this is bbc news. i'm reged ahmad. our top stories: carlos ghosn confirms he's now in lebanon. the former boss of renault—nissan said he'd "escaped injustice and political persecution" injapan. relief in australia as thousands narrowly avoid raging bushfires. we get the latest from victoria. us prosecutors file hate crime charges against the man accused of stabbing five jewish people during hanukkah celebrations in new york. and new year's eve with a difference — berlin says no to unofficial fireworks.

hello and welcome to bbc news. the former head of renault—nissan, carlos ghosn, has confirmed he has arrived in lebanon. in a statement, he says he has "escaped injustice and political persecution" injapan. mr ghosn had been facing a trial there on charges of financial misconduct. he was released on bail in march, but was not permitted to leave the country. he denies enriching himself at his company's expense and mis—stating his income. gareth barlow has more. mrghosn mr ghosn shouldn't have been able to leave japan. he had surrendered his passport and supposed to ask permission to travel. when he unexpectedly arrived in lebanon, japanese authorities were stunned and left scrambling for answers. in and left scrambling for answers. in a statement, he said: mark

-- it is —— it isa —— it is a turnaround for a man once revered in japan. —— it is a turnaround for a man once revered injapan. carlos ghosn was one of the great tycoons of the car industry. at one point, sm, renault and mitsubishi were all under his control. at one -- that he was a very powerful car executive who was particularly known for his efficient cost—cutting, which saved listen in essence, yeah, so a hard businessman who seemed to have a very good touch in turning companies around. but all

that changed in november 2018. following exhalations of significant a cts following exhalations of significant acts of misconduct, including underreporting his pay, and the personal use of company assets stop he was arrested and faces trial in japan. the former listen boss denies wrongdoing. his lawyers accuse the japanese government of conspiring against him. calling the prosecution's case political motivated. nissan workers gave their reaction to the news he had gone to lebanon. translation: i have seen a few media reports. there are some things he did that i didn't understand. i think he fled because he did something. whoever escapes wins. i envy people with money. translation: as ordinary japanese citizens, we want mr ghosn to reveal the truth. we want him to appear in an appropriate place and speak with his own words. after decades of corporate success and a year of sensational headlines, carlos ghosn‘s story has taken a dramatic

turnit ghosn‘s story has taken a dramatic turn it and remains unknown. gareth barlow, bbc news. 4,000 people who've taken refuge from raging bushfires on a beach in the australian state of victoria have been told that the threat has now passed. over the last few days, the authorities had warned people in the coastal town of mallacoota to leave before it was too late. some pictures sent from the town show the scene a few hours ago. you can see how the smoke has blocked the sunlight, lending a very eerie red light. people there have been advised to stay near the beach or take refuge on boats. 0n social media, residents said they were putting on life jackets in case they needed to seek refuge in the water from the fire. let's get an update on how things are going. luke heagerty is a spokesman for emergency management in victoria. he joins us from melbourne. i , thank you so much for your time. i know it must be a very difficult

time for victoria, but can you give us time for victoria, but can you give usa time for victoria, but can you give us a sense time for victoria, but can you give us a sense of where some of the worst fires are at the moment that i really causing concern? yes, our main concerns across victoria at the moment are in a region called east gippsland, in the far east of our state. it is a heavy forested area of the state and that is where we have had fires burning for over a month now. they are the fires that yesterday spread significantly under very strong and hot northerly winds and they have unfortunately impacted ona number of and they have unfortunately impacted on a number of communities in the last 12 hours and we are now looking at very significant property loss across that region, but also, the very concerning situation with the number of people who had to seek shelter on the beach and in the water at mallacoota and in other parts of that region because we reached a point where it was no longer safe for people to try to leave the area. the main roads through east gippsland were closed due to the fires and the only option

that we could advise people to take was to seek shelter inside a solid building and wait for the fire front to pass. as we have been hearing, and you are talking about that area of mallacoota, people sheltering on the foreshore, what is going to happen to those people that are still stuck there? we are undertaking work at the moment to plan on how we can support that group of people initially, make sure they have got supplies they need and then work through a process of moving them out, and one of our options is to move them out by air 01’ options is to move them out by air or by water and the victorian state government has requested the support of the australian defence force to consider whether they may be able to assist us with that work. so that will be a planned event that will firstly make sure that we have got eve ryo ne firstly make sure that we have got everyone taken care of an immediate supplies are provided, and that will be something not only specific to

