interest rates to 4.75%. it's good news for borrowers and mortgage rates, but means less return for savers. also on the programme... who will be at trump's top table? the president—elect begins selecting his cabinet, with speculation the world's richest man, elon musk, will have a role. could australia be the first country to fully ban social media for under—16s? the prime minister says new laws will support parents who he says are "worried sick." improving air travel for disabled people. the government sets up a new group, aimed at transforming transport for those needing support. and coming up on bbc news, two more games for ruud van nistelrooy in charge of manchester united. the interim boss is trying to get his team a first win in europe this season.

good afternoon, and welcome to the bbc news at one. the bank of england has cut interest rates from 5% to 4.75%, in a widely expected move. it's the second cut in the base rate this year. our cost of living correspondent colletta smith reports. it's been a rocky couple of years for katie's family finances. can ijoin you on the bouncy castle? they moved in february and had to get a mortgage at 6%. we had to sell the car to get it — give up quite a few things just to get that mortgage, because that was the only option to be able to afford a house. these decisions are being made a long way away from you, but they're having a massive impact on your family. and on your lives. yeah, you think

about it all — and on your lives. yeah, you think about it all the _ and on your lives. yeah, you think about it all the time. _ we've sacrificed a lot to get the house. if it goes up, we could potentially be in a lot of trouble and have to move again. with two years of interest rates going up and up and up, plenty are pleased that now they're beginning to fall. but for clare and gav, that's made trying to save even harder. we've been enjoying the sort of — i think it was 4.5 on one of our accounts, and that's now dropped to 3.9. it's not like we've got a huge amount of money in there. it's just nice having those extra bits coming in. cover for emergencies, that's, you know, the best you can do, isn't it? the bank of england say last week's budget may increase inflation, so they are less likely to drop interest rates as often as they'd hoped, but the chancellor says her plan is working. i hoped, but the chancellor says her plan is working-— plan is working. i had to make a number of _ plan is working. i had to make a number of difficult _ plan is working. i had to make a number of difficult decisions - plan is working. i had to make a number of difficult decisions in l number of difficult decisions in the budget around tax, spending and welfare, but our public finances are

now on a firm footing. we have reset public spending so our schools and hospitals are properly funded and businesses now have the certainty, as indeed do families that we've drawn a line under the chaos and instability over the last few years. natalie's family remortgaged 18 months ago as rates began to spiral. so she's hoping that today's news will make life easier for them when they come to remortgage again in a few months. it gives me confidence going into the new year that, you know, the banks will start to offer some better rates. you think as a household you earn 0k money and you'd like to think in comparison to when my parents were working, you'd like to have that little bit more of disposable income and save towards the future, with most bills still on the up... e5, is that enough? homeowners are hoping today plus �*s cut will bring them more to smile about.

colletta smith, bbc news in manchester. let's get the latest now from our chief economics correspondent dharshini david. dharshini, some good news for borrowers this lunchtime. yes, few surprises from the bank of england, which will bring some relief to hundreds of thousands of borrowers, many of whom will be anxiously watching this if they are thinking of remortgaging or taking out a new loan. but we saw rates fall to 4.75% exactly as expected because that peak in inflation is truly behind us now. but of course is what the bank of england has to worry about. it doesn'tjust have to worry about. it doesn'tjust have to worry about. it doesn'tjust have to worry about getting inflation down, it has to worry about keeping it down, and that's really important when we talk about what's going to happen in the future. that's the reason why when you look at the nine members of this rate panel, how they voted, eight wanted to cut today but one held out because of lingering concerns. among those concerns, as the bank of england has made explicit, is the impact of the budget, because various tax rises,

including the national insurance contribution rise it thinks could add to the pressure on inflation next year, perhaps a little bit later too. as a result you see the likes of the bosses of marks & spencer is, sainsbury�*s, warning that perhaps prices are going to have to rise. these are the kinds of things that concern the bank of england. analysts think the rates may fall more slowly from here. they will also have to think about president trump's decisions because that too could add to some pressure. perhaps a more gradual pathway for interest—rate cuts from here on out. dharshini david, thank you. donald trump is preparing to select the people who will help him run the us government. among those who could get a senior job afterjanuary�*s inauguration is the world's richest man, elon musk. jon kay's in washington with the latest. jon, the outcome of the election has sunk in. already time to look ahead to the next team at the white house.

