The World Tonight

Forces guarding thousands of IS prisoners - including Shamima Begum - have come under attack in Syria, raising fears they could be freed. The UK's terror watchdog tells us we should follow US demands and repatriate British former jihadists. Also tonight: As Los Angeles counts the cost of the huge wildfires, can the City of Angels ever be the same again? And as sales of protein pots containing them soar, why is the humble hard boiled egg making a comeback?

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.

Musk used X, his social media platform, to call for Robinson to be freed from prison, where he's serving 18 months for contempt of court. The tech giant is reportedly considering a large donation to Mr Farage’s party, Reform UK. Also on the programme: long-term funding proposals for adult social care reform in England are unlikely to be delivered before 2028 - we hear from the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey; and Luke Littler has become the youngest darts world champion in history, aged 17. (Photo: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaking during the Reform UK East Midlands Conference in Leicester. Credit: Jacob King/PA Wire)

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

Two people have been killed, including a child, after a car drove into crowds at a Christmas market in the Germany city of Magdeburg. Sixty-eight people were injured. The leader of Saxony says the suspect is believed to be a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian doctor. US Members of Congress are debating into the night to avert a government shutdown after a funding bill was voted down by Democrats and a number of Republicans. And as the US says it killed the leader of ISIS in Syria in an airstrike, we look at the risk of the group re-emerging.

The Labour grandee Lord Peter Mandelson looks likely be the next UK ambassador to the United States. We ask how he'll fare negotiating with President Trump's White House. Also tonight: As Gisele Pelicot's ex-husband is jailed for 20 years after the rape trial that shocked the world, survivors of sexual assault tell us her courage and openness is helping other women. And the group of singers, with an average age of 92, which has broken the Guiness World Record - for the world's oldest choir.

Campaigners feel stung by the government's decision not to pay compensation to the "Waspi" women affected by state pension age changes. One Labour MP tells us it's a mistake. Also tonight: The former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey has resigned as a priest, over his handling of a child abuse investigation in the Church of England. We have the latest. It was an apparent scoop in Syria - but after CNN admits a man it claimed was a freed rebel prisoner was in fact with the Assad regime - we talk about the perils of reporting in post-revolutionary fog. And after Adele is ordered to pull this song over claims it plagiarised a Brazilian composer - we get the verdict of a forensic musicologist.

The Duke of York will not join the rest of the Royal Family for the traditional Christmas gathering in Sandringham, royal sources have told the BBC. It comes after an alleged Chinese spy, linked to the prince, was named as Yang Tengbo. We examined the United Front Work Department, an arm of the Chinese Communist Party, to which Yang is accused of being linked. Germany's government has lost a vote of no confidence, meaning the country will go to elections early next year. And we explore Ukrainian roots of a beloved Christmas carol, linked to a town currently under attack by Russian forces.

Fireworks have been exploding late into the night as tens of thousands of Syrians celebrate the downfall of Assad's brutal regime in Damascus. We ask Syrians how they see an uncertain future - and ask whether the UK's decision not to intervene over a decade ago helped keep Assad in power. Also on the programme: France's new prime minister - the fourth this year - says he has a mountain to climb. We ask a French MP whether he'll face the same fate a his short-lived predecessor. And does fidgeting get you in a twitch? The medical condition that explains why some people feel visceral anger towards fidgeters - and whether it can be treated.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the capital Damascus, for the funeral of a well-known activist, tortured and then killed in one of Assad's prisons. We speak to live to one of his friends. Also tonight: A huge increase in the number of children being home schooled in England. As the government draws up new rules, we debate whether more regulation of home education is needed.

The father and stepmother of 10-year-old Sara Sharif have been convicted of her murder. She died after years of physical abuse. We examine the lessons the authorites should learn from the case - and ask a clinical psychologist what drives parents to harm their children. The UN secretary general has described the overthrow of the Assad regime as a moment of hope - while his envoy to Syria has called for an inclusive transition to avoid a new civil war. We hear how ordinary Syrians are feeling about the future - and ask whether a new government in Damascus can hold together the country's different factions. And the Government's plan to abolish hereditary peers is debated - in the House of Lords.

In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.