mallacoota, but a number of other communities across the region who are now isolated because of the significant road closures in the area, and we don't expect to be able to open some of those roads for a number of days due to the sheer volume of trees that have been burnt through the fires that have now fallen across the road, making it u nsafe to fallen across the road, making it unsafe to travel on those roads. luke with emergency management in victoria, thank you so much for that update, and best of luck fighting those fires in east gippsland. thank you. federal prosecutors in new york have filed hate crimes charges against a man accused of stabbing five people at a hanukkah party on saturday. they claim the suspect, grafton thomas, keptjournals containing references to hitler. 0ur correspondent michelle fleury has more details about the case. i think you've got the family speaking through their lawyer, michael sussman, who's representing grafton thomas, the man accused of essentially entering a rabbi's home over the weekend and stabbing five people. he's been saying that his client suffers from mental illness and hospitalisation and that

that's what's behind the attack. that being said, if you listen to authorities, they take a different view. you've got the governor, andrew cuomo, who basically wants tougher sanctions on what he describes as domestic terrorism and now you've got federal prosecutors essentially charging him with hate crime. basically they filed five charges today in the southern district of new york, accusing him of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs, involving the attempt to kill and use a dangerous weapon. this is in addition to state charges, which grafton thomas pleaded not guilty to on sunday. this is a gentleman who lived about 20 miles from rockland county, it's a suburban area. and he, allegedly, according to investigators, had been researching places where there were jewish prayer houses, he was looking up places

in staten island, in newjersey, and we're still trying to understand more of the motivation, but a journal that investigators recovered seems to be shedding some light, in which he made references to hitler and to israelites. so this is something that investigators are going to be poring over and going over in more detail to try and ascertain his motivation. michelle fleury with that update. a 19—year—old british woman has been found guilty by a court in cyprus of lying about being raped by a group of tourists. she was arrested after withdrawing a claim that she was attacked by 12 israeli men at a hotel in the resort of ayia napa injuly. jon donnison‘s report contains flash photography. when these legal proceedings began, the young british woman at the heart of the case was a victim making a complaint of rape. she came to court today to be found guilty of making a false statement about what the law in cyprus says was an imaginary crime.

the lawyers say both the police investigation and the court process were flawed. we believe that there have been many violations in the procedure and the right to a fair trial of our client has been violated. we are planning to appeal the decision to the supreme court, hoping that our client will find justice in cyprus, at least from the supreme court. these are the young israeli tourists who originally faced accusations that they'd raped the young woman. they were freed and allowed to fly home after she retracted the allegation. but she says she only changed her story about the young men because she was put under huge pressure by police questioning when she was vulnerable. the british government says it will be speaking to the cypriot authorities about the case. in a statement, a foreign office spokesperson said the uk

was seriously concerned about the fair trial issues in what it called a deeply disturbing case. the young woman's lawyers are expecting to base her appeal on the way she says she was questioned by police for 8.5 hours without access to a lawyer before being coerced into agreeing that her claims were false. and in cyprus, there have been questions about the way she's been treated. women's rights activists demonstrated outside the court, arguing that the young woman was a victim, not a criminal. some wore scarves showing lips stitched together. a reminder, they say, that women's voices are not being heard. they say the case is not over. translation: we are here to show our support and solidarity to the victim of this process. a young woman at the heart of the case, who hasn't been allowed to leave cyprus sincejuly, has now been told she will be sentenced on january 7th

when she could be jailed for a year. jon donnison, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: talking pictures, tutankhamen and tokyo. we look ahead to 2020's cultural highlights. 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 oxfordshire home. a 33—year—old man from liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder.

i think it was good. reporter: it was just good? no, fantastic! that's better! big ben strikes the hour this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: the former head of renault— nissan, carlos ghosn, has fled japan, where he was awaiting trial on charges of financial misconduct. in a statement, mr ghosn confirmed that he was now in lebanon. blazes continue to rage across australia. weather conditions, already described as catastrophic, are expected to worsen and thousands are trapped in one coastal town. more now on our top story,

news that the former head of renault—nissan, carlos ghosn, has fled japan and is in lebanon. in a statement he said he had... "escaped injustice and political persecution" in japan. 0ur correspondent, rupert wingfield hayes, is in tokyo with more. it is quite a dramatic declaration that carlos ghosn has said. he said he was fleeing a red japanese justice system where he said guilt is presumed, discrimination rampant and human rights are denied and he saidi and human rights are denied and he said i am not fleeing justice, i am escaping injustice and political persecution. he is essentially saying what he has said before and his defence team has said before that the case against him was politically motivated by nissan and that they had conspired with the japanese prosecutors office to trumped up charges against him in order to get him out of his position as the chairman of the corporation.

