we hearfrom a danish lawmaker who says they don't want to be american. and from some greenlanders, who say they don't want to be danish either. and a week from donald trump's return to office — we look at what's in store for us—china relations. welcome to newsday, i'm steve lai. firefighters in los angeles are tackling new fires that have flared up in angeles national forest, located just above nasa's jet propulsion lab. the area is popularfor hiking near millard waterfall. a crew at the scene reports the area is now "dry as a bone". some progress has been made as firefighters continue to battle multiple fires across the city,

but the la county fire chief says that the threat of more blazes is still �*very high�*. the death toll has now risen — 2a people have been killed. at least 20 people have been arrested for looting, including two who allegedly posed as firefighters. earlier today, governor gavin newsom said that 1a,000 people are actively working against the fires in what he says could be the worst natural disaster to hit the country. so far, firefighters have managed to contain the kenneth fire from spreading. the largest fire in the palisades is contained by only 11% and is still spreading east, threatening the suburb of brentwood where vice president kamala harris has a home. the hurst fire is 89% contained at 799 acres and the eaton fire is 27% contained, covering 14,117 acres. our correspondent emma vardy reports. the race to stay ahead of the deadly fires enters the sixth day.

helicopters fly just above the smoke, below the flames rage. just as progress is made, other areas ignite. in the fires wake, residents continue to journey back to where the houses once stood. for one, the reality is overwhelming. oh, my god. there have been repeated warnings for people to stay to the night—time curfew, billy is urging the need for order. i saw a gentleman who looked like a firefighter and i asked them if he was ok because he was sitting down and i did not realise we had him in handcuffs. we are turning him over to the lapd because he was dressed like a fireman and he was not, hejust got caught burglarising homes. this was my house, this is the main house. with tens of thousands

of people staying in emergency hotels and shelters, they are safe for now but have no idea where they will go next. serenity�*s family left minutes before their home burned. people like me with no insurers, we don't know what we will do. we are at shelters like this, we are going around town, some of us have lost our car, some have lost our sense of being. the city faces a massive task to provide housing for the areas that are lost. # we will rise... at a church, the congregation summoning the strength to face the day. the community is pulling together to weather the disaster but there were fears over how some are affected. people can take the land and by the land, we want to make sure they remain the owners and they continue to retain their property.

my concern is mainly for the underserved and the at risk which are the elderly and the children. the scale of the destruction in neighbourhoods is vast. whole schools are gone. as you know, our beloved south campus has been severely damaged in the recent fires. many of our families and staff have experienced great personal loss. crews have slowed the spread of the fire but strong winds drive it back into life. you can see here that it is burning on both sides of us, up the hill and down into the valley as well. there are helicopters flying just above us, just dropping water now. trying to keep the flames at bay. there is a renewed sense of urgency because down here is a large nasa facility the flames have been moving towards. emma vardy reporting there.

our teams on the ground in los angeles say the devastation is clear to see wherever you look. our correspondent helena humphrey sent this update from pacific palisades. this is just one of the areas where the palisades fire came through, if you take a look in every direction, it is 360 degrees worth of destruction here. this is a scene being played out right across la county, tens of thousands of acres that have been destroyed like this, with all of these houses razed to the ground. as we have been here in the area, we have been feeling those notorious santa ana winds picking up once again, these are the enemy of those fire crews fighting so hard to control those fires. essentially, they could whip up the flames once again, that is the concern and those fire crews are stretched to the limit right now. we know today president zelenskiy of ukraine has offered to send fire teams from ukraine to help in the effort.

