welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: us authorities announce they will block asylum claims by people who enter the country illegally. civil liberties groups say the move is illegal. a former us marine with suspected mental health problems is named as the gunman who shot and killed 12 people in a bar in california. tens of thousands are ordered to evacuate as a fast—moving california wildfire explodes in size, threatening several communities. and none of us is getting any younger — or are we? meet the dutchman fighting a legal battle to take 20 years off his official age. the trump administration has ramped up its focus on the emotive and divisive issue of immigration, with a new regulation to restrict asylum claims.

migrants entering illegally through the southern us border will no longer be eligible for asylum. an official statement from the department of homeland security suggests president trump has the authority to restrict illegal immigration if it is in the national interest. but the american civil liberties union has described the move as illegal, and it is likely to be challenged in court. our correspondent chris buckler in washington explained what president trump is seeking to achieve. it has to be said that donald trump wanting to secure the mexico border is not something that will come as a big surprise to a lot of people, however. he has been talking about immigration at length when he was on the campaign trail ahead of the midterm elections. and now he's putting in place this policy to try and cause more problems to those who, as far as he is concerned, are trying to abuse the asylum process inside the united states. at the moment, anyone who comes

into the united states has a year to claim asylum. but, under these new policies that are being put forward by the president, instead they will have to cross over at a formal point of entry. those formal border crossings basically mean that they come face to face with the authorities before they enter the country. he believes that will dampen down the amount of people who can claim asylum. he believes it may well tackle the problems that are being faced by immigration courts, with long, long lists of people, a long backlog of people, who are waiting for their cases to be heard. but you are very much right in saying that there are groups who work with immigrants who believe it is illegal and intend to challenge it. because, as i understand it, american law allows individuals to apply for asylum whether or not they are in a port of entry. yeah, absolutely, and they have that 12—month period to claim refuge, and of course many do claim that they are leaving behind violence and leaving behind poverty,

suggesting that they could be persecuted if they return to their country. but here's what the department of homeland security say. they say the president has the broad authority to suspend or restrict the entry of aliens into the united states if he determines it to be in the national interest to do so. and their argument is that this is in the national interest, that they are facing a crisis with immigration. that is the argument that the president is putting forward. ultimately, i do think we're going to end up in a court battle, and it could well go to the supreme court. now, in previous cases where they've been looking at issues like immigration, they have tended to side with the president. but, of course, this is going to be another contentious issue about immigration. it's a subject that has dominated politics here, and certainly one that the president talked a huge amount during that midterm election campaign. omarjadwat from the american civil liberties union told me why he thought of the president's claim to have the backing of the congress. he absolutely doesn't

have the authority from congress. in fact, congress made it very clear that what the law provides in this country is that you can apply for asylum whether you're at a port of entry or not at a port of entry, and regardless of whether you have — otherwise have a legal right to enter the united states. what he's doing is just trying to erase the law with a stroke of a presidential pen, and that's flatly contrary both to the written law and to the idea that he's constantly invoking that the rule of law matters in this country. what's more flagrantly a violation of the rule of law than to say to somebody, although the law that congress passed makes clear that you have the right to apply for asylum under these circumstances, i, donald trump, am going to decide that you can't? that's what they're doing here. i don't think it's going to stand up, and the very fact that they're

even trying is really offensive. so omar, where does this go next? and if the answer to that is ultimately the supreme court, i guess your problem may be that there may be people on the supreme court who are not entirely sympathetic to your arguments. and, in the meantime, what happens to people who may be affected by this? sure, well, i mean, if — presumably there is going to be litigation on this, and part of that litigation will be an attempt to very quickly put a stop to the rule, so that it doesn't go into effect, or that, you know, it's quickly stopped. and then the litigation will continue. you know, i don't think we're in a situation in this country where the supreme court is going to stand by and allow a clear violation of congress's intent to go forward, and so, you know, my expectation is that this set of rules, this attempt to take away asylum for a broad class of people,

