election defeat. she told the new york times that democrats might have fared better had mr biden left the race sooner. tehran has rejected us allegations of an iranian plot to assassinate president—elect donald trump and iranian—american journalist masih alinejad. the usjustice department has charged three men, who it alleges were recruited to kill. police say a powerful explosion at a railway station in the western pakistani city of quetta has killed more than 25 people and injured dozens. a militant group, the balochistan liberation army, said it carried out the bombing. london's metropolitan police has denied claims that farmers have been banned from protesting in the capital later this month. farmers are angered at government plans to extend inheritance tax.

donald trump's return to the white house is promising potentially radical shifts on several fronts — including us foreign policy. in the years since he left the oval office, russia has invaded ukraine and the conflict between israel and iran—backed hamas in gaza has dramitically raised tension in the middle east. during his election campaign, the president—elect criticised what he called the "weakness" of the biden administration — and claimed he could end the ukraine war "in a day", and bring peace to the middle east. sir adam thomson notched up nearly a0 years in the diplomatic service — with his final posting as the uk's permanent representative to nato. he told us what he thinks the future could hold for the us and nato. trump is famously unpredictable on the details of what he might do. but in the case of nato, we do actually know a lot about his instincts. he's been hostile towards the alliance for decades. he will want to make allies pay. he will want to reduce or even end us commitments, and he will want to bring the ukraine war to an end with

a greater instinctive sympathy for putin than zelenskyy. so this is a pretty big geopolitical moment for europe. the united states can no longer be relied upon for european security. this is notjust about trump, but it's a long—term shift in the united states, less emotional affinity for europe, much greater interest in the confrontation with china. how should nato be preparing, then, for his return to the white house? well, nato has had some time to prepare, and i don't think the most dramatic outcomes, like a us withdrawalfrom nato,

will actually come to pass. so ever since 2014, really, nato allies have been increasing their own defence spending. and more recently, they've taken steps to ensure that it is nato as a whole and notjust the united states. that is, for example, coordinating weapons for ukraine. nato military planning has advanced tremendously in the last few years. and that gives the alliance an ability to flex its arrangements. if trump chooses to reduce us forces or us exercising in europe. so some steps, but the united states is still responsible, delivers a very substantial amount of defence spending, certainly the most of any nato ally and a huge amount of critical defence equipment

that other nato allies depend on for their military effectiveness. so it's tough to do without the united states. if europe, within nato, doesn't want to be sidelined. when it comes to the situation in ukraine, what do those countries need to do? given that donald trump appears to be more sympathetic to putin than zelensky? i think there is no real way for europeans, including the united kingdom, to avoid increases in defence spending, including to support ukraine's defence. i think that will extend to also paying larger shares for ukraine's economic recovery and, crucially, europeans, if they really want a voice on a possible settlement of the ukraine war,

are going to have to be a bit more united vis a vis both kyiv and washington, dc. so this is a really quite significant moment for potential uk leadership. the uk is seen as one of the most serious european allies in nato. it's taken a strong line on ukraine. it's going to need to co—ordinate not only with governments in paris and berlin that are currently in a mess, but also with bedfellows that are less easy to work with. like meloni's italy, and with warsaw. siradam sir adam thompson. donald trump has confirmed he's planning the mass deportation of people living in the us illegally.

crossings over the mexican border are at record levels. but critics of the proposal say wholesale deportations would be both cruel and impractical. emma vardy reports from the border state of arizona, where many migrants from latin america enter the united states. illegal aliens are stampeding into america by the millions. we will do large deportations. we're going to get these people out. migrants have long been part of the foundations of america. now, donald trump warns, those who come here are facing a new era. his election victory showed his surge in popularity among many long—standing latino workers, likejorge, whose family moved from mexico 20 years ago. i think he has the right tools for the job. when he says he's going to carry out mass deportations, what do you think? statistically, that's impossible. he's not going to be able to deport 12 million people that are here illegally. you learn to develop a thick skin, especially coming from where we come from. we don't pay attention to a lot

