it has been a busy weekend for the emergency services across the country, with a warning that the disruption could last several more days. a usjudge has agreed to dismiss the criminal charges against donald trump for his part in the january 6th riots. two britons are among 16 missing after this yacht sinks in the red sea in egypt — rescued tourists are given first aid on shore. a rare interview with angela merkel on power, putin and the time he brought his black labrador to a meeting almost 20 years ago, despite herfear of dogs. # feed the world...# and a0 years after it was first released, it's back — we hearfrom sir bob geldof on his charity single. a on his charity single. news night at 1030 tonight w: bring a news night at 1030 tonight we will bring you fresh insight on the stories of the day with big interviews and our regular panel of

news nighters and a look at what the papers are saying about tomorrow's news. good evening. more heavy rain is forecast over large parts of england and wales this week as communities struggle to clean up after storm bert caused major disruption with torrential rain, widespread flooding and high winds. a major incident was declared in northamptonshire this afternoon as emergency services tried to rescuing some of the 1,000 people left stranded in a holiday park. more than 100 flood warnings remain in place, including the severe warning in northamptonshire meaning there's a danger to life. here's phil mackie. it's three days since storm bert arrived and it's still wreaking havoc. in northamptonshire, they've declared a major incident. a severe flood alert remains in place at billing aquadrome. it's the worst they've

seen in a generation. this exceeds the amount of water that we saw in the 1998 floods, where northampton actually flooded quite severely, so it does need to be taken seriously. 1,000 people were told to evacuate and they won't be returning home soon. everybody had to get off site, we were being sent to a leisure centre to see the council, who were just putting people up on camp beds. i have literally been - on there about six months. and this is the second time. if you don't need to be in the water, don't go in the water. in bradford—on—avon, the river was supposed to peak this morning but itjust kept getting higher. it left the town split in two and almost cut off. businesses are counting the cost. this is where they normally make wedding cakes. for now they'll have to bake at home. crisis management at the moment is my forte, so that comes with working with wedding cakes,

you can't muck up a wedding cake, can you? so you roll with the punches and deal with it and then, freak out about it once you've fixed it. i don't know if you can see but that bubbling torrent of water over there is the river avon. it's now peaking at its highest level since 2013. somebody here said these are supposed to be one in 100 year events and they're happening every ten years at the moment. and they're concerned about the people living above these shops. they can't get in or out and they're worried about their welfare. we've got some people up there which are some flats which are accessed the other side. they are actually trapped, they can't get out. we're just trying to get resource. it came up so quickly, many people didn't have time to get out. for a third day, travel has been very difficult. this school bus was stranded. pupils had to be rescued. some of the worst flooding came when a wall broke in tenbury wells yesterday, sending a wave of water through the town centre. today, police said they're investigating after a tractor created an even bigger wave,

causing extensive damage. in bradford—on—avon, margaret, who's 90, was another one caught out by the rapidly rising waters. luckily, help was at hand. i watched the water creeping up and up and up, and finally it was time for me to move, so they came and rescued me, which was very nice. for everyone involved in today's rescue efforts, it's been a long, hard and wet slog. phil mackie, bbc news, bradford—on—avon. let's go tojo black, who's in northampton. the who's in northampton. clear up continues but then concern the clear up continues but there is concern because there is a lot more rain on the way. concern because there is a lot more rain on the way-— rain on the way. yes, some rain is forecast for _ rain on the way. yes, some rain is forecast for some _ rain on the way. yes, some rain is forecast for some areas _ rain on the way. yes, some rain is forecast for some areas around i rain on the way. yes, some rain is| forecast for some areas around the country and there were concerns that that rain will be falling on an already saturated ground. we are here in northampton, standing next to a flooded road, this scene

