Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer he risks fuelling accusations of "a cover up" by refusing to hold a national inquiry into grooming gangs.

She also accused the PM of not wanting questions asked "of Labour politicians who may be complicit".

Sir Keir argued that several inquires had already been held into abuse carried out by gangs of men, predominantly of Pakistani heritage, and that a new probe would only delay the action the victims wanted.

And he said he would "call out" anyone who prevented victims of sexual abuse from coming forward.

The Conservatives have tabled an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill which calls for a national inquiry.

In the unlikely event the amendment is approved the bill, which includes measures aimed at protecting children and tougher rules around home-schooling, as well as changes to academies, would be scuppered.

Sir Keir said it was "shocking" Conservative MPs would try to block a bill aimed at helping vulnerable children by voting for the Tory amendment and accused Badenoch of "weak leadership".

Making her argument for a fresh inquiry, Badenoch said "no one has joined the dots, no one has the total picture".

She noted that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which lasted for seven years and concluded in 2022, had not had a specific focus on grooming gangs.

"We don't need to repeat the work that has already been done. Let's look at new areas."

She said a new inquiry could explore "if there was a racial and cultural motivation to some of these crimes".

Sir Keir said "reasonable people could agree or disagree" on whether there should be a fresh probe and acknowledged that there were mixed views among victims and survivors.

However, he accused Badenoch of only recently taking an interest in the subject and said she had failed to take action when she was in government.

"I can't recall her once raising this issue in the House, once calling for a national inquiry," he said.

The pound has fallen to its lowest level for nine months after UK government borrowing costs continued to rise.

The drop came as UK 10-year borrowing costs surged to their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis when bank borrowing almost ground to a halt.

Economists have warned the rising costs could lead to further tax rises or cuts to spending plans as the government tries to meet its self-imposed borrowing target.

The government said it would not say anything ahead of the official borrowing forecast from its independent forecaster due in March.

"I'm obviously not going to get ahead ... it's up to the OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) to make their forecasts."

"Having stability in the public finances is precursor to having economic stability and economic growth," the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.

Shadow chancellor Mel Stride claimed that the Chancellor's significant spending and borrowing plans from the Budget are "making it more expensive for the government to borrow".

"We should be building a more resilient economy, not raising taxes to pay for fiscal incompetence," he said in a post on X.

Gabriel McKeown, head of macroeconomics at Sad Rabbit Investments, said the rise in borrowing costs "has effectively eviscerated Reeves' fiscal headroom, threatening to derail Labour's investment promises and potentially necessitate a painful recalibration of spending plans."

The warning comes after the cost of borrowing over 30 years hit its highest level for 27 years on Tuesday.

Meanwhile the pound dropped by as much as 1.1% to $1.233 against the dollar, marking its lowest level since April last year.

The government generally spends more than it raises in tax. To fill this gap it borrows money, but that has to be paid back - with interest.

One of the ways it can borrow money is by selling financial products called bonds.

Globally, there has been a rise in the cost of government borrowing in recent months sparked by investor concerns that US President-elect Donald Trump's plans to impose new tariffs on goods entering the US from Canada, Mexico and China would push up inflation.

Laith Khalaf, head of investment analysis at AJ Bell, said chancellor Rachel Reeves' Budget in October, which increased borrowing, may have had a small impact but said the UK rises were similar to those in the US.

"In the UK higher yields put pressure on government finances and increase the risk that Reeves will come back with another tax raising Budget," he said.

But he also said the current rises in borrowing costs could be "a storm in a tea cup which dissipates quickly."

The official forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), will start the process of updating its forecast on government borrowing next month to be presented to parliament in late March.

Ryanair is pursuing legal action against a passenger who allegedly caused a major disruption on a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote.

The airline is seeking £12,500 in damages to cover expenses incurred when the plane had to divert to Porto, Portugal.

On Wednesday, the airline announced it had filed proceedings against the passenger, whose behaviour on the flight last April was described as "inexcusable" and "completely unacceptable".

Ryanair stated that it will "continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour on aircraft" in an effort to ensure the safety and comfort of all passengers.

The airline said the passenger's behaviour forced the flight in question to divert to Porto, where it was delayed overnight, and caused 160 passengers to "face unnecessary disruption as well as losing a full day of their holiday".

The damages sought would cover the cost of overnight accommodation and other expenses for the passengers affected by the diversion.

Announcing what the airline described as a "major clampdown", a spokesperson on the airline's website said: "It is unacceptable that passengers – many of whom are heading away with family or friends to enjoy a relaxing summer holiday – are suffering unnecessary disruption and reduced holiday time as a result of one unruly passenger's behaviour."

The airline added it hoped the civil proceedings in the Irish court would deter further disruptive behaviour on flights.

The passenger has not been named.

Under EU laws, passengers are entitled to compensation for flights within the EU that are cancelled or delayed by three hours or more.

Hotel accommodation must be offered free of charge if an overnight stay becomes necessary, as well as transport between the hotel and the airport along with a free meal and refreshments.

A passenger who disrupted a Ryanair flight to Athens in 2020 was convicted last month in a Greek court and given a five-month suspended jail sentence, along with a €400 ($412) fine.

The BBC has asked Ryanair for comment on the details of the incident.

Firefighters in Los Angeles are battling a number of blazes in city suburbs, as tens of thousands of residents are forced to flee.

The rapidly changing situation is compounded by Santa Ana winds and extremely dry conditions. Currently authorities say there is no possibility of bringing the fires under control.

The Palisades fire, which is closest to the coast and also the largest, has ripped through picturesque suburbs which are home to many Hollywood stars. More than 1,000 buildings have already been destroyed.

Here's how the fires have spread and are affecting the Los Angeles area.

An overview of the current fires

Four major fires are currently being tackled.

The Palisades fire was first reported at 10:30 (18:30 GMT) on Tuesday, and grew in just 20 minutes from a blaze of 20 acres to more than 200 acres, then more than tenfold in a matter of a few more hours. At least 30,000 people have so far been ordered to leave their homes.

The Eaton fire grew to cover 1,000 acres within the first six hours of breaking out. It started in Altadena in the hills above Pasadena at around 18:30 local time on Tuesday.

The Hurst fire is located just north of San Fernando. It began burning on Tuesday at around 22:10 local time, growing to 500 acres, according to local officials. It has triggered evacuation orders in neighbouring Santa Clarita.

The latest of the four fires is the Woodley fire, currently 75 acres in size. It broke out at approximately 06:15 local time on Wednesday.

• Follow latest updates on the LA wildfires
• Watch: Smoke billows as thousands evacuate in LA
• 'Run for your lives!' residents abandon cars to flee fire on foot
• Timelapse shows rapid spread of Palisades wildfire
• Watch: Inside a neighbourhood totally lost in inferno
• Pacific Palisades: The celebrity LA area ravaged by wildfire

How did the Palisades fire spread?

The Palisades fire has so far burnt through more than 2,900 acres. The map above shows how rapidly the blaze spread, intensifying in a matter of hours. At just after 14:00 on Tuesday it covered 772 acres and within four hours it had expanded approximately to its current size.

Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate, as more than 1,400 firefighters try to tackle the blaze.

How does the Palisade fire compare in size with New York and London?

To give an idea of the size of the Palisades fire, we have superimposed it on to maps of New York and London.

As you can see, it is comparable in size with the central area of UK's capital, or with large areas of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

How the fires look from space

Another indication of the scale of the Palisades fire comes from Nasa's Earth Observatory.

The images captured on Tuesday show a huge plume of smoke emanating from California and drifting out to sea.

Effects of the Eaton fire

The Palisade fire is not the only one to have a devastating effect on neighbourhoods of Los Angeles.

The above images show the Jewish Temple in Pasadena before and during the Eaton fire.

The Jewish Temple and Centre's website says it has been in use since 1941 and has a congregation of more than 400 familes.

The neo-Nazi organisation Blood and Honour, which is linked to parts of the skinhead music scene, has become the first extreme right-wing group to have financial sanctions imposed by the UK government.

Treasury ministers said they had "reasonable grounds to suspect" Blood and Honour of being involved in "terrorist activities through promoting and encouraging terrorism, seeking to recruit people for that purpose and making funds available for the purposes of its terrorist activities".

The assets freeze - which was extended to all aliases or affiliate groups including Combat 18 and 28 Radio - means nobody in the UK can provide funding or financial services to those named organisations.

This is a different government response from proscription - in which the Home Office issues banning orders on extremist groups.

Blood and Honour was founded in 1987 by Ian Stuart Donaldson aka Ian Stuart. He was the lead singer for the skinhead rock band Skrewdriver.

He said he set up Blood and Honour, which takes its name from a slogan of the Hitler Youth, because he felt the National Front was not racist enough.

Blood and Honour promotes white power ideology through music and still holds regular festivals.

Combat 18 originally served as security for Blood and Honour and ended up controlling one of its factions. 28 Radio was an online radio station.

Donaldson said at one stage: "I'll die to keep this country pure and if it means bloodshed at the end of the day, then let it be."

He died in a car crash in September 1993 but Blood and Honour continued.

Over the last decade, six extreme right wing groups have been banned – or proscribed - by the Home Office as terrorist organisations, the first being National Action in December 2016. The list also includes Atomwaffen Division, Feuerkrieg Division, Sonnenkrieg Division, The Base and The Terrorgram collective.

But this action against Blood and Honour and its affiliates is led by the Treasury and seeks to limit the group by strictly limiting its financial capabilities.

Therefore, Blood and Honour has not been proscribed but is the first extreme-right wing organisation to face an asset freeze under the Treasury's sanctions regime.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer he risks fuelling accusations of "a cover up" by refusing to hold a national inquiry into grooming gangs.

She also accused the PM of not wanting questions asked "of Labour politicians who may be complicit".

Sir Keir argued that several inquires had already been held into abuse carried out by gangs of men, predominantly of Pakistani heritage, and that a new probe would only delay the action the victims wanted.

And he said he would "call out" anyone who prevented victims of sexual abuse from coming forward.

The Conservatives have tabled an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill which calls for a national inquiry.

In the unlikely event the amendment is approved the bill, which includes measures aimed at protecting children and tougher rules around home-schooling, as well as changes to academies, would be scuppered.

Sir Keir said it was "shocking" Conservative MPs would try to block a bill aimed at helping vulnerable children by voting for the Tory amendment and accused Badenoch of "weak leadership".

Making her argument for a fresh inquiry, Badenoch said "no one has joined the dots, no one has the total picture".

She noted that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which lasted for seven years and concluded in 2022, had not had a specific focus on grooming gangs.

"We don't need to repeat the work that has already been done. Let's look at new areas."

She said a new inquiry could explore "if there was a racial and cultural motivation to some of these crimes".

Sir Keir said "reasonable people could agree or disagree" on whether there should be a fresh probe and acknowledged that there were mixed views among victims and survivors.

However, he accused Badenoch of only recently taking an interest in the subject and said she had failed to take action when she was in government.

"I can't recall her once raising this issue in the House, once calling for a national inquiry," he said.

The Metropolitan Police has passed a full evidence file about a Premier League footballer accused of rape to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for a charging decision, the BBC has been told.

The CPS said it is carefully reviewing the file of evidence in relation to a man, while the Met said it is continuing to investigate following reports of alleged sexual offences between 2021 and 2023.

This follows on from a BBC News investigation which spoke to five women who accused the footballer of rape, sexual assault or controlling behaviour.

Despite four of those women reporting the man, who we are calling Player X, to the police, he has continued to play for his Premier League club.

One of the women, who we are calling Kira, first reported Player X to the police in August 2021 and is calling on the CPS to prioritise making a charging decision, due to the severe emotional toll the lengthy process has had on her.

She previously told the BBC the lack of action from the club and governing body the Football Association (FA) in response to the allegations, after she contacted their safeguarding teams, contributed to her attempting to take her own life.

"I didn't want to exist in a world where I'm constantly reminded that rape allegations can be ignored as long as you're talented enough," she said.

Another woman said they believe if Player X had been suspended by his club or the FA after the first allegation, she would not have gone on to be sexually assaulted.

The BBC investigation found seven out of 20 Premier League clubs have had players or bosses investigated by the police for sexual offences since 2020.

The FA and Premier League both say they take sexual misconduct very seriously.

Player X was first arrested on suspicion of rape in July 2022 following a report from one woman. Shortly afterwards he was also arrested for an earlier allegation of rape from a second woman, who reported him to the police in August 2021.

He was questioned by police in February 2023 about allegations of sexual assault made by a third woman.

In November 2024 the footballer was further questioned by police about an allegation of rape from 2023 made by a fourth women.

Privacy rules regarding the identification of suspects means the BBC is not naming the footballer. The player has denied wrongdoing, the BBC understands.

A Metropolitan spokesperson police told the BBC on Wednesday: "A full file has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

"Those who have come forward to police continue to receive support from Met officers."

The player's club and the Premier League previously told the BBC they were unable to comment on an ongoing police investigation.

What was the FA's response?

After first going to the police in August 2021, Kira emailed the FA, Premier League and the club about her allegations the following month "in desperation", as she was worried about him continuing to play on such a big platform while he was being investigated.

The club told her it couldn't discuss her allegations for legal reasons. The Premier League directed her to the FA.

More than four months after contacting the FA about her allegations, it told her in emails that it could take "no further action" as the alleged behaviour did not breach its regulations.

It stated there was "no evidence" to suggest that Player X "poses a risk of harm to children or adults at risk". It sent her a PDF document that was titled "Football's Safeguarding Children policy" - which did not apply to her.

"They were hiding behind their lack of policies whilst knowing that the regulations they did have set up were meant to protect profits, not victims," says Kira.

In July 2024, Kira again approached the club, Premier League and FA - sending them evidence that she was a "vulnerable adult".

In an email, seen by the BBC, the club told her they had passed her correspondence onto the Premier League and the FA. The Premier League told her it was unable to discuss allegations currently under police investigation. And the FA, told her it couldn't share any details or updates regarding if any FA interventions have been taken.

"Further, we refer to our email…where we explained we are not the employer of the individual," it added.

