this is bbc news, the headlines... there are new wildfires in la, so for more than 130,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and a least five have been killed. the pound tumbles as the uk government borrowing costs surged to their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis. new allegations against the former harrods owner is a security guard tells the bbc that black staff had to leave the shop floor when he came to visit. and the state funeral of former us presidentjimmy carter is beginning shorter. presidentjoe biden will deliver the eulogy. let's take a moment to recap the wildfires burning across los angeles. it's an utterly devastating

scene there. really apocalyptic and to recap what is going on. there are six named fires in and around la, two other major fires are now said to be contained. the death toll so far is five, but there are fears that could rise. about 137,000 people have been told to get out of their homes after a mandatory evacuation orders and others have been told to be ready to go, to pack their things and be prepared to leave at any time. firefighting teams are reporting that they are now running short of water, with people in the affected areas being told to boil supplies before drinking or cooking with them and among those who have lost their homes, many hollywood a listers who have put on social media that their homes have gone. billy crystal was among them and also paris hilton.

satellites have captured the spread of the fires from space. this image was taken on wednesday, it shows the area around the pacific palisades. the brighter areas show where the fires are burning, giving an idea of the challenge facing the fire fighting teams. this image shows the fair oaks area bfore the fires swept through the area... and this is the same area yesterday — the red marks show where fires are burning, and the area seems to be covered in thick smoke. if we look closely, we can just make out where some buildings have been burned down. devastating wildfires have hit los angeles before. but weather experts say these fires are being fanned by the most destructive windstorm in decades — with winds of between 80

and 100 miles an hour. so how much of a role has climate change played in this extreme weather? here's our climate editorjustin rowlatt. still images show the fury and the horror of the fires engulfing parts of california. wildfires are a year—round threat in the state, but this year, it experienced its hottest summer on record. we know climate change is making the kind of hot, dry weather california has experienced in recent months more likely, and scientists say that is increasing the number of what are known as fire weather days. now, this graph shows the increase in the area burned by fires in the us since 1983. as you can see, it appears to have been growing steadily over the years, and there is another factor this year — the winter rains that normally reduce the fire risk in california didn't come. in fact, downtown los angeles has only received 0.16 inches of rain since october. that is more than four

inches below average. the california governor, gavin newsom, believes the pattern of wildfires is changing. we were here not too long ago, the franklin fire, a few weeks prior to that, the mountain fire. in november, december, nowjanuary. there is no fire season — it's fire year, it's year—round. and look how the wind has been blowing the fires. these santa ana, or "devil winds" as they are sometimes called, are a normal part of california weather caused by cool, dry air blowing from the interior of the state to the coast. climate change doesn't appear to have altered the pattern of the santa ana winds, but as our world warms, the dangerous combination of strong winds with very dry vegetation is becoming more likely. and just look at the scenes on the other side of the country — the east coast and parts of central us are experiencing icy, cold weather and snow storms that have killed five people and left 60 million

under extreme weather warnings. the contrast could hardly be more stark. justin rowlatt, bbc news. back to the live pictures and you can see them right now. flames engulfing this particular building and it looks like a devastating scene in los angeles. key dates in the award season calendar and we are hearing some have been postponed and cancelled while firefighters continue to try to fight these wildfires. six separate wildfires across the city of la, major annual events in the hollywood agenda being rescheduled or abandoned, not surprisingly. loss of a listers are among the many people whose homes have been destroyed, people like billy crystal, paris hilton and so on. these

are the live pictures coming into usk from los angeles and at least 100,000 people about 130,000 people in fact have been ordered to leave their homes, mandatory evacuation orders and we were just hearing from justin about these dry hurricane force winds that have been fanning the flames for the last few days and really hindering the firefighting operations, five people killed so far and there are fears that death toll could rise, but we will be back in los angeles very soon but we are going to talk hopefully to whatever serious correspondence who was on the scene. a warning now that some viewers may find our next story upsetting and offensive. a former security guard at harrods has been speaking exclusively to bbc radio 5 live about the clear racism and bullying he saw