yes, we know things move fast in politics. we know for certain who will be america's next president, but all eyes now are on who mightjoin him in his team here at the white house, and what the current president, joe biden, will say when he addresses the nation later. with the latest this lunchtime, jessica parker reports. kamala harris strode onto the stage smiling through a crushing defeat and insisting her cause will continue. and insisting her cause will continue-— and insisting her cause will continue. u, ., continue. on the campaign i would often sa , continue. on the campaign i would often say. when — continue. on the campaign i would often say, when we _ continue. on the campaign i would often say, when we fight, - continue. on the campaign i would often say, when we fight, we - continue. on the campaign i would often say, when we fight, we win. | often say, when we fight, we win. but here's the thing. here is the thing. sometimes the fight takes a while. that doesn't mean we won't win. that doesn't mean we won't win. but the democratic party is on its way out of the white house. presidentjoe biden will address the nation today as he prepares to hand over power to this man, donald

trump, posing for what is not quite a family photo. there is tech billionaire elon musk, a major donor and promoter of donald trump. now touted for a role in the president elect�*s team. touted for a role in the president elect's team-— touted for a role in the president elect's team. , ., ., elect's team. the future is going to be amazing- _ elect's team. the future is going to be amazing. these _ elect's team. the future is going to be amazing. these stands - elect's team. the future is going to be amazing. these stands are - elect's team. the future is going to | be amazing. these stands are being ut u- for be amazing. these stands are being put up for donald _ be amazing. these stands are being put up for donald trump's _ put up for donald trump's inauguration injanuary, but when he lost the election four years ago he refused to concede defeat and his supporters stormed congress. this time the transfer of power looks set to be more routine and when donald trump does get the keys to the white house, he will really know his way around. it's a prospect that frightens his opponents but excites his supporters. frightens his opponents but excites his supp°ftefs-_ his supporters. what's so great about a trump _ his supporters. what's so great about a trump when _ his supporters. what's so great about a trump when is - his supporters. what's so great l about a trump when is everybody wins. the economy is booming today, the stock market is up. all boats

float. i the stock market is up. all boats float. ., the stock market is up. all boats float. . , ., , ., ., float. i mean, trump has a great name float. i mean, trump has a great game plan _ float. i mean, trump has a great game man from _ float. i mean, trump has a great game plan. from what _ float. i mean, trump has a great game plan. from what he - float. i mean, trump has a great game plan. from what he says, l float. i mean, trump has a greatj game plan. from what he says, i float. i mean, trump has a great - game plan. from what he says, i hope he sticks_ game plan. from what he says, i hope he sticks to _ game plan. from what he says, i hope he sticks to it— game plan. from what he says, i hope he sticks to it and we will see a greater— he sticks to it and we will see a greater america.— he sticks to it and we will see a greater america. donald trump's white house _ greater america. donald trump's white house return _ greater america. donald trump's white house return will- greater america. donald trump's white house return will make - white house return will make history. he will be the first convicted felon to serve as president after a jury found he'd falsified business records. but that and other criminal allegations didn't end his political career, far from it. this was his first inauguration, second time around, donald trump looks to be more powerful than ever. jessica parker, bbc news in washington, dc. let's get the latest now from our correspondent helena humphrey, who's outside donald trump's estate in florida. will mr trump's phone be glued to his ear, taking these calls from world leaders and then trying to find people to work with him here at the white house? i

