and recognises jerusalem as the capital of israel. mr trump said he was also delivering on a campaign promise to move the us embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem. he said the change was a "recognition of reality." ijudge this course of action to be in the best interests of the united states of america, and the pursuit of peace between israel and the palestinians. but the decision onjerusalem has provoked opposition around the world, as the united nations warned it would damage the search for peace between israel and the palestinians. we'll have the latest from jerusalem and from washington on a decision that could have profound implications for the middle east. also tonight... three, two, one. the christmas spirit in downing street. counting down to the next stage of the brexit talks, as ministers admit there's no measure of the impact on the economy. automotive sector?

no, not that i'm aware of. is there one on aerospace? not that i'm aware of. one on financial services? i think the answer's going to be no to all of them. no to all of them. a man appears in court, accused of plotting to assassinate the prime minister and bomb downing street. after a 20—year excavation, one of the oldest skeletons of humankind's ancestors is unveiled in south africa. oh, that's it. and, two consecutive defeats but england insist they're still in the ashes series. coming up in sportsday later in the hour on bbc news: it could have been a nervy night liverpool but a big win sees them reach the last 16 of the champions league. good evening.

president trump has abandoned decades of us foreign policy by recognising jerusalem as the capital of israel. it is arguably his most controversial decision since taking office, and it's provoked expressions of concern and anger around the world. mr trump also approved plans to move the us embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem. the pope and the head of the united nations are among world leaders to voice their opposition. and the palestinian president mahmoud abbas warned of "dangerous consequences" for the entire region. in a moment, we'll have the latest from jerusalem. but first to washington and our north america editor, jon sopel. it is hard to overstate the enormous historical significance of today's announcement for the 1948 harry truman became the first us president to recognise the state of israel.

today, nearly 70 years on, donald trump becomes the first us president to recognise that jerusalem trump becomes the first us president to recognise thatjerusalem is its capital. indeed he becomes the first leader anywhere in the world to recognise jerusalem as leader anywhere in the world to recognisejerusalem as its capital for it is a city that has long been fought over, a city that will be one of the keys to any future peace agreement. that is why today's announcement is agreement. that is why today's announcement is so agreement. that is why today's announcement is so controversial. camera shutters click thank you. the president signing this or that proclamation has become a commonplace, but nothing he's put his name to is as consequential or historic as this, a decision that upends us policy to the middle east, the most troubled region in the world. past decisions had failed. it was time for a new approach. today, we finally acknowledge the obvious, thatjerusalem is israel's capital. this is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. it is also the right thing to do. it's something that has to be done.

it's a decision that the arab world and cloche at close allies cautioned against, but the president has gone ahead, and so he stressed his commitment to peace, whether via a two state solution or any other solution. we want an agreement that is a great dealfor the israelis, and a great deal for the palestinians. we are not taking a position of any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the israeli sovereignty in jerusalem, or the resolution of contested borders. demonstrations so far have been relatively low—key, but us citizens have been warned not to go to the west bank or the old city injerusalem, the president well aware of the reaction this speech might provoke. so, today, we call for calm, for moderation, and for the voices of tolerance to prevail over the purveyors of hate. our children should inherit our

love, not our conflicts. there has been a fierce international backlash to what the president is proposing, even though donald trump insists it's just accepting what is present—day reality. so far, the arab world, nato, the pope, the un, russia and turkey have spoken out against the move. the white house is on a charm offensive, but so far, the only country that has been charmed is israel. and onjerusalem's ancient walls, a very modern projection of israeli sentiment tonight. this is a historic day. we are profoundly grateful to the president for his courageous and just decision to recognise jerusalem as the capital of israel, and to prepare for the opening of the us embassy here. this decision reflects the president's commitment to an ancient but enduring truth, to fulfilling his promises and to advancing peace.

