to drop "low performers faster". stuck on the runway — boeing plane deliveries drop to the lowest level since the pandemic. and cashing in on trump's china tariff threats — india's tech businesses look to pick up the slack. we start in the uk where the latest inflation rate has just been published showing an unexpected fall in the rate at which prices are rising. the consumer prices index rose by 2.5% in the 12 months to december last year, according to the office for national statistics — that's down from 2.6%

the previous month. the fact that it is now going down rather than going up is a relief for many. restaurants and hotels helped keep the rate down, with transport pushing prices higher. despite a slight fall, the rate is still above the bank of england's target of 2%. the base rate of interest in the uk currently stands at 4.75% and some analysts expect a more cautious approach to rate cutting this year with inflation remaining high. the bank of england's next decision will be early in february. the latest figures come after pressure has increased on the public finances in recent days due to government borrowing costs hitting their highest level for several years. simon french is chief economist and head of research at panmure liberum.

hejoins us now. simon, do you think there will be an audible sigh of relief coming from the corridors in the treasury and the bank of england that this rate has not gone higher? you could almost hear that sigh of relief from a mile away here in the city so, yes, the fear was that inflation would be on the upside, it is on the downside, so you are seeing yield a bit lower this morning, yes, stirling a bit weaker, but it is taking the cost, pressure of the cost of borrowing. find but it is taking the cost, pressure of the cost of borrowing. and most likel it of the cost of borrowing. and most likely it raises _ of the cost of borrowing. and most likely it raises the _ of the cost of borrowing. and most likely it raises the likelihood - of the cost of borrowing. and most likely it raises the likelihood that l likely it raises the likelihood that the bank of england will cut and its next rate decision is coming up on the 6th of february. that next rate decision is coming up on the 6th of february.— the 6th of february. that is far from certain — the 6th of february. that is far from certain but _ the 6th of february. that is far from certain but certainly - the 6th of february. that is far from certain but certainly this | from certain but certainly this strengthens the argument. the market thinks it is the most likely option but it is not a guaranteed approach. we had a speech from one of the deputy governors last week that seemed to allude to a rate cut in

february but still a gradual pace, perhaps in contrast to the european central bank that is set to ease interest rates are somewhat faster because they have lower inflation in the eurozone. find because they have lower inflation in the eurozone-_ because they have lower inflation in the eurozone— because they have lower inflation in the eurozone. and we are not out of inflationary — the eurozone. and we are not out of inflationary danger, _ the eurozone. and we are not out of inflationary danger, there _ the eurozone. and we are not out of inflationary danger, there are - the eurozone. and we are not out of inflationary danger, there are still. inflationary danger, there are still inflationary danger, there are still inflationary forces at play out there, not least in, the employer tax increases which were announced last year but will come into effect in april. last year but will come into effect in a - ril. �* last year but will come into effect in aril. �* ~ ., , in april. and i think that is the key moment. _ in april. and i think that is the key moment, as _ in april. and i think that is the key moment, as we _ in april. and i think that is the key moment, as we go - in april. and i think that is the | key moment, as we go through in april. and i think that is the - key moment, as we go through to 2025. in april when that gets introduced, as well as some big increases in the national living wage and state pension and benefits, a lot of prices in the uk are set in april, linked to that moment, the start of the tax year, and i think to some extent, the bank of england, if it is going to pivot from a very gradual approach to interest rate cuts to something faster, it is 90 see, going to need to see the data in april before it makes a difference.—

in april before it makes a difference. �* . . . , difference. and that currency markets have _ difference. and that currency markets have been _ difference. and that currency markets have been focused l difference. and that currency| markets have been focused at difference. and that currency - markets have been focused at last week and a half, yesterday, the government issued bonds worth £1 billion at their highest rate since 2004, the pound has been suffering, but much of this has really been driven, hasn't it, by what has been happening in the united states. we are expecting us inflation data to come out later today. what do we expect there, what impact would that have? ., expect there, what impact would that have? . , ., expect there, what impact would that have? ., , ., ., expect there, what impact would that have? ., i. ., ., , , have? yeah, you are absolutely right that most of— have? yeah, you are absolutely right that most of the _ have? yeah, you are absolutely right that most of the move, _ have? yeah, you are absolutely right that most of the move, we _ have? yeah, you are absolutely right that most of the move, we reckon i that most of the move, we reckon about 80% of the move, has been because of us economic data and there is an important inflationary print which again they are above the inflation target. similar sort of levels, around 2.5% on us cpi. the problem is, for those looking for interest rate cuts led by the us federal reserve, is that the economy is stronger, biggerjobs numbers last friday, a decent sign of economic momentum, but it is not giving the federal reserve a big

case to set the interest rate path lower for the rest of the world. simon french, thank you very much for that. the social media giant meta has announced it's cutting 5% of its workforce. the company behind facebook, instagram and whatsapp says it expects 2025 to be an intense year. from new york, michelle fleury has more. in a memo to staff, meta ceo mark zuckerberg said that 2025 will be an intense year for the company, as it works on building what he describes as some of the most important technologies in the world. mr zuckerberg went on to say that in order to raise the performance of meta staff, the company would take steps to move out low—performing employees faster than originally planned. currently, meta employs some 72,000 people. cutting 5% of its payroll would be its first major staff reduction since it shed a quarter of its workforce in 2022 and 2023.

meanwhile, microsoft has also given a signal thatjobs maybe becoming harder to come by in the us technology sector. it told its workers on tuesday that it plans to pause hiring in its consulting arm in america. this comes only a week after it announced a round of lay—offs. michelle fleury there. for more, i spoke to swetha ramachandran from artemis investment management and began by asking her what's behind this �*intense year�* ahead mr zuckerberg is talking about. certainly, the warfor ai investment shows no signs of letting up. it's estimated that the big four hyperscalers, meta, amazon, google, microsoft, will be spending anywhere between 250 billion to 300 billion dollars between them in al spend, in capital spending, and so that is likely to be one of the reasons for this intensity, to generate these large language models that are going to win the day by each of them. to what extent do you think there is concern that companies,

meta included, have overspent on al in the past few years? so, that's definitely an emerging concern that the market seems to be focused on. the companies, at the same time that they have upped their spending, have also seen a huge leap in the cash flow they are able to generate, simply because their margins have gone up and that has allowed them to fund this increased spending, it's not that the increased spending is coming necessarily at the expense of shareholders or at the expense of other investment areas, it's really been funded at a very healthy cash flow expansion because of how well the underlying businesses have been doing. we heard mark zuckerberg talking about cutting low performers, do you think that signals a greater reluctance to bet on what might be the next big thing and will that apply to the wider tech sector, too? i think this is quite specific and it is more about perhaps human talent where there was an over—indexing and potentially over—hiring in 2021,

which has been unwinding, and this is possibly another phase of that unwinding. and companies are, at this moment, certainly prioritising hardware spending over spending on human capital which is also why one of these reasons for these cuts could be that they allow the company to deploy more spend towards areas such as ai. the company behind tiktok has moved to reassure its staff that they'll still be paid next week, even if the us supreme court upholds a biden administration law which says the apps american business must be sold off of closed down. the law comes into effect on sunday. 0ur asia business reporter mariko 0i has more. we keep talking about tiktok users in america, some 170 million of them, but bytedance, the parent company of tiktok, it also employs 7,000 staff in the united states and there were reports about how they have been voicing

concerns about job security, and in an internal memo that has been reviewed by reuters, the company told those employees that theirjobs are safe, regardless of what the supreme court decides, and that their office will remain open. as we have been reporting, new legislation put a deadline on the 19th ofjanuary, which is this coming sunday, to either sell the app or face a ban in the united states. it is important to emphasise that even if the supreme court does not block the bill, new tiktok downloads won't be allowed but existing users can continue using it for some time, though eventually the service will degrade and therefore the users may decide to leave anyway. as i said, there are more than 170 million users of tiktok in united states and interestingly some of them have actually been moving to other chinese apps like rednote which is apparently a combination of tiktok and instagram and they are to calling themselves tiktok refugees.

and even though there are some security concerns that some american users are still choosing to accept the terms and conditions which are written in chinese, so even if tiktok manages to dodge the ban it may actually be helpless against users moving to other platforms. the us markets watchdog — the sec — is suing elon musk, alleging he failed to disclose a large number of shares that he'd bought twitter before declaring his intention to take over the platform. the lawsuit alleges that the tesla boss saved $150 million buying the shares at "artificially low prices.". responding, mr musk called the sec a "totally broken organisation." the american low cost airline southwest is pausing all recruitment — including summer internships — as it tries to lower its costs. it's also cancelling its traditional employee rallies at which staff gather to celebrate past achievements and talk

about the future. it along with other budget carriers in the us have been battling with profitability at a time when customers are demanding more convenience and comfort. and coming up — making the most of trump's china tariff threats — we take a look at indian businesses looking to fill the gap. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