replicated around the uk. you can see a couple of abandoned vehicles here, it's been a very busy weekend for the emergency services. they say they received around 850 calls over they received around 850 calls over the weekend, people were trapped in cars, rescued from their homes and just up the road, billing aquadrome, the holiday park you saw in the report, the evacuation continues up there. yes, the rainfall is greater than what happened here in 1998. there was a devastating flood here in 1998 with thousands evacuated. the floods are not so bad but the authorities are asking people to make sure they treat the weather and the conditions are very, very seriously. the conditions are very, very seriously-— a clean up operation is underway in south wales. many residents, whose homes and businesses have been flooded, are angry that warnings didn't come soon enough for them to prepare. our next report is from our

wales correspondent, hwyel griffith. clearing up in cwmtillery after a night few here will forget. we had the police knocking on the door about midnight, saying, if you don't leave now, you're going to potentially die. the deluge of rain brought notjust water, but boulders and mud from an old coal tip. as the land above them slipped, china and olivia had to get out. i'm terrified because i don't know what the situation the house is going to be like when we come back. we've just done the house out, so this is literally less than a month old and it's ruined. it will take days to clean up this street, but what really worries the residents is what's happening up there, behind their houses. an inspection is being carried out right now on an old coal tip, where this landslip seems to have started. tina and herfamily had to evacuate, too, leaving behind their cat pippin. reunited this afternoon, they are yet to fully take in the damage to their home. we were just trying to scramble

and get things upstairs and, yeah, save what we could. um, it was just madness. it's not something you expect to happen, the mountain come down behind you, so it's really scary. in pontypridd, storm bert brought an all—too—familiar sinking feeling. hit hard by floods four years ago, defences were put in but couldn't hold back the river ysterday. gareth has bad news for his customers. personally, myself, iwouldn't bring my car down here. um, it's not a safe place to leave your vehicle, is it? so, i mean, so you've got to try and explain that to customers now and like i said, i don't know where to go from here. with 200 properties here flooded, some feel they've been failed again. warnings were issued, but too late for many. an investigation has been promised. well, there will be lessons we need to learn. we learnt lots of lessons last time, we've put that investment in, but obviously that is something we will have to investigate further. in the wake of storm bert,

there'll be weeks of repairing and rebuilding, as well as wondering whether more could have been done to protect these communities. hywel griffith, bbc news, cwmtillery. so, are these type of flooding events becoming more common and what's causing them? here's our climate and environment correspondent johan fisher to explain. are these floods in any way connected to climate change? well, the science is very clear that as temperatures rise, more water is absorbed into the atmosphere. a 1 degree rise means a 7% increase of water in the air. and that means that a warming planet means more intense storms and wetter winters. so how can we prepare for this better? well, one way is to, of course, not build so close to rivers and on floodplains. this lido here behind me in pontypridd, well, it was closed by flooding in 2020. it's closed again now. and indeed, having a place

where the water can spill over out of the river, whether it be into an agricultural field or a park, does take some of the pressure off the flooding. indeed, anything which slows down the water and gives it more time to absorb into the ground can help. so what about more defences? well, for homes like these along the river, higher walls are really the only answer. yesterday the residents here were bailing their homes out. but walls don't come cheap and difficult decisions are having to be made all the time as to who is protected and who isn't. adapting to climate change comes with dilemmas and huge costs. in the last few minutes a us judge has agreed to dismiss the case against donald trump over his part in the 6th january riots at the us capitol.

the president—elect was facing multiple separate criminal charges. let's talk to our north america editor sarah smith who's in washington. how much of a surprise? the constitution says that a sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted but this was the first time america had a president—elect who had been indicted and facing trial, but the justice department has decided that constitutional protection does apply to donald trump in this case. he had been facing four charges related to the 6th of january when he summoned his supporters here to washington, told them to fight againstjoe biden�*s victory and of course that violent riot ensued but that case has now been completely dismissed by the judge. has now been completely dismissed by thejudge. in some of its has now been completely dismissed by the judge. in some of its other legal cases as well, the charges are being dropped for him hiding classified documents in his residence in broader and in the hush

