the fear now that blazes could spread rapidly once more, with existing fires still not contained. it's all gone. residents who were ordered to evacuate return to see what they can salvage from the ashes. i'll be live in the suburb of altadena, just one of the los angeles neighbourhoods affected by such massive devastation. and the other main stories on the programme tonight... donald trump avoids prison or a fine over his conviction in the hush money case, but will still enter the white house a convicted felon. the politics of the middle east come to norfolk and the world championship for indoor bowling. and two more lynx at large in the scottish highlands are captured safe and sound.

on newsnight at 10:30 tonight we'll bring you fresh insight on the stories of the day with big interviews and our regular panel of newsnighters. and of course, look at what the papers are saying about tomorrow's news. good evening. firefighters are still battling to contain the wildfires which have been raging across los angeles for four days. forecasters say more high winds are expected — which could stoke an already perilous situation. president biden has said the city reminds him of a war scene. ten people are now known to have died, and around 10,000 homes and buildings have been destroyed. a night—time curfew has been put in place in the worst affected areas to prevent abandoned homes from looting. there are five fires still burning — and any progress in containing them is very limited.

you can see on this map the biggest fire palisades, which was completely out of control yesterday, is now 8% contained. eaton fire in the altadena neighbourhood is just 3% contained. we'll hear from our correspondent in altadena injust a moment, but first to emma vardy who is on the pacific coast highway for us now. today, firefighters have made progress in some areas, put new fires are still breaking out and as the palisades fire continues to rage above us, local volunteers are trying to help. a fourth gruelling day holding the line in the face of la's inferno. as tens of thousands of acres continue to burn.- of acres continue to burn. right, ou of acres continue to burn. right, you guys on _ of acres continue to burn. right, you guys on radio, _ of acres continue to burn. right, you guys on radio, we'll- of acres continue to burn. right, you guys on radio, we'll meet i of acres continue to burn. right, | you guys on radio, we'll meet you cite some communities have taken the disaster response into their own hands.

in topanga canyon, with fires burning all around, a group of locals calling themselves the heat hawks have sprung into action. initially everyone felt a bit abandoned, but i understand why. we have a very tight community that is very connected, and so the local knowledge is really essential. well, these guys are just taking a look around the neighbourhood to see if they can see any spot fires orjust anything they can help with, using whatever resources they can get their hands on — water supplies, fire extinguishers. the emergency services are just so stretched that people like this want to do what they can. we don't have any left anyway. there's more coming, check at the library. despite an evacuation order, here some residents are staying as long as they can to try to protect properties. there'sjust not enough people, not enough crews, you know, people. they're in demand. i think budgets have been cut.

around 10,000 buildings have been destroyed across the city but every now and then by some miracle, one has been spared. there has been anger at city leaders over the fire response. now pledges are being made that la will rebuild. 1m’ith response. now pledges are being made that la will rebuild.— that la will rebuild. with so many homes and _ that la will rebuild. with so many homes and businesses _ that la will rebuild. with so many homes and businesses lost, - that la will rebuild. with so many homes and businesses lost, we i that la will rebuild. with so many. homes and businesses lost, we are only putting plans in place to make sure we aggressively rebuild. i don't believe there is anything that we cannot do if we stand together. the risk of crime poses a new threat. security has been stepped up in abandoned neighbourhoods and curfews are in abandoned neighbourhoods and cu rfews are now in abandoned neighbourhoods and curfews are now being enforced. you cannot be in — curfews are now being enforced. you cannot be in these affected areas. if you _ cannot be in these affected areas. if you are, — cannot be in these affected areas. if you are, you are subject to arrest — if you are, you are subject to arrest. that is important. we are not doing — arrest. that is important. we are not doing this to inconvenience anybody. — not doing this to inconvenience anybody, we are doing it to protect the structures, the houses, that people _ the structures, the houses, that people have left, because we ordered them to— people have left, because we ordered them to leave and i want them to feel confident that we are doing

