. we hope to | see you in london for the uefa women's — see you in london for the uefa women's euros. 2022 will be huge — women's euros. 2022 will be huge for— women's euros. 2022 will be huge for sport across the uk. we are — huge for sport across the uk. we are now approaching... the home of theatre. change here for... ,., ., for... the power of performance. -

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the next station is... good times ahead! _ the next station is... good times ahead! to _ the next station is... good times ahead! to see - the next station is... good times ahead! to see the i the next station is... good l times ahead! to see the new year— times ahead! to see the new year end _ music you guys ready to party?

we have reached our destination. 2022, welcome to london! —

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well, from super trooper and

shakespeare to a lien made from drones, it really was a spectacular show there in london to welcome in the new year. before we talk to our correspondent in london we are going to go to scotland to james shaw who is in edinburgh. and not the traditional holiday there, james. give us a sense of how the new year was brought in in edinburgh.— in in edinburgh. yeah, you could probably _ in in edinburgh. yeah, you could probably get - in in edinburgh. yeah, you could probably get a - in in edinburgh. yeah, youj could probably get a sense in in edinburgh. yeah, you i could probably get a sense of it from behind me. this is the crowd on the esplanade by edinburgh castle. this is not the official holiday event, that was cancelled. the fireworks were cancelled but hundreds maybe thousands of people came up here to celebrate in their own way with mobile phones and guitars and bottles of bear. and i suppose just to show that despite that rigid year that many people had

scotland solos are to celebrate. the police have been here but it's been a very light touch from the police was that they haven't tried to intervene, they have said that this event which is happening is not a formal advance so people are not breaking the law here. you can see there is a massive crush of people at the moment really enjoying themselves. is it suspect it will disperse quickly as the minutes tick by towards one o'clock. but people have come here and they have welcomed in 2022 in the hope that perhaps it's a bit better than 2021. absolutely, james, we can all share in that sentiment. and for people have decided to see in the new year from home for people have decided to see in the new yearfrom home i guess they are hoping well, the political messaging was if curves were brought and now the hope would be that life could return to normal a little bit faster. ~ , , ., ,

faster. well, i guess that is possible- — faster. well, i guess that is possible. at _ faster. well, i guess that is possible. at the _ faster. well, i guess that is possible. at the moment i faster. well, i guess that is l possible. at the moment the restrictions put in place by the scottish government will last at least until the 17th of this month. they will be reviewed before that and we will know at some point within the next couple of weeks if it is going to change. of course it all depends on the figures. we know that they have been a record figures for infections in scotland let alone other parts of the uk. so it really all depends on that. how effective the vaccines are to be in scotland in the booster campaign has worked pretty well. they've got 277%, i think of adults over 18 have had a booster bite yesterday. —— 77%. it really all depends on what the figures show in the coming days about whether i'm a going to keep quickly and disappear or whether it will carry on perhaps for some weeks yet. happy new year to you and thank you very much. james shaw in edinburgh. letjoinjean in

trafalgar square. happy new year. the message to people was of course to try to watch the celebrations, a spectacular show that we just witnessed in london she wants from home. as it is very evident behind you lots of people wanting to be out and about on the streets of the capital. out and about on the streets of the capital-— the capital. yeah. people were told in advance _ the capital. yeah. people were told in advance that _ the capital. yeah. people were told in advance that the - the capital. yeah. people were told in advance that the public| told in advance that the public celebrations had been cancelled without the spectacular we just saw on screens now was going to be far better watch from the comfort of your living room and television. but that didn't stop many, many people coming out here this evening. lots of them felt that they would be to such a load that landed they would be actually able to see fireworks. many of them walked out to the river now. what you're seeing now is them all walk a back up from the river and going home. slightly more anti—climactic than we had in scotland for the people chaired happy new year and shouted and then when they realise that