now he has taken it is very, very dramatic step to flee japan, to jump bail, to get to lebanon on and now he is essentially a fugitive from japanese justice. this statement has just been released, what do you think would be the reaction injapan and in the investigations into how he managed to get out of the country? i think there are two very large questions that these raises. the first the red faces of the people in tokyo he was supposed to be keeping a close eye on carlos ghosn. the cult that had allowed him out on bail, under very strict conditions, he had surrendered his passport, he was supposed to be

underfairly passport, he was supposed to be under fairly close observations, although that conditions had been relaxed so he was allowed to travel andjapan relaxed so he was allowed to travel and japan more than originally. the prosecution office back in march, when he was given bow, said he was a flight when he was given bow, said he was a flight risk and that his wealth and multiple citizenship made him a serious flight risk and that is why they did not want him released in bail. the second question is, why would someone like carlos ghosn take such a big step this is a huge step for someone like him to take. he's essentially a fugitive now, presumably japan will put essentially a fugitive now, presumablyjapan will put him under the interpol red list which means travelling for him to other countries will be very, very difficult. why has it taken such a big step and what does it say about japanese justice because there have been many allegations notjust from him and his defence team that the justice system here is not fair, that he did not face a fair trial, that he did not face a fair trial, that his defence team could not see

the evidence against him and that is perhaps, his supporters say, the reason he was forced to take this massive step and flee the country. let's get some of the day's other news: the somali jihadist group al shabaab has for the first time said it carried out saturday's bomb explosion in the capital mogadishu which killed more than 80 people. it said the target had been a convoy of turkish nationals and apologised for the deaths of civilians. the iraqi prime minister, abdul mahdi, says us airstrikes on what he called "iraqi armed forces" were a violation of sovereignty. iran has condemned the attacks, which it claims left at least 25 members of an iranian—backed iraqi militia force dead. as the us prepares itself for the 2020 presidential election, democrat contenderjoe biden says he would consider a republican

running mate if he won the nomination — though he did say he couldn't think who it might be. the former vice—president leads other democrats in the polls for the race to take on donald trump. i spoke to steve herman, white house bureau chief with voice of america news and i asked him ifjoe biden was serious. he says he is, although he didn't name any republicans when he was asked about this at a campaign event in new hampshire. but it seems a bit premature to put out a comment like this because whatjoe biden obviously needs to do right now in the primary campaign is appeal to democratic voters, it would be in the general campaign, presumably, if he gets the nomination, where he want to broaden his base and make a comment like this to appeal to the small number of republicans who are not keen to support donald trump, or to independent voters, especially in swing states that could determine the outcome of the election. is this a matter ofjoe biden being undisciplined, or is itjoe biden

trying to bejoe biden? unplugged, just be his authentic self in order to attract more voters? well, this is very much in line with the authenticjoe biden. however, if you talk to campaign advisors — not from his campaign but those who advised other campaigns — they always want to see more discipline in what their candidates are saying. of course we can just go back to 2016, where it was the unconventional, the candidate who ignored all advice, who had no political experience, who mowed down that line—up of republican candidates, won the nomination and won the presidency, donald trump. along with many other cities around the world, berlin is revving up for its annual new year's eve celebrations. the city's famed for its extravagent firework display and the enthusiastic throwing of fireworks in the street. but things are about to change,

as andy beatt explains. germany's capital, counting down to 2020. preparations for a massive party under way at brandenburg gate, with hundreds of thousands are set to see in the new year in style. with hundreds of thousands set to see in the new year in style. for the first time, though, they'll face a pyro ban, with rockets, sparklers and firecrackers outlawed for safety reasons. translation: we are setting up pyro ban signs to ensure that pyrotechnics and aren't thrown at people — pyrotechnics aren't thrown at people — that they're not put at risk. last year, many things were damaged and some people were injured. that's exactly what we want to avoid. at every turn, highly visible warnings that fireworks for the public are forbidden. the move's been welcomed by environmental groups, who say one night of fireworks causes as much pollution as two months of traffic. campaigners have called for bans in almost 100 cities that

are failing to reach air quality targets. we're having the same discussions in australia, and putting the money towards all the bushfires that are happening over there. so i can certainly see their point of view. it would be a shame to miss the fireworks, but... half—hearted about that, so, yeah. but i think this looks wonderful. absolutely amazing. while this public new year celebration may never be quite the same again, private fireworks displays face no restrictions. demand remains high among those wanting to stage their own spectacular. translation: it'sjust once a year, they only spend money on bangers at new year's eve. translation: i don't think many will stick to the ban. it's great, the coloured lights and everything, the effects, volume. because it's once a year, you're already looking forward to it.