everything we can to secure them. along _ everything we can to secure them. along the — everything we can to secure them. along the pacific coast highway as the exclusive la suburb of malibu. this one embodied the californian dream. some of the most expensive real estate in america. now, ashes. at least ten people have now died and it is warned the death toll is expected to increase. despite days of hard work, it's up here in the hills where the fires are still raging and with the winds picking up once again there's real fears about its spread. and they're facing an uphill battle to try to contain it. with a red flag warning for strong winds at the weekend, it's now a race to try to limit the danger. most of the fires have been burning for days. have a look at this one street in altadena, where the eaton fire is burning. this is fair oaks avenue. this is what it looks like now,

after those flames tore through the neighbourhood. that's what fair oaks avenue looked like before. house after house, street after street, it is all gone — almost nothing left of these homes. early estimates suggest the total damage caused could amount to as much as £122 billion. well, our correspondent, john sudworth, joins us now from fair oaks avenue. as thousands of firefighters continue that battle to get this crisis under control, this is what it leaves in its wake. the suburb of altadena sits at the foot of a mountain range over which the unusually strong winds for this time of year, the santa anna winds they call them, poured in on tuesday night and it's that that really lies at the heart of this disaster. it's almost impossible to give a sense of the true scale, so many stories, so

many tragedies. we spent a few hours with the residents of one block off this one neighbourhood. los angeles is a city in shock. thousands of people coming to terms with the once unimaginable. right around there are my diamond earrings. pete mitchell, an electrician at disneyland, and his wife angela have lived here for over ten years. oh, my god! ang, it survived. what? your little elephant box from thailand. this was their home before the fire. altadena was a pleasant los angeles suburb — a middle—class district, a far cry from the mansions and celebrity lifestyles on the other side of the city. it's devastating, of course. we saw images of it before, our neighbours had come in here before, but it's also the opportunity to rebuild, which is a hard road.

but it can be done. i think we will do it. i hope we're rebuilding here. and i hope that we'll have what we can find that can be memories of the good times we had in this home. it was a good home, it was a really good home. around them, fire crews are still patrolling the area, putting out spot fires. this is a city in deep crisis, with the emergency services stretched to the limit and lives totally upended. just a few doors away, another family surveying the damage. this was stephanie's home for more than four decades. but she says she's now focused on the future. we were very fortunate that we were able to get out in time. yes. everybody is safe and we do plan to rebuild, bigger and better. so we're grateful.

we are praying for everybody because this isjust devastating. altadena is one of the number—one places to live. it's friendly, it's family—oriented. it's just a wonderful community. a block away, this house had recently seen new tenants move in. it would have been in the middle bit of the closet, her wedding ring. tavia wineman and her family are now picking through the wreckage, salvaging the few keepsakes to have survived the intense heat. it's, like, overwhelming right now... ..because it's like decades and decades of, you know, building things and it's all gone. these are scenes repeated across huge swathes of this city. and with the emergency far from over. john sudworth, bbc news, altadena. let's go back to emma vardy.

you spoke at the end of your report about fears that the situation might get worse before it gets better? there is now 3000 firefighters battling the palisades fire above us but they are stretched, they are fatigued and the fear is that with those winds picking up that any progress that is being made can be reversed very quickly and down here of course we are under no illusions as to what the consequences are when the fire starts spreading once again and moves incredibly fast. these buildings, once luxury beachfront properties, they are still smouldering, but gradually people have started to come down here themselves to look at the damage, but now there is this curfew in place from 6pm at night until 6pm in the morning to try to prevent looting while this crisis continues. emma vardy, thank you very much,

reporting from the pacific coast highway. powerful winds and parched ground after months of no rain — a deadly combination which has allowed the california fires to spread. today, it was confirmed that last year was the hottest ever recorded. temperatures were 1.6 degrees higher than the pre—industrial average. european scientists have warned that the target of 1.5 degrees agreed in paris ten years ago, to avoid the worst effects of global warming, is in danger of being permanently breached. here's our climate editor, justin rowlatt. la in flames. it is like a vision from a dystopian sci—fi movie, but it is happening right now and it is exactly the kind of event climate scientists have been warning about for years. and remember this — the devastating floods in spain caused by exceptionally heavy rain in october. or this — the historic drought in the amazon basin which reduced river levels to a 120—year low.