is not going to be successful. things have to change in america to stop mass shootings being normalised — that from the newly elected governor of california in the past few hours, responding to the murders of 12 people in a club in thousand oaks, near los angeles, by a former marine corps veteran who then killed himself. it is believed ian david long, who had served in afghanistan, had been suffering mental health problems. james cook now from thousand oaks. just a warning — his report does contain distressing and flashing images. the officer down, at the borderline, officer down. i'm only seeing one shooter. for the united states, this is the nightmare that never ends. it could be las vegas, orlando, virginia tech or sandy hook. but this time it is thousand oaks, at the borderline bar and grill. it was college night, and the place was packed with young

people enjoying country music and dancing when the shooting started. i saw the gunman, with his gun drawn, at the front where you pay. as soon as we heard a shot, we dropped to the floor. like, i saw the shots go off, as well as hearing them. he shot the front desk cashier. and our friends got the bar stools and they started slamming it against the window so we could get out. we stayed behind the stage, got out, went through the kitchen, went through the back door. i watched an officer get shot in front of me, and i had to help drag him to — and throw him in the back of the cop car. that officer was sergeant ron helus. he had been outside on the phone to his wife when the shooting started. he told her he loved her and ran into the building. the sergeant passed away at the hospital about an hour ago. sergeant helus was on the force for 29 years. was looking to retire

in the next year or so. speaking to people here, you get a sense of shock and a sense of despair, but what is really striking is the absence of surprise. america has come to expect mass shootings. the gunman was a local man, ian david long, a 28—year—old former marine. he had had run—ins with police before, and they had concerns about his mental health. but, although his handgun‘s extended magazine is illegal in california, he had bought the weapon itself lawfully. sheriff, why do you think this keeps happening in the united states of america? well, i don't know. if i knew the answer to that, i'd do something to stop it. this city is ranked as one of the safest communities in the nation, but no corner of this country is immune from the american plague of gun violence. i just got the news that he was one of the 11 that were hit and killed last night.

his name was cody coffman, my first—born son. james cook, bbc news, thousand oaks in california. our los angeles correspondent peter bowes says the attack is the latest in a long line of mass shootings. these scenes are all too familiar, and what is happening right now — vigils are getting under way to remember those people who died. and again, that's an all—too—familiar scene in the hours after a mass shooting like this. we are beginning to learn more about the victims. the police officer who was there, he was close by, he ran in and is credited with saving the lives of many people because of his swift action. he lost his life, he died in hospital. that was ron helus. he was a 29—year veteran of the local police department,

and he was planning to retire next year. we've just heard from the father of cody coffman, 22 years old. he went to the bar most wednesday nights, and apparently enjoyed line dancing. it was a country music evening. justin meek was 23 years old, a recent graduate of the local university. and itjust goes on — tragic personal stories of these people who were enjoying a night out at the bar when this tragedy struck. yes, you mentioned sergeant helus. as you say, a firearms instructor, but of course he was up against a marine corps vet who had fought in afghanistan. those scenes we saw earlier of people lining streets and bridges as his body was taken away to pay respects. some survivors, we're hearing, also escaped death in last year's mass shooting in las vegas. it is very unclear — there were about 200 people in that bar — actually how so many did escape. well, yes, and it could have been far, far worse. and you can imagine, very late at night, presumably quite

a dark bar as this was happening. he first of all shot at one of the security guards, so there was some security at this bar, and made his way in. it seems to have been in part because of the swift actions of this police officer, and of others, and indeed the actions of many of the young people inside the bar who took action against the shooter, and did manage to save a lot of people's lives. but with, as you say, between 150 and 200 people inside there, it is incredible, really, that more people didn't lose their lives. according to the us ambassador to the united nations, russia has asked the un to lift global banking restrictions on north korea, in place to try to curb pyongyang's nuclear programme. nikki haley says the united states will not allow sanctions to be eased, and that north korea must do more before it is time to talk about lifting sanctions. the president and kim have had a summit.