money case where he has been convicted, that sentencing has been delayed indefinitely. since he has been re—elected, donald trump's legal troubles are all melting away for him. his team have responded saying this is a major victory and they want to see the end of the weaponisation of the justice department for political means, but donald trump himself during the campaign said numerous times that he wanted to use thejustice department to prosecute and investigate the people he sees as his political enemies. so we will see once he takes office whether or not there will be other cases coming up through the justice will be other cases coming up through thejustice department will be other cases coming up through the justice department that he wants to see prosecuted. a search operation is under way in the red sea, where two britons are thought to be among 16 people who are still missing after a tourist boat sank early this morning. the boat had set off on a five—day diving tour yesterday from port herlib. 28 people have been rescued so far — they were found south of the port. caroline hawley is with me now.

what more do we know about this? the what more do we know about this? tie: authorities are what more do we know about this? ti2 authorities are saying there were 44 authorities are saying there were a4 people on board this yacht, 13 were crewmembers and there were 31 tourists from various countries. four where british nationals and i understand two were among those 28 people who were rescued but two are unfortunately still missing. the governor of the red sea area says that an investigation has been launched, he said nothing appeared to be wrong with the boat, that initial reports suggest it was hit by a huge wave and then capsized within a few minutes and that some people were not able to get out of their cabins. there had been weather warnings issued and in fact, yesterday at one point in the area, maritime traffic grounded but it appears that when that happened, the yacht had already set off. apparently there was a distress signal that were sent out very early this morning, the egyptian authorities launched a big rescue

operation involving navy and military aircraft. of course the passengers on board were looking forward to seeing the coral reefs forward to seeing the coral reefs for which the area is famous but unfortunately, it is now feared that for the 16 missing, unfortunately, it is now feared that forthe 16 missing, it unfortunately, it is now feared that for the 16 missing, it is likely to be a recovery operation now. thank ou. the israeli security cabinet is to meet on tomorrow to discuss approving a ceasefire with hezbollah. a final agreement hasn't yet been announced, but the prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, is reported to have agreed to its terms in principle. the 60—day deal would involve hezbollah pulling its fighters back 30 kilometres from the israeli border, and for an israeli withdrawal from southern lebanon. the lebanese military is also expected to boost its presence in the region. the chancellor has told business leaders that there'll be no more tax rises, as she defended her budget unveiled last month. her plans for business have been criticised by employers who've warned that it could mean cuts to hiring and investment. at the annual confederation of british industry conference

today, rachel reeves told them she wouldn't be coming back for any more money. here's our business editor, simonjack. the government dangled pro—growth, pro—business promises. but the chancellor's first budget contained a £25 billion rise in new business taxes and big pay rises for some workers. which companies here today are finding hard to swallow. it's not a great start. from a business perspective, it seems that everything is now on the shoulders of business. they've had to bear the burden. do you accept that businesses do have broader shoulders and should bear more burden of fixing public finances? that is a difficult one. i think they're willing to play their part but not too much. and those attending heard concerns echoed back from big business owners including mcvities. it is hard to understand the case for investment. no group of people hit with a £25 billion tax bill

are likely to say thank you but the size did catch me off—guard and businesses had warmed to the overtures of keir starmer and rachel reeves, their pro—business messages but the reaction is somewhere between disquiet and dismay with many thinking that that all elusive growth seems further away than before. i've heard a lot of feedback but had not heard many alternatives. the chancellor was an defensive mood but insisted that she had little choice and she made a promise that the crowd will not forget. i'm not coming back with more borrowing or more taxes. and that is why at this budget we did wipe the slate clean to put public finances and public services on a firm footing and as a result we will not have to do a budget like this ever again. we are going to create 1000 newjobs. some sectors are ploughing ahead with investment and welcome promised planning changes. if we can get a planning system that allows investment to move much more quickly that will make a huge difference to economic