to the troubled plane making giant boeing now — which has seen its share price drop by more than 2% after its revealed that new aircraft deliveries have hit their lowest levels since the pandemic. boeing delivered just 348 aircraft last year leaving it with a hefty backlog of some five and a half thousand unfilled orders. it's fair to say 2024

was a challenging year they are very disappointing and they reflect that it was an extremely challenging year for boeing, primarily due to self—inflicted wounds. it got off to a bad site, start with the door coming off the aircraft, that led to additional regulatory oversight. while it already had production handicap in place, that was reduced even more and further self—inflicted wounds came towards the end of the year with a seven—week strike which brought production to a halt in its seattle factories, so all of that meant it was climbing up a hill to get out of the door. we did the same recovery in the figures but it is in stark contrast to its competitor airbus which last week reported

pretty strong orders and double the level that boeing achieved. the company at the forefront of the ai revolution — 0penai — has appointed a major wall street deal—maker to its board as it changes focus to become a for—profit company. adebayo 0gunlesi — who's a seniorfigure in the financial firm blackrock — will sit on the board of the company behind chatgpt. its shift in focus has been criticised by rivals including elon musk, who was one of 0penai's co—founders. he's filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the restructuring — accusing 0penai and its boss sam altman of teaming up with its partner microsoft to create an illegal monopoly. earlier, i spoke to max von thun from the think tank the open markets institute and began by asking him what he expects 0penai to do differently as a for profit company. i think it is about really showing that technologies like chatgpt and other models that 0penai have developed really have viable use

cases for consumers, for businesses that are capable of generating a stable long—term revenue stream for 0penai. i think the fact that there has been a lot of hype and attention over 0penai's technologies, they haven't really proved that kind of long—term viability yet. we were mentioning moment ago the lawsuit that elon musk is taking against 0penai, accusing it ofjoining up with microsoft in monopolistic fashion, what are your thoughts on the merits of that case? so, there are two key claims that are part of elon musk�*s lawsuit. the first is that moving away from a nonprofit status into a for—profit status, 0penai is abandoning its original mission to develop ai for the benefit of humanity. and the second is that 0penai in collaborating

with microsoft is tempting to monopolise the industry. in terms of the first came, i'm quite sceptical. part of the reason of that is that when elon musk was at 0penai, he was one of the original co—founders, leaked e—mails have shown that he himself was pushing 0penai to become a for—profit, to make it easierfor 0penai to raise money, for example. in terms of background, i think that it is more about elon musk trying to basically undermine a direct competitor. elon musk has since started his own ai company so targeting 0penai's restructuring is a useful way of bogging them down legally. in terms that second argument in terms of monopoly, i think actually that elon musk is absolutely right, even though i am not necessarily sure about genuine his intentions are. microsoft has invested about $30 billion in 0penai,

has the right to the majority of 0penai's profits and has privileged access to 0penai's technology and that has enabled microsoft to be take an early lead and becoming increasingly dominant and also to prevent 0penai from competing with it directly and so i think from a fair competition perspective, that is concerning so elon musk does have a point there. to india now where businesses are focussed on the incoming trump presidency and the impact of its tariff policies that might follow. he will be inaugurated on monday, but already the president—elect�*s tariff threats have been making global traders nervous. but in india, manufacturers are more optimistic, hoping to benefit from companies seeking to find new factories located outside of china, the us�*s main trade adversary. archana shukla reports.

humming with renewed energy, india's factories are hoping donald trump's threat of a tariff war with china brings in new business from global clients. these are motherboards, the computer hardware that power your laptops, desktops, remotes, even your appliances. until five years ago, india was completely reliant on imports for such it hardware but today, factories like these manufacture almost 50% of it locally. this is one segment where india is trying to push its manufacturing muscle. bengaluru—based zetwerk feels this makes india a well placed to fill the gap. if and when us imposes high tariffs on chinese imports and it forces global firms to look for alternatives. now that we are posed for the second term of president trump,

i think global supply chain planners hopefully are ready with a solution. i possibly feel india is a great choice. we have reached out to us potential customers and so they know ——i personally feel india is a great choice. we have reached out to us potential customers and so they know about our offering, our capabilities in india. the us is one of india's largest trading partners and its biggest export market with a two—way trade of $190 billion last year. and it is notjust goods, india exports services of specialised talent that fuels the us tech industry. they tax us we tax them. the word reciprocal is important because if somebody charges us, if india charges us 100%, do we charge them nothing for the same? economists say india will need to relook its own trade policies to deal with trump's aggressive tactics. trump is very pro—us business and in that contest, he has a us first kind of approach.

wherever the us businesses are going to face an issue, be it any country, be it india or otherwise, he is going to protest against it. he would be reactive if india continues to have high tariffs on us products. in a changed world dynamics, india is already warming up to easter protectionism, looking to boost trade and create jobs. ——to ease protectionism, looking to boost trade and create jobs. do stay with us here in bbc news. when you think of kenya — you don't necessarily think of snow and ice. but there is one place in the capital — nairobi — where it gets pretty cold. the ice rink at the panari hotel. that's where the kenya ice lions ?

the country 5 only ice hockey team ? train weekly. despite the sport being uncommon across africa — the ice lions have continued to go from strength to strength. they will now get a chance to compete on the international stage having recently gained membership to the international ice hockey federation. priya sippy reports. this is the only ice rink in central and east africa. it is weather—macro to train, kenya's first and only hockey team. they were recently granted membership to the international ice hockey federation, becoming only the fifth african team to join. becoming only the fifth african team to “oin. , ~ ., , becoming only the fifth african team to “oin. ,~ .,, ., to join. our skill level has grown tremendously. _ to join. our skill level has grown tremendously. we _ to join. our skill level has grown tremendously. we won - to join. our skill level has grown tremendously. we won the - to join. our skill level has grown - tremendously. we won the competition internationally and this proved to everybody we can do this.- internationally and this proved to everybody we can do this. some of the thins everybody we can do this. some of the things that _ everybody we can do this. some of

the things that i _ everybody we can do this. some of the things that i think _ everybody we can do this. some of the things that i think we - everybody we can do this. some of the things that i think we try - everybody we can do this. some of the things that i think we try to - the things that i think we try to focus _ the things that i think we try to focus on — the things that i think we try to focus on the most is the individual skills. _ focus on the most is the individual skills. the — focus on the most is the individual skills, the teamwork and the team skills. _ skills, the teamwork and the team skills, recognising what your role is on _ skills, recognising what your role is on a _ skills, recognising what your role is on a team, and when you are on the ice, _ is on a team, and when you are on the ice, what — is on a team, and when you are on the ice, what is your role, what is your— the ice, what is your role, what is your responsibility. this is the defensive _ your responsibility. this is the defensive zone. 0ne your responsibility. this is the defensive zone. one guy here, defensive zone. 0ne guy here, another— defensive zone. one guy here, another guy here, the third eye is going _ another guy here, the third eye is going to _ another guy here, the third eye is going to go — another guy here, the third eye is going to go where their guy goes. i never imagined i could play ice hockey, especially on kenya. you see it in christmas movies, it happens somewhere else, not in kenya. stepping onto the ice was exciting, it was an experience that is out of this world. but it was an experience that is out of this world-— it was an experience that is out of thisworld. �* , , . , this world. but because ice hockey is not a common _ this world. but because ice hockey is not a common sport _ this world. but because ice hockey is not a common sport in - this world. but because ice hockey is not a common sport in africa, i is not a common sport in africa, they have faced many challenges along the way. the they have faced many challenges along the way-— they have faced many challenges alon: the wa . , , . ., along the way. the biggest challenge is ice time, access _ along the way. the biggest challenge is ice time, access to _ along the way. the biggest challenge is ice time, access to ice _ along the way. the biggest challenge is ice time, access to ice is _ is ice time, access to ice is exaensive, _ is ice time, access to ice is expensive, then they have a lot of specialised — expensive, then they have a lot of specialised gear, it is a very physical— specialised gear, it is a very physical sport, you need a lot of protective — physical sport, you need a lot of protective gear.— physical sport, you need a lot of protective gear. over time, it has develoraed. _ protective gear. over time, it has develoraed. it _ protective gear. over time, it has developed, it has _ protective gear. over time, it has developed, it has grown. -