they work it is the anything and nothing was actually happening where we were everything died down fairly quickly. but the thing that's happening in london and around england tonight is different from scotland is that there are no restrictions on socialising. people have been free to go to bars and to go to clubs and party in the night here. in a very different night. indie party in the night here. in a very different night. we have seen closer _ very different night. we have seen closer to _ very different night. we have seen closer to the _ very different night. we have seen closer to the welsh i very different night. we have seen closer to the welsh and j seen closer to the welsh and scottish borders people have travelled from wales and scotland into england because of the fact that there aren't those restrictions which are in place and the other uk nations. have you come across people who travelled from elsewhere so that they could be out tonight? what's been interesting this evening is we haven't actually met anyone here in central london was gone from wales or scotland. but we have met abel who had travelled from all across england to be here for have come as far as liverpool and leads you be here in central london for the

celebration. some of them not knowing that it wasn't going to be a public event. others just wanting to be near or wanting to see the new year in. i think that's what's been interesting, a lot of people felt they were this was a new year they want to celebrate. not because 2020 that was a fantastic gift they've been interesting, a lot of people felt they were this was a new year they want to celebrate. not because 2020 that was a fantastic year of paper and opened it boosters, perhaps even had coronavirus themselves. and so this now is about looking forward to the year ahead with a little bit more hope. year ahead with a little bit more hone-— year ahead with a little bit more hoe. ., ~' ,, ~ more hope. thank you. well, we will brina more hope. thank you. well, we will bring you — more hope. thank you. well, we will bring you more _ more hope. thank you. well, we will bring you more on _ more hope. thank you. well, we will bring you more on the i more hope. thank you. well, we will bring you more on the new i will bring you more on the new year's eve celebrations around the world later in the programme. the governor of the us state of colorado has pledged to help residents who've lost everything to rebuild their lives, after sudden wildfires destroyed 1,000 homes. tens of thousands of people were evacuated as the fires tore through suburban areas of boulder county on thursday. gary o'donoghue has

this report. winds of more than 100 mph drove the flames across more than 1600 acres of suburban colorado, which would normally have snow on the ground at this time of year. the fires spread quickly through homes and businesses, leading to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. the emergency services did their best, but the sheer speed of the fire took everyone by surprise. coming down this road, the ditches and things and the trees, they're all up in flames. like, there's embers everywhere. packed myself, my cat and... just keep our fingers crossed. local officials declared a state of emergency, unlocking federal funds to help fight the blaze, and the governor spoke to president biden. this was a disaster in fast motion, all over the course

of half a day, nearly all the damage, many families having minutes, minutes to get whatever they could — their pets, their kids — into the car and leave. the last 24 hours have been devastating. remarkably, no one died in the fires, and as dawn broke on friday, winds had significantly dropped and a forecast of snow should reduce the chances of any flare—ups — leaving the thousands of families to count the cost of the handful of hours that have devastated their lives. gary o'donoghue, bbc news. in the us, prince andrew's legal team has failed in its legal bid to stop proceedings in a civil sex abuse case. virginia giuffre — who now lives in australia — has accused prince andrew of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager at the homes ofjeffrey epstein and ghislaine maxwell. prince andrew's lawyers argued that virginia giuffre is not a us resident and that her civil legal action should be halted. prince

andrew has consistently denied her allegations. coronavirus infections in the uk has reached a new record high — and pressure on hospitals continues to grow. covid—related absences in acute nhs trusts in england went up by more than 40% during christmas week. an average of more than 25 thousand health workers were off sick or isolating each day. london was again the worst hit with about 4% of staff in acute trusts absent — up by nearly 60% on the week before. our health correspondent katharine da costa reports. most nhs staff will be glad to see the back of 2021. nearly two years into this pandemic, many are exhausted. a spike in covid cases is driving a rise in staff sickness. in england, london is worst affected with about 4% of staff in acute trusts absent for covid—related reasons in the week before christmas, up nearly 60% on the week

before. many feel it's impacting on patient care. the staff that are at work will be caring for more patients, trying to do more to cover for their missing colleagues, working extra hours, starting early, finishing late. the pressure will be immense. in the latest infection survey from the ons, infections increased across the uk to their highest level on record in the week to christmas eve. in england, one in 25 had the virus. in scotland, wales and northern ireland, it was one in 40. infections doubled in a week in london. one in 15 tested positive. but there were big rises too in the north—west, yorkshire and the humber and west midlands. other regions weren't far behind. statisticians say infections are twice the level they were this time last winter in england because they're being fuelled by the more infectious omicron variant. across all age groups, we are seeing increases,