during mohamed al fayed s ownership of the department store. the bbc has heard from scores of women who say they were sexually assaulted or raped by mohamad al fayed when he owned the knightsbridge store. that followed a documentary in september, which included 20 women s claims about al fayed s behaviour. harrods said they were utterly appalled by the abuse allegations, and that harrods is a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by al fayed . with me is live s clare mcdonnell. tell us more about these latest allegations about mohamed al fayed. allegations about mohamed al fa ed. �* . . ~ allegations about mohamed al fa ed. allegations about mohamed al fayed. back in 1995, vanity fair magazine _ fayed. back in 1995, vanity fair magazine wrote - fayed. back in 1995, vanity fair magazine wrote an - fayed. back in 1995, vanity. fair magazine wrote an article about mohamed al fayed accusing him of racism and sexual misconduct and he violently

deny that. he sued the magazine and they settled out of court. but i now have been speaking to a former security guard at harrods, who essentially alleges racism. he says when he was working on the floor, just before mohammed al fied will come to work every day and walk the shop floor, black members. rate—mac staff would be asked to leave and they would go to an underground passageway opposite the store. and when the daily tours happened they wouldn't be there. they would then file back again once he left the floor. we are calling this man henry and his words are spoken by an actor. when it came in the shop floor you will— when it came in the shop floor you will see movement, i do not say this— you will see movement, i do not say this and _ you will see movement, i do not say this and be nice, you will see — say this and be nice, you will see the — say this and be nice, you will see the women, the women who society— see the women, the women who society and the world sees as attractive would stay on the floor— attractive would stay on the floor and those who the world did not— floor and those who the world did not consider to be attractive, all of a sudden you would — attractive, all of a sudden you would see _ attractive, all of a sudden you would see a beeline of them leaving _ would see a beeline of them leaving for example, beauty

apothecary, whitehall, black and all—rounder store you would see these — and all—rounder store you would see these people making a beeline _ see these people making a beeline to exit door number lhree~ — beeline to exit door number three. ~ ., ., , . ., three. who would stay? what you see the world _ three. who would stay? what you see the world finds _ three. who would stay? what you see the world finds attractive? . see the world finds attractive? what kind of women would stay behind? ., �* . ~' what kind of women would stay behind? ., �* ., ~ ,, behind? you're talking young, thin, blonde, _ behind? you're talking young, thin, blonde, this _ behind? you're talking young, thin, blonde, this type - behind? you're talking young, thin, blonde, this type and - behind? you're talking young, thin, blonde, this type and it i thin, blonde, this type and it was — thin, blonde, this type and it was like _ thin, blonde, this type and it was like nobody had to tell them — was like nobody had to tell them to— was like nobody had to tell them to leave. it was like robolic— them to leave. it was like robotic and the way they would know _ robotic and the way they would know something was happening with the — know something was happening with the security guards would move — with the security guards would move around like ants and the command _ move around like ants and the command staff of the security and uniform would be manoeuvring through very quickly— manoeuvring through very quickly and people knew that the something was going to happeh _ the something was going to ha en. ~ ., , the something was going to hauen. ~ ., , the something was going to ha en. ~ ., , the happen. where do they go? the staff area- _ happen. where do they go? the staff area. if _ happen. where do they go? the staff area. if you _ happen. where do they go? the staff area. if you go _ happen. where do they go? the staff area. if you go to - happen. where do they go? the staff area. if you go to door- staff area. if you go to door number— staff area. if you go to door number three is staff area. if you go to door numberthree is an staff area. if you go to door number three is an escalation that— number three is an escalation that goes— number three is an escalation that goes down under the road into the — that goes down under the road into the other building and this— into the other building and this is— into the other building and this is where those people head~ _ henry told us he was never close enough to mohamed al fayed but he had interactions with women who stayed to hear was going on there, but i asked him forfurther was going on there, but i asked him for further clarification on why he thought people, some people of the shop floor before mohamed al fayed did his