Speaking about the response Kira told the BBC their correspondence has "reinforced a devastating message that I don't matter, that more women coming forward doesn't matter, and that even when I meet safeguarding requirements, it will never matter".

Another woman - Mia - said she believes if the FA and club had acted when they were first alerted to a rape allegation in 2021, she wouldn't have later gone to the house of Player X where she alleges he sexually assaulted her.

"If they had decided to take the first allegation seriously... if they had suspended him, I never would have been in that situation that I was in that day," she told the BBC.

"Their decision caused me to suffer," she said.

While the FA has detailed policies in place for players accused of betting on the game, there isn't anything similar for players accused of sexual or domestic violence that takes place beyond the football environment.

Some lawyers in the UK have noted the many legal difficulties facing football clubs when considering how to deal with a player facing allegations of sexual or domestic violence, without overarching rules in place.

A spokesperson for the FA said: "Our safeguarding policies and procedures allow us to support and protect children and adults at risk within a football-related environment."

"Regardless of where the incident took place, if the individual has a role within football, we always carry out a thorough safeguarding risk assessment and take the appropriate action if we believe there is a risk of harm to children. We are unable to comment on specific cases, but that does not mean that we haven't taken the required action or applied appropriate safeguards within our jurisdiction."

If you have information about this story or abuse within football that you would like to share please get in touch. Email hannah.price@bbc.co.uk.

And if you are affected by any of the issues in this story, contact BBC Action Line for details of advice and support.

Los Angeles is no stranger to disaster, having weathered floods, earthquakes and riots.

But Tuesday brought one of most devastating days in the city's history.

The Pacific Palisades Fire started around 10:30 local time.

Stoked by ferocious winds, the fire quickly spread, soon engulfing more than 3,000 acres in that upscale community.

Soon the horizon was covered in thick black smoke. A thin patina of ash cloaked the cars in my neighborhood some 20 miles (32km) away.

That fire continues to burn out of control. And it was soon joined by three other fires – none of which have been stopped.

LAPD chief Jim McDonnell described this as "a tragic time in our history" and said the winds Tuesday night were like "something I've never seen before".

• Follow latest updates on the LA wildfires
• Watch: Smoke billows as thousands evacuate in LA
• 'Run for your lives!' residents abandon cars to flee fire on foot
• Timelapse shows rapid spread of Palisades wildfire
• Watch: Inside a neighbourhood totally lost in inferno
• Pacific Palisades: The celebrity LA area ravaged by wildfire

Harrowing television footage showed flames engulfing some of the multimillion dollar oceanside mansions in Pacific Palisades.

One resident who escaped likened the situation to a scene from a disaster movie.

The word "apocalyptic" - so often misused - is in my view entirely applicable.

Fires are burning out of control all around us, smoke covers the sky in all directions, and the emergency services are stretched to their very limit – running out of water and straining to respond to thousands of 911 calls.

Perhaps the most pitiful image was of elderly residents being evacuated from a convalescent home in the city of Altadena, where the Eaton fire currently spans more than 2,000 acres.

Frail and confused, they were rushed in wheelchairs to safety amid a flurry of burning embers in the depths of night.

Seasonal wildfires are nothing new here. But never in the 25 years that I have lived here in LA have I witnessed a situation so widespread, and so unpredictable.

Two lives have been lost, at least 1,000 buildings have been destroyed - along with many livelihoods - and the forecast suggests the worse is yet to come.

A city of 4 million people is now at the mercy of the weather.

It is - as one fire chief put it - a "widespread disaster", and a tragic day in the history of America's second largest city.

The NHS is experiencing intense winter pressure, with critical incidents declared at a dozen hospitals across the UK by Wednesday.

Ahead of a special day of coverage, the BBC has spoken to nurses dealing with demand in A&Es.

"Patients are collapsing in the waiting room. It's just hectic," Lorraine, a nurse in Birmingham, told BBC Radio 5 Live on Tuesday.

"This is happening in A&E up and down the country, all areas," said Joanne, one nurse working in an emergency ward in Manchester. "A&E is in a desperate situation right now."

"The government need to take urgent action. We need help," she said.

• Do you work in the NHS? Get in touch at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

Without identifying which hospital she worked in, she said there had been 58 patients having to wait in the corridors of her emergency ward on Tuesday night because of a lack of beds. This was happening on a daily basis, she said.

Lorraine, the nurse in Birmingham who works on night-shift, said elderly people and pensioners were among the worst-affected.

"There's women that are 90 that have been waiting for a bed for 24 hours," she said.

"We try our best but if there's no beds what can we really do? We just make the old lady as comfortable as she can, just make sure that she's okay. But there's no beds."

There's the "chaos" inside wards and then "you go outside, there's loads of ambulances and it's just so hectic".

She said she felt sorry for paramedics who due to the lack of space in hospitals are being forced to hold patients on board "for a long time".

"And then when we do get them in they need a bed and there isn't one. It is really bad."

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited a hospital in London's south-east on Monday, revealing a new plan involving the private healthcare sector to help reduce waiting times for appointments.

But nurses like Lorraine say he needs to witness the reality of emergency wards currently.

"The prime minister should actually sit in the waiting room, see the abuse that we get, the poor old ladies and pensioners, the young people that are trying to kill themselves, people collapsing, people having cardiac arrests in the waiting room," she said.

"It's 2025- we shouldn't be seeing this."

On Wednesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he was ashamed of the crisis of "patients languishing in hospital corridors" but says it's not looking like it getting better any time soon.

NHS bosses have said the hospital system is under strain due to the surge in flu cases, where about 5,000 are being reported every day.

Lorraine in Birmingham had just come off a night shift when she spoke to the BBC.

"The waiting time was over 14 hours and it's just horrendous," she said.

She said staff were having to work through breaks on 12-hour shifts.

The back-log in emergency care put extra pressure on specialist teams where patients are waiting for surgeries and other operations, she said.

"And then we get abuse as you go into the waiting room to call the patients in, there will be about 20 people there, they're literally attacking you saying: "Where's the doctor, where's my bloods, I need the results."

"And because they're sick, you have to kind of understand why they are a little bit angry."

Speaking about heading in for another shift on Tuesday night, Lorraine said:

"I'm actually dreading it cause it was the worst night ever last night. But I'm gonna try and get some sleep and go in positive. I'm just trying to help the people."

• You can find information and support at BBC Action Line

A 14-year-old boy who was stabbed to death on a bus in south-east London loved music and cared about the people around him, his mother said in a tearful tribute.

Kelyan Bokassa died shortly after being attacked on a 472 double-decker bus on Woolwich Church Street at about 14:30 GMT on Tuesday.

He was also "kind" and was talented at drawing, his mother Mary Bokassa told the BBC.

No arrests have been made, but detectives say they are working "at pace" to find those responsible.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk

France has said the European Union will not allow other nations to attack its "sovereign borders", after US President-Elect Donald Trump refused to rule out using military force to seize Greenland.

On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his desire to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, saying it was "critical" for national and economic security.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told French radio "there is obviously no question that the European Union would let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are".