here in this area today, we have had aerial drops of water which have been effective, half a billion gallons of water dropped from the sky to try and control the blazes but it is a race against time now with the wind. we have heard from the la mayor saying she is confident that president—elect donald trump will come to see the devastation on the ground, he has criticised the response from california politicians, saying it is incompetent. we also heard from the governor of california gavin newsom calling on people to stay in la, stay here and rebuild. but when you survey the scenes here again and you take a look at the challenge ahead in doing so, that road to recovery and how long it will be, you see the challenge for people to stay here and rebuild, especially when we know climate change is exacerbating these weather—related events and ultimately they could just find themselves in the path of harm

once again. helena humphreys reporting the la. more on the fires and just a bit. greenland is not somewhere that often makes the news. but is has ben thrust into the international spotlight after president—elect donald trump ramped up his rhetoric around taking control of the territory. he first raised the idea of buying greenland during his first term in 2019. but this time, he hasn't ruled out using economic, or even military pressure, to seize the land, which has been under danish rule for more than 300 years. in light of his father's renewed interest, donald trump jr made a brief visit to the nation's capital nuuk this past week. located between the united states and russia, the world's largest island holds significant strategic value, and valuable natural resources. several european countries, including denmark, have warned against trump's plans saying that the autonomous danish territory is not for sale. our special correspondent fergal keane travelled to greenland and filed this report.

it is one of the world's last wild frontiers. glimpsed in the short winter sunlight, we're travelling into a place of pristine beauty... ..that�*s suddenly been overtaken by a diplomatic crisis. this place is so remote that it's hard to imagine it as the front line of a major geopolitical row. but up and down this fjord and isolated settlements, and across the island of greenland, they're talking about trump. those who live here know the strain of harsh weather and the demands of survival. you need to be hardy for this every day. but again and again, i would hear — this is their land.

welcome to...home! welcome to this wonderful place. angutimmarik hansen and his family hunt and raise sheep for a living. what do you feel about trump? what a stupid human in the world, like trump. that's what you feel? yeah. i mean, we think about the us and trump. this is different. we need to maybe work together with us and not trump. there's worry here. an inuit culture that struggled against danish colonialism doesn't want any new power taking over. this man is a village pastor. this isn't an argument about owning greenland, he says. it's about a people's culture and history. translation: our country as something that can - just be bought.

it is wild and weird. we don't view it as a purchasable land. we have been here for a long time. we're used to our ways of living. in the capital, nuuk, there's a feeling that the trump intervention has brought world attention to greenland's campaign for independence. and there's pragmatism. a desire for strong links and financial help from america and denmark. donald trump is a politician. he's a hard businessman and we know his rhetoric. and that rhetoric is something we have gotten used to since 2019. but what is necessary here is that greenland, as a sovereign state, should negotiate directly with the united states and not denmark. newsreel: the eskimo are very primitive, and the danish - government is doing its best to keep civilisation from spoiling them. to understand what greenlanders feel about the colonial past, it's important to know

about racism and abuses. ..when a ship comes in. hedvig frederiksen was only 1a when danish officials fitted her with a contraceptive coil without her permission in the 1970s. she's one of over 100 women suing denmark for its efforts to limit greenland's population. translation: it was i a very awful experience. i was still a child. it was just awful. i think the danish people looked down on us, especially back then. what do you need denmark to do? i want them to apologise. however mighty, those wanting to control this land must reckon with an enduring struggle for dignity and self—determination. fergal keane, bbc news, greenland. monday marks one week until donald trump's inauguration and his return to the white house as president.

there are still many unanswered questions about how his second term will look. among the biggest is how he will handle china. trump was tough on china in his first term, and has promised an even tougher line on beijing this time around. he has touted wide—ranging tariffs on chinese exports. but is he a hawk or a dealmaker making an opening bid? i'm joined now by former pentagon strategist matthew kroenig, now vice president of the atlantic council's scowcroft center. thank you forjoining me to talk about this today. you recently wrote an op—ed with the incoming national security advisor mike waltz urging a stronger focus on the threat from china. what's your biggest concern? china is the greatest threat to us bases, may be the greatest threat ever based it is engaging in daily military coercion against us allies and partners in asia, taiwan, it is aiming to dominate technology

of the 21st century. united states and allies in the west have had a technological edge for decades the past century and losing that to china would be a major blow. china also presents an ideological threat, exporting its model of authoritarianism intervening other democracies and ultimately china would like to replace the us as the world �*s leading power. so this is a major challenge and major priority. how do you think the trump administration will differfrom biden�*s when it comes to china? first on said, the president said four times he would defend taiwan if china attacked but he did not really build a military to do that, in fact after inflation the biden administration cut the spending. i do think the trump administration is going to increase defence spending with a focus on denying a chinese attack on taiwan. second you