of the things that people say, because we know those are just words. it's not personality, but what they believe donald trump can achieve politically they're counting on. translation: as a person, i don't like him, _ but as a politician, i like how he ran the economy. but for the villalobos family, who've made america their home for generations, they worry friends and relatives�* families will be torn apart. when we talk about undocumented migrants here, who are they to you? it's your neighbours. it's the people you see in the grocery store. it's your teachers. it's your friends' parents. to know that those people are in danger, it's terrifying. until you have to pay $10 - for an avocado, people aren't going to realise the importance of immigrant workers. - why didn't they take the legal route in the first place? the reason that people can't come legally is because it. takes 12 to 15 to 20 years. there was a time in our country when you could do it in 18 months. that's why the need _ for comprehensive immigration

reform is so critically important. _ i feel a sense of repugnance when i hear people talk about immigrants with this disdain. there are an estimated 12 million undocumented migrants in the us, many of whom have lived and worked here for decades. donald trump will be able to use his presidential powers to order deportations using police, the military and border officials. but it could be costly and time—consuming and may face legal challenges. it's the best way to fix the border immediately... he has significant support for his plans. once you start holding people accountable, securing the border, you're going to start to see, a lot of these folks will go back on their own, and then we can start to go after, i think we go after the criminals, people that are causing problems in communities, gang members, people that were vetted or weren't vetted, we find those, and i think really, that's how you have to start. in arizona, along the border with mexico, donald trump swept

to victory with promises to take control. but right now, there is little detail over how his plans will work, or if they will end with the uprooting of many lives. emma vardy, bbc news, phoenix, arizona. a campaign group is urging hundreds of thousands of former university students to check if they're eligible for a refund from the student loans company. figures released for the first time show a total of £181; million has been overpaid. radio 4's money box dan whitworth has more. student loans. everyone signs up for them when enrolling at university, and from september 2025, they'll increase for the first time in eight years. the government announced last week that tuition fees in england will increase by 3%, from £9,250 to £9,535. all in all, the average student leaves university education with almost £45,000 worth of maintenance loans

and tuition fees to repay. repayments generally begin once individuals earn above the annual threshold to start paying back their fees and loans. but for a number of reasons, individuals can start paying back their debts too soon. of the money paid towards outstanding debts last year, £181; million was overpaid. the student loans company says that amount may be refundable to around about one million former students. one of those students was martin, who was refunded nearly £400 after he exceeded the monthly payment limit, but not the annual limit. i got a refund of £396, so it was quite substantial, i think. but at the same time it was sort of — how much extra money have they been taking off me for the last ten months or so? this is the first time these figures have been released, and former students are being urged to check their refund eligibility by logging

on to their student finance account online. dan whitworth, bbc news. i asked dan whitworth why so much money is being overpaid by students. there are four reasons altogether. so the amount that you have owed will obviously vary, depending on how long you were overpaying for or, you know, any other kind of number of factors. crucially because they are not meeting — crucially because they are not meeting the annual threshold. you only— meeting the annual threshold. you only start repaying when you earn _ you only start repaying when you earn a certain amount. that varies _ you earn a certain amount. that varies depending on what payment plan you are on. the student— payment plan you are on. the student loans company can only work_ student loans company can only work that— student loans company can only work that out on a full year basis _ work that out on a full year basis if_ work that out on a full year basis. if for example you work some — basis. if for example you work some overtime, extra shifts, you _ some overtime, extra shifts, you might _ some overtime, extra shifts, you might get a bonus in september or october. if that bumps — september or october. if that bumps you above the monthly earning —

bumps you above the monthly earning limits, they will take some — earning limits, they will take some of— earning limits, they will take some of those repayments. if by the end — some of those repayments. if by the end of— some of those repayments. if by the end of the financial year, you dip — the end of the financial year, you dip down again, under the annuat— you dip down again, under the annual payment amount. that is when _ annual payment amount. that is when you — annual payment amount. that is when you may be eligible. you can too — when you may be eligible. you can log online to your account, check — can log online to your account, check if — can log online to your account, check if you are due a refund, and _ check if you are due a refund, and then— check if you are due a refund, and then you can request it online _ and then you can request it online i_ and then you can request it online. i have had cases of 40, 50, £60 — online. i have had cases of 40, 50, £60. some reports online of people _ 50, £60. some reports online of people getting over £1000. tom .ave people getting over £1000. tom gave me — people getting over £1000. tom gave me his thoughts on how much — gave me his thoughts on how much he _ gave me his thoughts on how much he thinks students could be getting repaid. it much he thinks students could be getting repaid.— be getting repaid. it depends. i know peeple _ be getting repaid. it depends. i know people who _ be getting repaid. it depends. i know people who have - be getting repaid. it depends. i know people who have done | be getting repaid. it depends. l i know people who have done it and have — i know people who have done it and have got— i know people who have done it and have got 40, _ i know people who have done it and have got 40, 50, _ i know people who have done it and have got 40, 50, £60. - i know people who have done iti and have got 40, 50, £60. then you see — and have got 40, 50, £60. then you see reports _ and have got 40, 50, £60. then you see reports online _ and have got 40, 50, £60. then you see reports online of- you see reports online of people _ you see reports online of people claiming - you see reports online of people claiming well- you see reports online of| people claiming well over 51000 _ people claiming well over 51000 on _ people claiming well over £1000. on average, - people claiming well over £1000. on average, i- people claiming well over i £1000. on average, i think people claiming well over - £1000. on average, i think it is in — £1000. on average, i think it is in the _