six months ago, the palestinian leader hosted donald trump on his middle east tour. that early optimism replaced by disappointment today. translation: jerusalem is a palestinian city — christian, muslim, jewish — and it is the capital of the state of palestine for ever. jerusalem, a city 6000 miles and two continents away from the us, was the subject of an unusual campaign pledge from donald trump to a very narrow constituency, to move the us embassy from tel aviv tojerusalem and recognise the ancient city as israel's capital, but in keeping that promise, he seems to have made his other goal of advancing middle east peace a whole lot more complicated. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. the city ofjerusalem

is at the heart of the conflict between israel and the palestinians because both sides claim it as their own. back in 1948, israeli independece came after a war the arabs lost, and 750,000 palestinians were expelled by israel or fled. when the shooting stopped, jerusalem was divided between israel and jordan. the israelis declared their side the capital. the rest of the world said thatjerusalem's final status was undecided. in 1967 after another war, the jordanians were forced out of the east side ofjerusalem, which includes the walled old city, and jerusalem's most important holy sites. in 1993, israelis and palestinians embarked on a peace process and one of the key issues was the future ofjerusalem. palestinians want a capital of a future state in the east of the city. the peace process broke down

and the current israeli government sasterusalem will not be divided. 0ur correspondent, yolande knell, sent this report. for many israelis, mr trump's formal recognition of israeli sovereignty overjerusalem corrects an historic injustice. this is a city with 3000 years ofjewish history — their seat of government. and there has long been frustration that the us, israel's closest ally, just has consulate offices here, not its embassy. now that is set to change and there are hopes that other countries will follow washington's lead. i expect the leaders of the free world to recognisejerusalem as the capital of israel. we recognise paris as the capital of france and berlin as the capital of germany. we expect our friends to recognise our own capital as what it is. about a third ofjerusalemites are palestinians. the old city here has some

of the holiest sites for muslims and christians as well as jews. and palestinians want occupied eastjerusalem as the capital of their future state. they object to the us announcement. translation: as a palestinian, this is a mistake. jerusalem is the capital for the palestinian state. that is not negotiable. translation: there will be troubles over this. it will not pass smoothly. there will be opposition and there will be chaos. jerusalem is probably the most sensitive issue in the israel/palestinian conflict. this ancient city has great religious and political significance and we have seen many times howjust small changes made here can quickly flare up into unrest. during the summer there was deadly violence when israel put in new security measures at al—aqsa mosque compound, after two israeli policemen were killed there.

these were later removed to keep the status quo. now palestinian officials say mr trump is raising tensions again. this is a declaration of war on palestine and the palestinians and a manifestation of the lack of fairness in handling the palestine file. a total bias towards israel. tonight, there were large protests in gaza, following the us president's speech. and there are calls for more in the coming days. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. our middle east editor jeremy bowen is here. strongly worded criticism from across the world. what's your assessment tonight of the implications for the middle east? potentially very serious. mr trump says he will work very hard for peace. by alienating one side so com pletely peace. by alienating one side so

completely he has made the job peace. by alienating one side so completely he has made thejob much harder. he says you cannot have peace without recognising israeli rights, the israeli sovereignty, the israeli capital. the palestinians have said very clearly they want a palestinian capital ofjerusalem or it is no deal. if he had said, ok, i wa nt it is no deal. if he had said, ok, i want israel to have their p also the palestinians, he could have changed the conversation greatly. —— their capital there also. every time i am injerusalem, i capital there also. every time i am in jerusalem, i look capital there also. every time i am injerusalem, i look at the area around the holy sites. it is sitting there like a time bomb in the centre of the middle east was any thing that upsets the status quo injury slim is potentially cause of violence. i think will be marches in the next few days but not necessarily big upsurges in violence. if it happens, it might be a couple of months, and triggered by something else but the atmosphere

has changed. i think the us and the israelis could be calculating that the weak and very divided palestinian leadership will say a few things and basically suck it up. it is possible and they might also be calculating that big countries like saudi arabia will protest but they will be more interested in getting together with israel and states against iran. the thing about jerusalem as it has the capacity to make people angry all over the place, particularly in the streets in the arab world foot i think whatever people in the palaces are saying and hoping, i think this has the possibility for causing trouble in notjustjerusalem the possibility for causing trouble in not just jerusalem itself. the possibility for causing trouble in notjustjerusalem itself. we saw king abdullah ofjordan saying, he was being quite strong about what mr trump said. i think that is because he is worried about there could be trouble on his streets and he is not the only one. thank you. to read more about the middle east and to learn whyjerusalem matters — then you can go to our