Barrot said he did not believe the US was going to invade the vast Arctic island, but he was clear the EU should not let itself be intimidated.

Denmark, a long-time US ally, has repeatedly made clear that Greenland is not for sale and that it belongs to its inhabitants.

Greenland's prime minister, Mute Egede, is pushing for independence and has also made clear the territory is not for sale. He was visiting Copenhagen on Wednesday.

Trump made the remarks at a free-wheeling news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, less than two weeks before he is sworn in for his second term as president.

Asked if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump said: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two.

"But I can say this, we need them for economic security."

• Panama Canal will stay in our hands, minister tells Trump

Greenland has been home to a US radar base since the Cold War and has long been strategically important for Washington.

Trump suggested the island was crucial to military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, which he said are "all over the place".

"I'm talking about protecting the free world," he told reporters.

Speaking to France Inter radio, Barrot said: "If you're asking me whether I think the United States will invade Greenland, my answer is no.

"Have we entered into an era that sees the return of the survival of the fittest? Then the answer is yes.

"So, should we allow ourselves to be intimidated and overcome with worry, clearly not. We must wake up, build up our strength."

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV on Tuesday that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders" and that only the local population could determine its future.

However, she stressed Denmark needed close co-operation with the US, a Nato ally.

• Trump's eyeing Greenland - but other Arctic investment is frozen
• When does Donald Trump take office as US president?

Greenland, which is the largest island in the world but has a population of just 57,000, has wide-ranging autonomy, although its economy is largely dependent on subsidies from Copenhagen and it remains part of the kingdom of Denmark.

It also has some of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals, which are crucial in the manufacture of batteries and high-tech devices.

Danish Broadcasting Corporation senior international correspondent Steffen Kretz, who has been reporting in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, said most of the people he had spoken to were "shocked" by Trump's suggestion he could use military force to take control of the territory.

While a majority of people in Greenland hoped for independence in the future, he said there was widespread acknowledgment that it needed a partner who could provide public services, defence and an economic foundation, as Denmark did now.

"I have yet to meet a person in Greenland who is dreaming of the island becoming a colony for another outside power like the USA."

Kretz told the BBC that while the Danish government had sought to "downplay" any confrontation with Trump, "behind the scenes I sense the awareness that this conflict has the potential to be the biggest international crisis for Denmark in modern history".

The president-elect's son, Donald Trump Jr, paid a brief visit to Greenland on Tuesday, in what he described as a "personal day trip" to talk to people.

He then posted a photo with a group of Greenlanders in a bar wearing pro-Trump caps.

A large UK study has found further evidence that people with more calcium in their diet - equivalent to a glass of milk a day - can help reduce their risk of bowel cancer.

The researchers analysed the diets of more than half a million women over 16 years and found dark leafy greens, bread and non-dairy milks containing calcium also had a protective effect.

They also found more evidence that consuming too much alcohol and processed meat has the opposite effect, increasing the risk of the disease.

Cancer charities say having a healthy, balanced diet, being a healthy weight and stopping smoking were the best ways to lower your risk of bowel cancer.

How big is the effect?

A recent review found dairy products "probably" decreased the risk of colorectal (bowel) cancer.

This study, from Oxford University and Cancer Research UK, suggests that is down to calcium, from dairy or non-dairy foods.

• an extra 300mg of calcium a day in the diet, or a large glass of milk, lowers your risk by 17%

"It highlights the potential protective role of dairy, largely due to calcium, in the development of bowel cancer," said lead researcher Dr Keren Papier, from Oxford.

Breakfast cereal, fruit, wholegrains, carbohydrates, fibre and vitamin C also showed they lowered the risk of the cancer, but only slightly.

It is already well-known that eating too much processed meat and red meat probably increases your risk of bowel cancer, as does alcohol.

This study provides more evidence of that link:

• drinking an additional large glass of wine a day, or 0.7oz (20g) of alcohol, increases your risk by 15%
• eating 1oz more red and processed meat a day, such as a slice of ham, increases your risk by 8%

Quantifying exactly what those percentages mean is tricky, because everyone's risk of bowel cancer is different depending on their lifestyle, diet, habits and genetics.

What does calcium do? What foods contain it?

Calcium is an important mineral for strengthening bones and keeping your teeth healthy, but there is growing evidence it also protects against some cancers.

There is lots of calcium in milk, yoghurt and cheese. Dairy products are one of the main sources of it in the UK diet (we love our cereals in the morning).

It is also present in other foods like soya and rice drinks, white bread, nuts, seeds and fruits like dried figs, curly kale and canned sardines, and it is also in lactose-free milk.

The study says calcium may protect against bowel cancer "because it is able to bind to bile acids and free fatty acids in the colon, lowering their potentially carcinogenic effects".

Why is bowel cancer so common?

There are about 44,000 cases of bowel cancer every year in the UK, making it the fourth most common cancer.

Although most cases are in older people, rates of the cancer are rising among younger adults - but there is no clear reason why.

Experts say poor diet and obesity may be among the factors involved.

Symptoms of bowel cancer include:

• a change in your bowel habits, such as looser poo, pooing more often or constipation
• bleeding from your bottom or finding blood in your poo
• losing weight when you have not been trying to
• unexplained tiredness or breathlessness

Advice is to talk to your doctor if you notice any one of them.

What do other experts say?

This was an observational study, not a trial, so it cannot prove categorically that calcium or any other food product protects against cancer or makes it more likely.

However, the researchers say the study is "the largest on diet and bowel cancer to date", which gives them confidence they are on the right track. The findings are also in line with previous studies' conclusions.

More than 12,000 women in the study developed bowel cancer, and nearly 100 food products and nutrients in their diets were investigated to assess potential links.

Nutrition expert Prof Janet Cade, from the University of Leeds, said the paper "provides important evidence showing that overall diet can influence risk of colorectal cancer".

Prof Andrew Prentice, from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, wonders whether, in the light of the study results, calcium supplements might be protective although he says "the jury is out on this".

The take-home message for Prof Tom Sanders, from King's College London, is that "drinking above the safe limits of alcohol intake (more than 14 units per week) increases [the] risk of colorectal cancer in women, but that drinking about half a pint of cows' milk a day is probably protective".

Dr Lisa Wilde, from charity Bowel Cancer UK, says someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer "every 12 minutes" and half of all bowel cancers could be prevented with healthier lifestyles.

"If you don't drink dairy milk there are other ways you can get calcium, for example from broccoli or tofu, and still reduce your bowel cancer risk," she says.

A well-known high school in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles has reportedly fallen victim to a wildfire raging in the US city.

Parts of Palisades Charter High School - which counts celebrities including Will.i.am and Forest Whitaker among its alumni and has itself been a Hollywood filming location - have caught fire, local media say. The extent of the damage is unclear.

As well as the Palisades Fire - which has quickly spread to cover nearly 3,000 acres - two nearby blazes ignited on Tuesday. Thousands of people have been evacuated.

The school's website says it has closed - and urged pupils and their families to avoid the area. The BBC has asked for further comment.

The school, which educates children aged 14-18, says its students come from a broad area of western Los Angeles. Its buildings are known as a location for films including Carrie, Teen Wolf and Freaky Friday.