rounds. the level of racism was very clear~ — the level of racism was very clear~ i_ the level of racism was very clear. i don't know if they are instructed _ clear. i don't know if they are instructed to do that but it seemed _ instructed to do that but it seemed very much like the protocol— seemed very much like the protocol that the black people would — protocol that the black people would disappear. every now and again— would disappear. every now and again you — would disappear. every now and again you will see one black person— again you will see one black person at a particular beauty space — person at a particular beauty space station or luxury retail. someone _ space station or luxury retail. someone had to have been given instruction— someone had to have been given instruction so why would they all leave _ instruction so why would they all leave and how they head out? — whatever the staff side? we soke to whatever the staff side? - spoke to other people who work there and various women and one of the women and said she was in the hiring and she was told not to hire black people for jobs at harrods because the customers wouldn't like it and a similarthing customers wouldn't like it and a similar thing when people overweight, they would hidden as well and he said there was a culture of fear that stemmed from the al fired and essentially people were scared about losing theirjobs. he about losing their jobs. he told about losing theirjobs. he told us the whole system at harrods nettles women down and

he has now bravely come forward and is asking other people who worked in security, predominate the men, to come forward and tell everybody what they saw and what they knew. find tell everybody what they saw and what they knew. and what have harrods _ and what they knew. and what have harrods been _ and what they knew. and what have harrods been saying? - and what they knew. and what l have harrods been saying? how have harrods been saying? how have they responded to these latest allegations? taste have they responded to these latest allegations?— latest allegations? we asked them for a — latest allegations? we asked them for a response - latest allegations? we asked them for a response and - latest allegations? we asked| them for a response and they refer to their previous statement of the bbc following the documentary last year and they said they were utterly appalled by the abuse allegations and they said harrods is now a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by mohamed al fayed. and controlled by mohamed al fa ed. ., ~' ,, , and controlled by mohamed al fa ed. ., , . ., fayed. thank you very much for bein: fayed. thank you very much for being with _ fayed. thank you very much for being with us. _ and if you've been affected by issues in this discussion, there is a range of organisations and websites that can offer you advice and support. you can find them listed on the bbc�*s actionline website at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

back to the live pictures and you can see them right now. flames engulfing this particular building and it looks like a devastating scene in los angeles. we can get the latest now from cbs news correspondent. danya bacchus. what is happening where you are? ~ ., ., , are? where i am now the winds have died _ are? where i am now the winds have died down _ are? where i am now the winds have died down significantly - have died down significantly which is good news because that means firefighters could make progress in the fight against multiple fires are burning in la. even tonight, throughout the night actually, we have seen other fires start to pop up seen other fires start to pop up in additions to the one that we have been reporting for the last 2a hours. there was one the start in the hollywood hills area of los angeles that prompted evacuations and we once again saw thousands of people trying to leave, gridlocked streets but

thankfully, fire crews were able to get a handle on that fire pretty quickly. also this morning, what we are seeing is just to the level of destruction that has been caused by these fires. we have travelled to pacific palisades where the policy fires were burning and we travelled there and we saw home after home wiped out and we went to an area where there were businesses and shops and those things were unrecognisable so what's really happening now in the los angeles area is people are still very much on edge, very much guarded because we do know that this fire situation is continuing here but we are also starting to see people who are returning to the neighbourhoods that have had the most destruction only to find that nothing is left. and find that nothing is left. and that news — find that nothing is left. and that news of _ find that nothing is left. and that news of the _ find that nothing is left. and that news of the winds are at least dropping a little bit, that must be good news for the fire brigade. that must be good news for the fire brigade-— fire brigade. that is, it's very good _ fire brigade. that is, it's very good news - fire brigade. that is, it's very good news because fire brigade. that is, it's- very good news because just 24

very good news because just 2a hours ago when those wind gusts were reaching up to 100 mph in some places, they were so erratic and there were also sending embers miles away, there was no way firefighters could control or even predict which way the fires were going to burn. but now the winds have died down now they can say that maybe if i were going one direction and say that direction and say that direction because they are not going to be any wind gusts that going to b