before the industrial revolution, so between 1850 and 1900, average global temperatures were about 13.5 degrees celsius. now take a look at this. each line shows average daily air temperatures for every year since 1940. the redder the colour, the hotter the temperature. and just look how relentless the temperature rise has been, with last year, 2024, the hottest year ever recorded. and look at this. it was also the first calendar year in which average temperatures exceeded 1.5 degrees above pre—industrial levels. experts say it represents a new climate era for our species. we're living in a climate that humanity hasn't experienced before. we can say with confidence when we look at ice core records, when we look at other data sets, that this is the warmest period

for at least the last 100,000 years or so. and when we look back at the ice core records, it's the highest concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere for the last 800,000 years or so. this year should be a bit cooler than the last two, say scientists, but 2025 is still expected to be one of the hottest years on record. and that shows why, and that shows why, as the fires in la continue, we should all be worried as the fires in la continue, by the way our world is warming. justin rowlatt, bbc news. donald trump has avoided prison or a fine in connection with hush money paid to a porn star. money paid to a porn star. ajudge in new york has ajudge in new york has given the president—elect given the president—elect an unconditional discharge, an unconditional discharge, after being found guilty of 3a after being found guilty of 3a counts of falsifying counts of falsifying business records. business records. but it still means that he will but it still means that he will become the first us president become the first us president to take office as a convicted felon. to take office as a convicted felon. 0ur north america editor, 0ur north america editor, sarah smith, joins us sarah smith, joins us

now from new york. now from new york. as you say, an unconditional discharge doesn't come with any kind of punishment at all and in fact people get tougher sentences for speeding offences than donald trump received today, but it does leave that stain on his record of being a convicted felon and he will very shortly become the first ever felon to be sworn in as the president of the united states, and it was very clear from the united states, and it was very clearfrom his the united states, and it was very clear from his appearance the united states, and it was very clearfrom his appearance in court today, that he is really, really frustrated about this and he has made it clear he wants to appeal against this conviction as soon as he can. donald trump, you're before the court for sentence. - being allowed to appear virtually on a video screen from florida was special treatment for donald trump — granted as he is just ten days away from becoming president again. he knew the sentence would be as lenient as possible but still fought hard all the way to the supreme court to avoid this moment. the prosecution said his behaviour during the trial had made

the crimes more serious. this defendant has caused enduring damage to the public perception of the criminaljustice system and has placed officers of the court in harm's way. the defendant sees himself as above the law and won't accept responsibility for his actions. the president—elect again repeated his claims that he was deliberately targeted by political opponents.

has determined is a lawful and permissible sentencel for the crime of falsifying business records in the first degree. - donald trump was facing three other criminal cases. two have been dismissed and the third has stalled indefinitely now that he has been re—elected president. and in office, he will have complete legal immunity for everything he does that's considered an official act. sarah smith, bbc news, new york. police in scotland say they are carrying out extensive searches for two sisters who were last seen in aberdeen city centre three days ago. eliza and henrietta husty were seen on cctv just after 2am in the early hours of tuesday. police have been searching in and around the river dee, near where they were last seen. three women in 0ldham who were left devastated by historical child sexual exploitation have told the bbc that ministers should have spoken to them before they ruled out

holding a government—led inquiry into grooming gangs in the town. the safeguarding minister, jess phillips, has said that 0ldham council should lead the inquiry, and the government has promised to implement key recommendations from a previous national report into the issue. the women have been speaking to our uk editor, ed thomas — and a warning that his report does contain some distressing details of abuse. i was piled with alcohol, piled with drugs, and i couldn't move. honestly, i can't say how many men and i can't... i probably couldn't put a number on it. he raped him continuously. the care home knew he was being abused. i'm broken, damaged. i don't even class myself - as a human being any more. the schoolgirl trafficked by white british abusers. a mother wanting justice for her dead son. and the 12—year—old repeatedly abused by a british pakistani grooming gang. survivors of child exploitation in 0ldham over a decade ago,