mention trade, we saw that donald trump was willing to get tough with china on trade in the first term and i think he will go back to that, in interest of reviving this stage one trade deal they signed with china, if they can't get that off the ground they will turn to tariffs pretty quickly. i think the point isn't the tariffs themselves it is to put pressure on china to bring them to the to negotiate, number other issues as well — ideology but i do think defence and trade will be the top two priorities. the ccp seem eager to avoid confrontation, xi is sending a top—level envoy to the inauguration and in public, the leadership are saying that trump is someone they know, that they can deal with. might that strategy work? the trump administration will force them into that position? i would challenge the premise

of the question, you are right china at a diplomatic and rhetorical level talks about cooperation but if you look at their behaviour on a day—to—day basis, they have military coercion, police station set up in the united states to spy on chinese nationals in the united states, daily stealing of electoral property it is a confrontational policy overlaying the nice rhetoric. i don't think the trump administration will go for that, they will allow chinese representatives at the inauguration but i suspect they have allies that are present in some of the early diplomatic engagement medal to deliver tough messages say to china read out the rap sheet of our concerns, and tell them that will be a tough approach unless they change course. fine will be a tough approach unless they change course.— will be a tough approach unless they change course. one area of contention _ they change course. one area of contention has _ they change course. one area of contention has been _ they change course. one area of contention has been taiwan, - they change course. one area of| contention has been taiwan, how does donald trump see taiwan

and fit it into his relationship with china? i would say two things, that may sound contradictory but they come together, one, the national security officials with donald trump understand allowing taiwan to be swallowed by china would be a grave threat to the us and its allies and so they are going to focus on building a defence capability to prevent china from attacking taiwan. at the same time a major concern for donald trump has been burden sharing our allies do enough for their own defence and i go to taiwan frequently, i was there the summer they are moving in the right direction but still not doing enough and we have seen donald trump give some statements saying taiwan does need to do more if they want to be protected. i think there will be an emphasis on burden sharing but also the pentagon prioritising the taiwan scenario. matthew kroenig.

former pentagon strategist. thank you. vice president of the atlantic council's scowcroft center. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. a policewoman in north yorkshire has died after being hit by a lorry. constable rosie prior was off duty when she chose to help at the scene of another crash. pc prior and a motorist, ryan welford, were standing on the verge of the a19 when they were killed. the driver has been arrested. a nurse is in a critical condition after being stabbed in a hospital's accident and emergency department. police were called to the royal oldham hospital where they arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder. the nurse, a woman in her 50s, is said to have suffered life—changing injuries. the process of bestowing sainthood on a nun from londonderry has begun at a ceremony in spain. clare crockett was killed in an earthquake in ecuador in 2016, when she was 33. her friends said

there was disbelief when she originally said she was going to be a nun, while holding a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. you're live with bbc news. let's get more on our top story, the ongoing fires in los angeles where the death toll has now risen to 2a people. these are live images of los angeles we can share with you. you can see thousands of people and cars and one of many relief centres where those who have evacuated our receiving support. i'm joined now by erik scott, fire captain and paramedic with the la city fire department. thank you forjoining us if you could get us up to speed with where efforts are to contain the many buyers around la? it’s

the many buyers around la? it's been the many buyers around la? it�*s been extremely busy the largest fire as the palisades fire, 23,000 acres and only 11% contained. we had a decent flareup yesterday on the northeast portion so we are reallocating resources from the ground and air to that area. people who drive up the steep hillsides and look at the homes next to the ridge burning and there was a fire engine almost in front of every single house, so we finally had the resources that we have been needing every home i looked at was undamaged. in most of those, fire engines said seattle on the side so we are getting help from all over the united states. encouraging seeinu so the united states. encouraging seeing so many _ the united states. encouraging seeing so many people - the united states. encouraging seeing so many people come i seeing so many people come together to fight the fire in los angeles. very much at the mercy of which way the wind blows and how intense the winds are, any indication of where