but particularly driven by those young age groups, we've seen increases among school—age children fairly recently, particularly from nursery through to primary. but we are now seeing infections among older age groups as well, so young adults from the mid—20s to the mid—30s, but spreading right the way up to increases now in the over 70s, although they remain the lowest group to be infected. there's more encouraging news on boosters. new uk data suggests a booster shot is 88% effective at preventing people ending up in hospital due to omicron. after a huge push, all uk nations say they've hit the target of offering all adults a third dose by the end of the year. i would just say to people again, there's 1.5 million slots out there over the next few days. there's plenty of opportunities. there is mobile vaccination units, there's gps vaccinating, there's all sorts of ways to get vaccinated. just please come forward and help yourself, but also

help reduce that burden on the nhs. and now, this. a second antiviral pill has been approved by the uk regulator. in trials, pfizer's paxlovid drug offered nearly 90% protection from severe illness and death among vulnerable adults. there's a glimmer of hope for the new year. vaccines and new treatments should help protect the most at risk from serious illness. but there are huge uncertainties. if there is a sharp rise in hospital admissions, health leaders say ministers will have to act fast. katharine da costa, bbc news. the legendary american actress and comedian, betty white, has died, just weeks before her 100th birthday. her career spanned nine decades — from the earliest days of television in the 1930's and her own shows in the �*50s, to the latest toy story film just two years ago. betty white will probably be best remembered for her

portrayal of rose nylund — in the sitcom the golden girls. it's believed she died at her home on friday morning. we will leave you with a look at some of the celebrations starting in sydney.

hello. you're not imagining it. it is exceptionally mild at the moment. we will continue to remain in very mild air for the first few days of the new year. notjust the uk, though, but many of our european neighbours have seen record temperatures for new year's eve, certainly records fell in parts of poland, austria, germany and the netherlands. and for new year's day, once again, we could see records being rivalled or toppled, for the day that is. this cold front will push across the uk, through new year's day, quite a skinny little weatherfront, not much temperature contrast across it and because it is such a narrow band of rain, actually it will not stick

around in many areas for very long, perhaps an hour or so of rain working its way from west to east across england and wales. these showers for the west of scotland and northern ireland perhaps more persistent affairs, but look at the temperatures again. quite a lot of sunshine through the day and widely highs in the mid teens. squally showers for the south—east of england through saturday evening, into the small hours of sunday, some heavier showers, moving in from the west in wales and the midlands. a very mild night again. these are the temperatures, more typical of daytime for this time of year. sunday has wetter weather again on the cards for england and wales and some blustery winds. we could see some intense showers working their way through. the driest and brightest weather for sunday will be for scotland and northern ireland. and then on monday, we fall into a bit of a pincer movement in terms of our weather across the uk. we will see this weather front to the south trying to push some rain into this area of low pressure in the north, trying to turn things increasingly unsettled, between the two, some breezy

conditions, but i think the best of any sunny spells are for the midlands, the north of england, but to the very south and very north of the uk, there could be some heavier, more persistent rain. a little cooler as well on monday, but temperature still slightly above average for the time of year. however, for tuesday, it looks like we are going to flip around and pick up a northerly wind and that will bring about a very dramatic change in the way things feel. you will have to add on the effect of the wind—chill, but temperatures in edinburgh just 4 degrees on tuesday, down to 8 degrees in london. so, is a big contrast in our weather to come over the next few days ahead.

this is bbc news, the headlines...

london has seen in the new year with a spectacular fireworks and light display from multiple venues across the city. people were encouarged to stay away and watch the event on tv instead, to reduce the spread of coronavirus. president biden has approved a disaster declaration in colorado after entire neighbourhoods in two towns north of denver were engulfed by wildfires on thursday. thousands of residents fled and hundreds of homes were destroyed. coronavirus infections in the uk have reached a record high. estimates suggest one in 30 people tested positive before christmas. one study suggests the risk of hospitalisation with omicron is about one—third that of delta. and tributes have been paid to the golden girls actress betty white who has died just weeks before what would have been her 100th birthday. a 15—year—old boy has been arrested on suspicion

of murder, following the death a teenager in croydon