£1000. on average, i think it is in the lower— £1000. on average, i think it is in the lower 100. _ £1000. on average, i think it is in the lower 100. it- £1000. on average, i think it is in the lower 100. it is- is in the lower 100. it is definitety— is in the lower 100. it is definitely worth- is in the lower 100. it is definitely worth doing, i is in the lower 100. it is. definitely worth doing, the cost — definitely worth doing, the cost of— definitely worth doing, the cost of living _ definitely worth doing, the cost of living crisis - definitely worth doing, the cost of living crisis still- cost of living crisis still lingering _ cost of living crisis still lingering on— cost of living crisis still lingering on a - cost of living crisis still lingering on a little - cost of living crisis still| lingering on a little bit, cost of living crisis still. lingering on a little bit, so having _ lingering on a little bit, so having that _ lingering on a little bit, so having that extra - lingering on a little bit, so having that extra boost. lingering on a little bit, so having that extra boost of| lingering on a little bit, so- having that extra boost of cash right _ having that extra boost of cash right now — having that extra boost of cash right now could _ having that extra boost of cash right now could make - having that extra boost of cash right now could make a - having that extra boost of cash right now could make a world i having that extra boost of cashl right now could make a world of difference. if— right now could make a world of difference-— difference. if you think you miaht difference. if you think you might be — difference. if you think you might be eligible _ difference. if you think you might be eligible for- difference. if you think you might be eligible for a - difference. if you think you . might be eligible for a refund, lo- might be eligible for a refund, too on — might be eligible for a refund, too on to— might be eligible for a refund, log on to your account, student loans— log on to your account, student loans company, they have all the data. _ loans company, they have all the data, if you do qualify, that— the data, if you do qualify, that is— the data, if you do qualify, that is how you can request it. dan _ that is how you can request it. dan witts— that is how you can request it. dan witts met from money box. the metropolitan police has denied claims that farmers have been banned from protesting in london later this month. they are angry at the chancellor's plan to extend inheritance tax to land and assets worth more than £1 million, which had previously been exempt. farmers, including the tv presenterjeremy clarkson, claimed they'd been prevented from holding a rally on november the 19th because of what they claimed was "two—tier" policing, which favoured pro—palestine protests. in a statement, the met said, "at no point have we banned "anyone from marching on this date." our political correspondent harry farley gave us the latest.

the nfu say it's not a protest, it's sort of a mass lobbying event, but there is a limit on places. and so some people have been turned away, and that seems to have led to claims that the protest was being blocked. and, as you say, several well—known figures, including the tv personality jeremy clarkson, saying it seems that if you're from just stop oil or protesting about gaza, you can do what you want. but farmers are treated differently. it's worth saying the metropolitan police have completely denied that they do have powers to place conditions on protests, such as where or when they can take place, but the power to ban them completely is really very rare and only if there's risk of serious disorder. so metropolitan police say they have not banned any protest, and it does now appear that there will be a separate rally going on in westminster forfarmers to protest. — who can't get into this official event organised by the national farmers' union. but these events, however, there are lots happening quite often in london at the weekends particularly, and they have to be managed somehow. they do. and the metropolitan police manage where and when they can take place.