but reliving the trauma every single day. there was one point where the police had actually turned up while there was an illegal immigrant with me and they put me in handcuffs and arrested me for prostitution, and i must have been about 1a or 15. i was constantly self—blaming and blaming myself, and it made me feel like it was me that was the problem, and it wasn't. missed opportunities to protect. three years ago, an independent review in 0ldham found victims had been failed by the council and police. and this week, it emerged 0ldham council's calls for a government—led inquiry into grooming gangs in the town were rejected again, just like the previous government did. it's not good enough. you know, these children, all i want for my child is justice, and they are denying it without even speaking to victims. i'd love to speak to any of these

i officials face to face so we canl show them what we need in 0ldham if a national inquiry _ continues to be refused. do you feel like your voice has ever been heard in 0ldham? no, not at all. it never has. those that are spreading lies and misinformation... under pressure and under attack on social media. intimidation and threats of violence... the prime minister defended not only his government's decision, but also his safeguarding minister, jess phillips. what would you want to say to keir starmer? it's nothing to do with racism or tommy robinson. it's about the victims, the survivors. i'd like to speak to him because hopefully i'd be able to change his mind. i'm very disappointed and angry with him. he's basically saying we're all far right. he needs to come and sit

and speak with victims. i can't even watch any more of that. i said to keir, come and speak- to us, come and speak to the real people on the ground in 0ldham and see if you've _ got the same stance. the government told us it wants action now and will be guided by victims and survivors, who were failed by years of inaction, and will support 0ldham council to carry out its own inquiry into abuse in the town. in response to our report, greater manchester police said it's working with survivors to bring offenders to court to face justice. ed thomas, bbc news. if you have been affected by sexual abuse or violence, details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call for free at any time to hear recorded information on 0800 077 077. newnight is on bbc two shortly, and paddy 0'connell can tell us what's coming up. paddy?

rachel reeves has flown to china but all the turbulence is back here, and half the county council elections in england could be delayed, nigel farage tells us they should go ahead. an international bowls tournament begins today in norfolk but has become an unlikely source of controversy. last week, organisers barred israel's three athletes from attending, citing challenges caused by pro—palestinian protests. but in the face of significant criticism, there was a sudden u—turn. 0ur sports news correspondent, laura scott, reports. the bowls world championships on the coast of norfolk. far from the peaceful images that might conjure up, the build—up has been dominated by geopolitics, protests and accusations of anti—semitism. it's a very difficult situation. at the end of the day, it's a sporting event and everybody here is here to play sport. any decision for world championships and any sport isn't taken easily. and sometimes, when you look at further information,

you get further advice. decisions can change. that's just the world we live in at the moment, but i don't think there's any regret at all. since the war between israel and hamas broke out 15 months ago, there have been instances of it impacting sport. the palestinian fa has put pressure on fifa to ban israel from international football, but there have been examples of israeli athletes competing on the biggest stages, including the olympics and wimbledon. so a ban in bowls came as a surprise to some. 0rganisers only allowed the israeli bowlers to take part after putting in place significant security measures and apologised to them for any offence caused. how has this affected you? actually, even though we lost today, i think it is the victory of all of us. it's the victory of the sport, the values of the sport, the spirit of the sport. so, even though we lost to much better players than us, i feel like the sport have won. this bowls tournament at a holiday

resort is proof that, even in the most unlikely settings, sport often finds itself caught up in world events. laura scott, bbc news in norfolk. the government has insisted the uk has enough gas to get through the winter after a warning that the freezing temperatures mean supplies are concerningly low. centrica, which owns british gas and has the country's largest gas storage facility, said reserves were down 26% compared with the same period last year. energy analysts say top—up supplies could be bought from europe and other countries, but the price would be higher because of increased demand. tonight looks set to becoming the coldest night of the winter so far in the uk. the met office says a hamlet in northern scotland has dropped to —17.3 celsius as the winter cold snap continues. in the lake district, there are concerns that people will take to the hills without being properly prepared. here's danny savage.

