after one of the most extraordinary campaigns in recent memory, election day voting is now under way to choose the next president of the united states. donald trump and kamala harris have delivered their final pitch to voters, hoping to win over those who are still undecided. i'm in washington, where opinion polls suggest the result is on a knife edge. polling stations are already reporting a high turnout. and more than 80 million americans voted by post or in person before today. also on the programme this lunchtime... the health secretary orders an nhs review into earlier testing for prostate cancer, after sir chris hoy calls for improved screening. just get the test a little bit earlier, catch it before you need

to have any major treatment. to me it seems a no—brainer, you know? why would they not reduce the age? i can tell chris we are now actively looking at the case. it has obviously got to be evidence—led, clinically—led decisions, but we are actively looking at it as a result of his intervention. smoking outside hospitals and playgrounds in england could be banned under government proposals but pub and restaurant gardens would not be included. and shoplifting reaches unacceptable levels and is not being tackled properly, according to a parliamentary committee. and coming up on bbc news, manchester united's incoming manager ruben amorim says he might be labelled the new sir alex ferguson if his side, sporting, beat manchester city later.

good afternoon, and welcome to the bbc news at one. it is election day in the united states and millions of americans are heading to the polls to choose their next president. in one of the tightest races for the white house in decades, kamala harris and donald trump campaigned right up until the last minute, trying to win over undecided voters, though tens of millions of early ballots have already been cast. jon kay is live in washington with all the latest. jon. good afternoon from washington. after months of campaigning and controversy, election day is finally here, and america is now deciding who will be the next occupant of the white house here behind me. the two candidates held rallies late into the night. the democratic candidate, kamala harris, made herfinal pitch in the swing state of pennysylvania, telling the crowds she wanted to end with "energy, optimism and joy".

while republican donald trump told his last rally in michigan of his ambition to "fix every single problem the country faces". tom bateman reports on the final night of this dramatic election campaign. among the first in to cast their election day ballot. americans are voting after one of the most highly charged campaigns ever and a race going down to the wire. philadelphia, welcome the next president of these united states. . . kamala harris! the democrats finished their campaign last night with a star—studded rally in philadelphia, where kamala harris took to the stage and an adoring crowd of supporters watched her final pitch for the white house. i am looking to make progress, and i pledge to listen to those who will be impacted by the decisions i make. i pledge to listen to experts.

i pledge to listen to people who disagree with me. because, you see, i don't believe that people who disagree with me are the enemy. i'll give them a seat at the table. that's what real leaders do! that's what strong leaders do. well, with those words and this crowd, they bring to an end what has been one of the most unpredictable and contentious election campaigns in this nation's history. and now it's over to the voters. statewide, we have knocked 700,000 doors. cheering. democrat volunteers have come to pennsylvania from across america, aiming to persuade undecided voters and flooding the doorsteps today to get their base out. taking voters to the polls, canvassing. you know, making sure people stay

in line to vote after the polls do close or when there's a long wait. so anything and everything. and pennsylvania has been the final push for team trump too. in the countryside, rally—goers queue at dawn, hoping to build campaign momentum with a message for american workers. their paycheques are getting robbed by inflation and taxes, and this person is the only one who actually says the truth and says that, you know, what's going on is not right. just a few tens of thousands of votes could swing this state — and therefore, the national result — either way. of all the swing states, this one is the biggest prize. and that is why both candidates have been coming back here right until the end, but they haven't been budging the needle — the opinion polls still put pennsylvania as a dead heat. # ..to the hills of tennessee...#

and for donald trump, a return to form last night, ending his tour in grand rapids, michigan, where he finaled his last two campaigns — it is another critical swing state. with your vote tomorrow, we can fix every single problem our country faces and lead america — indeed, the world — to new heights of glory. think of that statement, how beautiful that is — new heights of glory, that's what's going to happen. in a vote this close, counting in the swing states could take days or longer. they will hold the key to this election while america and the whole world watches and waits. tom bateman, bbc news, philadelphia. as americans head to cast their votes, the final opinion polls of the campaign suggested things couldn't be much tighter. there's been a flurry of polls over the last 2a hours, each with their own slightly