they say that they apply the same legislative framework to each and every notification we receive without fear or favour, and strongly deny any claims of two—tier policing. it's worth mentioning, of course, there is really deep set anger among farmers at the changes announced in the budget. i've been speaking to farmers over the last few days, saying that this will impact a much wider proportion of farmers than the treasury. the treasury say it will only impact the most valuable and the most wealthy farmers. and it's fair that they may pay some inheritance tax. farmers argue that because many farms are large, even if they are cash—poor, they are asset—rich. and so that's why they will be taxed. and that there are fears from the farming community that they will lead to many more farmers being taxed when they pass them on to their children. harry farley. tomorrow, people across the country will fall silent to remember the lives that have been lost in war and pay tribute to our armed forces. this year is especially poignant, as five months ago

we were also marking the 80th anniversary of d—day and celebrating heroes like percy chafer, who, at 104—years—old, was one of the oldest surviving d—day veterans. before his death last month. just weeks before his 105th birthday. but before his passing, he was able to share one final and very special story with our reporter jayne mccubbin. at the age of 104, percy lived in his own flat, did all his own shopping, all his own laundry, and earlier this year, on the anniversary of d—day, he had shared his story. i am percival frank edward schafer, age 104 and still going strong. that was good. late this summer i met him one last time to hear another story. one he and his family hope will encourage other families to share their own stories, to make sure these stories never die.

what was his name? freddie. his mum was my mum's sister. he was a good husband to my mum, and he was a really good father to me. freddie was percy's cousin, and when he told his story to the bbc, percy's niece realised how little she knew about her own dad. jacqueline discovered the national archives held a document with her dad's name, so we took them along to find out more. oh, my god, this is amazing. it's absolutely amazing. alljacqueline's dad had told her was that he'd been captured during the war. he'd escaped and been recaptured, but she had no idea where that captivity was or what it had been like. well, it's a card of fred's registration as a prisoner and where he was held prisoner of war, finally, in lamsdorf. it gives his prison of war number. it gives his army number, and it gives the date that he was actually captured in libya.

i didn't know any of it. and then that's his actual fingerprint there. and i can't believe that. that is amazing. so this is amazing. thank you. fred and percy both grew up in london, seeing each other only at christmas and on birthdays. but when they went to war, they thought they may never meet again. i've actually got this one of the three of you in cairo. but this photograph was the stuff of legend in percy's family. it hinted at an unbelievable story percy told of a time in a cairo cafe when he had been a desert rat. one of my comrades made a remark that there was a man looking at me. couldn't recognise who he was. and then he walked towards me. and the words, the very words he said to me was, are you percy chaffer? and so i said yes. and he replied, i'm your cousin fred, which really took me aback. and that was amazing. i was amazed myself.

i thought, i've come all this way now. i've got to meet my cousin in cairo, of all places. yeah, yeah. he said, that's the table he thinks he was sitting at when he met my dad. really? that's probably the table. 2,000 miles from home, the cousins had bumped into each other, thanked their lucky stars, and then went their separate ways. and the next thing i knew was my mum had written to me saying that philip was missing. you didn't ever talk to my dad about it as old comrades or anything like that? you didn't. i don't know why your dad didn't want to discuss it. maybe he had a hard time, you know. maybe he had a hard time. we don't know. can you remember what he was like after he came back? after the war? he was very quiet. and usually fred was very bouncy and laughable. have a good laugh. but that had all gone.

the thumbprint was made in stalag eight b on the border of germany and poland. that led to another document showing her dad had previously been held in camp 70 on the east coast of italy, and that made sense of one gem of a story fred had chosen to talk about. and that was the story about a pair of gold earrings. well, one of the things he told me was that him and his mate steve, they did actually escape from one of the prisoner of war camps, and they disguised themselves as italian fishermen. they had their ears pierced and probably quite tanned from coming back from egypt where he was, and they escaped and then they got captured. he never, ever took those earrings out. he wore them his whole life. he was wearing earrings before they were even fashionable. look carefully and you can see the glint of an earring in this photo taken after the war, when fred met his wife, sally.

and then you were best man at their wedding on the end there. yeah. they had one child, jacqueline. the dates on the document suggest fred may have taken part in the brutal long march towards the end of the war, when prisoners were made to leave the camps without provisions and walk across war torn europe during one of the harshest winters on record. and it answers a lot of questions now, and it's like percy said, he was very bubbly, very... he was fun. and that wasn't the dad i knew. the dad i knew was very quiet, very reserved. he died in 1993, and today actually would have been his birthday, and he would have been 104 alongside percy. so it is a real shame that he's not here with percy today. you do think it's important that these stories are remembered and shared? well, they should be.