as the freeze continues, the mountains of the lake district have turned into a winter playground. under blue skies, walkers have been tempted onto the fells, but climbing organisations and mountain rescue are urging people to be properly prepared. it's really easy to see what the attraction of these mountains is when the conditions are like this with snow on all the tops. but the basic message from the authorities this weekend is, if it's icy and slippery in the car park when you set off for your walk, the conditions are going to be a lot more challenging the further up you get. today, it will probably be “4, —5 on the top. richard has been involved in rescuing people off the slopes here for a0 years. he's confident there will be call—outs this weekend. unfortunately, i suspect there'll be many people going up who perhaps aren't properly equipped, and that's a big problem for the mountain rescue teams. people just need to be responsible. and when we go out, we're

putting ourselves at risk as well, which is really worth thinking about. at the bottom of a snowy path off skiddaw, near keswick, those out were well prepared. we've got multiple pairs of gloves. you've got spikes on your feet. spikes on the feet, we've got emergency blankets, we've got a compass, we've got a map, we've got hot water, we've got a separate power bank in case one of us, you know, is stranded or whatever. no wind. beautiful sunshine. crisp day. lovely. can't ask for any more. a working week after the heaviest snowfall. sheep are still being dug out of drifts. they can be very weak after so long immobile in the cold. the grip of this icy weather will continue into the weekend. the message if going out is to enjoy the scenery safely. danny savage, bbc news, keswick. the search for illegally released lynx in the scottish highlands came to an end this evening after a second pair were captured in traps. it follows the sighting and capture of two of the big cats yesterday.

mystery stills surrounds just how the creatures came to be at large. aruna iyengar has the latest. when these two lynx were captured last night, rescuers hoped their work was done, but traps remained set, cameras rolling. obviously, we thought it was a possibility, which is why we had surveillance out in the area and, of course, we were hoping to have a peaceful night, and actually we had some alerts that we'd seen animals on the cameras and we mobilised straightaway and we got traps out first thing this morning. early today at 7:10am, another two appeared. tonight, their time in the wild ended. we got an alert from the cameras and the both lynx had gone into the traps, and we were able to go around and they're there, they're back now in the van and on the way to the highland wildlife park, so a great relief to everybody, including the animals, i'm sure. farming unions say someone must have set the lynx free and should be prosecuted. they've long opposed moves

by conservationists to reintroduce lynx to the wild because of fears they would prey on lambs. police scotland say they think both releases of lynx are connected. they're trying to find out how they came to be there. it seems, for now, the scottish lynx effect has worn off. aruna iyengar, bbc news. the opening ceremony for this year's city of culture, bradford, has taken place tonight. thousands attended despite sub—zero temperatures and were treated to poetry, magic and music, as david sillito reports. bradford 2025, and the launch event of this uk city of culture. 10,000 had gathered to watch the celebration of the city as it begins its year of culture. this means something important to you, doesn't it? yeah. proper.

you're born and bred bradford? yeah, definitely. i'm, like, i bleed bradford. the words that people are saying and the people that are involved, like, it is bradford. like, it is so bradford and it's... yeah, i'm proud of it. and there's also, we've been told, going to be a touch of magic, famous bradfordian — steven frayne, formerly known as the magician... ..dynamo. i grew up on delph hill estate in bradford. this is where he grew up. and this is more than just another show. to be in a place where there's a massive stage put right in the centre for people to come and share in some amazement, like, that's like a dream come true. it genuinely is. this is where your street magic began, then, isn't it? yeah, literally, right here, i used to perform street magic. i'm super proud to be from bradford. it wasn't necessarily the easiest place to grow up, so to be a small, tiny part of this, it'sjust incredible.

i'm the proudest bradfordian you'll ever meet. you know, i tell everybody about it. i'm never letting this yorkshire accent disappear, ever. over the years, bradford has had more than its share of negative headlines. this a chance to tell a different story. david sillito, bbc news, bradford. time for a look at the weather. here's elizabeth rizzini. and you have another image of bradford? also bradford, looking