things stand going into another night? things stand going into another niuht? ., ., , night? you are exactly right, wind is king. _ night? you are exactly right, wind is king, 35 _ night? you are exactly right, wind is king, 35 - _ night? you are exactly right, wind is king, 35 - 35 - night? you are exactly right, wind is king, 35 - 35 miles i night? you are exactly right, | wind is king, 35 - 35 miles an wind is king, 35 — 35 miles an hour gusting this afternoon they will pick up more tonight, they will pick up more tonight, the challenge as it dries out the challenge as it dries out the fuel, brush and it is going to have relative humidity down into the teens. and low overnight recovery. that means, we anticipate there to be a probability of ignition about 75%, if that wind picks up some of the staff is smouldering and in the lands on the dry brush. we are far away from being out of the woods we still have a red flag warning in effect, we will be very busy tonight, and fortunately our aircraft has been doing outstanding work as well. , ,., ., well. the winds something out of our well. the winds something out of your control, _ well. the winds something out of your control, what - well. the winds something out of your control, what about. of your control, what about resources, those within your control when it comes to water

and other things to fight fires? , . , . and other things to fight fires? , ., fires? yes, as far as resources, - fires? yes, as far as resources, we - fires? yes, as far as - resources, we have what is called automatic aid, automatic fire departments nearby that are not in the los angeles city fire department they may be from the county or santa monica, they come quickly in beyond that we have the state mutual aid, beyond that we have the state mutualaid, now beyond that we have the state mutual aid, now we're getting resources even from other countries that are coming in. but the water pressure has been a challenge, especially at some of the higher elevations. it is just such a significant demand on the domestic water supply, thatis on the domestic water supply, that is normally used to call —— turn on a faucet brush your teeth and jump —— turn on a faucet brush your teeth andjump in —— turn on a faucet brush your teeth and jump in the shower, we are using large diameter hoseis we are using large diameter hose is pouring an abundance of water to save all the different homes in light different fires that it draws down the tank very rapidly at higher elevations it is even more

precarious. firefighters become —— overcome problems we might have a fire engine spaced out to a hydrant that does have water to shuffle that up, or we bring a water tenderfull water to shuffle that up, or we bring a water tender full of water and that remote area or even draft water from a swimming. in we strive to be resourceful we will solve the problem we are doing the best we can but it has been extremely challenging. appreciate the difficult situation you are all under. any indication as well and fires have been spread and several of them spread across the city, in terms of the causes of some of those fires has any information become available there is two as far as this large. figs available there is two as far as this large.— as this large. as far as this larae as this large. as far as this large palisades _ as this large. as far as this large palisades fire - as this large. as far as this large palisades fire is - as this large. as far as this | large palisades fire is under active investigation we have our own arson section and the los angeles police department and the fbi they are combing through and looking at the burn

pattern looking and talking to witnesses and looking at video, we are not going to leave one stone unturned. we have you referenced other fires in the region we have six significant ones over the last week, it's been very difficult and there has been some arrests made, but that was actually on outstanding warrants so still determining if the individual caused those fires. you better believe the law enforcement is taking this extremely seriously and they are here in force. eric thank you so much for making time to speak with us and help us understand what has been going on in los angeles with these fires. eric scott fired chief and paramedic with the la fire department. let's take a look at some other headlines. south korean investigators are seeking cooperation from the presidential security service and defense ministry to execute an arrest

warrant for impeached president yoon suk yeol. yoon is accused of insurrection and abuse of power after invoking martial law. last week, he barricaded himself at his residence with the help of security forces, citing legal disputes over the warrant. the standoff has sparked concerns over south korea's political stability. ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky said he's willing to negotiate the exchange of two north korean soldiers captured by ukrainian special forces. zelensky confirmed their detention in russia's kursk region, providing concrete evidence of north korean troops fighting alongside russian forces against ukraine. the us estimates up to 12,000 north korean soldiers are deployed to the front lines. croatian president zoran milanovic has secured a second term, winning the largely ceremonial role with about 74% of the vote. his opponent, the ruling party's dragan primorac, trailed far behind with 25% of voter support. milanovic is a populist former prime minister known for clashing with the current government. he called the win