website — bbc.co.uk/news. you will see the links to our reports today and our analysis as well. david davis, the brexit secretary, has been accused of gross negligence, after admitting that the government has not tried to calculate the impact of brexit on the british economy. during the day, in a new attempt to unlock the brexit talks, the prime minister spoke to arlene foster of the dup, who forced the rescheduling of the talks earlier this week. her party rejects theresa may's proposals for the future of northern ireland's border. our deputy political editor, john pienaar, reports. three, two, one. theresa may needs some comfort and joy in the cabinet in her party in ireland, north and south. if only everyone could sing from the same hymn sheet on brexit. her message, "start trade talks.

we could all get what we want." we aim to deliver this as part of our overall trade deal between the united kingdom and the european union. labour is loving theresa may's troubles. brexit negotiations in a shambles. this government is clearly not fit for the future. tory brexiteers are ramping up the pressure, too. they say, no more concessions. will she apply a new coat of paint to her red lines because i fear on monday they were beginning to look a little bit pink? if we have a problem, would it help if i came over to brussels with you to sort them out? the dup heard mrs may's pledge to preserve the union but want more guarantees brexit means the same deal for the whole uk. can you give a specific commitment that nothing will be done that creates any barrier — constitutionally,

politically, economically, or regulatory between northern ireland and the rest of the united kingdom? mrs may was on the phone to the dup leader today. but still no sign of agreement. in dublin, a clear threat. ireland's leader wants a promise of free trade and no hard north/south border. and he would veto the start of trade talks at next week's eu summit to get it. if it is not possible to move to phase two next week because of the problems that have arisen, then we can pick it up of course in the new year. the prime minister spoke to him on the phone today, too. still no sign of another meeting in brussels this week. the president of the european commission, jean—claude juncker‘s spokesman went so far today as to say his boss wanted to prevent mrs may's government from collapsing. so, how clear is britain's future after brexit? not at all, according to the brexit secretary today. david davis only handed over files on business and brexit reluctantly. mps accepted he had met the demands of the commons but today he also told them no estimates of the cost to business had been done. it would be a game changer

but guesswork was pointless. look at the chairman's face. so, there isn't one, for example, on the automotive sector? no. not that i am aware of. is there one on aerospace? not that i am aware of. no. on financial services? i think the answer will be no to all of them. no to all of them. right. and now a new cause for brexiteer tories to complain. the chancellor says britain will not shirk its divorce bill — deal or no deal. that's just not a credible scenario. it's not the kind of country we are. frankly, it would not make us a credible partner for future international agreements. but theresa may's team said there will be no deal, including cash, until brexit is agreed. tonight the goodwill is in short supply in the cabinet too. john pienaar, bbc news, in westminster. let's go live to westminster, and

johnnies there. john, some attempts at optimistic statements today from government, but really, what do you read into the state of these brexit talks right now? it like deadlock. forced to a standstill by competing pressures on all sides. we've seen the brexiteers telling mrs may to give no more concessions. tonight, i9 tory mps worried about brexit are saying, ignore the brexiteers, saying, ignore the brexiteers, saying they are driving her to walk away with no deal at all. something will have to give, or next week's european summit will again decide not to start those talks on trade, and if that happens, we will seek brexiteers, brexit supporting sections of the media, calling on mrs may as never before to walk away. with all of the uncertainty that would inevitably bring, and the penitential for the dampening of markets and of sterling. we don't know, there could be more proposals being brought forward by mrs may in

the next 2a hours. that is what the irish leader is saying tonight, that he expected that could be a breakthrough. and then you may see mrs may coming through with a clearer vision brexit and she has given so far, and the first real discussion in the cabinet. tonight, this latest chapter in the story of brexit looks like becoming a cliffhanger. john, once again, many thanks. a man has appeared in court, accused of plotting to kill the prime minister, in a bomb and knife attack on downing street. naa'imur zakariyah rahman, who's 20 and from north london, is alleged to have planned to bomb the security gates, before attacking number 10. our home affairs correspondent june kelly reports. counterterrorism detectives moved in on two men last week. yesterday, they were charged, and this morning, amid high security, came their first court appearance. one is accused of planning to strike at the heart of the british government and assassinate theresa may. he's naa'imur zakariyah rahman, on the left. in the dock with him