different take on the figures. but if you draw out the overall trends, you see that across the country vice president kamala harris isjust one percentage point ahead. but that is the national picture — the election will be actually decided state—by—state. and if we look at the seven crucial battleground states, there have got even tighter since this time yesterday. look at arizona, at the bottom of the screen. you can see that former president donald trump's edge is down by nearly a point since yesterday. the other battlegrounds are even closer. the basic message is that neither candidate can bank on victory in any of these states. they're all on a knife edge. in a moment we'll speak to our correspondent rowan bridge in virginia, but first let's go to anna foster, who's in pennsylvania.

it is eight o'clock in the morning here. the polling has opened and they seem to be busy. it is. here. the polling has opened and they seem to be busy.— they seem to be busy. it is. good mornin: they seem to be busy. it is. good morning from _ they seem to be busy. it is. good morning from the _ they seem to be busy. it is. good morning from the heart _ they seem to be busy. it is. good morning from the heart of- morning from the heart of philadelphia on a cold november morning. a lot of coffee being drunk in the queue behind me. look how many people are standing in line and waiting in the heart of the city. it stretches a whole block and i have been —— they have been here since before the doors of this polling place opened this morning to stop if the candidates wanted engagement they have certainly got it. in terms of who is voting for who, this state is finely balanced, either candidate could still take it. when you look, there are lamp posts around me where even last night i watched them put up even last night i watched them put up fresh posters, defend democracy is what the democrat one says with a picture of kamala harris, barack 0bama and martin luther king. a couple of steps away there is one that says trump, safety and kamala

harris, crime. they are trying to drive home the key messages. in this swing state, 19 electoral college votes up for grabs in pennsylvania. if you want to win the white house you will struggle to do it without winning pennsylvania. this is also one of the states where results can take more time to come through. there was 1.8 million or so advanced ballots are not even being processed until today so it could be a few more days. they know results here were questioned legally last time but all eyes will be on this crucial state in the next few hours and days. state in the next few hours and da s. �* ., ., ~ state in the next few hours and das. ., ., 0ur correspondent rowan bridge is in the state of virginia. rowan, the polls where you are opened two hours ago. how are things there? that's right. after months _ how are things there? that's right. after months of _ how are things there? that's right. after months of sometimes - how are things there? that's right. after months of sometimes bitter i after months of sometimes bitter campaigning it all comes down to today. here in alexandria in northern virginia, the polling stations opened a couple of hours

ago. we have seen a smattering of people voting this morning. the parties both have their volunteers out this morning, democrats and republicans greeting voters and offering advice as they go into the polls. these scenes will be repeated across this vast country with tens of millions of americans turning out to the polls to decide who they want as their next president. both parties will now be focused on getting their vote out. as you say, the polling shows it is a coin toss as to who will win the election so every single vote will matter, especially in those seven crucial swing states which can ultimately decide who will be the next president. it could be a while before we have a result, though. donald trump was declared victor in the early hours of the following morning but it took until the weekend before joe morning but it took until the weekend beforejoe biden was declared president. whoever wins, though, this would be an historic result. if donald trump wins he will be the first president to lose and regain the presidency in a century. if kamala harris wins she will be

the country's first woman president. rowan bridge, thank you. it could take days for all the votes to be counted but in one town in new hampshire, the election is already over. dixville notch, population six, traditionally votes just after midnight on election day. all the town's voters gather at tilloston house, which stays open until everyone has cast a ballot. as you can imagine, it doesn't take long to get the results — and this time, kamala harris and donald trump got three votes each. and you can follow live coverage of the rest of the results on the bbc. clive myrie will have the news at ten tonight, which is followed by the us election results programme. i'll be joining the washington results team for a special edition of breakfast tomorrow from six o'clock, and then here on the news at one. iplayer and the bbc news