protective gear. over time, it has developed, it has grown. thanks| protective gear. over time, it has i developed, it has grown. thanks to media exposure, a couple of trips we have done, once to canada, to a few others, we get people now given us donations, in terms of equipment, this has helped us grow as a team. many of kenya's ice hockey players first started out in roller hockey. it is where people come to scout talent the teams. you it is where people come to scout talent the teams.— talent the teams. you see their otential talent the teams. you see their potential and — talent the teams. you see their potential and you _ talent the teams. you see their potential and you ask— talent the teams. you see their potential and you ask would - talent the teams. you see their| potential and you ask would you talent the teams. you see their- potential and you ask would you like to try? i potential and you ask would you like to t ? ., potential and you ask would you like tot ? ., . potential and you ask would you like tot? ., . ,~g , potential and you ask would you like tot 2 ., . , . to try? i love ice hockey very much because the _ to try? i love ice hockey very much because the coaches _ to try? i love ice hockey very much because the coaches push - to try? i love ice hockey very much because the coaches push you - to try? i love ice hockey very much because the coaches push you to i to try? i love ice hockey very much | because the coaches push you to do your best. _ because the coaches push you to do your best, you are playing on the ice, you — your best, you are playing on the ice, you forget about everything else _ ice, you forget about everything else. , ., ice, you forget about everything else. , . ., ., , ., else. they are also looking to start a winning's — else. they are also looking to start a winning's team. _ else. they are also looking to start a winning's team. playing - else. they are also looking to start a winning's team. playing ice - else. they are also looking to start i a winning's team. playing ice hockey feels amazing. _ a winning's team. playing ice hockey feels amazing, together _ a winning's team. playing ice hockey feels amazing, together with - a winning's team. playing ice hockey feels amazing, together with the - feels amazing, together with the men, because we also bring as women, we also want to grow as a women's team. , ., ., ., ., . team. joining the international ice hockey federation _ team. joining the international ice hockey federation will _ team. joining the international ice hockey federation will give - team. joining the international ice hockey federation will give them l team. joining the international ice| hockey federation will give them a chance to go for their dream. qualifying for the winter olympics.

translation:, qualifying for the winter olympics. translation: ,— qualifying for the winter olympics. translation: , they have to see the ken a flat translation: , they have to see the kenya flag flying _ translation: , they have to see the kenya flag flying on _ translation: , they have to see the kenya flag flying on the _ translation: , they have to see the kenya flag flying on the ice, - translation: , they have to see the kenya flag flying on the ice, we - kenya flag flying on the ice, we must show others that we have arrived. from ice in kenya, to the weather for the rest of us. 0ur weather may well be turning a bit murkier right now, but it was a pretty stunning end to the day on tuesday with lovely sunsets here in highlands, scotland, we have a number of these sunset pictures sent to us from our weather watchers. we had a significant jump in temperatures over the last 24 hours. fylingdales in north yorkshire was monday's coldest spot atjust three degrees, but we had temperatures jump up here by seven degrees celsius from monday into tuesday. tuesday itself was a day of variable cloud and a bit of sunshine at times. now, high pressure is dominating our weather picture for the next few days, bringing a quiet spell of weather and often feeding up some pretty mild air too. however, mild weather at this time

of the year doesn't necessarily equate to sunny weather, and right now, what we're seeing is extensive low cloud. we've got some mist and fog around, and the low cloud is also bringing a few patches of drizzle with it too, particularly across parts of wales and western areas of england. so, although it's a frost free start to your day on wednesday morning, it's going to be pretty murky with mist and fog for wales, western areas of england and quite murky conditions through the vale of york. a few fog patches in the midlands too. some of these fog patches may well linger all day, but i think for most areas, you'll see a bit of sunshine coming through, the best of that for scotland, the far north of england. may well stay rather cloudy for east anglia and south east england, some of that cloud could stay quite low, with occasional mist patches still around into the afternoon. temperatures for most of us into double figures, so we're on the mild side for the time of year. and with this area of high pressure staying with us wednesday, thursday into friday as well, not going to be great changes in our weather pattern day by day. so thursday morning, again, a few mist and fog patches around initially, perhaps a little bit more in the way of sunshine extending across scotland into northern

england, the north midlands and wales. but, again, we'll probably have some low cloud and mist hanging on across parts of east anglia and southern counties of england. temperatures generally around 7—10 degrees, so we're running a little bit above average for the time of year, and quite mild there for west scotland and northern ireland. friday the high pressure is still with us, but into the weekend, this weak weather front is going to move in off the atlantic. the front weakens as it runs into our area of high pressure. and so saturday, a dry day, sunday, we'll see the cloud thicken with outbreaks of light rain spreading in. there'll be a few showers around next week, but for the time being, the weather staying mostly on the mild side.

live from london. this is bbc news. air raid alerts and emergency power cuts across ukraine as authorities say critical infrastructure has been hit in a massive russian missile attack. south korea's suspended president is arrested after a failed attempt

to impose martial law. he faces charges of insurrection and the abuse of power. the uk inflation rate falls slightly to 2.5% but remains above the bank of england's target. negotiations for a ceasefire deal in gaza continue. all sides indicate an agreement is closer than ever. three, two, one, ignition. two privately—built lunar landers blast off from florida heading for the moon. hello, i'm kasia madera. west ukraine critical infrastructure has been hit in a massive russian attack, that's according to officials in the city of lviv. the extent of the russian attack in ukraine is still

not completely clear.