growth for the country. the leader of the opposition conceded that the last government had neglected business. the labour party are notjust repeating many of the mistakes which we made in government, they're doubling down on them and combining them with an unprecedented raid on business. there is no point mejust complaining about labour when it was obvious that we conservatives lost the confidence of business. although she did not commit to reversing the tax rises. some sectors like renewables were positive about the future but a majority members said that they would reduce hiring and cut investment. a group still licking its wounds. simonjack, bbc simon jack, bbc news, simonjack, bbc news, westminster. the director of nursing at the hospital where lucy letby killed seven babies and tried to kill seven others said she had good intentions despite failing to escalate concerns about the nurse. alison kelly denied being dismissive of doctors' worries about unexplained deaths

on the unit in 2016. do you think there's any possibility that things had become so acrimonious, doctors v nurses, with you backing the nurses, that a culture of fear had developed? i wouldn't say a culture of fear. i think there were challenges with the relationships. - i think trust had broken down and i think, on reflection, - we could have done more to support the clinicians. i spiking is set to be made a specific criminal offence in england and wales. giving someone alcohol or drugs without their agreement is already illegal — the government hopes the move will encourage more victims to come forward. there will also be extra training for bar staff to help victims and spot possible offenders. here's sima kotecha. dance music plays. a night out clubbing. what should be a great time could turn into a nightmare. spiking is when drugs or other substances are put into somebody�*s body,

making them feel unwell and vulnerable. pills may be added to drinks or loaded needles injected into arms or thighs. lilly is 21. she was at a club when she was spiked with a needle. soon after, she reported it to the police. i felt a sharp scratch in my arm, and it was so quick. i looked to my right. there was a massive group of people around. it could have been any one of them. a headache started. i was very nauseous, very tired, dizzy. just general weakness, like that fatigue feeling. according to the most recent figures, there have been nearly 7,000 reports of spiking in drinks and almost 1,000 with a needle in england and wales. ministers admit that the legislation might not make much difference, but they believe that the proposed plans will make detecting the crime easier, potentially giving people more confidence to drink in places like this.

we will be training thousands, 10,000 bar staff and people who work in the night—time economy, and tens of thousands of door supervisors, bouncers, in the night—time economy, to look at how they can prevent the sort of perpetrator behaviour, spot it. there are a number of measures we are setting up. the prime minister met police and hospitality staff this morning to work out how they can work together better to clamp down on the crime. but there are concerns that the resources aren't there and that training 10,000 hospitality staff doesn't go far enough. hannah stratton was at a bar in cornwall when her drink was spiked. i don't really even like using the word "spiked", because i think it diminishes what's actually happened. you are being drugged by somebody. it's a terrifying experience, it's shameful and isolating. for victims of the crime, the hope is that today's plan will both deter and protect. sima kotecha, bbc news.

now, newsnight is coming shortly over on bbc two at 10.30 with victoria derbyshire. she is telling us what's coming up. yes, on that spanking story, we are going to hear a powerful testimony from two people who have had their drinks spiked —— on that spiking story. will any specific events reduce the number of attacks? plus, how is the voting is backing up for the assisted dying bill? newsnight has been doing some number crunching. we are on bbc two, bbc news and i play in ten minutes, see you then. she was chancellor of germany for 16 years at a pivotal time in history, but during that time, angela merkel rarely gave any in—depth interviews. now, three years after she left office, she has written her memoirs. in a rare interview, she has been speaking to our europe editor, katya adler, about her life in power, president putin and ukraine's nato membership bid in 2008.

she was known as the most powerful woman in the world. angela merkel led germany and the eu to the financial crisis, the migrant crisis in russia's first invasion of ukraine. now she is defending her legacy. she was too soft on vladimir putin, say critics, too slow to help ukraine. she blocked its membership to the nato military alliance back in 2008. but if you had given the green light to ukraine, would there be war there now?— green light to ukraine, would there be war there now? translation: we would have had _ be war there now? translation: we would have had a _ be war there now? translation: we would have had a military _ be war there now? translation: we would have had a military conflict - would have had a military conflict earlier. it was clear to me that president putin would not have just stood idly by and watched ukraine join nato. and back then, ukraine would not have been as prepared as it was in february 2022. she would not have been as prepared as it was in february 2022.— it was in february 2022. she knows russian, it was in february 2022. she knows russian. he — it was in february 2022. she knows russian, he speaks _ it was in february 2022. she knows