Los Angeles is in a state of emergency, and an interactive map managed by fire officials confirms that the fast-moving fires have affected a swathe of land on which the school is located.

The map notes that the Palisades Fire - like the two other blazes - is totally uncontained. About 30,000 people have been told to leave their homes.

• Follow live updates on this story
• 'Run for your lives!' Locals abandon cars to flee fires

The new school term had yet to begin on Tuesday, although a small number of students and staff were on site, according to the LA Times. They were rapidly evacuated, and no injuries have been reported.

The newspaper said the school's sporting facilities had been damaged, but that the extent to which buildings had been impacted was unclear. Firefighters were on the scene, the newspaper added.

A reporter for the BBC's US partner, CBS News, confirmed that flames could be seen coming from the premises - but said it was not clear what was burning. An evacuee speaking at the scene described the fires as "armageddon".

The separate Palisades Charter Elementary School nearby has also reportedly been caught up in the blaze.

• Pacific Palisades: The celebrity LA area ravaged by wildfire
• The weird wind that can supercharge heatwaves and wildfire

The wider Pacific Palisades neighbourhood is known as an upscale celebrity haunt. Schitt's Creek actor Eugene Levy is among those who have been forced to leave their homes - and others, including Tom Hanks and Jennifer Aniston, have reportedly had to do the same.

The other two fires are burning above Altadena, near the Eaton Canyon, and in the Sylmar suburb, where a mandatory evacuation has been ordered as flames spread rapidly.

More than 1,400 firefighters have been deployed to combat the "unprecedented" blazes, California Governor Gavin Newsom said earlier.

Fire ecologist Chad Hanson predicted "a rough night" for fire crews, with the most extreme conditions expected from 02:00-06:00 local time (10:00-14:00 GMT).

Mr Hanson said January was still considered to be wildfire season in this part of California, and that the biggest influence were the Santa Ana winds.

"These winds are unique to southern California," he said, explaining that they result in" extreme, sustained wind events with pretty dramatic gusts."

Additional reporting by Thomas Mackintosh

Are you having to evacuate due to the fires? If it is safe to do so, get in touch.

Singer Liam Payne's medical cause of death has been confirmed in a UK inquest opening as "polytrauma".

The One Direction star died on 16 October after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.

Polytrauma is a term for multiple traumatic injuries which have been sustained to a person's body and organ systems.

The hearing, which was held at Buckinghamshire Coroner's Court on 17 December, was told it may take "some time" to formally ascertain how the 31-year-old died.

The inquest into Payne's death in the UK has been adjourned until a pre-inquest review on 6 November, the coroner's court said.

His medical cause of death was confirmed by Dr Roberto Victor Cohen as "polytrauma"

The hearing was also told Payne was formally identified "with the assistance of the funeral directors in Buckinghamshire".

Senior Coroner Crispin Butler said during the hearing: "Whilst there are ongoing investigations in Argentina into the circumstances of Liam's death, over which I have no legal jurisdiction, it is anticipated that procuring the relevant information to address particularly how Liam came by his death may take some time through the formal channel of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office."

Five people in Argentina have been charged in connection with the death of the 31-year-old star.

The hotel's manager, Gilda Martin, and its receptionist, Esteban Grassi, as well as Payne's friend Roger Nores have been charged with manslaughter, Argentina's prosecutor's office says.

Ezequiel Pereyra - who also worked at the hotel - and Braian Paiz, a waiter, have been charged with supplying drugs.

'Multiple trauma'

In November, the prosecutor's office in Argentina said toxicology tests revealed traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in Payne's body.

A post-mortem examination determined his cause of death as "multiple trauma" and "internal and external haemorrhage", as a result of the fall from the hotel balcony.

According to the prosecutor's office, medical reports also suggested Payne may have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness.

The prosecutor's office said this ruled out the possibility of a conscious or voluntary act by Payne, and they had concluded the singer did not know what he was doing nor have any comprehension of his actions.

Payne became one of the most recognisable names in pop after appearing on The X Factor and rising to fame with the boyband One Direction in the 2010s before the band went on an indefinite hiatus in January 2016.

The singer's funeral was held in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, in November.

His former bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik were among the mourners, alongside Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy and his former partner Cheryl, with whom he shares a son.

Wintry weather is forecast to tighten its grip in many parts of the UK this week with sub-zero temperatures plunging even lower than during the heavy snowfall of the past weekend.

Weather forecasters predict the coldest nights of the year so far on Wednesday and Thursday, and temperatures are expected to fall as low as -20 C in some areas.

A series of yellow weather warnings covering the next few days have already become active - with the latest warnng of the danger of ice in parts of northern Wales, as well as areas in central and northern England, until 12:00 GMT on Wednesday.

The cold weather comes after another day of flooding causing havoc in central England but, with no further rainfall expected in flood-hit areas in the coming days, flood waters are likely to begin subsiding.

Travel disruption continued on Tuesday, with flights delayed, roads closed and railways impacted by the poor weather.

People continued to grapple with the impact of the severe flooding that has affected homes and businesses across the Midlands in England and a man had to be rescued from a flooded caravan park in Leicestershire's Barrow upon Soar.

There were 114 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 205 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, in place across England on Tuesday afternoon.

One flood warning and six flood alerts were active in Wales.

Looking ahead, weather forecasters expect the flood waters and warnings to begin to subside, with no significant rain predicted in the areas currently experiencing flooding.

But by then the focus will have switched back to how far temperatures are likely to fall, particularly during the night.

The ice warning covering Tuesday night and Wednesday morning is accompanied by another, also up to 12:00 on Wednesday, which tells people to be aware of the likelihood of snow and ice in Northern Ireland and parts of northern and western Scotland.

A separate yellow warning for snow in some southern counties of England will come into force at 09:00 on Wednesday, and will last until midnight.

The wintry conditions have caused significant disruption across the UK since snow swept many parts of the country at the weekend.

Hundreds of schools were closed in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, including schools in Yorkshire, Merseyside, the Midlands and Aberdeenshire.

Most flights are running again after they were temporarily halted at airports in Liverpool, Bristol, Aberdeen and Manchester – but operators have warned some delays are still likely.

Some major roads were shut because of poor weather conditions, including the A1 in Lincolnshire which was still closed on Tuesday afternoon due to extensive flooding.

Worst since 2021?

Bitter cold is expected in many parts of the UK in the coming days, with the likelihood of sharp overnight frosts.

Temperatures are expected to drop well below freezing on Wednesday and Thursday night, with forecasters expecting many parts of the UK to experience a hard frost and lows of between -3C and -10C.

In places that are still experiencing snow cover, it could be as cold as -14C to -16C on Wednesday night, and on Thursday the Pennines and snow fields of Scotland could register temperatures as low as -16C to -20C.

That would actually be far colder than was experienced at the weekend when a low of -13.3 C was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands.

It is also significantly lower than anything seen last winter when a particularly bitter night in Dalwhinnie in the Highlands saw a mark of -14C being recorded.

