Broadcast timeline
BBC News Now
Thursday 17 September 2026 · 12:00 BST · 30m · 6 stories · 15 annotated moments · 25 of 30 min on news stories (84%)
Broadcast overview
An AI-generated overview based on this broadcast's transcript.
The Bank of England held UK interest rates at 3.75% for a sixth consecutive meeting, despite rising energy price pressures. The decision, made on a six-to-three vote, came a day after the US Federal Reserve raised rates. The Bank also announced a surprise pause in its programme of selling its stock of government debt, saying it would retain a significant portion to cover banknote issuance, a move economists said would slow the pace of debt sales. Separately, King Charles convened a meeting with executives from leading artificial intelligence firms, including Nvidia, Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and Anthropic, at a royal residence in Scotland, urging them to ensure the technology remains firmly in the service of humanity. The meeting comes amid growing concern that AI safety efforts lag behind development, with some CEOs calling for regulation or a slowdown while others advocate self-regulation.
Buckingham Palace issued an unusually strong response to claims made by Princess Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, in a new memoir. Spencer wrote that after Diana's death in 1997, the then Prince of Wales told him that Diana would be forgotten soon enough. A palace spokesman said the King was mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason and color memory, echoing the late Queen's statement that recollections may vary. Earlier, South African police found a ninth woman's body east of Johannesburg, partially naked with her throat cut, following a spate of killings over two months that has sparked fear and outrage, though police have not confirmed a serial killer. Women have been urged to avoid walking alone while investigations continue.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the US denial of a visa to President Mahmoud Abbas for the UN General Assembly for the second year running, with the Trump administration accusing the PA of glorifying terrorism and failing reforms. Meanwhile, at least 21 people were killed in Gaza when a war-damaged building collapsed, including eight children. A Save the Children official described the scene, saying displaced families had been living in the damaged structure due to a lack of shelter, and that rescue efforts were hampered by a shortage of heavy machinery. The official, who has been displaced over ten times, said people preferred living in broken infrastructure over tents. The UN has warned that hundreds of war-damaged buildings in Gaza are at imminent risk of collapse, and rebuilding has not begun nearly a year after the ceasefire.
- 0:56
- 0:56
Claim Bank of England holds rates at 3.75% but warns of future rise
The Bank of England has held interest rates at 3.75% since December.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 0:56-1:06
- 1:06
Claim Bank of England holds rates at 3.75% but warns of future rise
The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point to a range of 3.75% to 4%.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 1:06-1:13
- 1:24
- 1:24
Claim King Charles warns AI leaders of existential dangers at Dumfries House summit
King Charles is holding a meeting with executives from leading AI companies in Scotland.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 1:24-1:34
- 1:37
Claim King Charles warns AI leaders of existential dangers at Dumfries House summit
King Charles is holding a meeting with executives from leading AI companies in Scotland.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 1:37-1:45
- 2:45
Contested quote King Charles warns AI leaders of existential dangers at Dumfries House summit
recommit to transparency, invest more in safety. But Jensen Huang, of AI chipmaker NVIDIA, said, We don't need any new laws, new regulations. We just need companies to run as fast as they can. And OpenAI's Sam Altman echoed calls for self-regulation, saying that the world should trust that we are going to do the right thing.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 2:45-2:53
- 7:01
- 7:28
Claim Earl Spencer book and comments renew royal tensions over Diana
Buckingham Palace responded that grief can cloud a person's memory.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 7:28-7:37
- 7:28
Claim Earl Spencer book and comments renew royal tensions over Diana
Buckingham Palace responded that grief can cloud a person's memory.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 7:28-7:37
- 7:28
Claim Earl Spencer book and comments renew royal tensions over Diana
Buckingham Palace responded that grief can cloud a person's memory.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 7:28-7:37
- 7:53
Claim Earl Spencer book and comments renew royal tensions over Diana
Earl Spencer alleged that Prince Charles said Diana would be forgotten soon enough.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 7:53-8:00
- 7:53
Claim Earl Spencer book and comments renew royal tensions over Diana
Earl Spencer alleged that Prince Charles said Diana would be forgotten soon enough.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 7:53-8:00
- 7:53
Claim Earl Spencer book and comments renew royal tensions over Diana
The memoir 'Swan Song Diana my Sister' contains an allegation.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 7:53-8:00
- 8:00
Claim Earl Spencer book and comments renew royal tensions over Diana
Buckingham Palace responded that grief can cloud a person's memory.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 8:00-8:05
- 8:25
Claim Earl Spencer book and comments renew royal tensions over Diana
Buckingham Palace responded that grief can cloud a person's memory.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 8:25-8:34
- 15:23
- 15:31
Claim South African police investigate possible serial killer after ninth body found
Police believe the woman was murdered elsewhere and her body deliberately dumped.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 15:31-15:34
- 17:57
- 18:04
Claim US denies visas to Palestinian UN delegation for second year
The US denied visas to a Palestinian delegation for the UN General Assembly for the second consecutive year, with the State Department citing failure to seek peace with Israel.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 17 September 2026, 18:04-18:12
- 19:47
Source: BBC NEWS, "BBC News Now", Thursday 17 September 2026. Transcript excerpts and stills are shown only to support the analysis annotated alongside them. Search-result excerpts are distinct from the editorial annotations — see our copyright basis. The full broadcast is not reproduced.