The World Tonight

Thousands of people are counting the costs after Storm Éowyn unleashed 100-mile-an-hour winds across the UK and Ireland. A million people are without power this evening - we have the latest. Also tonight: As Donald Trump travels to North Carolina and California on his first trip as president - we'll reflect on what his first whirlwind week back in office tells us about the next four years ahead. And the Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg on retracing the final steps of family members who persished in Auschwitz.

Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced to a minimum of 52 years for the "sadistic" murders of three young girls in an attack described as "shocking" and "pure evil". Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, died while eight other children and two adults were seriously wounded. We explore the background of the man who went from a seemingly ordinary child to a mass murderer. Also tonight, as the Gaza ceasefire holds we spoke to a Palestinian detainee who has just been released. And should songs be released after an artist's death?

After sending a Royal Navy submarine to intercept a Russian spy ship in UK waters, the defence secretary has delivered a stark message to the Kremlin. How should the UK respond to the threat from Russia, in the new Trump era? The publisher of The Sun has apologised to Prince Harry for intruding into his private life, and has agreed to pay him substantial damages. We ask who the winners are from the phone hacking scandal - after more than a decade in and out of court. And why clichés about elite footballers not being smart are wide of the goalpost.

Trump has pardoned some 1,500 people involved in the January 6th riot in the US Capitol four years ago, including those convicted of violent acts. We speak to one man who has received a pardon and a police officer who was at the Capitol that day. We also hear from a former director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency about Trump's deportation plans. Here in the UK, there have been calls for the far-right group “Patriotic Alternative” to be banned after an undercover BBC investigation exposed extreme racist views among some of its supporters and members. And a trip down an emotionally dark memory lane, as we visit a new exhibition casting a nostalgic eye over emo music and culture.

Donald Trump has become president of the United States for a second time. We assess President Trump's words - and actions - on his first day back in office. And we speak live about what his presidency means for the UK - with the only Labour politician who attended the inauguration.

The US Supreme Court has upheld a law that bans TikTok in the US unless its China-based parent company ByteDance sells the platform by this Sunday. We examine the impact of the looming ban with a British influencer and ask whether the UK government should follow suit. Also tonight: We have the latest from Israel where Benjamin Netanyahu's governing cabinet has yet to vote on the ceasefire deal with Hamas. In Gaza, Israeli air strikes continue. And we remember one of Scotland's greatest football talents - Denis Law who has died aged 84.

There's been a delay to agreeing the ceasefire deal in Gaza - as Israel's far-right Security Minister tonight threatens to quit its government if the deal goes ahead. Another Israeli member of parliament tells us why his party could also quit the government over the deal. Also tonight: There's been relief for some survivors of grooming gangs as the home secretary announces new inquiries. But will a national review, and five local investigations, go far enough? And the legendary director David Lynch has died. We get a tribute from the Hollywood actor Nicholas Cage.

Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire deal to end 15 months of war. We look at what's in the deal and how it got over the line. And we consider what happens next, both in the short and the longer term. We get reaction from Israel, Gaza and the United States, and speak to a British relative of one of the hostages set to be released under the agreement.

City Minister, Tulip Siddiq quits the government. Prime Minister's advisor on ministerial standards pointed to the reputational risks of her family ties to Bangladesh. 2 economists discuss the challenges facing the Chancellor Rachel Reeves Another attempt to arrest South Korea's impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol and the Ukrainian actors recreating a wartime drama they lived through.

Sir Keir Starmer said he planned to work with Rachel Reeves as Chancellor for the remainder of this parliament after the opposition questioned her position. But the government could be facing questions from its own MPs over potential spending cuts in order to calm the markets. US President Joe Biden said negotiators were "on the brink" of reaching a deal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. And after Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admonished a group who wanted his autograph, we ask what motivates people to collect signatures.