The last time the UK had any temperature that below -20C was in February 2021 when Braemar in Aberdeenshire was measured at -23C.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer he risks fuelling accusations of "a cover up" by refusing to hold a national inquiry into grooming gangs.

She also accused the PM of not wanting questions asked "of Labour politicians who may be complicit".

Sir Keir argued that several inquires had already been held into abuse carried out by gangs of men, predominantly of Pakistani heritage, and that a new probe would only delay the action the victims wanted.

And he said he would "call out" anyone who prevented victims of sexual abuse from coming forward.

The Conservatives have tabled an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill which calls for a national inquiry.

In the unlikely event the amendment is approved the bill, which includes measures aimed at protecting children and tougher rules around home-schooling, as well as changes to academies, would be scuppered.

Sir Keir said it was "shocking" Conservative MPs would try to block a bill aimed at helping vulnerable children by voting for the Tory amendment and accused Badenoch of "weak leadership".

Making her argument for a fresh inquiry, Badenoch said "no one has joined the dots, no one has the total picture".

She noted that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which lasted for seven years and concluded in 2022, had not had a specific focus on grooming gangs.

"We don't need to repeat the work that has already been done. Let's look at new areas."

She said a new inquiry could explore "if there was a racial and cultural motivation to some of these crimes".

Sir Keir said "reasonable people could agree or disagree" on whether there should be a fresh probe and acknowledged that there were mixed views among victims and survivors.

However, he accused Badenoch of only recently taking an interest in the subject and said she had failed to take action when she was in government.

"I can't recall her once raising this issue in the House, once calling for a national inquiry," he said.

Work is under way to create one of the largest energy storage facilities in Europe at Coalburn in South Lanarkshire.

Developers say the two huge neighbouring battery farms - one at the site of a former opencast coal mine - will store enough electricity to power three million homes.

The one gigawatt facility is being constructed in two phases with the first due to be operational later this year.

It will be charged using excess power from wind farms with the electricity being discharged when demand is high or renewable generation is low.

The giant batteries will operate for two hours at a time before being depleted.

Work on the first phase started in November 2023 with the developers - Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) - confirming that construction would begin shortly on stage two.

Nischal Agarwal from CIP said the projects would enhance the the country's energy security.

He added said it would support the UK's pursuit of a clean power system by 2030 and deliver a net-zero carbon economy by 2050.

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are being built across the UK to help balance the electricity grid, which is becoming increasingly powered by renewables.

Almost 90% of the electricity generated in Scotland last year was from low carbon sources like wind, solar or nuclear, according to figures from the Scottish government.

To help balance the peaks and troughs of renewables, the National Grid estimates that the UK would need to see BESS provision grow almost six times over by the end of the decade.

Alongside the final investment decision for the Coalburn 2 site, CIP has also confirmed that work will begin soon on a similar sized battery farm near Kincardine in Fife.

The Devilla site will take the company's storage capacity up to 1.5GW.

Visiting the Coalburn 1 site, first minister John Swinney said the investment would deliver a significant contribution to the growth of Scotland's energy transition infrastructure.

"By helping to supply reliable and secure power to our homes and businesses, well-located storage systems, such as batteries and pumped hydro storage, can move us closer to net zero and directly support the communities around them."

The second phase of the Coalburn development is being built on the former Broken Cross open cast workings about four miles south of Lesmahagow.

Owner Hargreaves Services announced in 2016 that it was ending mining there along with five other sites in Scotland.

A nine turbine wind farm is being constructed on the site, with work due to begin this year on the second phase of the Coalburn 2 battery storage site.

The project is expected to reach full capacity by the end of 2027.

A body believed to be one of two British men has been found after they went missing in the Dolomites, Italy's alpine rescue service has said.

Aziz Ziriat, 36, and Samuel Harris, 35, from London, were last heard from on 1 January after sending messages home from the Trentino region in northern Italy. They did not check into their flight home on 6 January.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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High winds and lack of rain are the main factors driving the Southern California fires, but climate change is altering the background conditions, increasing the likelihood of these conflagrations, say experts.

Researchers have shown that a warming world increases the number of "fire weather" days, when conditions are more suited to outbreaks of fire.

California is particularly vulnerable right now because of a lack of rain in recent months, following a very warm summer.

The powerful Santa Ana winds that naturally occur at this time of year, combined with the dry conditions, can result in fast moving and dangerous fire outbreaks.

Reaching 60-70 mph, these strong, dry winds blow from the interior of Southern California towards the coast and this month has seen the worst high wind event in the area in over a decade.

The winds are drying out the lands, and researchers say that while the strongest winds will occur at the start of this outbreak, the driest vegetation will come at the end, meaning these fires could drag on for quite some time.

The high wind speeds are also altering the location of the fires. Many outbreaks occur high up on mountains, but these recent fires have rapidly moved down into the valleys and into areas where more people live.

"That's where there are more potential ignition sources," said climate researcher Daniel Swain from UCLA in a social media post.

"It's also where it's harder to turn off the power pre-emptively than it is in other locations where these public safety power shut offs are more common and are prepped for at a more regular basis. So there's going to be some potential challenges there."

The impact of a changing climate is evident in the bigger picture for the state.

California has experienced a decades-long drought that ended just two years ago. The resulting wet conditions since then have seen the rapid growth of shrubs and trees, the perfect fuel for fires.

However last summer was very hot and was followed by dry autumn and winter season - downtown Los Angeles has only received 0.16 inches of rain since October, more than 4 inches below average.

Researchers believe that a warming world is increasing the conditions that are conducive to wildland fire, including low relative humidity.

These "fire weather" days are increasing in many parts of the world, with climate change making these conditions more severe and the fire season lasting longer in many parts of the world, scientists have shown.

In California, the situation has been made worse by the topography with fires burning more intensely and moving more rapidly in steep terrain. This area of California is also dominated by naturally very fire-prone shrub vegetation.

"While fires are common and natural in this region, California has seen some of the most significant increases in the length and extremity of the fire weather season globally in recent decades, driven largely climate change," said Professor Stefan Doerr, Director of the Centre for Wildfire Research, at Swansea University.

"That said, it is too early to say to what degree climate change has made these specific fires more extreme. This will need to be evaluated in a more detailed attribution analysis."

A 14-year-old boy who was stabbed to death on a bus in south-east London loved music and cared about the people around him, his mother said in a tearful tribute.

Kelyan Bokassa died shortly after being attacked on a 472 double-decker bus on Woolwich Church Street at about 14:30 GMT on Tuesday.

He was also "kind" and was talented at drawing, his mother Mary Bokassa told the BBC.

No arrests have been made, but detectives say they are working "at pace" to find those responsible.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk

France has said the European Union will not allow other nations to attack its "sovereign borders", after US President-Elect Donald Trump refused to rule out using military force to seize Greenland.

On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his desire to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, saying it was "critical" for national and economic security.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told French radio "there is obviously no question that the European Union would let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are".

Barrot said he did not believe the US was going to invade the vast Arctic island, but he was clear the EU should not let itself be intimidated.

Denmark, a long-time US ally, has repeatedly made clear that Greenland is not for sale and that it belongs to its inhabitants.