russian, he speaks german. - russian, he speaks german. summits with vladimir putin were regular, at times more head than tete—a—tete. he brought his pet labrador along once, well aware of herfear of brought his pet labrador along once, well aware of her fear of dogs. translation: i wasn't particularly relaxed, but i was determined to grin and bear it. i think it was a way of testing me, watching me, perhaps putting me in a position where he could calm me or take the dog away. but that didn't happen and honestly, it wasn't so bad. you dog away. but that didn't happen and honestly, it wasn't so bad.— honestly, it wasn't so bad. you set our honestly, it wasn't so bad. you set your memoirs _ honestly, it wasn't so bad. you set your memoirs that _ honestly, it wasn't so bad. you set your memoirs that it _ honestly, it wasn't so bad. you set your memoirs that it became - honestly, it wasn't so bad. you set your memoirs that it became veryl your memoirs that it became very clear to you that the biggest priority for vladimir putin was power, and reducing western influence in europe that he gained after the cold war. but despite that, you allowed germany to become energy dependent on russia. how do you respond to those who criticise you respond to those who criticise

you and say you put german business interests before european security? translation: i had two motives. firstly, germany's disney suggests. russian oil and natural gas were cheap. secondly, i believe that despite all the difficulties, we should do everything possible to have a peaceful coexistence with russia that is promoting germany's business interests. and i did try to tackle ukraine through the minsk agreement. tackle ukraine through the minsk agreement-— tackle ukraine through the minsk aareement. , ., , , ., agreement. president obama beg you not to build agreement. president obama beg you rrot to build a — agreement. president obama beg you not to build a second _ agreement. president obama beg you not to build a second gas _ agreement. president obama beg you not to build a second gas pipeline - not to build a second gas pipeline to russia was that volodymyr zelensky described that cheap gas that you talked about from russia as a geopolitical weapon, but you didn't listen to ukraine, you didn't listen to president obama. do you regret that now?— listen to president obama. do you regret that now? translation: no, i don't recret regret that now? translation: no, i don't regret that. _ regret that now? translation: no, i don't regret that. we _ regret that now? translation: no, i don't regret that. we had _ regret that now? translation: no, i don't regret that. we had those - don't regret that. we had those warnings and we listened to them. the nord stream 2 pipeline never became operational because of the full invasion of ukraine. remember

the 2015 migrant _ full invasion of ukraine. remember the 2015 migrant crisis? _ full invasion of ukraine. remember the 2015 migrant crisis? perhaps i the 2015 migrant crisis? perhaps chancellor merkel�*s defining moment. she let a million is that asylum seekers into germany. the result— a huge increase in in support for germany's far right afd. why did she do it? did it have something to do perhaps with your religious belief? i mean, you are a pastor's daughter. translation: perhaps it had something to do with my view of humanity. in my case, it is linked to the christian faith. it is about european values for me, the importance of human dignity. this isn't about the right of migrants to stay. d0 isn't about the right of migrants to sta . ,., , ., isn't about the right of migrants to sta. , isn't about the right of migrants to stay. do you accept the criticism of those who say _ stay. do you accept the criticism of those who say that _ stay. do you accept the criticism of those who say that your _ stay. do you accept the criticism of those who say that your migration | those who say that your migration politics at the time actually breathed life into the far right? translation: yes, the ft weekend support with the arrival of large numbers of refugees —— the afd regained support. so we must reduce illegal migration. that is the best