Two of the five wildfires threatening Los Angeles are still burning uncontained -- though firefighters say they've made progress with some smaller blazes. City residents are beginning to count the cost, estimated to exceed $50 billion. We look at the growing challenge of insuring one's home in the city. Elon Musk has hosted the leader of the far-right AfD party in Germany for a live discussion on X, with German federal elections just over six weeks away. And four women's football clubs are starting a trial to allow the drinking of alcohol in the stands. We ask about cultural differences between the terraces of the women's and men's games.

Strong winds have fanned the wildfires and hampered the efforts of emergency services. We speak to a man who fled his home in Los Angeles last night and has just found out it has been destroyed. Also on the programme: The US government says Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries in Sudan are committing genocide; and research suggests the risk of Alzheimer’s could be increased by head injuries awakening dormant herpes virus in the brain.

US President- elect Donald Trump has refused to rule out using military force to seize control of Greenland and the Panama Canal. He also said he would consider ‘economic force’ to annex Canada. We get reaction from a Greenlandic politician from the governing coalition. Also on the programme: Mark Zuckerberg announces he’s scrapping Meta’s independent fact checkers, citing their political bias; and we speak to a climber who experienced an earthquake on Mount Everest.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that the government would implement key recommendations made in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, including criminal sanctions for professionals who fail to report claims. We hear reaction from former Greater Manchester Police whistleblower Maggie Oliver and Rotherham MP Sarah Champion. Also on the programme: former French President Nicolas Sarkozy appears in court charged with taking millions of euros from Libyan dictator Muammar Gadaffi; and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau steps down after more than nine years in office.

The FBI says it doesn't believe the man who rammed his car into a throng of people in New Orleans before opening fire on police was solely responsible for the attack. The suspect has been identified as a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas, Shamsud-Din Jabbar. While we were on air it was confirmed the death toll from the attack has risen to 15. As Ukraine ends a transit agreement allowing Russia to pipe gas through the country, we explore where Europe will look for future supplies. And 2025 marks 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen. With events planned around the world to mark the anniversary, we look at the enduring appeal of her novels.

Syria's de facto leader says he'll host a national dialogue conference in the new year bringing together the country's various political factions and society groups. As the country emerges from a 13-year civil war, we look ahead to what 2025 could bring. The New Years Honours list has prompted a backlash as Sadiq Khan was awarded a knighthood. The Conservatives called it a "reward for failure". And we speak to the DJ who will open a 35-hour New Year's rave at the legendary Berlin techno club Watergate, which is closing amid rising costs.

The traditional Hogmonay celebrations in Scotland's capital have been cancelled as wind, rain and snow are forecast to batter the UK in the coming days. Yellow weather warnings are in place between Monday and Thursday, while flood alerts and flood warnings - including a rare severe flood warning - are in place across Scotland. Grief is turning to anger for families of those who died in South Korea's worst ever plane crash. They're demanding more communication from the authorities. And we reflect on a quarter of a century of Vladimir Putin in charge of Russia, as New Year's Eve marks the anniversary of his takeover.

One of northern Gaza’s last functioning hospitals has been forcibly evacuated by Israeli military, according to medics. Also on the programme: the US envoy for Yemen on the Israeli attack on Sana’a airport; fog alert in UK airports; celebrated composer Hans Zimmer on taking the stage; and one of the UK’s longest serving postmen retires. (Photo: A bed is damaged inside Kamal Adwan hospital, during the ongoing Israeli military operation, in northern Gaza, December 18, 2024. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer)

Israel has launched airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen - vowing to destroy its infrastructure. We ask whether Israel has opened a new phase in the Middle East war. Also tonight: Twenty years on from the devastating Boxing Day tsunami, the remarkable account of a man who survived the worst rail disaster in history. And 40 years after Joan Hickson's portrayal of Miss Marple hit the screens, we reflect on why many consider her the best to have played the role - drawing on the little grey cells of TV's Poirot, David Suchet.

President Biden has commuted the sentences of nearly all the federal inmates on death row in the United States. We'll hear from a woman who's been told that her mother's murderer will no longer be executed and we'll also speak to a death row prisoner who's sentence was commuted today We speak to the AfD in Germany after the Christmas market killings in Magdeburg and the classic black and white Dr Who story that you can now see in glorious technicolour