Greenland's prime minister, Mute Egede, is pushing for independence and has also made clear the territory is not for sale. He was visiting Copenhagen on Wednesday.

Trump made the remarks at a free-wheeling news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, less than two weeks before he is sworn in for his second term as president.

Asked if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump said: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two.

"But I can say this, we need them for economic security."

• Panama Canal will stay in our hands, minister tells Trump

Greenland has been home to a US radar base since the Cold War and has long been strategically important for Washington.

Trump suggested the island was crucial to military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, which he said are "all over the place".

"I'm talking about protecting the free world," he told reporters.

Speaking to France Inter radio, Barrot said: "If you're asking me whether I think the United States will invade Greenland, my answer is no.

"Have we entered into an era that sees the return of the survival of the fittest? Then the answer is yes.

"So, should we allow ourselves to be intimidated and overcome with worry, clearly not. We must wake up, build up our strength."

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV on Tuesday that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders" and that only the local population could determine its future.

However, she stressed Denmark needed close co-operation with the US, a Nato ally.

• Trump's eyeing Greenland - but other Arctic investment is frozen
• When does Donald Trump take office as US president?

Greenland, which is the largest island in the world but has a population of just 57,000, has wide-ranging autonomy, although its economy is largely dependent on subsidies from Copenhagen and it remains part of the kingdom of Denmark.

It also has some of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals, which are crucial in the manufacture of batteries and high-tech devices.

Danish Broadcasting Corporation senior international correspondent Steffen Kretz, who has been reporting in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, said most of the people he had spoken to were "shocked" by Trump's suggestion he could use military force to take control of the territory.

While a majority of people in Greenland hoped for independence in the future, he said there was widespread acknowledgment that it needed a partner who could provide public services, defence and an economic foundation, as Denmark did now.

"I have yet to meet a person in Greenland who is dreaming of the island becoming a colony for another outside power like the USA."

Kretz told the BBC that while the Danish government had sought to "downplay" any confrontation with Trump, "behind the scenes I sense the awareness that this conflict has the potential to be the biggest international crisis for Denmark in modern history".

The president-elect's son, Donald Trump Jr, paid a brief visit to Greenland on Tuesday, in what he described as a "personal day trip" to talk to people.

He then posted a photo with a group of Greenlanders in a bar wearing pro-Trump caps.

The co-chair of the independent body that reviews Facebook and Instagram content has said she is "very concerned" about how parent company Meta's decision to ditch fact checkers will affect minority groups.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, from Meta's oversight board, told the BBC she welcomed aspects of the shake-up, which will see users decide about the accuracy of posts via X-style "community notes".

However speaking on Today, on BBC Radio Four, she added there were "huge problems" with what had been announced, including the potential impact on LBTQ+ and trans people, as well as gender rights.

"We are seeing many instances where hate speech can lead to real-life harm, so we will be watching that space very carefully," she said.

In a video posted alongside a blog post by the company on Tuesday, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the decision was motivated by "getting back to our roots around free expression".

He said third-party fact checkers currently used by the firm were "too politically biased", meaning too many users were being "censored."

The decision has prompted questions about the survival of the board - which Meta funds - and was created by then president of global affairs, Sir Nick Clegg, who announced he was leaving the company less than a week ago.

Ms Thorning-Schmidt - a former Prime Minister of Denmark - insisted the changes to fact checking meant it was needed more than ever.

"That's why it is good we have an oversight board that can discuss this in a transparent way with Meta", she said.

'Kiss up to Trump'

While Meta says the move is about free speech, others have suggested it is an attempt to get closer to the incoming Trump administration, and catch up with the access and influence enjoyed by another tech titan, Elon Musk.

The tech journalist and author Kara Swisher told the BBC it was "the most cynical move" she had seen Mr Zuckerberg make in the "many years" she had been reporting on him.

"Facebook does whatever is in its self-interest", she told Today.

"He wants to kiss up to Donald Trump, and catch up with Elon Musk in that act."

However while campaigners against hate speech online reacted with dismay to the change some advocates of free speech have welcomed the news.

The US free speech group Fire said: "Meta's announcement shows the marketplace of ideas in action. Its users want a social media platform that doesn't suppress political content or use top-down fact-checkers.

"These changes will hopefully result in less arbitrary moderation decisions and freer speech on Meta's platforms."

Speaking after the changes were announced, Trump told a news conference he was impressed by Mr Zuckerberg's decision and that Meta had "come a long way".

Asked whether Mr Zuckerberg was "directly responding" to threats Trump had made to him in the past, the incoming US president responded: "Probably".

Advertiser exodus

Mr Zuckerberg acknowledged on Tuesday there was some risk for the company in the change of strategy.

"It means we're going to catch less bad stuff, but we'll also reduce the number of innocent people's posts and accounts that we accidentally take down," he said in his video message.

X's move to a more hands-off approach to moderating content has contributed to a major fall-out with advertisers.

Jasmine Enberg, analyst at Insider Intelligence, said that was a risk for Meta too.

"Meta's massive size and powerhouse ad platform insulate it somewhat from an X-like user and advertiser exodus", she told the BBC.

"But brand safety remains a key factor in determining where advertisers spend their budgets - any major drop in engagement could hurt Meta's ad business, given the intense competition for users and ad dollars."

As firefighters in California battle three different blazes in and around Los Angeles, residents in the affluent suburb of Palisades have told the BBC how they fled the approaching flames.

Pacific Palisades resident David Latt said he and his wife had just 10 minutes to grab important documents and family photographs before being stuck in a traffic jam for two hours as they tried to escape.

Speaking to the Radio 4 Today programme Mr Latt said he had been unware of the fires until a neighbour warned him.

"I didn't know what he was even talking about until I went outside and I saw, about four blocks away up a hill, a very large plume of black smoke. And then I realised; 'oh, we need to get out of here!'"

Mr Latt said most people are aware of the need to pack a "grab-and-go bag" containing important documents like passports and other essential items. He wanted to make sure he had "all the receipts we needed to file our taxes… and we gathered more family photographs, albums, artwork, that we could get into our two cars".

After collecting their most important belongings, he took a moment to film the wildfires from his roof and check the direction of the wind. When he realised it was blowing in his direction, he knew it was time to move - just minutes after getting the warning.

With access to and from his area limited to just one road, Mr Latt said they were stuck in a traffic jam for two hours as they attempted to flee.

Bordering Malibu, Pacific Palisades is a haven of hillside streets and winding roads nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and extending down to beaches along the Pacific Ocean.

Mr Latt is unsure of what has happened to his home, and does not believe they will know much more for at least a day; extremely high winds are forecast later on Wednesday night and into Thursday which could fan the flames to whip up more fires across Los Angeles.

"What we know from experience is that even though the firefighters are doing a remarkable job in putting out areas of fire, but some sparks remain... the wind picks it up, carries the embers which can go across the street or a mile away... That's what the concern is in LA tonight," Mr Latt said.

The speed of which he saw firefighting aircraft in the skies gave him some confidence in a "frightening situation", he added.