was mohammed aqib imran. in court came the outline of the prosecution case. naa'imur zakariyah rahman is 20 years old and told the court he was bangladeshi british. he is accused of planning to detonate an improvised explosive device — in other words, a bomb — here at the downing street gates. in the chaos that would follow, it's alleged that, equipped with a suicide vest, a pepper spray and a knife, he wanted to get down the street, into number 10 and kill the prime minister. he was arrested last tuesday in this road in west london. it is claimed that he had two inert improvised explosive devices in his possession. he's also accused of helping his co—defendant, mohammed aqib imran, to prepare terrorist acts. it's claimed he was planning to travel abroad to join is fighters. yesterday, the head of mi5 briefed the cabinet about the security situation. nine islamist—inspired plots are said to have been thwarted this year. the next hearing in this latest case

will be in two weeks‘ time. june kelly, bbc news. a man from lancashire is alleged to have sent the address of prince george's school to potential attackers. husnain rashid, who's 31, has appeared before westminster magistrates, accused of helping others to commit acts of terrorism. he was remanded in custody to appear at the old bailey later this month. the high court in birmingham is considering whether the men suspected of carrying out the birmingham pub bombings in 1974 should be named at a new inquest, due to held next year. lawyers for relatives of the victims said there had never been a ‘full and independent investigation' into what happened. two of the men wrongly jailed for the attack, have told the bbc they also want the perpetrators brought to justice as our correspondent sima kotecha reports. these faces are a reminder of what happened in birmingham more than a0

years ago. two bombs exploded inside to pubs, killing 21 people. today, the families of those victims are challenging the system. they want the inquest next year to include the names of the suspects, something the coroner has decided against. this is our one and only opportunity to get to the truth, and the perpetrators must be brought into scope. otherwise, there's no point in having an inquest. it was birmingham's deadliest attack, and those responsible have never been prosecuted. instead, these men, who became known as the birmingham six, were wrongly imprisoned for the crime. now, in a rare interview, two of them are also calling for the truth. the families of the people in birmingham, they are the ones who really suffered. for years and years, i've always said that there was a double injustice done here — by the innocent being convicted under the circumstances,

and the innocent victims not getting justice, and their families, in the sense that the police weren't even looking for anyone else. the ira is widely believed to have been responsible. in what's been described as one of the worst miscarriages ofjustice, the men were jailed for almost 17 years before their convictions were quashed. justice has been done today, but it's took 16 years for this justice to happen. it's such a serious crime that they wanted somebody for it. and then they got me into the station and they certainly knocked me about. and it was dreadful. they made me say confessions. i've had nightmares. and i woke up at night, not so long ago, plenty of times, screaming and shouting, thinking they were still beating me.

the memories of their arrest still haunt them today, beaten into making confessions, mock executions, psychological torture, just some of the police methods they say were used on them. i was dragged into a room with about five or six of them. it was dark. they punched me and kicked me until i had agreed to tell them anything they wanted. so, i was in a position where i had to try and make up something that would agree with what they would accept. for those who lost their loved ones, it's been a long fight for justice. the coroner has argued it is not his job to point the finger of blame. his views will be heard at thejudicial review tomorrow. we're at the site of one of the bombings. the mulberry bush pub wasjust here behind me. now, these attacks rocked the nation. the birmingham six still haven't got the answers they've been searching for, and neither have the victims‘ families.