they're talking about having another one at the first of the year. secretary pompeo has been multiple times. we've stopped military exercises. so we have given a lot of carrots up until now. we're not going to get rid of the stick, because they haven't done anything to warrant getting rid of the sanctions yet. the last leader of the soviet union, mikhail gorbachev, has warned the world is moving dangerously closer to a new arms race. he said there should be no proliferation of nuclear weapons, and said he was concerned at president trump's plan to withdraw from the intermediate—range nuclear forces treaty. he is 87, he was speaking at the premiere of a new film about his life, his reform of the soviet state, and the arms control drive in the 1980s which helped end the cold war. let's get some of the day's other news: there has been a remarkable decline in the number of children being born, according to researchers at the university of washington. the report says that in 1950, the average globally was just under five children born to each mother, but that figure has now halved. cyprus has the lowest rate in the world, with women having an average ofjust one child.

at the other end of the scale, niger has a fertility rate of over seven. the un has announced plans to double its food aid to yemen to avert mass starvation in the country. the world food programme said it was preparing to try to feed 14 million people — almost half of the population. toshiba is going to close its nuclear subsidiary business nugen. it is after the japanese engineering giant failed to find a buyer for it. that means it won't now be building a new nuclear power plant in the uk. toshiba says it will also cut 7,000 jobs around the world over the next five years. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: accused of meddling in the past, with his controversial views, now prince charles says he will keep his opinions to himself when he becomes king. the bombastic establishment outsider donald trump has defied

the pollsters to take the keys to the oval office. i feel great about the election results. i voted for him because i genuinely believe he cares about the country. it's keeping the candidate's name always in the public eye that counts. success or failure depends not only on public display, but on the local campaign headquarters, and the heavy routine work of their women volunteers. berliners from both east and west linked hands and danced round their liberated territory. and, with nobody to stop them, it wasn't long before the first attempts were made to destroy the structure itself. yasser arafat, who dominated the palestinian cause for so long, has died. the palestinian authority has declared a state of mourning. after 17 years of discussion, the result was greeted with an outburst ofjoy. women ministers, who'd long felt only grudgingly accepted during the ranks of clergy, suddenly felt welcomed. this is bbc news.

the latest headlines: the united states authorities say they will prevent people who illegally enter the country from claiming asylum. a former us marine with suspected mental health problems has been identified as the gunman who killed 12 people at a bar in california. a wildfire has forced tens of thousands people to flee their homes in and around the town of paradise, in northern california, northeast of san francisco. authorities say the evacuation is chaotic, while the fire is burning out of control, injuring a number of residents and firefighters. there are unconfirmed reports of some fatalities. rick carhart is spokesman for butte county fire department. he gave me the latest. this is a very dynamic fire. it started about 6:30am this morning, local time,

and the first report from the first firefighters at scene had it at around 10—15 acres but even at that point, when it was small and just starting out, it definitely had the potential to become something major. so there are about 30—35 mile per hour winds that are pushing the fire and they pushed it through a number of smaller communities and up into the town of paradise, were a hospital has been evacuated, a number of elementary schools have been evacuated, in fact, most of the town at this point has been evacuated. the wind is still blowing. we have a red flag warning for the next probably about 12—15 hours, where we are still going to have the same winds and so we are just doing the very, very best to get on top of it and keep everybody as safe as we possibly can. we have seen reports that some people have been killed, can you confirm ? i cannot confirm any fatalities.