a "recognition for my work" and thanked voters for their trust. india is hosting what's been described as the world's largest gathering as the hindu festival kumbh mela gets under way in prayagraj. over the next 45 days, 400 million pilgrims are expected to take part, bathing at the meeting point of sacred rivers. despite preparations, including 160,000 tents and 150,000 toilets, some pilgrims have raised concerns over inadequate facilities. blue origin's new glenn rocket is set to make its debut launch from florida's cape canaveral. if successful, the heavy—lift rocket will place blue origin in direct competition with spacex, with plans to carry satellites to orbit and test reusable booster technology. the uncrewed mission will also trial the company's blue ring pathfinder demonstration system. hello, there. you'll be pleased to hear this really cold spell of weather is at an end. now, if i show

you the temperature anomaly chart, any time you see oranges and reds, that's temperatures above average. so it's getting really mild for scotland and northern ireland — temperaturesjumping up, the snow will be melting. for england and wales, temperatures generally getting back to where they should be for the middle ofjanuary. and quite a contrast really early in the morning. we've got the mild air in place for scotland and northern ireland. still a bit chilly, though, for england and wales — any mist and fog patches will be lifting and most places will be dry and bright with some sunshine. but we have more cloud in the north and that's bringing this rain down across scotland, northern ireland, eventually into northern england and north wales. and we've got the stronger south—southwesterly winds for scotland and northern ireland — that's why temperatures could reach 12 or 13 degrees. for england and wales, still a little bit chilly, temperatures 5 or 6 degrees, but it is an improvement on what we've seen of late. the colder air is here more towards continental europe. most of us are in mild air, the winds coming in from the atlantic around the top of that area of high pressure. but as that's always going to be close to the south of the uk, here, it will be a bit chilly at times. we could well have some mist and fog

to start with on tuesday in southern england. on the whole, it's going to be dry, quite cloudy, the best of any breaks in the cloud where we've got a bit of shelter, so eastern scotland and the northeast of england seeing some sunshine. and those temperatures again reaching 12, maybe 13 degrees in northern ireland and back, perhaps, into double figures across england and wales, so temperatures rising here. but that area of high pressure is not going away at all. it's going to shift a little bit further north, pushing that weather front towards the northwest of scotland, and with lighter winds overnight and some clear skies for a while across england and wales, we could start grey and misty with some areas of fog that could linger in the southeast through much of the day. otherwise, it brightens up with some sunshine and that weather front brings some rain into the northwest of scotland, where again, temperatures are going to be double figures and typically 8—10 celsius across england and wales. but where we have some clear skies overnight, again, we could see temperatures falling close to freezing in england and wales. nothing to worry about, though, further north for scotland and northern ireland — here, the temperatures always going to be higher. but what a change this week,

it's going to be much milder, a lot of dry weather. still some chilly, misty sort of weather at times across some southern parts of the uk.

los angeles braces for more destruction as wildfires continue to rage with its governor saying the disaster may be the "costliest in us history."

plus, what the incoming trump administration could mean for the world's second—largest economy. hello and welcome to business today. i'm steve lai. we start in the us, where firefighters in los angeles are making progress in battling wildfires across the city. one smaller fire was contained on sunday, but two of the largest blazes are still raging. 24 people have died according to officials. there are fears of more devastation to come as strong winds are forecast for the coming days, raising the threat that fires could spread. private forecaster accuweather estimates that the disaster will result in losses exceeding $250 billion. california's governor, gavin newsom, said in an interview with nbc news that this could be the costliest disaster in us history. is or will it be the worst natural disaster in the history of the united states? i natural disaster in the history of the united states?- of the united states? i think it will be in _ of the united states? i think it will be in terms _ of the united states? i think it will be in terms of- of the united states? i think it will be in terms ofjust - of the united states? i think it will be in terms ofjust the costs— it will be in terms ofjust the costs associated with it, in

terms _ costs associated with it, in terms of _ costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope.