on newsnight at 10:30pm: another blow to the prime minister's so—called "small boats week", as migrants are taken off the bibby stockholm barge after legionaires bacteria caused problems. how will the government reboot its migrant policy? good evening. hawaii is said to be facing the largest natural disaster in its history, after wildfires ripped through the land and destroyed most of the beach—front town of lahaina. at least 55 people are known to have died but many are still missing. just look at how the landscape has been ravaged. whole roads and neighbourhoods have been blackened and flattened as hurricane—strength winds fanned the deadly flames. the blaze ripped through the town so quickly that some people jumped into the harbour to escape the flames and smoke. here's our north america correspondentjohn sudworth reporting from maui. the town of lahaina, home to 12,000 people traced its history back centuries. all but wiped from existence in a few short hours. the intensity of the fire scene from this commercialjet. with daylight the charred ruins were revealed. the wildfires, fanned by the wind is from an offshore hurricane, have left thousands homeless, survivors absorbing the scale of the disaster. people lost everything, homes, jobs, their cars, some their pets. there are still people missing.— are still people missing. there wasn't even — are still people missing. there wasn't even time _ are still people missing. there wasn't even time for _ are still people missing. there wasn't even time for officials l wasn't even time for officials to come _ wasn't even time for officials to come round and tell people to evacuate _ come round and tell people to evacuate. nobody came into our complex — evacuate. nobody came into our complex until the flames were here and we _ complex until the flames were here and we were getting out and the fire truck was_ and we were getting out and the fire truck was coming in. this and we were getting out and the fire truck was coming in.— truck was coming in. this was lahaina's _ truck was coming in. this was lahaina's historic _ truck was coming in. this was lahaina's historic seafront, i truck was coming in. this was l lahaina's historic seafront, now reduced to ashes. bustling streets and shops all raised to the ground. this man and his family were on holiday from california. caught by the flames that almost lost their lives. ~ ., . ., lives. we left our vehicle and m self lives. we left our vehicle and myself and — lives. we left our vehicle and myself and my _ lives. we left our vehicle and myself and my wife - lives. we left our vehicle and myself and my wife and our. lives. we left our vehicle and i myself and my wife and our five kids, we all got in the ocean and we found a floating board that we hang onto. there were people out there floating and everything was burning around us, explosions, cars blowing up. around us, explosions, cars blowing u . _ . ., , around us, explosions, cars blowing up. helicopter pilots of the us army international _ up. helicopter pilots of the us army international guard _ up. helicopter pilots of the us army international guard were _ up. helicopter pilots of the us army international guard were brought. up. helicopter pilots of the us army international guard were brought in | international guard were brought in to douse the flames with the authorities warning the number of dead could rise further still. behind me you can see the devastation here in lahaina. it is extraordinary, it has tragically gone. we know many people are suffering, the fatality numbers will climb. ., , , ., suffering, the fatality numbers will climb. ., ,, ., ., , , climb. the homeless and tourists have been _ climb. the homeless and tourists have been flooding _ climb. the homeless and tourists have been flooding makeshift - have been flooding makeshift evacuation centres. even the world's wealthiest are affected. 0prah wealthiest are affected. oprah winfrey has a home on maui, some distance from the town of lahaina, but she is here to help. i distance from the town of lahaina, but she is here to help.— distance from the town of lahaina, but she is here to help. i came here earlierjust — but she is here to help. i came here earlierjust to _ but she is here to help. i came here earlierjust to see _ but she is here to help. i came here earlierjust to see what _ earlierjust to see what people needed and then went shopping because often you make donations of clothes or whatever and it is not what people need.— clothes or whatever and it is not what people need. many must be wonderin: what people need. many must be wondering if _ what people need. many must be wondering if they _ what people need. many must be wondering if they will _ what people need. many must be wondering if they will ever - what people need. many must be wondering if they will ever be - what people need. many must be| wondering if they will ever be able to return to the lives they have left behind in the rubble. the causes of any single weather event are complex, but how are you's wildfires are becoming more frequent. scientists warn that climate change is bringing less rainfall and longer periods of drought. the government is advising against anything other than essential travel to the island. even with the rest of hawaii relatively unaffected, the scale of the task ahead is huge. a climate disaster stretching one of the wealthiest state in one of the well�*s wealthiest countries to the limit. john, such destruction in lahaina. can the town be rebuilt? the islands of hawaii are for many a paradise holiday destination but what happened for a few hours on tuesday in lahaina can only be described as apocalyptic. they are talking about rebuilding, they are putting a brave face on things, but we are really talking about the complete reconstruction of a whole town of some 12,000 people, 2500 miles off the us mainland. the challenges are huge. for now the priority is to continue the search for bodies and nobody is in any doubt at all that there is a long journey ahead.— doubt at all that there is a long journey ahead. doubt at all that there is a long “ourne ahead. , ., . ~' , ., g ., journey ahead. john, thank you. john sudworth on — journey ahead. john, thank you. john sudworth on maui. _ the week started with the first asylum seekers boarding the bibby stockholm barge on the dorset coast. it ends with them being evacuated after legionella bacteria was discovered in the vessel's water supply. the government says their evacuation is a temporary measure. it comes as the latest figures show more than 750 people crossed the channel in small boats yesterday. that's the highest daily number so far this year. our home editor mark easton reports. tonight the bibby stockholm lies virtually empty in portland harbour. the 39 migrants who were moved on to the barge in a blaze of publicity this week have been quietly disembarked after potentially dangerous levels of bacteria were found in the vessel's water system. it is only days since a home office minister guaranteed the barge was safe. but i can absolutely assure you that this is a safe facility. in a statement the home office has said, "the health and welfare of individuals on the vessel is our utmost priority. environmental samples from the water system on the bibby stockholm have shown levels of legionella bacteria which require further investigation. as a precautionary measure all 39 asylum seekers who arrived on the vessel this week are being disembarked while further assessments are undertaken. why weren't those tests carried out in advance? we were told health, safety, security and fire checks had been carried out. surely that would have been picked up then? to add to the government's problems the official count of small boat migrants detected yesterday was 755, the highest daily total this year. it pushes the 2023 total to 15,826, slightly lower than this time last year, but hardly evidence that home office policies are any kind of deterrent. the overall number since the home office started counting channel crossings in 2018 has now topped more than 100,000. they clearly haven't completed the safety checks properly and the entire future of whether or not that barge can be used is now in question, so it's a catalogue of catastrophe and chaos and government ministers should be hanging their heads in shame. this week was supposed to show ministers getting to grips with migration and asylum. instead a coach leaving portland harbour loaded with asylum seekers is illustrative of a government's powerlessness in controlling events. mark easton, bbc news. police in surrey who have launched a murder investigation into the death of a ten—year—old girl say that three people who they want to speak to left the country on wednesday. 0ur correspondent louisa pilbeam is in woking where the child lived. what more do we know? well, the police were called to this house just before 3am on thursday morning to reports of a safety concern. when i got here they entered and i found the body of a ten—year—old girl. now, surrey police have said this is a devastating incident and they say that three people they want to speak to in relation to their investigation have left the country on wednesday. that would be before police found the body of the ten—year—old girl here on thursday. no one else has been injured and they say that no one has been arrested. they don't believe there is a danger to the public. the family of the girl who died are being supported by police officers. a neighbour who lives here nearby said that a family lived in this house for six months who had six children. people have been coming here throughout the day leaving flowers, as you are able to say. they are shocked and astounded by what happened here. you can see there is a police presence which surrey police say will continue as people here in this quiet area try to come to terms with what happened to come to terms with what happened to this ten—year—old girl. to come to terms with what happened to this ten-year-old girl.— to this ten-year-old girl. louisa, many thanrs- — the uk economy performed better than expected over the spring with growth of 0.2% between april and june, according to figures released today. the warm weather injune is part of the reason as it encouraged people to go out to pubs and restaurants and there was increased activity in manufacturing. the prime minister says the figures show his plan for the economy is on track. labour says the uk remains trapped in low growth and high tax. 0ur chief economics correspondent dharshini david is here with me. so better news than expected, but we are not out of the woods yet? indeed. first of all the good news. if you splurged on a meal out or festival tickets earlier in the summer you can say you did your bit for the economy. as you say, consumer spending is a lot more resilient than some people thought and that is partly down to higher wages, partly also some people had savings stashed away and tens of billions have been taken out of accounts over the last year. but does this mean economies are popping the champagne corks tonight customer not a bit. first of all, our economy still is not quite as big as it was according to the quarterly figures as before the pandemic. at the same time there are fears that that full force of those rate hikes have yet to bite so economists are saying brace yourself, we could still see a slowdown. brace yourself, we could still see a slowdown. another beep, another pair of leggings sold and a boost to the financial health of the nation over the spring. it's been really good. really, really grateful that we had such a good start to the year. i mean, naturally with our business, with what we do, we are a little bit slower in the summer months, but it will pick up. this online retailer, like many others, can thank pay rises and the savings held by some households for tempting consumers to spend more. otherwise it could've been a stretch. it's really, really tough, because when our materials go up... shipping, you know, ithink last year, our containers went up three times the price that it was to get in our products here. all of that goes up — business costs, internal costs, warehouse costs, everything. over in salisbury, this maker of industrial pumps has sped up production as higher demand overcomes costs and an increase in red tape prompted by brexit. i think it's on the way up. i think for us, we're sensing more activity in certain industries. the offshore industry for us has definitely seen a resurgence. so, we're outpacing some other big countries on growth, although there's not much to toast. i'm not going to be delighted to see growth of 0.2%, - but if you look at our peer group, we're in the middle of the pack. i germany is flat. italy is down 0.3%. so this is in line withl all economies dealing with the aftermath of covid, - the disruption caused by russia's actions in the ukraine. but could our strength become our weaknesses? these are some of the sectors that saw gains between april and june, including retail, hotels and restaurants. they rely on households feeling flush. but those figures refer to the past. higher interest rates are now affecting more than half of borrowers. the sectors in red are those that are particularly vulnerable to a squeeze on spending. there's a lot of overlap with those who were doing well. 0ur resilience means the bank of england may feel comfortable raising rates again, but growth is a fraction of what it used to be. the question for all politicians is, "how do we turbo—boost prosperity?" so some qualified good news, but are these figures that have an impact on people's lives. these figures that have an impact on peeple's lives-_ people's lives. people will be askinu people's lives. people will be asking what _ people's lives. people will be asking what growth? - people's lives. people will be asking what growth? we - people's lives. people will be | asking what growth? we have people's lives. people will be - asking what growth? we have all faced those higher prices and some have taken a bigger battering from that than others. we know the price hikes have largely be concentrated on staples like food and energy, so it is those on the tightest budgets that have felt the most pain. the minimum wage has gone up, but when you take into account inflation and tax changes those lower down the income scale may be as much as 15% worse off than they were prior to the pandemic. even those in the middle of the income scale are 10% worse off and if you are in the north—east you have been particularly hard hit. in london you may be better off on the whole. but bearin may be better off on the whole. but bear in mind those borrowers as well, typically aged between 30 to 60 whose payments may have gone up ljy 60 whose payments may have gone up by £100 per month. who is better off? if you are older and you have got savings that make up your income or have a good pension you may be benefiting from higher interest rates. as for the rest of us, the bad news is the economists don't think our future will fully recover perhaps until after the next election. and so the next question for politicians is what are you going to do to make us better off? about the data leak that saw the personal details of about 10,000 staff accidentally being published online. 0ne says it has led to him deciding to leave northern ireland. the leak has angered and shocked police officers, particularly those who are catholic, who feel they may be more vulnerable to reprisals by republican paramilitaries. 0ur ireland reporter sara girvin reports. being a police officer anywhere can be a dangerousjob, but in northern ireland where more than 300 officers were killed during the troubles and the terrorist threat is still the highest in the uk it carries serious risks. we've been speaking to police officers whose data was included in these breaches and just to remind you, there are more than 10,000 of them. they've told us how what happened is already impacting their lives. 0ne officer said he's now leaving northern ireland even though he is devastated to do so. we're not revealing his identity for security reasons and his words are spoken by a bbc producer. it's getting to the point that my wife feels she is no longer comfortable in northern ireland and we made the decision last night to move. i suppose you could say this is the straw that broke the camel's back. it's just not the place going forward that i have confidence or trust in any more. policing staff were on this list as well. one woman told us that she has kept herjob a secret for a0 years. even chats with people on holiday, your hairdresser inevitably will ask where you work, and throughout a very long career i've always had to make up the answers in relation to that. and i suppose the disappointment for me is that i've gone to all that trouble and yet now there is something out there in the public domain. all psni officers are targets for terrorists. but in the past dissident republicans who are against the peace process have often targeted catholic officers. gerry murray has been a police officer for 50 years and represents hundreds of catholic officers who he says have particular concerns over the data leak. they've been targeting catholic officers for quite a considerable amount of time and i suppose they are trying to obstruct the eventuality of normal policing like it would be in hampshire, or whether it be in herne bay in kent. they are trying to hold on to the past. echoes of the past in northern ireland have never gone away. but the psni data breach has left all police officers here and their families extremely fearful of the future. sara girvin, bbc news, belfast. junior doctors in england have begun anotherfour—day strike as their dispute over pay and conditions continues. the doctors' union is calling for a 35% pay rise, the government is offering 6% plus a lump sum which would take the increase to around 9% overall. england captain harry kane has arrived in germany for a medical at bayern munich as he nears a move from tottenham. the two clubs have reportedly agreed an initialfee worth £86 million for the 30—year—old striker. 0ur correspondentjoe inwood is in munich. joe, does this mean the transfer is happening? it is not completely certain but i think everyone is going on the assumption that this is pretty much assumption that this is pretty much a done deal. harry kane arrived here a done deal. harry kane arrived here a few hours ago and he went to bayern munich's headquarters in the centre of the city where he undertook the first part of a two—part medical. there was a big scrum of people there, fans, cameras trying to capture him, and that is because there is a lot of excitement about his arrival, as we were coming in in the car there was a big it was the main story on the news because they know they are getting one of they know they are getting one of the game's big strikers. he is tottenham's record scorer and the england captain but now he looks almost certain to be here at bayern munich. i was speaking to fans earlier and they were really excited that he will be filling a hole that they have had it here at the club for a while. if hejoins he will probably get the number nine shirt, which has real historical significance here, some of the greats of world football have worn the number nine at bayern munich, robert lewandowski, gerd muller, jurgen klinsmann, and i think it is fair to say that we will now be adding to that list harry kane, he has big shoes to fill but i think most people think he will do it. the us government has escalated its investigation into president biden's son hunter who's already facing criminal charges in relation to non—payment of taxes and possession of a firearm. the us attorney general has given the federal prosecutor in the case david weiss extra powers by making him a special counsel meaning he can pursue his probe more widely. let's speak to our north america editor, sarah smith, who is in atlanta. first of all, sarah, why is this happening now?— first of all, sarah, why is this happening now? first of all, sarah, why is this hauenina now? , , ., , ., happening now? well, because a plea deal that had — happening now? well, because a plea deal that had been _ happening now? well, because a plea deal that had been agreed _ happening now? well, because a plea deal that had been agreed between i deal that had been agreed between hunter biden and prosecutors has completely fallen apart. he was going to admit guilt for those unpaid taxes and illegal gun ownership and in return avoid a jail sentence but there has been a row over whether that deal also gave him immunity from other crimes, and as a result it has fallen to bits, so it looks likely he will now face trial over those original charges and be investigated as you say into possible wrongdoing in a much wider sense. find possible wrongdoing in a much wider sense. �* . possible wrongdoing in a much wider sense. ~ ., ., , , , , sense. and sarah, many republicans claim that the _ sense. and sarah, many republicans claim that the justice _ sense. and sarah, many republicans claim that the justice department i claim that the justice department has been ignoring other, more serious crimes that hunter biden should be investigated over? exactly, and that is precisely what they want david weiss to look into now. they have long been claiming that hunter biden accepted millions of dollars of bribes from foreign companies and even involved his father, then vice—presidentjoe biden, in some of his corrupt dealings, and what republicans will be hoping is that a new investigation will uncover some hard evidence that they have so far failed to find about that corruption, although i have to say they have nonetheless succeeded in very successfully planting in the minds of voters the idea that there is something seriously shady about hunter biden and that he is getting away with it simply because he is the president's son whilst at the same time former president donald trump is facing numerous criminal charges, may even be facing more soon here in the state of georgia. it's really interesting, every time it's really interesting, every time i talk to voters, all across america, about those charges against donald trump, i often hear in reply, but what about hunter biden, why is he not in court facing charges? and so that shows you how these cases have become intertwined and just how political they really are. maw; political they really are. many thanks, sarah _ political they really are. many thanks, sarah smith, - political they really are. many thanks, sarah smith, our- political they really are. many i thanks, sarah smith, our north america editor. it's been more than two weeks since military officers in niger in west africa seized control of the country, deposing the president. international partners have cut aid and some have imposed sanctions to try to convince the army to step down. but the coup leaders appear to have popular support because they oppose the influence of france, niger s former colonial ruler. some are calling for closer ties with russia instead. 0ur africa correspondent catherine byaruhanga sent this report. the fallout from niger's coup is starting to bite. sanctions have cut off imports causing the prices of popular staples to go up. zara kadar owns a small business selling food in the capital niamey. translation: the price of rise has increased, i but also that of cooking all, an increase of us$4 injust one week. this causes us problems because if i prepare the rice, i can't sell it. no profit, only losses. niger's soldiers seized power two weeks ago. rallies like this one at the national stadium suggest they have widespread support. and look, some in the crowd are waving russian flags. moscow's propaganda promotes russia as a better partner for africa than the old colonial powers. ibrahim suleiman is a tailor and says he has been inundated with orders. translation: it was with the advent of the coup that i started sewing - flags, especially russian flags. people come to buy them a lot because they use them to support our soldiers who've taken power. people buy them because we are in conflict with france. for years, france has only caused us problems and the military wants to put an end to it. france sees its former colony niger as an important security partner but it has been accused of having too much influence in the country. and the military takeover has unleashed anti—french sentiments. its embassy was attacked during demonstrations. niger is only the latest to experience this. six african countries have had coups since 2020. five of them are former french colonies. west african states have been pressuring the junta to restore the democratically elected president mohamed bazoum. they say they will use force if necessary. any time from now the force could be deployed, and for operational reasons, we have to maintain the strategic ambiguity, when we are going to deploy the force. the worry is that should another military takeover in africa succeed, it will encourage other ambitious soldiers. catherine byaruhanga, bbc news. a well—known norwegian mountaineer has denied accusations that her team climbed over an injured guide during a bid to break a world record. the porter, mohammed hassan, had fallen off a ledge on the world's second—highest mountain, k2, in pakistan, injuly. video on social media appears to show a group past by mr hassan, to show a group passed by mr hassan, who died reportedly a few hours later. bethany bell reports. k2 is one of the world's most dangerous and challenging mountains. the norwegian climber kristin harila went there in a bid to secure a world record, the fastest climber of all the highest peaks. but tragedy struck. mohammed hassan, a porter on the mountain, fell off a ledge. you can see him here, his body lying on the narrow ridge known as the bottleneck. someone is with him. two climbers from austria and germany were on the mountain that day, taking some different footage with a drone, for a documentary. one of them, wilhelm steindl, says their pictures show that no—one tried to rescue muhammed and take him down the mountain. we saw the drone shots and suddenly we were seeing this guy alive, people stepping over him, and nobody started a rescue mission. how did that make you feel? really sad and also a little bit angry, because you don't behave like this on the mountain. but kristin harila said she and her team tried for hours to help mohammed in treacherous conditions. she says it would have been too dangerous to turn the whole team back. so, he wasn't left alone, not from our team, and when this thing is filmed, and it is from many hours after that, and it's not like it is possible tojust turn everyone around there, it's very hard to do a rescue up there, and it's notjust like to carry him down from there. mohammed worked as a porter to earn money to educate his children. wilhelm went to visit them and is trying to raise money to help them now that their father is gone. bethany bell, bbc news. england's lionesses take on colombia tomorrow after edging past nigeria on penalties in their last game. colombia are the lowest—ranked side left in the competition but they have a huge following in the host nation australia. our sports editor dan roan is in sydney for us. how significant a moment is this for england? very, reeta, england will be waking up very, reeta, england will be waking up in sydney shortly knowing that they are nowjust up in sydney shortly knowing that they are now just two wins away from a first ever world cup final but at a first ever world cup final but at a tournament that has already become known for the sheer number of upsets, they would do very well to take nothing for granted against a very dangerous looking, well motivated and very well supported columbia team who have already made history here by reaching the quarterfinals for the very first time. england arrived here, of course, among the favourites having been crowned european champions last year, but for the most part, it is fair to say that sarina wiegman's side have not looked like world champions, they have struggled to find top form so far. some of that can be explained by the number of injuries they suffered coming into the tournament, there has now been disruption of course as a result of laurenjames's suspension after her sending off against nigeria. the feeling is that england were fortunate to get past their opponents in the last round on penalties but at the same time they can draw confidence from the fact that some of the very biggest teams cover the likes of the us, germany, canada, brazil, all failed to make the quarterfinals, england are yet to be beaten and now we are at the real business end of this tournament, if they can progress, they know they have the mouthwatering prospect of a blockbuster semifinal against either france or the hosts australia here next week. those two teams play in the earlier quarterfinal later on in brisbane. pm the earlier quarterfinal later on in brisbane. �* . ._ the earlier quarterfinal later on in brisbane. �* . ., ., brisbane. an exciting day ahead, dan roan, brisbane. an exciting day ahead, dan roan. many — brisbane. an exciting day ahead, dan roan, many thanks. _ time for a look at the weather, here's ben rich. cu, reeta. we have had a bit of summer warmth of this week but some of that has begun to ebb away. yesterday eastern england was the warm spot at around 27 celsius. i think some more of that summer warmth is going to ebb away into the weekend, some slightly cooler weather, and showery, always driest towards the south and east, furthest away from the centre of this area low pressure. yes, another weekend with low pressure in charge but that does not mean it is going to be raining all of the time, there will be some dry gaps in between the showers. overnight tonight we are going to see some quite heavy rain swinging across northern ireland into the western side of scotland, the occasional shower elsewhere, clearer skies further east, another fairly muggy night but not as warm as last night. into tomorrow, this band of rain pushing eastwards, some particularly heavy rain moving across parts of scotland. behind that, a mixture of sunny spells and showers, ahead of that, parts of eastern and southern england not seeing too many showers, there will