Newshour

Wildfires which have caused at least eleven deaths and destroyed thousands of properties are expected to pick up pace again in the US county of Los Angeles. New evacuation orders have now been issued for neighbourhoods surrounding the city. Our Correspondent Peter Bowes gives us the latest. We also explore whether a water shortage has hampered relief efforts, as well as how long insurance companies will take to pay those affected.

Also in the programme: The daughter of convicted rapist Dominique Pelicot speaks out; and the Palestinian creatives whose films have made the preliminary Oscars shortlist.

(Photo: A member of the Fire Department holds a smartphone in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles, 11th January 2025 (Credit: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/TPX)

The daughter of a French man found guilty in a mass rape trial has told the BBC she hopes he dies in prison. Caroline Darian said she'd been shocked when she learned that her father had repeatedly drugged and raped her mother and encouraged other men to sexually assault her.

(Photo: Caroline Darian wants to raise awareness of sexual abuse. Credit: BBC)

Nicolas Maduro will serve a third term as Venezuela's president, despite criticism. How much support does the President have? Maria Corina Machado, leader of the opposition has condemned the inauguration as a coup and a violation of the constitution.

Also on the programme: the USA's South Carolina Attorney General, Alan Wilson, tells Newshour why he supports the banning of social media platform TikTok; and Israeli settlers of the West Bank tell the BBC why they support the election of Donald Trump as the new President of the United States.

Image: President Nicolas Maduro gestures on the day of his inauguration for a third six-year term in Caracas, Venezuela January 10, 2025. Credit: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria via Reuters.

European Union scientists confirm last year was the hottest on record. We hear from the European Copernicus climate service and from the Los Angeles firefighter battling flames and exhaustion.

Also on the programme: Venezuela's authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro is about to be sworn in for a third term in office; and one of the world's greatest violins is about to be auctioned.

(Photo: A man uses a bag on his head to protect himself form the sun during the heatwave in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 22 April 2024. Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

The two biggest wildfires in Los Angeles are continuing to burn uncontained but firefighters have made progress against other blazes. Across Los Angeles County, the number of people told to evacuate has risen to 179,700 and 28,000 acres have been lost to the flames. We hear from Cantor Ruth Berman Harris who rescued sacred Torah scrolls from a Pasadena synagogue destroyed in the fires.

Also on the programme: Army chief selected as Lebanon's president after years of deadlock; President Biden praises Carter's character as the former president's casket heads home to Georgia.

Photo: Hailey Ott and her mother Cindi Ott look at the damage caused to their home by the Eaton Fire, as powerful winds fueling wildfires in the Los Angeles area force people to evacuate, in Altadena, California, U.S. January 9, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Fred Greaves

A crescent of flames looms over Los Angeles as wildfires continue to burn. But firefighters have managed to bring under control the blaze that had been threatening Hollywood.

Also on the programme: Lebanon has a president for the first time in two years. He's Joseph Aoun, the Maronite Christian who leads the army; and we will hear from Ireland's ex- president Mary Robinson in Washington for the funeral of her friend, the former US President Jimmy Carter.

(Photo: A firefighter walks next to a burning home, as powerful winds fueling devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area force people to evacuate, in Malibu, California. Credit: Reuters)

President Biden says he has instructed the US military to provide extra assets to help firefighters battle a series of devastating wildfires currently raging in and around Los Angeles. Newshour hears from Malibu resident Marika Erdely.

Also in the programme: Greenland's strategic significance and new artefacts shed light on Egypt's Queen Hatshepsut

(Picture: People embrace as they evacuate following powerful winds fuelling devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area, at the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, U.S. January 8, 2025. Credit: Reuters)

Firefighters are working through the night in Los Angeles to contain wildfires that have forced thousands of people to flee their homes. Also in the programme, European governments continue to react to President-elect Trump's latest threats about Greenland; and, could HMPV spark the next pandemic? 

(Photo: A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns during a windstorm on the west side of Los Angeles, California, U.S. January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu)

The social media giant Meta is ending third-party fact checking of Facebook and its other platforms, relying instead on a community notes system. Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg said recent elections felt like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritising free speech, arguing that fact checkers were too politically biased. We hear two views of the change.

Also in the programme: Donald Trump refuses to rule out economic - or military - intervention to gain control of the Panama Canal - and Greenland - what do the locals think about that? And we hear from a mountaineer on Mount Everest about what it was like when the earthquake hit.

(IMAGE: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg makes a keynote speech at the Meta Connect annual event at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, U.S., September 25, 2024 / CREDIT: Reuters/Manuel Orbegozo)

Jean-Marie Le Pen, a Holocaust denier and an unrepentant extremist on race, gender and immigration who founded the French far-right National Front party in 1972, has died aged 96. Also on the programme, a powerful earthquake close to Mount Everest has killed more than a hundred people in Tibet and affected the city of Shigatse, and can alcohol-free wine still be considered wine?

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