live page will have all the results as they come in. and you can also listen on the radio and to americast on bbc sounds. but right now, let's go back to ben. studio: jon kay, thank you. the health secretary, wes streeting, has asked the nhs to look at lowering the age at which men get screened for prostate cancer. it comes after olympic cycling champion sir chris hoy, who has terminal cancer, called for more men to be tested. he says his own diagnosis came "completely out of the blue". our sports correspondent patrick gearey reports. sir chris hoy has never shirked challenges. in fact, he's sought them out, chased them, conquered them. but now one of our greatest olympians' greatest challenge is one that's found him. it's been the toughest year of our lives so far by some...some stretch. september 2023, i got the news that i had a terminal illness,

so i've got stage four prostate cancer, completely out of the blue. no symptoms, no warnings, nothing. all i had was a pain in my shoulder. i remember the feeling of absolute horror and shock. how on earth am i going to tell — are we going to tell the kids? and i think the key was telling them about the treatment and saying, look, i'm about to get chemotherapy. it's going to make me quite unwell. it's not the cancer that's that's making me unwell. but this is going to knock me back. but it's medicine that's going to push back the cancer for as long as possible and make me feel betterfor a while. even for someone with his legendary strength and resilience, chemotherapy would be tough, not least the ice cap sir chris had to put on so that his son callum wouldn't see him lose his hair. so for him, i thought, well, this is something i want to do and it's important to do. but that was the biggest pain. that was the biggest challenge. it was excruciating. it's like torture, basically. i rememberjust thinking, i'm sitting here in a warm

hospital room with a cold cap on my head. come on. i know this is going to end. it's going to end in a couple of hours' time. this isn't that bad. it seems horrendous when you look, you think, "oh, its two more hours, i can't cope." don't do it for two hours — do it for one minute. the strategy was just take it one step at a time. prostate cancer can be spotted using a blood test called a psa test. sir chris hoy wants more men to request them. even if, like him, they don't have symptoms. if you've got a family history of it like i have, if you're over the age of a5, go and ask your doctor. just get the test a little bit earlier. catch it before you need to have any major treatment. to me, it seems a no brainer. why would they not reduce the age? bring the age down. sir chris doesn't stay still for long. next year, he wants to stage a charity bike ride, the tour de four, hoping to get others with stage four cancer in the saddle. this master of speed knows the power of the present.

you know, if somebody�*s watching this right now who's just had a horrendous diagnosis like me to sort of look and think, well, blimey, i didn't think you could look like that or still be living a full life a year on from getting that diagnosis. well, there's hope out there. well, after that call from sir chris hoy for the screening age for prostate cancer to be lowered, the health secretary told bbc breakfast the health service is considering it. i think he makes a powerful argument there. that's why i've asked the nhs to look at the case for lowering the screening age on prostate cancer. and he makes a particularly powerful case where there is family history. i'm sure his appeal to people who have got a history of prostate cancer in the family to maybe think about asking for an earlier check will already be heeded by people watching. and the final thing i think he's already made a difference on is there will be lots of people

out there living with cancer at the moment, either themselves or someone they love, and the way in which he has spoken so openly and full of optimism about his own journey with cancer, i think will have given hope and inspiration to millions of people across the country. that is the health secretary. we're joined now by our health correspondent dominic hughes. so dominic, the nhs looking at this now. how significant is that? i think anyone listening to sir chris hoy would think he has a point. certainly people whose risk is raised when they have a prostate cancer in their family or, for example, black or afro—caribbean men who face an increased risk of prostate cancer, it makes perfect sense. one in eight men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime but we had the health secretary say that any changes need to be evidence—based and that is the nub of this. screening using just a psa

blood test is problematic because it can cause, for example, false positives. causing unnecessary treatment which could have repercussions too. there are also some prostate cancers which are stable and will stay for you during your lifetime and will not kill you. so a psa blood test is the start of a process, it will be followed up if there are signs of problems, it can be followed up with further biopsies or scams. be followed up with further biopsies orscams. but be followed up with further biopsies or scams. but sir chris hoy has gotten us all talking about it and thatis gotten us all talking about it and that is very valuable.— that is very valuable. dominic, thank you _ that is very valuable. dominic, thank you very _ that is very valuable. dominic, thank you very much. - you can hear more of sir chris hoy's interview here at 1:45pm, and there's also a special programme, sir chris hoy: finding hope, on bbc one at 8pm tonight and on bbc iplayer. plus if you're on the move, you can listen to the interview in full on bbc sounds. the new conservative party leader, kemi badenoch, has held a first meeting of the shadow