decades on, it remains unclear whether they ever will. sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham. after a painstaking excavation that took two decades, one of the oldest and most complete skeletons of humankind's ancestors has been unveiled in south africa. little foot, as she's been named, is more than three million years old, and was discovered in the sterkfontein caves north—west of johannesburg. our correspondent andrew harding has been to see little foot and the caves where she was found. they found her skeleton in these deep caves outside johannesburg. she'd been lying here for almost four million years, trapped in the rock. today, little foot finally emerged — astonishingly intact, after 20 painstaking years of excavation. these bones had a very, very fragile, flaky surface, many of them. and it was like trying to extract a pie with flaky pastry out of concrete

without damaging the pie. we had to do this properly, we had to do it slowly. yes, it took more than 20 years of my life, but i feel younger and stronger for it! so, these are the caves where little foot was found. the theory goes that she was walking along the surface, fell down into the caves, and was covered by sediment and rock. millions of years later, scientists in the 1980s and ‘90s, in a series of extraordinary coincidences, stumbled across her remains and slowly managed to piece them back together. her skeleton shows she was in her 30s. she probably lived in the trees, and crucially, she was more like us than like an ape. so, the pictures you see in books of our ancestors gradually getting up off of all fours and walking along in a stooped manner, that's all nonsense. they were upright when they were in the trees,

and they were upright when they came down to the ground. and now they're us? yes, now they're us. unearthed in these caves, then, a vital addition to our own complicated family tree. andrew harding, bbc news, south africa. in cricket, england's test captain, joe root, insists his side are still in the ashes despite starting the series with consecutive defeats. australia wrapped up a 120—run victory in less than two hours of the final day, ending hopes of an england fightback. our sports correspondent andy swiss reports from adelaide. they had arrived with such optimism, england fans hoping to witness one of cricket's greatest comebacks. but within minutes, their hopes lay in tatters. second ball of the day, chris woakes caught behind, and even worse was to follow. england's captain and cornerstone, joe root, gone for 67. australia had their key men.

and when moeen ali was trapped for just two, any last lingering hopes left with him. the rest was a formality. injust an hour and three quarters, england's dreams had been ruthlessly dispatched. that's it... australia taking a 2—0 lead while england tried to take the positives. we've shown that throughout the two games, there are periods where we can outperform australia, just not for five days, and that's going to be our challenge, really. england haven't been able to match the pace of australia's bowlers, or the durability of their batsmen, and some believe there is no way back. we've had a moment here where we've all been up a bit, and maybe, but when it comes to the tough moments, they are better than us. so, no chance? i don't think so, no. and so, an all too familiar story. england have now lost their last seven tests in australia. one more and their ashes hopes will have

turned to dust. yes, england now head to perth for the third test next week, and they know that if australia win that match, they will win the ashes. one other piece of news to be new: ben stokes has been named in england's one—day squad for their series here in january. he one—day squad for their series here injanuary. he is waiting to find out whether he will be charged over an incident in bristol in september, and despite being named in this squad, as things stand at the moment, he won't be selected to play. andy, many thanks again. five english teams are through to the last 16 of the champions league for the first time. liverpool guaranteed they went through after beating spartak moscow. this volley from sadio mane was the pick on their goals in an emphatic 7—0 victory. spurs and manchester city also both finished top of their groups. in its first month since opening in the us, the film lady bird has

made history as the best—reviewed in hollywood history. it's a coming of age story written and directed by award—winning actress greta gerwig. she's been talking to our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba about the prime importance, especially now, of having women in roles of influence in the film industry. i want to go where culture is, like new york, or at least connecticut. coming—of—age tale about a daughter and mother's difficult relationship. so far, so familiar. perhaps not. lady bird is that you're given an? because lady bird's influence has been unprecedented. it is astonishing. she's talking about the fa ct astonishing. she's talking about the fact that no hollywood film ever has scored so many positive reviews. fact that no hollywood film ever has scored so many positive reviewslj don't scored so many positive reviews.” don't have anything to say that telecom, is just kind

don't have anything to say that telecom, isjust kind of don't have anything to say that telecom, is just kind of amazing. they think, this had better be crazy. well, i saw your thanksgiving show. my name's lady bird. we should shake hands. it centres on a girl documenting her teenage years. it is symbolically meaningful off—screen, too. it makes me sad every year when there are actresses who talk about how there are a limited number of interesting parts, and parts that are full, interesting human beings driving the story, who are the subject, not the object. the female lead story is also leading