welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. 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 0'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 2a 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 0'donoghue, bbc news. let's cross live to boulder now. jen gardner and herfamily had to leave their house in louisville due to the fire. jen, tell us what you have been through. from the pictures we have seen it looks pretty dramatic. it have seen it looks pretty dramatic.— have seen it looks pretty dramatic. ~ , ., dramatic. it was. we 'ust moved home a few * dramatic. it was. we 'ust moved home a few months _ dramatic. it was. we just moved home a few months ago - dramatic. it was. we just moved home a few months ago from i home a few months ago from england and we were just getting our life back together and we had a child from across the street playing at our house and i saw what looked to be a storm role in ad they called the kids over thinking i would teach them some science and we looked outside and realised it was smoke, a run inside and asked them to grab shoes and jackets, they grab their stuff, we ran back outside to our other neighbours across the street to kind of get together with her grandmother and decide what to do next. both of us were really calm, we heard it was at the bike trails six miles away, i tried because they love those trails, and we were back inside and i've finished lunch. eye looked outside again and the wind was going really hard and the cat was freaking out. and that was kind when we started filming. we grab the cat. my husband was coming down the mountain from the ski hill. he happened to be right at 36 and foothills and saw the entire scene and texted to me and said a need you to start packing bags. i thought there is no way it is going to jump there is no way it is going to jump a highway, it is a six lane hwy, there are thousands of families stop in 20 minutes he got home, was slow in packing because they really didn't think this was happening, and then we were in the car and i was worried about my neighbour, because she was so calm and she left so slowly. and then there was fire. because the flames, we could see embers and smoke. we could hear over the police radio that cars were on fire and we drove on the wrong side of the road to get out of louisville, to get through to lafayette and get through to lafayette and get up to the highway and out of town. there was never a warning system. there was never a phone call. the only phone call received was from the energy company telling us they turned off the natural gas and that was at ten o'clock last night. we went to a hotel near denver with my family. they had to get far away. and now we're back at my girlfriend's house or theirfamilies back at my girlfriend's house or their families mexico, because we are still all on winter break. they don't know what we're doing next week stop i don't know if our house is personally affected. they know our neighbours across the street are ok. and my girlfriend just texted me and said you are on tv, and it's your house! what i want everyone to take away is that we had to make these —— these decisions alone. i love my community, i think our school has been really on top of it, the sheriff has been really on top of it, i need a warning system. they need to know where to go, i need a phone call, i need a facebook page. all of these things i'm searching for in this panic moment, getting a couege in this panic moment, getting a college educated, we have systems in place, and there was nothing. there was nothing there for 20, 30, a0 minutes people are driving crazy and i was worried we would get into an accident getting out of town. at thousands of families just mobilised without any warning. and we all got safely out of town. and that's a christmas miracle. a no families in our neighbourhood who have lost everything. jen. who have lost everything. jen, it sounds _ who have lost everything. jen, it sounds like _ who have lost everything. jen, it sounds like you _ who have lost everything. jen, it sounds like you have - who have lost everything. jen, it sounds like you have gone through a lot, it sounds really try to come and select something out of a movie with you talk about. aggers you are hoping that local authorities to mobilise better in the future for things like this when it happens in the future, because obviously colorado and wildfires in december aren't too uncommon and you would expect maybe there would be a process in place for when that happens —— i guess. process in place for when that happens -- i guess.— process in place for when that happens -- i guess. yes! we can do this. happens -- i guess. yes! we can do this- we — happens -- i guess. yes! we can do this. we can _ happens -- i guess. yes! we can do this. we can do _ happens -- i guess. yes! we can do this. we can do this _ happens -- i guess. yes! we can do this. we can do this better. i do this. we can do this better. and we need to be bearing powerlines and we need to accept that we need to change and we need to stop flying all over the place and start recycling. they don't mean to get on a soapbox, but we need to wake up. because these fires are getting closer and closer to our communities and families have lost everything in the blink of an eye and nobody needs to go through that. so if anything can come from this, let it be the change, and b visible. i know everyone is asking us right now what we need and, you know, clothes and food,it need and, you know, clothes and food, it hasjust need and, you know, clothes and food, it has just stowed like a foot. nobody is thinking clearly enough to make amber zone wish lists or to think what comes next, other than food and housing for the next week —— is on. another thousands of families are going to be fighting for a rental in a very tight rental market against covid. so please keep praying and follow the links and we will organise the money later, honestly.