i have been informed that there are a number of civilian injuries and i can confirm that we have got at least two firefighters who have suffered some burn injuries as well but, at this point, i cannot confirm any fatalities at all. i know you deal with these everyday. california is having one of its worst fire years ever, isn't it? yeah, that's true. it has been a very long and a very hot and dry summer and a really long year and, unfortunately, here we are, i guess sort of, you know, butte county, where our homes are is now getting its chance. we have had a fairly calm and quiet year in our county, this year, despite everything going on around us but today, yeah, that all changed and, again, we are doing everything that we can

to keep everybody as safe as possible. we really appreciate the efforts of all the agencies that are helping us out, the sheriffs office, the highway patrol, in dealing with evacuations and road closures. again, we want everybody to do their part, to be as safe as they possibly can. we are seeing some pretty chaotic scenes, terrifying times to be stuck ina trafficjam. are you confident you to get everybody out of the way of this fire? we are doing everything that we can. actually, just on a personal note, i have a person that i know who was in that traffic for a while and texted and was able to tell me he got out ok. ijust came from a news conference where we had one of our local

government officials who talked about how he gotten trapped in the fire and sort of told the tale of how he got out of it and everybody around him was safe. so, yes, we are doing our very best in trying to make sure that we can get everybody out and, rally, there is a lot of great work going on, notjust with firefighters but with law enforcement across the board. the prince of wales says he will not express views on controversial issues, when he becomes king. he told the bbc, ahead of his 70th birthday next week, that he recognised being heir to the throne and head of state were two very different roles. in the past, the prince has campaigned strongly on issues, such as the environment and architecture, and faced accusations of "meddling" from some quarters. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. the great barrier reef, off the coast of australia.

a place where a prince who is passionate about the environment could barely control his frustrations at the failure of governments to do more about climate change. we're running out of time, because the necessary action hasn't been taken, has it? that's the problem. and i cannot believe that people can simply pay no attention to science. charles has been speaking out now for nearly half a century, but as he approaches his 70th birthday next week, he knows betterthan anyone that a new role beckons. when he succeeds to the throne, his public interventions must stop, but can the passionate prince transition to a monarch who doesn't meddle? in tonight's bbc documentary, charles said explicitly and publicly that he could and would. i won't be able to do the same things i've done as heir, so of course you operate within

the constitutional parameters, but it's a different function. of course, people have expressed worries about whether this involvement will continue in the same way? no, it won't. i'm not that stupid. i do realise that it is a separate exercise, being sovereign. so of course, you know, i understand entirely how that should operate. those undertakings are significant. they should mean an end to charles‘ sometimes—controversial speeches. like a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much—loved and elegant friend. and articles, like this one on genetically modified crops. and then there's his letter writing, his so—called black spider handwritten letters to ministers, asking questions about causes which have caught his eye. charles‘ acceptance that these interventions must cease as king have reassured constitutional experts. it is very welcome, because some people have been worried that

when he becomes king he might continue to send his famous spider memos to ministers and the like, but he's now come out and said he recognises that as monarch, it's a very different role. but that's not to say that as monarch he will be without influence. itjust has to be exercised with care. the constitutional conventions are clear. a british monarch shouldn't make public interventions, as charles has now explicitly accepted. but a king or queen can encourage or warn, but that must be done privately to the prime minister. slowly but surely, the way is being prepared for the moment when the crown passes from a monarch noted for her discretion to a prince noted, until now, for his tendency to speak his mind. nicholas witchell, bbc news, buckingham palace. the prince about two feet 70 next

week. —— to be 70. but age isjust a number, so they say. well, a 69—year—old dutchman is going to court to try and legally lower his age to 49. emile ratelband thinks it might improve his chances with women on the dating app tinder. the positivity trainer says, with his face and a younger age, he'll be in a "luxurious position." anna holligan reports. well, emile ratelband is a positivity speaker and a motivational guru. and in this case, there are people here who are saying he is having a laugh but actually the 69—year—old is entirely serious. so he has gone to court to try to get the judges to officially amend his age from 69 to a9, because he believes that would improve his life chances and also he says that he has been discriminated against on the basis of his age. he believes it would be easier for him to find work, to get a new house, a new car, and women, if he was 20 years younger. he also points out that here in the netherlands, people can go to court

