Newshour

Qatari mediators say major differences have been overcome in negotiations on a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza. What will it mean for Palestinians there and for the relatives of Israeli hostages, who are anxiously waiting for news of the negotiations? Also on the programme: the BBC investigates new evidence after the deaths of tourists on a boat that capsized off Egypt; and why Starbucks is about to get less welcoming to people who hang around in its shops without buying anything.(Photo: Supporters of Israeli hostages, kidnapped during the deadly October 7 2023 attack by Hamas, protest amid ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire in Tel Aviv. Credit: Reuters)

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have spoken by phone - in Biden's final week in office - as momentum builds towards a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. Israel and Hamas are understood to be making progress but uncertainty remains over key aspects of the potential agreement.Also on the programme: Twenty-six men have been rescued from a mine shaft in South Africa after spending more than two months trapped underground; and research from Nasa tells us that we are less likely to notice when a woman is tired than a man.(Photo: Protest in Tel Aviv calls for Gaza ceasefire and release of hostages Credit: Abir Sultan/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

The BBC has heard allegations about working conditions at Shein. Some workers have claimed that they are working for more than 75 hours a week, which would contravene Chinese labour laws. We explore Shein’s business model.Also in the programme: South Korea’s spy agency gives new figures of North Korean soldier casualties in Ukraine; and the European island that celebrates New Year’s Day in mid-January.(Photo: A shopper carries a bag while visiting Shein's Christmas bus tour, in Manchester, Britain, December 2024. Credit: REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja)

Two of the four Los Angeles wildfires have been contained, while the Palisades and Eaton Fires rage on. We hear the latest news from the city, as well as reports of landlords who are hiking rental prices as people who have had to leave their homes seek temporary housing. Also in the programme: the North Korean soldiers who have been captured in Ukraine; and a conversation with the renowned British artist Tracey Emin.(Photo: A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Los Angeles, California. Credit: REUTERS/Ringo Chiu)

Firefighters in California say calmer winds and higher humidity have helped their efforts to prevent wildfires in Los Angeles from reaching the city's expensive Brentwood neighbourhood. However, strong winds are forecast to return, and the fire risk remains high. Sixteen people are now known to have died over the past five days.Also on the programme: Sudanese army claims capture of key eastern city from rebels; Donald Trump's expansionist foreign policies, wanting to take over Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal; and we speak to Fernanda Torres, the first Brazilian to win Best Actress Golden Globe Award.(Photo: A firefighter watches as the Palisades Fire, one of simultaneous blazes that have ripped across Los Angeles County. Credit: REU)

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. Also on the programme: emergency teams in Los Angeles have made progress in tackling wildfires which have killed eleven people, but more evacuation orders have been issued; and Sam Moore, one half of the legendary soul duo, Sam and Dave, has died at the age of 89. (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)

The former US President Jimmy Carter - who came to politics after a successful career as a peanut farmer – is credited with bringing peace between Egypt and Israel for which he received a Nobel prize. We hear from those who worked with him and those who prepared catfish suppers for the late president. Also in the programme: Agony and anger in South Korea over the country’s worst plane crash.(Photo: Former President Carter holding peanuts in a field. Credit: Jimmy Carter Library/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

US Congress races to avoid government shutdown after bipartisan spending agreement was derailed following interventions by President-elect Donald Trump and his efficiency czar, Elon Musk.Also in the programme: A high level US delegation holds talks with Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Shara’a; At least two dead and 68 injured after a car drove into a crowd at German Christmas market; and 27 new species discovered in Peru, including an amphibious mouse.(Photo: Mike Johnson, Republican Speaker of the House, talking to journalists. Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

The US's top diplomat is in Jordan for talks with representatives from several Arab countries, Turkey, and Europe to discuss the future of Syria following the ousting of the former president, Bashar al-Assad. Also on the programme, the South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed to fight for his political future, after parliament voted to impeach him over his failed attempt to impose martial law; and, the director of "Goodbye Lenin", Wolfgang Becker has died.(Photo: Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a meeting with the foreign ministers of the Arab Contact Group on Syria in Jordan's southern Red Sea coastal city of Aqaba on December 14, 2024. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/Pool via REUTERS)