find people to work with him here at the white house?— find people to work with him here at the white house? i should definitely exect so. the white house? i should definitely exoect so- the _ the white house? i should definitely expect so. the nation _ the white house? i should definitely expect so. the nation has _ the white house? i should definitely expect so. the nation has picked - the white house? i should definitely expect so. the nation has picked its| expect so. the nation has picked its president and now that president elect has thatjob, the transition of power, also naming those staff picks in coming days. already we have some indications. donald trump is somebody, a leader who is known to prefer loyalists. elon musk is one name in contention right now but also the likes of robert f kennedy junior, the back of the president himself who had been in the running. donald trump said on the campaign trail he could be named to the health agency. he is a known vaccine sceptic and has spread health related conspiracy theories and would have to be approved by the senate. other names currently swirling here in florida, senator marco rubio, who is in favour of cutting aid to ukraine. we know the kremlin today has said president putin may even speak to the president elect donald trump before he is inaugurated on the 20th january. we know during donald trump's campaign he has said he

would end the war in ukraine, without saying exactly how he would do it, but saying he would do it within 2a hours. i think for kyiv watching, despite the fact they have sent their congratulations, perhaps the concern that it could include compromises on their territorial integrity. thanks, helena humphrey. yes, another big day ahead here in the us. we'll bring you any developments as and when we get them. we willjoin you later in the programme. studio: jon kay, thank you. in the last hour it's been announced the mp mike amesbury has been charged with assault. let's get more on this now from our political correspondent iain watson. iain, what more can you tell us? as you may remember, mike amesbury was suspended from the labour party ten days ago when video footage emerged of an incident in cheshire, in the early hours of the morning of

the 26th october. that video footage appeared to show mike amesbury punching and kicking another man. this footage was described by the prime minister as shocking. mike amesbury had said he had felt threatened and agreed to cooperate with cheshire police. in the last few moments he has issued a statement which i will read to you now. he said, i have today been summoned to court to face a charge of common assault following an incident in frodsham last month which was, as he puts it, deeply regrettable. he goes on to say that this is an ongoing case so he will not be commenting any further. a court date is yet to be set. iain watson in _ court date is yet to be set. iain watson in westminster, thank you. at least a0 people have been killed in israeli air strikes in eastern lebanon, according to the lebanese health ministry. the israeli military said the strikes hit operatives and infrastructure of the iran—backed group hezbollah. lebanon's culture minister said one of the strikes seriously damaged an ottoman—era building in the vicinity of a unesco world heritage site.

eu scientists say global warming is likely to make this year the hottest on record. temperatures are expected to be 1.5 degrees above the pre—industrial average. a volcano in indonesia has erupted for the second time in the space of a week. mount lewotobi lakilaki first erupted on monday, killing at least ten people, and this morning has sent a dramatic ash cloud miles into the sky. a man accused of murdering his 10—year—old daughter has been giving evidence in court for the third day. 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. our correspondent helena wilkinson has been in court. helena, what more did you hear today? urfan sharif gave evidence for the

third day. there was a dramatic moment in court when he pointed to the dock and he said that poor girl, referring to his daughter, sara, always being accused by that psycho. he pointed to his wife, beinash batool, who was sitting in the dock sitting there. that psycho, sitting there, she always accused my daughter. oh urfan sharif also went on to say, i should never have believed her, i never knew i was living with evil and psycho. he also said he was at work a lot of the time and he told the jury that nothing happened when i was home. she always, referring to his wife beinash batool, accused her, sara, of everything thing that happened. the earth and sharif denied beating his daughter, sara, but he did say he slapped her not once, not twice, but multiple times, and it's only because i was made to. thejury