— later, honestly. well, jen, it was everything _ later, honestly. well, jen, it was everything in _ later, honestly. well, jen, it| was everything in perspective when you have gone through all of that. thank you so much for sharing your story with us. i'm glad you are safe and they hope everything goes better than it has in the next few weeks better than it has the last few weeks. thank you for coming on and sharing your story with us. jen gardner there. thanks. people have seen in the new year in towns and cities around the uk. in london, the usual public firework display was moved to a secret location to avoid crowds turning out. instead, people were encouraged to watch the event on tv. it followed earlier celebrations in asia and europe. louise pilbeam reports. light after another dark year of the pandemic. the uk's new year's eve a breathtaking fireworks and light show performed to london's white histories with millions following advice to stay home and watch on television. again and again a straight forward, looking for an opening. this looks promising and... , ., opening. this looks promising and... h. ,, , and... celebrating successes in another tough _ and... celebrating successes in another tough year, _ and... celebrating successes in another tough year, like - and... celebrating successes in another tough year, like the i another tough year, like the england football team in the euros. the plan is kept under wraps to avoid crowds turning up. many travelled from scotland and wales into england where there are no restrictions after those nations who pose new year's celebrations were cancelled. sydnee's skies lit up cancelled. sydnee's skies lit up first, showing the world how it's done, with the biggest fireworks display on the planet. six tons of fireworks over sydney harbour in front of crowds. ., ., over sydney harbour in front of| crowds._ asian crowds. three, two, one! asian x2 welcome _ crowds. three, two, one! asian x2 welcome the _ crowds. three, two, one! asian x2 welcome the new— crowds. three, two, one! asian x2 welcome the new year. - crowds. three, two, one! asian| x2 welcome the new year. hong kong's spectacular victoria harbour crowds for the first time since 2018. the pandemic and social unrest cancelling previous years. china's capital signalled towards 2022 by showing off to the world paralympic tower ahead of the winter games in february. then came moscow's moment. its pristine red square deserted, closed off to the public amid 0micron concerns. athens' ancient parthenon stood three times, other pandemic. the city's restaurant and bars low allowed to open with no standing or musing and a 2am curfew. large, lively crowds in madrid's water del sol square, the spanish capital's version of times square, as they prepared to party. closely packed crowds in goa, western india, squeezed together on the beaches for fireworks and fun. the world ringing in the new year in different ways, but with a united hope for a better year. louise pilbeam, bbc news. the new year honours list has been published, featuring more than 1200 people, many of them being recognised for their work during the coronavirus pandemic. they're joined by almost 80 olympic and paralympic athletes who competed in last summer's tokyo games. lizo mzimba reports. their faces have become familiar to the public throughout the pandemic. now the chief medical officers for england — chris whitty. .. if many people have been vaccinated that reduces risk of transmission in the community. ..for scotland, gregor smith, and for wales, frank atherton, have all been knighted. a knighthood as well for england's deputy chief medical officer, jonathan van—tam. also being recognised for their roles responding to covid, jenny harries of the health security agency, and june raine, head of the uk's vaccine regulator. they have both become dames. # wheels on fire... in the entertainment world, joanna lumley says she is stunned to be made a dame. patsy stone, a7. both for her acting career... i'll sue! ..and for her campaigning work. when i saw the sentence saying dbe i burst into tears. it was an extraordinary shock. it was such a shock. i put my head in my hands and sobbed like a baby and i thought "how has this happened?" "is it a mistake?" i truly was thrown by it but i am thrilled to bits. award—winning actress vanessa redgrave says she is surprised and grateful to also become a dame for services to drama. broadcaster trevor phillips has been knighted in recognition of his decade—long work on equality and human rights. james bond actor daniel craig has been made a cmg, the same honour held by the fictional spy, while commander bond's movie producers, michael g wilson and barbara broccoli, say they are honoured to be made commanders of the order of the british empire, cbes. consumer champion martin lewis becomes a cbe for his work on consumer rights, particularly during the pandemic. i never thought they would give a cbe to someone like me so it is very gratifying to get it. especially after the couple of years we have had, when myself and my team have put so much work into trying to help people get through the pandemic financially. goodbye, old friend. two of our best—known soap stars, william roache and june brown, have both become 0bes for services to drama and charity. hello,jim. it's me, dorothy. as has tv personality and campaigner katie piper for her work with people affected by burns and other injuries. spice girl mel b, a patron of women's aid has been made an mbe for her work highlighting abusive behaviour. as the world watched on, another black life gone. and diversity star ashley banjo says he is humbled and proud to become an mbe for services to dance. black lives matter. lizo mzimba, bbc news. among the many 0lympic stars to receive an honour is the gold medal—winning diver, tom daley. he spoke to the bbc�*s sally nugent about being given an 0be. i am extremely proud to be honoured with an 0be and i think it is also that now, being an 0be, it is almost like a responsibility to make the whole commonwealth a better place for lgbt people, for women, for people of colour, to make it a more inclusive and accepting environment. and with accepting this 0be, it is now my responsibility to try and help create change and help create this environment where everybody can be anything that they want, no matter where they come from. that is an aspirational thing to mark out, isn't it? that you accept this reward but you almost want it to make you do more. i think accepting an 0be is one thing but accepting it and doing something with it, taking it from being just an 0be to being something where i can help people no matter where they are born, or where they have come from, that they feel like they can be involved in anything they want to be, and can be whatever they want to be. because if you cannot see it you cannot be it and at the end of the day i think it is important to be able to live up all the people who feel that they are outsiders who don't fit in, who feel that they have been less than for so many years, to support them in being whatever they want to be and i feel that as now an 0be, i am able to lift up their voices. some breaking news now from india — we're getting reports of a stampede at a famous shrine in indian—administered kashmir. reports say at least 20 people were injured in the crush involving devotees at the famous