• Follow latest updates on the LA wildfires
• Watch: Smoke billows as thousands evacuate in LA
• 'Run for your lives!' residents abandon cars to flee fire on foot
• Timelapse shows rapid spread of Palisades wildfire
• Watch: Inside a neighbourhood totally lost in inferno
• Pacific Palisades: The celebrity LA area ravaged by wildfire

In Palisades, firefighters told people to get out of their cars as the blaze approached, fanned by gusts of winds sometimes topping 100mph (160km/h).

"The fire was right up against the cars," resident Marsha Horowitz told the BBC.

Celebrities were also among those fleeing.

Schitt's Creek actor Eugene Levy lives in the area and told local media he was forced to evacuate his home. "The smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon. I couldn't see any flames but the smoke was very dark," he told the Los Angeles Times.

Mr Latt and his wife made it to safety, but unease has gripped residents in the city as the three wildfires rage on its northern and western outskirts.

Whipped up by strong winds, the fires have destroyed homes, clogged roads and forced more than 30,000 people to flee.

With at least 50,000 homes without power, other people in affected neighbourhoods have been driving until they get a signal to try and make calls or connect to the internet, unsure what to do.

If they go to sleep, they worry they will not know when to evacuate. Many can see flames from their homes, but are unsure if they are close enough to leave.

Many people have have children and pets, and are unsure of where to go.

Journalist Amrita Khalid lives in coastal city of Santa Monica, which is also being evacuated.

She told the BBC World Service's Newsday radio programme that the day began like any other.

"I can't stress to you how normal this morning was in Santa Monica. It just seemed like another nice winter morning. But then, I was walking home from the gym and I just noticed big black billowing clouds of smoke."

She then decided to leave her home for a safer location and says a photo of her neighbourhood that was shared with her affirmed her decision to leave.

"It looks like Mars, it looks bright red," she said. "So I'm kind of glad I left. I think better be safe than sorry."

What causes Santa Ana winds and where do they come from?

Why are they linked to wildfires in southern California?

How strong are the Santa Ana winds?

Why are the winds called Santa Ana?

A wildfire that started in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles on Tuesday morning has spread across the west of the city at an alarming rate throughout Tuesday and overnight.

High winds and very dry conditions further fuelled the flames, causing the blaze to rip through neighbourhoods at alarming speeds. The fires reportedly spread from a size of 10 acres to nearly 3,000 in a matter of hours.

Firefighters have been battling the flames throughout the night, as residents were forced to flee amid evacuation orders affecting tens of thousands of people.

Photographers have captured dramatic scenes across the west of the city as firefighters work to control the fires.

The BBC's Regan Morris reported on fires raging out of control, leaving those without power and phone signal unable to receive updates on the latest evacuation alerts.

Meanwhile, CBS reporter Jonathan Vigliotti said firefighters were no longer "trying to save" houses in the Palisades, "they're trying to prevent these flames from jumping to other neighbourhoods".

A well-known high school in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles has reportedly fallen victim to a wildfire raging in the US city.

Parts of Palisades Charter High School - which counts celebrities including Will.i.am and Forest Whitaker among its alumni and has itself been a Hollywood filming location - have caught fire, local media say. The extent of the damage is unclear.

As well as the Palisades Fire - which has quickly spread to cover nearly 3,000 acres - two nearby blazes ignited on Tuesday. Thousands of people have been evacuated.

The school's website says it has closed - and urged pupils and their families to avoid the area. The BBC has asked for further comment.

The school, which educates children aged 14-18, says its students come from a broad area of western Los Angeles. Its buildings are known as a location for films including Carrie, Teen Wolf and Freaky Friday.

Los Angeles is in a state of emergency, and an interactive map managed by fire officials confirms that the fast-moving fires have affected a swathe of land on which the school is located.

The map notes that the Palisades Fire - like the two other blazes - is totally uncontained. About 30,000 people have been told to leave their homes.

• Follow live updates on this story
• 'Run for your lives!' Locals abandon cars to flee fires

The new school term had yet to begin on Tuesday, although a small number of students and staff were on site, according to the LA Times. They were rapidly evacuated, and no injuries have been reported.

The newspaper said the school's sporting facilities had been damaged, but that the extent to which buildings had been impacted was unclear. Firefighters were on the scene, the newspaper added.

A reporter for the BBC's US partner, CBS News, confirmed that flames could be seen coming from the premises - but said it was not clear what was burning. An evacuee speaking at the scene described the fires as "armageddon".

The separate Palisades Charter Elementary School nearby has also reportedly been caught up in the blaze.

• Pacific Palisades: The celebrity LA area ravaged by wildfire
• The weird wind that can supercharge heatwaves and wildfire

The wider Pacific Palisades neighbourhood is known as an upscale celebrity haunt. Schitt's Creek actor Eugene Levy is among those who have been forced to leave their homes - and others, including Tom Hanks and Jennifer Aniston, have reportedly had to do the same.

The other two fires are burning above Altadena, near the Eaton Canyon, and in the Sylmar suburb, where a mandatory evacuation has been ordered as flames spread rapidly.

More than 1,400 firefighters have been deployed to combat the "unprecedented" blazes, California Governor Gavin Newsom said earlier.

Fire ecologist Chad Hanson predicted "a rough night" for fire crews, with the most extreme conditions expected from 02:00-06:00 local time (10:00-14:00 GMT).

Mr Hanson said January was still considered to be wildfire season in this part of California, and that the biggest influence were the Santa Ana winds.

"These winds are unique to southern California," he said, explaining that they result in" extreme, sustained wind events with pretty dramatic gusts."

Additional reporting by Thomas Mackintosh

Are you having to evacuate due to the fires? If it is safe to do so, get in touch.

Two complaints against the Metropolitan Police over its handling of allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed are to be investigated by the force under the direction of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The Met is currently reviewing a total of 21 allegations made before the former Harrods boss died in 2023. It referred two of these to the IOPC in November.

On Wednesday, the police watchdog said that the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards will continue to investigate those two complaints, but will do so under the IOPC's direction.

Claims of sexual offences by Al Fayed arose in a BBC documentary, after his death, which revealed the extent of his predatory behaviour.

It was only after the BBC broadcast in September that the Met revealed it had been approached by 21 women before Al Fayed's death who accused him of sexual offences including rape, sexual assault and trafficking. Despite this, he was never charged with any offences.

Dozens more have since contacted the force, with allegations stretching as far back as 1977. A wider investigation by the Met into the claims against Al Fayed is ongoing.

Two of the women, whose allegations were investigated in 2008 and 2013, complained after the documentary about how the force had handled their claims.

The complaints relate to "concerns about the quality of police response and how details came to be disclosed publicly", a previous statement from the Met said.

IOPC director of operations Steve Noonan said: "There is widespread public concern around this case, with a significant number of allegations reported over many years while Mr Al Fayed was still alive.

"It's important that an investigation is carried out into these complaints to identify if there were any missed opportunities or failures by officers to properly investigate these reports."

A body believed to be one of two British men has been found after they went missing in the Dolomites, Italy's alpine rescue service has said.

Aziz Ziriat, 36, and Samuel Harris, 35, from London, were last heard from on 1 January after sending messages home from the Trentino region in northern Italy. They did not check into their flight home on 6 January.

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