response to the afd. you illegal migration. that is the best response to the afd.— response to the afd. you were chancellor _ response to the afd. you were chancellor of _ response to the afd. you were chancellor of germany - response to the afd. you were chancellor of germany when . response to the afd. you were - chancellor of germany when donald trump came to the white house for the first time. do you have advice for new world leaders such as sir keir starmer of the united kingdom, the manner he should use when he talks to donald trump? fist the manner he should use when he talks to donald trump?— the manner he should use when he talks to donald trump? at least we have something _ talks to donald trump? at least we have something in _ talks to donald trump? at least we have something in common, - talks to donald trump? at least we i have something in common, perhaps. translation: donald trump is someone who doesn't believe in win—win situations, but instead always believes there must be one winner. it's really important to know what your priorities are and not to be scared. �* ., .,, �*, scared. but if not scared, europe's leaders are — scared. but if not scared, europe's leaders are worried. _ scared. but if not scared, europe's leaders are worried. their - scared. but if not scared, europe's| leaders are worried. their economy is sluggish, russia and china bullish. the west weaker on the world stage. maybe that's why when you ask angela merkel, do you miss all the power, her clear answer is... nein. katya adler, bbc news, berlin.

sir bob geldof says he welcomes the debate over the release of the 40th anniversary version of his band aid charity single — do they know it's christmas? which has faced some criticism for its portrayal of africa. a remix has been created which blends the voices of artists who have featured on previous editions. here's colin paterson. #do # do they know it's christmas time? the new band aid, released a0 years ago to the day that the original was recorded, combining recordings from different versions released over the decade. the time travelling includes a young bono singing within older bono. currently, 0ne direction are on there, so liam payne's voice is heard, robbie williams blending with george michael and paloma faith. sir paul mccartney playing bass from the 200a version. and ed sheeran.

ten years ago, he was part of band aid 30, and his lines have been reused for the new single. he says he wishes he was not on it, and would have refused permission if he'd been asked, because his views on how best to support africa have changed over the last decade. a big influence on his thinking was the british—ghanaian rapper fuse 0dg, who refused to appear on band aid 30, as he believes in empowering africans to tell their own stories. as a child who's now grown up in this era of images that band aid and initiatives like it have put up, like africa is a place of famine, a place of poverty, disease—filled, it took away our collective sense of pride and identity. 0n the one show tonight, bob geldof gave his response to the criticism. the debate is fantastic, and the debate only happens because of this

small pop song. without it, that debate doesn't come anywhere. so now it's out in the public. it is being talked about and written about, and that gives us immense political access again. # feed the world... and despite the controversy, the new version hopes to continue the song's success. all four previous band aids made it to number one, and almost £150 million has been raised since that day back in 198a. colin paterson, bbc news. the bestselling author, barbara taylor bradford, has died at the age of 91 following a short illness. she wrote a0 novels and notched up 91 million book sales worldwide. david sillito looks back at her life barbara taylor bradford. a0 novels, selling more than 90 million copies.

her stories were about strong, ambitious, driven women, wanting to make the most out of life, something she knew well. when i was growing up, my mother said, "i want you to have a better life than i had". her mother was born in the workhouse in ripon in north yorkshire. oh, dear. a shame she kept secret. and she impressed on her daughter the need to excel. come on. hurry up! and that success came with her blockbuster, a woman of substance, the story of emma harte's rise to success. it was turned into a tv series starring jenny seagrove. it was also the beginning of a a0—yearfriendship. she was funny, she was mischievous, she was a champion of women. she inspired people. i mean, we did a publicity tour

in america of a woman of substance, and people would come to both of us in airports, in coffee bars, in hotel lobbies, and say, "i have started a business because of you. you've changed my life". all these rooms have got stunning views. it was a life that took her foom a typing pool in leeds to a new york penthouse, and fabulous wealth. it was hard in the beginning, and i work hard. i'm not this powderpuff blonde that i'm portrayed as. i'm a tough woman who works hard, and i'm resilient. there were many echoes of her own life in these stories of hard work, determination and success. the books of barbara taylor bradford. barbara taylor bradford, who has died at the age of 91. and if you want to continue watching the bbc news at ten, please turn over to bbc one, or you can watch on the iplayer. next, it's newsnight.