but multiple times, and it's only because i was made to. the jury has also heard sara had multiple injuries on her, including bite marks. urfan sharif in the dock told thejury he didn't marks. urfan sharif in the dock told the jury he didn't do marks. urfan sharif in the dock told thejury he didn't do it. thejury has previously been told that he and sara's uncle faisal malik had given dental impressions and they did not match the bite marks. but sara's stepmother beinash batool did refuse to give a dental impression. the three defendants all deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child. the trial continues.- child. the trial continues. helena wilkinson, _ child. the trial continues. helena wilkinson, thank— child. the trial continues. helena wilkinson, thank you. _ australia could become the first country in the world to ban children under 16 from using social media. the prime minister says legislation due to be introduced next week, will support parents who he says are "worried sick." our correspondent katy watson, sent this report. it's been called world first legislation, bold plans australia's

government says will protect kids from the dangers of social media. new rules will mean accessing apps like instagram, facebook, tiktok and x will be off—limits to anybody under 16. the details of the legislation haven't yet been debated. it is expected to be introduced to parliament this month. but there won't be any exemptions to the rules, not even with parental consent. there won't be any penalties for young people or their parents either. the government says the onus will be on social media platforms to show they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access. once the law is passed, it will be another 12 months until it comes into force, giving social media companies enough time to work out how to block access to under 16 is. this one is for the mums and the dads. social media is doing harm to our kids and i'm calling time on it. i've spoken to thousands of parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles. they, like me, i worried sick about the safety of our kids online. and i

want australian parents and families to note that the government has your back. ~ , ., ,., , ., to note that the government has your back. ~ , back. while the proposal has cross-party _ back. while the proposal has cross-party support - back. while the proposal has cross-party support there i back. while the proposal has cross-party support there is | back. while the proposal has - cross-party support there is concern cross—party support there is concern about how it will work in practice. there has also been criticism over the approach with some experts arguing that a banjust the approach with some experts arguing that a ban just delays a child's exposure to social media, it doesn't teach them how to stay safe online. in the uk, labour mp said last month he wanted to see stricter controls on smartphones including a ban in schools. but previous attempts at restricting access, including in the eu, have faced backlash from tech firms. even so, plenty of countries will be looking to australia as a model to replicate. katie watson, bbc news, in sydney. the time is 1:16. our top story this afternoon... interest rates have been cut to 4.75%, bringing hope that mortgage rates could follow. we'll be live from buckingham palace, as king charles prepares to welcome team gb and paralympics gb heroes to celebrate

their success. coming up on bbc news, a third one—day series loss in a row but england's stand—in coach has asked for patience after west indies win the deciding match easily against an inexperienced side forced by a packed international schedule. the inquiry into the death of dawn sturgess has been hearing from a police officer who was poisoned by novichok. detective sergeant nick bailey was the first person to enter the house of russian spy sergei skripal. our correspondent duncan kennedy in at the inquiry and joins us now. duncan, what more can you tell us? well, nick bailey is central to this whole story. he was one of the five people who were poisoned by novichok backin people who were poisoned by novichok back in 2018. there was sergei skripal and yulia skripal in the

march of 2018 and then charlie rowley and don sturgess in thejune of 2018. nick bailey was assigned to go to that park in salisbury when the were found collapsed on a bench. at first he thought they had been involved in a drug overdose incident but when he went back to station a colleague said come over here, sarge, i have found something. they have been googling and they discovered that sergei skripal was actually a former russian spy who had been involved in a big spy swap. nick bailey told the inquiry that changed everything. he said it became a lot more sinister after that. he said there were lots of discussions with senior officers about what to do it was decided to search sergei skripal�*s house. he was one of three officers that went in, they all had ppe for protective kit on but he was the first one to grab the handle of the house before they went in. unknown to him, that handle had been smeared with novichok. he said he went home later that night and started to feel