mata vaishno devi shrine, shortly after midnight, local time. some reports say at least 6 people have been killed — others say twelve have lost their lives. we will keep you updated on that story as we get more news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: mourners in south africa pay their final respects to archbishop desmond tutu ahead of his funeral on saturday. the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has got under way with the introduction of the euro. tomorrow in holland, we're going to use money we picked up in belgium today. and then we'll be in france and, again, it will be the same money. it's just got to be the way to go. george harrison, the former beatle, is recovering in hospital after being stabbed at his 0xfordshire home. a 33—year—old man from liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. i think it was good. just good? no, fantastic! that's better! big ben bongs this is bbc news. the latest headlines: heavy snowfall in the american state of colorado helps to douse a wildfire that destroyed a thousand homes. a new year surprise in the skies — lasers, fireworks and drones light up london, new year celebrations kept secret to deter the crowds. official figures suggest that nearly 2.3 million people in the uk had covid in the week before christmas — the highest level of infections since the data was first compiled last year. the figures indicate that one in 30 of the population had coronavirus. for the week before, the estimate was one in a5. it's translating into greater pressure on the nhs. more than 25,000 healthcare workers are themselves off sick or isolating each day. 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's worst affected with about a% 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 0ns, 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 a0. 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. it is now the dominant variant. statisticians say infections are twice the level they were this time last winter in england because they're being fuelled by the more infectious 0micron variant. so 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 some more encouraging news on boosters. new uk data suggests a booster shot is 88% effective at preventing people ending up in hospital due to 0micron. and 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. 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. in south africa, thousands of people have waited in line to pay their final respects to the late archbishop desmond tutu, whose body was lying in state for a second day ahead of the state funeral later on saturday. the archbishop, who played a leading role in the battle against racial segregation and the apartheid regime, died on sunday at the age of 90. 0ur south africa correspondent nomsa maseko reports from cape town. the clergy, anglican churchwardens, and a marching band lining the streets as a guard of honour for archbishop desmond tutu. the outspoken priest who became one of the world's great moral voices lying in state for a second day in a plain, pinewood coffin, in accordance with his wishes. thousands of people have been flocking to st george's cathedral to pay their last respects. one man hitch—hiked for more than 1,000 kilometres just for this moment. it's a memory that i will live for for the rest of my life and ijust hope, as he said, in his words — he said, "south africa, you must be careful. if you don't live according to those values, you might bite the dust." archbishop tutu campaigned against white minority rule and worked hard to unite a deeply divided nation. the arch, as he was known fondly, was also a family man. my parents' relationship was strong and loving. they talked about loving each other. they would say, "i think you're so handsome, you're so beautiful, you're so gorgeous, you smell delicious. he wouldn't say delicious. he would say, "0oh, you smell expensive!" the globally revered anti—apartheid icon�*s send off will be held at the cathedral he called home for many years, to the sounds and hymns he chose ahead of his funeral. nomsa maseko, bbc news. and we'll bring you desmond's tutu funeral in a special programme here on bbc world news and the bbc news channel. coverage starts on saturday at 7.a5 gmt, from st george's cathedral in cape town. the legendary american actress and comedian, betty white, has died, just weeks before her hundredth birthday. her career spanned nine decades: from the earliest days of television in the nineteen—thirties, 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. she won an emmy for that role. it's believed she died at her home on friday morning. michael schneider is from the entertainment magazine, variety. he's been reflecting on her long career. we don't use the term �*national treasure' lightly but it definitely applies in the case of betty white. we have never known television without betty white. she was there, like you mentioned, at the dawn of television. some of our favourite shows over the years, golden girls, mary tyler moore. she was always a presence in our life and that is what is so sad and really has a nation in mourning today. there are already plenty tributes in magazines and newspapers including our own that we were preparing, for a big celebration of her 100th birthday. steve martin had a nice tribute yesterday before her step passing and we will continue to see those rolling because so many people work with her and loved her and betty continued to work until a year or two ago. she was active fire into her late 90s and everybody has a betty white story. that is it from me for now. you can reach me on twitter but from me and the rest of the team, link you for watching and stay tuned to bbc news. 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 weather front, 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 four degrees on tuesday, down to eight 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: 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. the governor of colorado has pledged to help residents who've lost everything to rebuild their lives. london has welcomed in the new year with a spectacular fireworks and laser display across the city. people were encouraged to stay away and watch the event on tv instead, to reduce the spread of coronavirus. the river thames provided the backdrop for a spectacular light show. in south africa, thousands of people have been paying their respects to the late archbishop desmond tutu ahead of his state funeral later on saturday. the archbishop, who played a leading role in the battle against the apartheid regime, died on sunday at the age of 90. now on bbc news, it's time for weather world.