a total ban, if enforceable, would be hugely unpopular. firework sales across germany totalling 130 million euros a year. retailers say they have no plans — yet — to stop this lucrative seasonal sale. andy beatt, bbc news. over the next four days, bbc news will be looking at what 2020 has in store for us with some of the bbc‘s specialist correspondents. today, its culture and sport. here's our arts editor will gompertz on the standout events in the calendar. hello, this is my must see list for 2020. i'm going to start where i finished last year which is with a grand egyptian museum near cairo, the $1 billion traction was about to

open four years ago, it was delayed until the sum of 2019 and is now scheduled to welcome the world in 2020 with the promise of a tutankhamen display like no other. 0ver tutankhamen display like no other. over 5000 objects displayed together for the first time. you museums all the rage nowadays and none more so than in china they are popping up like tents in the campsite. in beijing, injune, two 20th—century masters, pablo picasso and alberto carlos giacometti. let's hope, when and if it opens in 2020, it will ta ke and if it opens in 2020, it will take off like superman and not suffer the same fate as heaven's gate. talking of big expensive controversial projects, or lies on the humble forum in berlin when it

partially opens in september. the 40,000 square metres space situated ina 40,000 square metres space situated in a reconstructed prussian palace ata in a reconstructed prussian palace at a cost of nearly $700 million will focus on world cultures. 0ver in galway, the city named but lonely pa rents in galway, the city named but lonely parents as one of the very best, they will be invited to visit it. the promising quite the show. the irish are wonderful hosts, unless you happen to be the english rugby tea m you happen to be the english rugby team with different rules apply. talking of spot and hosting 2020 0lympics talking of spot and hosting 2020 olympics in tokyo and with them the cultural 0lympiad the highlight of which will be a festival. finally, if few important anniversaries. the national gallery in london will be celebrating raphael's 500. having exhausted himself as ladies here live to 37. he really was an excellent painter. beethoven was a

really excellent composer. the legendary berlin philharmonic 0rchestra will be playing a marathon to mike his birthday. and so, were better to finish this lookahead than in deepest darkest somerset on a glorious summer ‘s evening, standing ina glorious summer ‘s evening, standing in a field surrounded by 100,000 music fans and raising a toast, probably cider, to the half—century of the glastonbury festival. you will be part of one of the world ‘s most magical musical festivals. will gompertz there. and tomorrow, rebecca morelle will give her take on the year ahead for science. we will bring all the courage of new

year's celebrations as they get under way around the world. hello. the final day of the year and the decade will get off to a fairly chilly note across much of northern england, northern ireland and scotland. this weakening cold front which has been moving its way southwards over the last 24 hours, introducing some colder air. to the south of this, still something milder and actually much more in the way cloud and perhaps even some patchy light rain across south—west of england and the channel islands through new year's eve. quite cloudy skies for much of wales, central, southern england, but the further north and east you go, here is where we will see the best of the sunshine. and away from the far south—west of england and the channel islands, it should be mainly dry. quite breezy for the western and the northern isles, and a colder feel for many — 6—10 celsius typically the high on new year's eve. this takes into new year's eve night, where for most it will be dry, fairly light winds. we're going to see some mist and murkiness, particularly over

higher ground and certainly the cloud already in place across wales, central, southern and south—west england will be slowly pushing its way further north and eastwards as the evening and night wears on. clearer skies across east and north—east england and eastern scotland. but here's a closer look at midnight. most places will be dry, light winds, quite a lot of cloud and, as i mentioned there could be some mist, some patchy fog in places. clearer skies across eastern, north—eastern england and eastern scotland where temperatures by midnight will be getting closer to freezing, and actually falling a little bit lower as the night wears on. where we've got the cloud, temperatures will easily stay above freezing. so here's how new year's day looks — a fairly quite affair across much of the uk, thanks to this area of high pressure. isobars slightly closer together across northern ireland and scotland so a breezier day here and fronts never too far away from the northern and western isles, so thicker cloud here, maybe some light rain. but for much of the uk on new year's day, it is a dry day, but with a lot of cloud. so, any brightnes or sunshine really at a premium. the best of it probably to the north and east of high ground. and again, quite a cool day. temperatures for many will not get

into double figures. now, as we go into thursday, these frontal systems i talked about to the north and west of the uk will come ever closer, sliding their way south and eastwards. so a wet, fairly windy day across much of scotland and northern ireland and eventually that rain will start to settle into northern england and the far north of wales by the time we get to thursday afternoon. further south and east, it stays dry. again, quite a lot of cloud but for all of the uk on thursday, it is a windier day but starting to push up some milder air again, so we're looking at highs eaily in double figures, 10—12 celsius. through friday and saturday, we are back to something drier, a little bit colder and also a return of some sunshine. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the former head of renault—nissan, carlos ghosn, has fled japan where he was awaiting trial on charges of financial misconduct. in a statement, he confirmed that he was now in lebanon. he said he would no longer be held hostage by what he called japan's rigged system ofjustice. 4,000 people who've taken refuge from raging bushfires on a beach in the australian state of victoria have been told that the threat has now passed. over the last few days, the authorities had warned people in the coastal town of mallacoota to leave before it was too late. a man accused of stabbing five people during hanukkah in new york state has been charged with federal hate crimes. federal prosecutors claim the suspect, grafton thomas, keptjournals containing references to hitler. his family say he has a long history of mental illness.