to change their names, to even change their gender so why should he not be able to change his age? he talked about the doctors who he said the doctors have said he has the body of a 45—year—old and described himself as a young gun. this would be the first case of its kind here in the netherlands if he wins. the judges though have been pretty sceptical, asking what happens to the first 20 years of his life, should thatjust be erased? he says that he is a pioneer in many fields so why not this one. he has also promisesd to revoke his dutch state pension saying it is more about the women and the life chances than the money. the judges are expected to rule in about four weeks‘ time. the belongings of steven hawking, the renowned physicists, have raised over $2 million for the stephen hawking foundation and the motor neurone disease association. the auctioneers, christie‘s,

said the collection of items represented the "ultimate triumph of scientific brilliance over adversity". professor hawking‘s signed copy of his 1965 phd thesis sold forjust over $500,000. an early wheelchair raised $400,000 and a script for his appearance on the simpsons sold for $10,000. his book, a brief history of time, which he signed with a thumbprint in 1988, sold for $100,000 — way above the $5,000 guide price. models have been gracing the catwalk in beirut. nothing really out of the ordinary you‘d say, but look closer — these dresses are made with chocolate. they are the creations of thirteen lebanese designers and 13 pastry chefs who joined forces at the fifth salon du chocolat, or chocolate fair, organised in lebanon‘s capital. that‘s it for now. thanks very much for watching. the weather is not looking great for

some of us on friday. low pressure, stormy out to sea and some of that rough weather is heading our way. on friday and we are expecting it and windy weather across western areas of the uk. through the early hours, there already is some rain around, particularly in the north—west of the country, scotland as well. towards the east much drier. double figures on the south coast and quite possibly in london. it is this low pressure on friday that is really gain to upset the weather across western areas of the uk. it is charging in and it will bring gales and likely to be some disruption.

heavy rain and gales western of the uk and friday night and into saturday, spreading to other parts perhaps. this is what friday morning looks like. initially, the weather is not looking too bad at all in southern and eastern areas. the winds also very strong, pounding the coastal south—western england. southern parts of wales as well. gusts here could exceed 60 miles per hour and that means potential damage to trees. blowing up across the irish sea into northern ireland, south—western parts of scotland and very windy throughout scotland. with that, very poor conditions on the road as well. the weather front sweeping across the country during the course of friday evening and into saturday. as we head through the course of saturday morning, the

bad weather is pushed out to sea. the winds would have eased but in turn, we have showers, blustery showers and some will be heavy particularly across western and southern areas. particularly across western and southern areas. some particularly across western and southern areas. some of us will get away with a fairly distant day. on sunday at a mixed day. remembrance day, of course. sunshine and showers with temperatures around the teens. this is bbc news, the headlines: the trump administration says it will restrict the ability of illegal migrants to seek asylum on the southern us border, in a move previewed by the president last week. the rule becomes effective once a presidential proclamation is issued, which is expected to happen friday. civil liberties groups say the move is illegal and will be challenged in court. the gunman who killed twelve people in a bar outside los angeles has been identified as a former us marine. it‘s believed that ian david long, who was 28,

had been suffering from mental health problems. he used an illegally owned handguns with an illegally extended magazine. thousands of residents are evacuating northern california as an uncontained, fast—moving wildfire approaches several towns in the sierra foothills. the fire, which started early on thursday has been fuelled by strong winds and dry forest. more than 28 square miles have burned in an area to the north of sacramento. just after 3:30am. now on bbc news, panorama. i. i, donald john tom. i, richard nixon. -- donald driver trump. america‘s president is being investigated for the gravest of crimes. could trump, like nixon, be forced out of office? well, the similarities between watergate and what‘s happening with regard to trump tower disturbingly similar.

that i will faithfully... trump tower disturbingly similar. that i will faithfully. .. execute the office. or is it a witch-hunt? they‘re not going to find anything. they‘re not going to find anything. they‘re going to try to get him out of office. it