cabinet she has just formed. she says her team draws on talents from across the tory party. our chief political correspondent henry zeffman is at westminster with the latest. henry? when kemi badenoch was announced as _ henry? when kemi badenoch was announced as the _ henry? when kemi badenoch was announced as the new— henry? when kemi badenoch was announced as the new leader - henry? when kemi badenoch was announced as the new leader of i henry? when kemi badenoch was i announced as the new leader of the conservative party on saturday she said herfirst conservative party on saturday she said her first duty was to provide an exit —— an effective opposition in parliament. these appointments really matter because these people will day—to—day be doing the legwork of providing an opposition to this new labour government. we had a trickle of appointments earlier, mel stride, a former leadership rival, will be the shadow chancellor, former foreign secretary and former leadership rival, priti patel. robertjenrick was the last leadership rival standing. the other big job is chris philp will be shadow home secretary, he had been a junior minister in the home office

previous prime ministers when the conservatives were in government. across the board it is not necessarily particularly conciliatory or unifying set of appointments, there are only three mps in the shadow cabinet is supported robertjenrick over kemi badenoch, one of them is robert jenrick. i sense some disappointment from some of right—wing conservatives mps i have spoken to although i am sure the impulse towards unity for now we'll win the day. and just worth a quick note on who is not in the shadow cabinet. rishi sunak, jeremy hunt, oliver dowden were some big names who had set in advance they did not want to serve and former leadership rival james cleverly. another leadership rival, tom tugendhat, is not there. it sounds like he was offered a job but would rather go to the backbenches. the time is almost 1:20. our top story this afternoon... america decides. after one of the most extraordinary campaigns in recent memory, election day voting is now underway

to choose the next president of the united states. prince william told young conservationists in south africa they are the future ahead of tomorrow's earthshot prize, which celebrates the work of environmentalists. coming up on bbc news: xabi alonso says he will focus on the game and not the emotions of an anfield return when bayer leverkusen face his old club liverpool in the champions league. a man accused of murdering his ten—year—old daughter has been giving evidence in court. urfan sharif denies killing sara sharif, whose body was discovered at the family home in woking in august last year. her stepmother and uncle also deny murder. you may find some of the details of the evidence distressing. our correspondent helena wilkinson has been in court. helena, what more

did you hear today? sara sharif�*s father earth and should be has given evidence for the last half hour also urfan sharif. he has been in the witness box, speaking quietly, at times emotional. at the start of his evidence this morning he was asked by his barrister, are you, urfan sharif, responsible for the death of sara sharif? urfan sharif replied, no. he was asked by his barrister, did you, o urfan sharif, piedt sara sharif? never, he replied. the barrister asked whether he ever burned sara sharif. no was the answer. his barrister went on to ask him, did you, urfan sharif, beat sara sharif with a cricket bat?

again, the answer from sara sharif with a cricket bat? again, the answerfrom sara sharif�*s farther from the witness box was no. earlier the barrister for urfan sharif gave an opening statement to thejury and told sharif gave an opening statement to the jury and told the jury that urfan sharif came home on august the 8th last year to find sara's body limp in the arms of her stepmother and he begged for an ambulance to be called while performing cpr. sara was found on august the 8th in a bunk bed in the family home in woking in surrey with dozens of injuries. herfather, urfan sharif, her stepmother, injuries. herfather, urfan sharif, herstepmother, beinash injuries. herfather, urfan sharif, her stepmother, beinash batoo, and her stepmother, beinash batoo, and her uncle, faisal malik, all deny charges of murder and all deny charges of murder and all deny charges of murder and all deny charges of causing or allowing the charges of causin