under way, as republican supporters vote for a presidential candidate. and new images of the volcanic eruption in iceland, which has set homes on fire and forced thousands to evacuate. and on newsnight at 10.30, we'll go deeper behind the headlines and speak live to key players on today's big stories, plus a first look at tomorrow's front pages. good evening. as another houthi missile struck a cargo ship in the red sea today, qatar became the latest country to stop its gas tankers from using the route. the disruption to international trade by the attacks in the red sea are dominating this year's annual gathering of business and political leaders in davos in switzerland.

the strikes by houthi fighters have forced major shipping companies to stop using the red sea, through which almost 15% of global seaborne trade passes. they're using a much longer route around southern africa instead, raising fears that this will drive up prices. let's go live now to davos and to our economics editor faisal islam. i'v e i've heard from some of the world's biggest business leaders here at the world economic forum, and i'm surprised byjust how concerned they are about these tensions and the immediate impact. the immediate impact as causing dislocation, delay, pushing up costs, tech bosses having to fly in their products from the far east, rather than using shipping routes. if it wasjust that, it could be manageable. but they are also starting to fear, they didn't expect where we were now three months ago when tensions began

between gaza and israel. so where are we going to go in three months�* time, they fear? as you are saying, a qatari ship full of liquid gas, essential to the european energy supply, essential to the european energy supply, they are being diverted now. this does not mean there is going to be a new energy shock. at the risk of an energy shock, through a path to escalation, that is there now. and the business leaders thought they could put those sorts of risks behind them in a year of falling inflation and falling interest rates. it mayjust be at this event there are the sorts of world leaders from the foreign secretary to the us secretary of state, to the iranian foreign ministry, the qatari prime minister and the israeli president, where you can start conversations to start to solve this, but it would be a big ask indeed. the prime minister has been defending his decision to join the us in last week�*s military strikes against parts of houthi—controlled yemen last week. in a statement to mps, rishi sunak said he would not hesitate to protect uk interests.

he said that all 13 targets had been hit, without any reports of civilian casualties. here�*s our political editor, chris mason. this is the ship, the gibraltar eagle, hit by a missile today off the coast of yemen. it sustained minimal damage and no one was injured. but it shows that even after those us and uk air strikes, the houthi attacks are continuing. i call the prime minister. in the commons this afternoon, rishi sunak said the uk decided to hit houthi targets late last week in self—defense after commercial ships and the royal navy were attacked. i want to be clear that these were limited strikes. they were carefully targeted at launch sites for drones and ballistic missiles to degrade the houthis�* capacity to make further attacks on international shipping. i can tell the house today that our initial assessment is that all 13 planned

targets were destroyed. keir starmer said parliament should be consulted where possible when a military campaign is likely to be lengthy, but he supported the government�*s decision last week. labour backs this targeted action to reinforce maritime security in the red sea. we strongly condemn the houthi attacks that are targeting commercial ships of all nationalities, putting civilians and military personnel in serious danger, including british forces. thank you, mr speaker. the scottish national party wanted to know how the uk will respond to today�*s attack. the liberal democrats are worried about the escalation of violence. thank you, mr speaker. while not having a vote in this house is regrettable, liberal democrats support limited strikes against the houthis to open international shipping lanes. but we cannot lose sight, mr speaker, of the fact this region is a tinderbox. if, as has been suggested

through their actions over the course of the last 12 hours or so, the message which we sought to send has not been received, then what do we intend to do? what is the plan? what is the prime minister's strategy? the prime minister said he wouldn�*t speculate on further uk action. did this look like support for israel, given the houthis say they back the palestinians? "no", said rishi sunak. this is about shipping lanes. mps had plenty of questions and plenty of points of view. mr speaker. past mistakes in the middle east should have taught this house the military intervention starting out as limited can quickly escalate, risking a sequence of events far larger and more terrible — and risk even dragging us into war. while it's important how we spend defence money, it is vital and without doubt that defence needs a lot more money.