unwell, a bit sickly. he went to the hospital, was discharged, went home again, started having hallucinations and nightmares, went back to the hospital again and it was at that point the consultant told him he had been exposed to a nerve agent. duncan with that update from london, thank you. the education secretary has told school leaders in england that top exam grades will not transform children into happy and healthy adults, and there should be a focus on wellbeing. let's get more on this from our education correspondent elaine dunkley. elaine, tell us more about what bridget phillipson says she wants to see from schools. well, there are two major issues that the government really has to get to grips with stop the first is school attendance, according to government figures one in five children regularly miss school. the second is ensuring that children with special educational needs and disabilities get the right support in order to thrive on to get opportunities for success in the future. speaking to head teachers in birmingham today the education secretary bridget phillipson said the way to do this is by focusing

more on well—being. this is very much labour setting out its vision for education, inclusivity, so improving standards by ensuring that children feel like they belong in the classroom. ensuring that children are able to explore their talents, make friends, it is more than getting exam marks, the top marks. but this certainly doesn't signal the end of thousands of children walking into exam holes waiting for the invigilator to say tone of your paper you may begin. they very much say that exams are very, very important. standards are important. but it is about looking at a system that is successful for more children. so there is concern that the current system fails around a third of children, who leave school with fewer than five gcses at grade four and it is about removing those hurdles, those barriers, ensuring that there is a pathway for destinations for more young people so more vocational skills, more work experience, more training. the government has launched a review, which is looking at the curriculum

and assessment and this is something that head teachers will be very keen to look the —— see the results of. elaine, thank you. adopted children in england and wales should be given the chance to meet their birth families in person, and before they turn 18. that's the finding of a report published today. currently, adopted children and their natural parents can only exchange letters. family rights campaigners have welcomed the report's recommendations, calling it a seismic shift. our correspondent sanchia berg reports. this has been tegan's home since she was adopted aged four. letters once a year were her only link with her birth family until she was 16 and she met her grandparents. they've since died and she treasures her memories. i went and saw my grandad and i was going cook him tea, and it was a moment where his carer came in to check on him and he sort of was like, "oh, my granddaughter�*s cooking for me." and i could just see the pride on him. when a family court approves

an adoption, it's a permanent break between the child and their birth family. in law, they become the child of the adopters — unlike fostering. they'll usually be able to send and receive letters from their birth family a couple of times a year, but they won't be able to meet them in person until they turn 18. but today, teenagers can easily find their birth families online. sometimes, they meet them and decide they want to leave their adoptive parents. there's an adoption breakdown and it can come back to the family court. the court's most senior judge says research shows the approach should change. the better course is to have some form of real, live — albeit minimal — contact with the naturalfamily. and what we've tried to do in this report is capture that and transmit the message in a clear and coherent way for people to see,

not to change the law. not every adopted child wants to see their birth family, especially the parents who couldn't care for them. james, not his real name, was adopted aged four and sent yearly letters to his birth mother. then, as a young teenager, he stopped. i'd cut contact because i didn't feel like she deserved to know what was going on from me. because i felt like i'd been abandoned. james says he may choose to meet his mother one day. he's worried by the idea thatjudges will be more likely to order that to happen to other children. so if thejudge makes a ruling, but it turns out to be the wrong decision, that could reflect badly on the judge and then also on the adopted young person's mental health. others are concerned, too, that this change may deter potential adopters at a time when fewer people are coming forward and there are record numbers of children in care.

sanchia berg, bbc news. an issue we've covered many times on the bbc is the way people with disabilities are often treated on flights — from being left onboard without help, to a lack of accessible toilets, or having wheelchairs damaged in transit. today the government has announced a new group, led by the paralympic champion baroness tanni grey—thompson, to try to tackle these problems. our reporter graham satchell has the details. they are shocking images. luton airport, thank you very much. international wheelchair athlete justin levine dragging himself through arrivals at luton airport in 2017. his wheelchair hadn't been loaded onto the flight. luton airport had offered him a mobility chair, but it would have to be pushed by someone else. mr levine declined, saying it would have removed his independence. he completed his journey on a baggage trolley. the bbc�*s security correspondent,

frank gardner, has found himself stuck on planes again and again over the years, waiting for airport staff to find his wheelchair. last month, he posted this image as he was forced to crawl to the toilet on a polish airline flight, which didn't have a wheelchair on board. you shouldn't be flying in the 21st century without an on—board aisle chair. it's inhumane to make passengers crawl to the loo on your planes. the government has announced a new task force to tackle the problems disabled passengers face. it will examine issues like being left on board aircraft without timely assistance, poorly handled wheelchairs, lack of access to toilets and a lack of clear information. so many disabled people have had bad experiences travelling with a whole range of impairments and health conditions, and wheelchair users have particularly had a hard time. i think a lot of people will be watching this group to make sure it

comes up with some recommendations that government then implements. well, it's now 2217. no one has come to get me off. they got me on absolutely fine at leeds. staff knew i was on and i'm now crawling off the train. baroness tanni grey—thompson is no stranger to problems on the transport network. in the summer, she was forced to crawl off a train at king's cross when assistance staff failed to turn up. baroness grey—thompson will head the new task force. disabled people shouldn't have to keep complaining and keep raising these issues, which is hard to do and it's exhausting. we just need to have a system that works better for everybody. the government says it's determined to ensure passengers with disabilities experience more inclusive, accessible and seamless journeys in the future. graham satchell, bbc news. king charles will welcome team gb and paralympics gb heroes to buckingham palace for a reception in the next hour.

he'll be joined by the princess royal and the duchess of gloucester, to celebrate the athletes' summer success in this year's paris games. members of the uk—based refugee teams will also attend. natalie pirks is there for us now. natalie, what's the atmosphere like there? yeah, especially because we enjoyed such a brilliant sporting summer didn't we with team gb in the olympics and paralympics gb breaking records in paris. at the olympics, team gb equalled their medal tally from the past olympics in tokyo, only with a smaller team. and paralympics gb finished second on the medals table with 124 medals. 49 of which were gold. today around 200 athletes will be here, including team gb's flag bearer helen glover, the rower. she won silver at coming back from retirement twice after winning gold in both london and rio. and toby roberts, who won britain's

first climbing gold in history will also be here, alongside dame sarah storey, who is briton's most decorated paralympian of all time. would you believe at her ninth game is in paris she won her 19th paralympic gold medal. they will meet the king, she said, the princess royal who is the president of the british olympic association and the duchess of gloucester. but the queen, she was due to be here earlier this week we found out she was infection, so she has been ruled out of today. she also earlier missed the annual opening of the field of remembrance at westminster abbey and was replaced by the duchess of gloucester. doctors have advised the queen to rest but she very much hopes she will be back in time for all the remembrance events coming this weekend. all the remembrance events coming this weekend-— all the remembrance events coming this weekend. natalie at buckingham palace, this weekend. natalie at buckingham palace. thank— this weekend. natalie at buckingham palace, thank you. _ a reminder of our top headline this afternoon... interest rates have been cut to 4.75% — bringing hope that mortgage rates could follow. after sir chris hoy called for more

young men to be screened for prostate cancer, we look into why early screening can make a difference. we'll have a full forecast in the next half hour, but it's time now for a quick look at the weather. here's chris fawkes. hi, nina. for most of us today is just a very, very cloudy kind of day and it is underneath this sheet of thousands of miles across germany, poland, the baltics and beyond but look at this, just over the welsh mountains the wind have been pushing that cloud over the tops, down the other side. that is because the air to warm up as it moves downward through the atmosphere and it mixes into some of this drier air above the sheet. and what happens is that the sheet. and what happens is that the cloud will thin and break up for some of you. as a result of that we have loads of sunshine across western parts of wales, northern parts of scotland with temperatures as high as 18 degrees and parts of cumbria and cornwall also sitting in

the sunshine. but for most of us it will stay pretty cloudy with the weather not really changing too much but i will have more details on that and the forecast into the weekend a little bit later. we will see 2844 00:30:09,636 -->