can he explain to seafarers how dropping bombs will lead to a de—escalation of a situation which is already endangering their safety? prime minister. mr speaker, it is quite extraordinary. it is houthi rockets that are endangering the lives of the seafarers in the region. so many of the goods we rely on take this route, the red sea and the suez canal after yet another attack today, big implications. an escalating conflict, the impact on the world economy and what would provoke the uk to strike the houthis again. it was a big day for the prime minister, and he�*s got a lot on his hands tomorrow too? he has, yes, because it is the return of his rwanda plan, the idea you might remember to send some asylum seekers to rwanda. labour and other opposition parties think the plan is ridiculous. but there is a

sizeable chunk of conservative mps who don�*t think it is strong enough. so it was rejected in the courts last year, and they fear that unless it is made stronger, it is toughened up, it could be rejected again. in other words, up, it could be rejected again. in otherwords, not up, it could be rejected again. in other words, not work. they want to reduce the ways in which individuals might be able to avoid being sent there. around 60 conservative mps have signed tweaks, changes, amendments to the plan, including tonight two deputy chairman of the conservative party, lee anderson and brendan clarke—smith, a flash of indiscipline, if you like, an element of public mutiny from them. 60 is a big number, but how many of them would actually be willing to vote down the plan as opposed to just endorsing changes to it? i suspect that number could be considerably smaller. and the government remains relatively confident. but here is a twist. tonight, tory mps were addressed by

a guy who is the party election strategist, and he told them, let me be clear, divided parties fail and it�*s time to get serious. what could he possibly be talking about? we will get a sense in the next couple of days ofjust how divided they are. vulnerable young girls were left at the mercy of grooming gangs in greater manchester for years because police and council officials ignored the warnings. that�*s according to the latest of a series of reviews into the failings — this one focuses on cases in rochdale during one decade. the police and council officials have apologised. but the report says 96 men are still deemed a potential risk to children. danny savage reports. rochdale — a town with the wrong sort of reputation. hurry up, zoe. tv dramas were made about the sexual exploitation of children here, by men police were told were of pakistani and afghan heritage.

who�*s that? tarik — amber's boyfriend. then, a 2017 bbc documentary triggered today�*s report. there was absolutely no getting away from the facts that the victims were young white children and that the offenders were older pakistani men. and this was today�*s conclusion. we have found compelling evidence that there was widespread organised sexual exploitation of children within rochdale from at least 2004 onwards. very little disruptive or investigative action was taken to tackle these very dangerous individuals, and children were left to be abused by them and subsequently by their associates. andrea — not her real name — was exploited in the area from the age of ii. she was in care at the time. nobody has ever been prosecuted for the abuse she suffered.

i want to know who�*s accountable for the neglect and the abuse that i suffered. i was a looked—after child. parental rights were taken away from my mum and dad, so somebody has parental rights for me. somebody must be held accountable for what happened to me as a child. victims are being failed. the police complaints system is unfit for purpose. maggie 0liver raised the alarm in rochdale more than a decade ago. she quit as a police officer to publicly reveal the extent of police failings — failings, she says, continue today. the system doesn't want to hear the message that things are no better. and i want police forces around the country to shout that from the rooftops. we need more resources, we need better training, we need people who really want to engage with these children. and that is the sobering thought of other people we have also spoken to today.

child sexual exploitation may now be more of a priority for the authorities but it would be naive to think that it isn�*t happening any more. but police say such a failure on such a scale could never happen again here. i know in the past 18 months since i�*ve managed this team, that, when we have had reports of victims or potential victims of exploitation, we have moved rapidly to arrest perpetrators. a weary health worker who helped victims had this response. i can't applaud the fact that services are better now because so they should be. many of those responsible for abuse in rochdale were never charged. police say that could change. there�*s still hurt and a huge feeling of injustice for too many people in this pennine town. danny savage, bbc news, rochdale. train drivers will go out on strike again at the end of the month — in a new series of walk—outs over pay. members of the train drivers union

aslef will take part in rolling strikes over five days at the end of this month and into february. 0ur transport correspondent katy austin is here. tell us more about this. well, this latest set of _ tell us more about this. well, this latest set of strikes _ tell us more about this. well, this latest set of strikes will _ tell us more about this. well, this latest set of strikes will involve i latest set of strikes will involve drivers at 16 train companies. there will be five of them over nearly a week. you can see the details on your screen now, between tuesday the 30th of january and monday the 5th of february, different operators will be effective in each day, although there won�*t be a strike on the thursday will be sunday. all of those details are on the bbc news website. there will also be an overtime ban that week until the 6th of february, which could also cause some cancellations. 0ther rail unions, including the rmt, have now done deals. it�*s been a long time since there was any progress in aslef�*s dispute. it is overpaid, it is also about train companies and the government saying ways of working have to change if pay is going to rise. they insist the latest offer, which was rejected,

would have taken train driver pay up to £65,000 on average, they say that the offer is still on the table. one interesting question is whether any of the train companies will require some staff to work on strike days under new minimum service levels rules. i don�*t think that would necessarily be straightforward to implement, and unions have opposed the idea from the off. but if we do see it happen, and we don�*t know yet if any of the operators will choose to do this, it could mean that more trains will on strike days compared to previously, but it would also be the first big test of minimum service levels in practice. hamas has released a video, apparently from gaza, showing the bodies of two male israeli hostages and the testimony of a third, female captive. she�*s believed to be noa argamani. in the video, it�*s claimed the men were killed in an israeli air strike. wyre davies joins us now from jerusalem— tell us more>

in the 101 days since the war began, hamas has released several videos, some showing hostages alive, sometimes dead, but this video will prove particularly difficult for many israelis because it was released in three stages, the first showing hostages apparently alive and well, the second this morning suggested some of them may be dead and tonight the third video shows two of the main hostages killed and the third hostage, noa argamani, reading a statement clearly under duress, suggesting they had been killed in israeli air strikes, and that�*s impossible to verify the dub israel has accused hamas of committing psychological torture on hostages. this comes at a very difficult stage in this conflict for the death following gaza is now more than 24,000. i the death following gaza is now more than 211,000. i think the net result of this is that the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, will come under increasing pressure to do more to release the remaining hostages, about 130 of them, because

thatis hostages, about 130 of them, because that is what the israeli public wants, perhaps even above is war aims in gaza. two top flight clubs, everton and nottingham forest, have been charged by the premier league with breaking its financial rules. if the charges are upheld, both clubs could face fines or points deductions, meaning they would be moved down the league or even relegated. they have 1a days to formally respond. here�*s our sports editor, dan roan. when everton were docked ten points for breaching premier league financial rules less than two months ago, the fans�* fury towards what they saw as an unfair punishment was clear. the club appealed. but now could it get even worse? everton, today charged again for exceeding the £105 million losses permitted in another, more recent three—year period. in a statement, everton said the club must now defend another premier league complaint, which includes the very same financial periods for which it has already been sanctioned, before that appeal

has even been heard. the club takes the view that this results from a clear deficiency in the premier league�*s rules. everton claim the cost of their new stadium was among mitigating factors, and the fact that the rules are being changed later this year shows they�*re flawed. but they are not the only club that the premier league have confirmed to them are in breach of the regulations. nottingham forest, who have spent around a quarter of a billion pounds on new signings since reaching the premier league two years ago, have also been charged and are also being referred to the commission. the club saying it said it would cooperate and was confident of a speedy and fair resolution. really worried about it, to be honest. i think it�*s poor from the club, though. not too worried about relegation, i think even if they knock us ten points off, i think we'll survive. with both teams currentlyjust above the relegation zone, neither can afford any points deductions. the fear that any appeals are only concluded after the end of the season, leading to unprecedented uncertainty. meanwhile, the dominant force in the english game, champions manchester city, continue to fight more than 100

financial charges brought by the premier league almost a year ago. they deny wrongdoing, but there is still no resolution in sight. now, a growing list of premier league clubs whose fates could be determined not by events on the pitch but by the results of legal cases. there is an existential problem with the finances of football, the gaps between the rich and the middle classes is too big, and the gaps between the middle classes in the premier league and those clubs who are in the championship are too big, and nobody�*s managed to come up with a solution to that. the premier league would argue they�*re simply upholding regulations designed to prevent overspending, but the fear is that clubs and theirfans no longer know where they stand. dan roan, bbc news. executives from the company at the heart of the post office scandal, fujitsu, will tomorrow face questions from mps and also at the public inquiry as to how faults with its horizon system could lead to nearly

1,000 post office managers being accused of theft and false accounting. our business editor, simonjack, is here to look at how fujitsu became a central player in possibly the biggest miscarriage ofjustice in british history: fujitsu�*s long and continued position at the heart of government technology projects began when it acquired a company called icl in the 1990s. it was like a british version of ibm. buying it gave fujitsu a seat at the top table when government contracts were being awarded. it has key questions to answer. in 1996, it won the contract to computerise transactions at the post office. it was rolled out in 1999 and there were reports of problems almost immediately. so the first question for fujitsu — when did the company know something was wrong? the post office said it had relied on assurances from fujitsu that the horizon system was "like fort knox". no—one, it said, apart

from post office managers, could access or alter horizon records, meaning the blame for mistakes could only rest with subpostmasters. a judge later found that was untrue. so, next question — did fujitsu employees help cover up faults with the system? in 2019, the court of appeal found there were defects in the fujitsu system. the post office subsequently agreed to pay compensation to over 500 subpostmasters and mistresses. the question for fujitsu — the company built a system that failed. will it be paying compensation? the horizon system is still place — the post office paid an additional £100 million to extend the contract till the end of next year. fujitsu has continued to win other government contracts with hmrc, the mod, the home office and others, worth billions of pounds. this begs the question — should fujitsu be trusted with delivering key services? well, the european boss of fujitsu faces mps at 11:30am tomorrow morning.

reeta. the race for the white house officially gets under way tonight, with republican supporters in iowa meeting to give their preference on who should be the candidate in november�*s election. donald trump is the firm favourite and has predicted a record victory. but, with temperatures in the state plummeting to as low as minus 30, turnout could be a factor. 0ur north american editor, sarah smith, has the latest. expectations around donald trump ask i had this evening because polls suggesting he could win more support than all his rivals combined. voters are flocking to him, driven in part by those criminal indictments against him, which many think are deeply unjust, but mainly the economy, voters who say they feel much worse off since donald trump left the white house. will that drive them to caucus sites given

that outside its going to feel like -30? clearing a path to victory in iowa can be hard work. challengers like ron desantis, taking on donald trump, are trying to win over voters just a few dozen at a time. thank you! the mckinnon family braved a blizzard to get here. they�*ve supported donald trump before, but this year their votes are up for grabs. donald trump had some big promises in 2016. build the wall, and have mexico pay for it. drain the swamp, eliminate the debt, hold hillary accountable, all those. and none of those promises were fulfilled. after the event, the mckinnons invited us into their home to hear them discuss the big decision they have to make. why is trump so far ahead in iowa? if donald trump is the candidate, we�*re going to vote for him. trump's out there as obviously a big name. he's been here before. he does have our support,

as far as his policies. he can take a hit and a punch like no other person i know of and doesn't care what other people think. donald trump draws much bigger crowds as he expands his support beyond his solid, die—hard base. these caucuses are your personal chance to score the ultimate victory over all of the liars, cheaters, thugs, perverts, frauds, crooks, freaks, creeps, and other quite nice people. it�*s just that kind of rhetoric that turns off many voters. even if, like tim and michelle, they�*ve fully supported trump�*s policies. we just don�*t want the chaos. we don�*t want rioting and we don�*t want looting. and we don�*t want all the crap that goes with with the lightning rod stuff that donald trump brings to the table. so we�*re really in a quandary, and it�*s how so many conservatives feel. it�*s that quandary that�*s led them to visit as many candidates as they can, including nikki haley, who�*s recently been gaining in the polls. if you look at what's -

happening in the country, it's tough right now. and you don't have to turn - on the news to hear how bad it is. like we do really like her. she's a great person. we thought she said all the right things butjust didn't have a something. wasn't strong enough for me, anyway, to to swing my vote that direction. for the mckinnons, the moment of truth has arrived. is there any chance that donald trump can get your support in the caucus? just tonight, it kind of switched over in my mind that it�*s very likely that we�*ll caucus for desantis. i think learning more about desantis tonight helped me switch over to desantis, because of his... he's a very presidential personality. i think he's strong. the enormous lead donald trump enjoys in the polls is among republican voters, who do need to think about who�*s most likely to win the white house. well, on that, the current polling suggests any one of the three major republican candidates could narrowly defeatjoe biden in the election in november. the big freeze across iowa may affect the turnout,

and possibly the result. trump supporters are so enthusiastic about him, they will probably battle any adversity to get out to vote — a devotion he appears to inspire in voters across america. and there is continuing live coverage of events in iowa from midnight on the bbc news channel and the bbc news website. a volcano in iceland that�*s erupted for the second time in a month has now set several homes on fire. fortunately, most of grindavik�*s residents had already been evacuated. 0ur science editor, rebecca morelle, reports. the unstoppable power of a volcano, as houses are lost to the lava. the rapidly built defences couldn�*t hold back the moving wall of fire. this is a country that�*s used to living under the threat of eruptions. why is iceland so volcanically active? it sits on the mid—atlantic ridge, the boundary between the eurasian

and the north american tectonic plate. they�*re slowly pulling apart from each other, but iceland is also above a geological hotspot deep inside the earth, where plumes of hot material can well upwards. the last eruptions in the reykjanes peninsula were in the 1200s, lasting for decades, but then nothing for 800 years, until five eruptions that started in march 2021. so, why was there such a big gap? 0ver geological time, the tectonic plates are pulling it apart about the speed that your finger nails grow, so a few centimetres every year. but they don�*t seem to smoothly pull apart, they go through pulses of higher activity, and this is likely what we�*re seeing right now, in the reykjanes. in 2010, in the south of the country, another eruption generated a giant ash cloud. it exploded through an ice sheet, which pulverised the ash into an even finer material, disrupting air travel across europe.

it�*s unlikely the same thing will happen now. there�*s no glacier here. instead, the lava is erupting through fissures, cracks in the ground. the 2010 eruption was over in a matter of months, but scientists think this could see lots of smaller eruptions, but over a much longer period. the probability is once that it's begun it's going to keep going for some time. and so that isn't great news for the people who are living in the reykjanes peninsula, in the south—west of iceland where this is occurring, because the most likely scenario is that there will be continued volcanism for the next multiple years. the current activity seems to be slowing, but there�*s likely to be more to come. iceland�*s president has said the country is battling tremendous forces of nature. rebecca morelle, bbc news. zayn malik — formerly of one direction — is taking a new direction by teaming up with the pakistani band 0rrr to record his first urdu—language single.

it means a whole new and potentially huge market for the bradford—born singer. urdu is spoken by over 200 million people globally. and his loyalfans are now seeing him in a fresh light. bbc music correspondent mark savage has more. it�*s a story of unrequited love. tu hai kahan has already been a massive hit in pakistan and india, where it�*s been number one on spotify and gained more than 96 million views on youtube. # tu hai kahan...# and now zayn malik has jumped on board, singing in urdu, to the delight of his fans. in the star�*s hometown of bradford, a whole new audience is being introduced to the song. it�*s quite catchy. a nice little beat going on. i'm really happy for him, because it is nice for somebody

so mainstream to hear a different side. of course, zayn is better known for pop songs like what makes you beautiful and pillow talk, but this isn�*t the first time he�*s sung in urdu. i would say it's the mostl fluent he's ever sounded. also, zayn collaborating _ with a relatively unknown pop band like 0rrr gives the band huge - exposure internationally as well, so it felt like a really pleasant surprise for zayn fans - all around the world. this song, from his debut album mind of mine, was recorded as a tribute to his father, a pakistani immigrant to the uk. but releasing a single in urdu is a significant step. zayn says he�*s incredibly honoured to be featured on tu hai kahan, and fans are already calling for him to sing more songs in urdu. mark savage, bbc news. time for a look at the weather.

here�*s ben rich.

in temperatures of minus 25, the race for us president has officially begun in iowa.

is donald trump unstoppable?