yeah, yeah. well, it keeps things alive, doesn't it? never forget. neverforget them. never forget. percy died peacefully at home on october the 16th and will be buried next week. thank you for your service, percy and fred. and thank you for these important stories. the bbc will continue to mark remembrance week across television, radio, and online. including coverage of the royal british legion's annual festival of remembrance from the royal albert hall. that's tonight on bbc one and iplayerfrom 9pm. otters are usually found no more than a few hundred metres from water, but at night they will often choose to travel on foot, to get from one stream to another. as a result, the uk wild otter trust says "countless" otters are killed and seriously injured

on our roads every year. but they have come up with a simple idea to help, as our reporter andrea ormsby has been finding out. meet menai, a little otter cub orphaned when his mum was killed crossing a road. menai was found at around about eight to 12 weeks—ish, roughly, on anglesey, by a reserve warden of the rspb. they called us. we arranged the transport. got it down to us and he's doing ok. he's putting weight on now daily, so that's a good sign. now, to try to stop more otters being killed and more cubs orphaned, these signs are going up. the uk wild otter trust, based in north devon, says every year countless otters lose their lives or are seriously injured on uk roads. this stretch of the a361 from barnstaple to braunton, right in the heart of tarka territory, is notorious. this is an accident black spot for otters. over the past few years we've had at least 15 to 17 killed.

and they seem to be, obviously, coming from the estuary, and they seem to be crossing up, and most of them are killed over on the left there. within just 22 hours of the charity launching its slow down for otters campaign, £1,500 had been donated — enough to put up these signs, the only ones in devon. generally, people don't take any notice of road signs, but these are quite unusual. you know, they've got an otter on them. there's a big sign there saying: caution otters. so hopefully they do a little bit good. if only one person sees the sign, then that's already worked, so it's a win. i hope that, with the signs up, that there's more awareness of that the otters are around, seeing as we are around the all the estuary. and i hope that itjust makes people think a little bit more as to what goes on and just to be a bit more careful, drive a little bit slower, and be more aware of the wildlife around. and the otters really mean a lot to you. definitely. they have my heart. we are in tarka, . the otter territory. the tarka trail is behind us.

it's named afterj tarka the otter. it's sort of part of- the heritage of the area. and to discover that, you know, i otters are being killed on this. little stretch of road quite - regularly is quite distressing. and in a creature that's i struggling to sort of make a comeback, it's really- important that we actually do something about it. menai is one of 33 otters so far this year, being cared for by the uk wild otter trust. we're seeing an increase on smaller cubs, certainly. and we're seeing an increase due to the mothers being killed on roads. it's a big problem. it probably accounts for 85—90% of road deaths or deaths in otters. after a year of rehabilitation, menai with his guinness moustache, will be released back into the wild. andrea ormsby, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with elizabeth rizzini. hello there. well, it hasn't been gloomy everywhere this week and we've

seen some of the best of the sunshine, the blue skies across parts of scotland, but elsewhere lots of low cloud, mistand murk, with a few spots of drizzle but generally dry. it's more of the same again today, but there will be some changes tomorrow, with showers in the north and the west, and eventually some brighter skies too. there will be some brightness developing this afternoon across many parts of scotland, towards the north of scotland and also towards the southeast. again, some sunshine here, some pockets of brightness too possible across northwest england and north wales, but elsewhere that low cloud is just going to linger on. and it's chillier, too, than it was yesterday. with many of our temperatures in high single figures. the winds are light, but they'll start to pick up overnight tonight as this cold front approaches from the west, bringing outbreaks of rain into western scotland, northern ireland in time for tomorrow morning. some clear skies across northeast scotland. northeast england here a chilly start to the day tomorrow. elsewhere, a lot of low cloud mist and murk yet again. that will again set the tone of the day across much

of england and wales, that patchy rain drifting southwards and eastwards. lots of events and services going on for remembrance sunday, of course, and there will be some afternoon sunshine across northern ireland and for much of scotland again. a few pockets of brightness, this time across east anglia in the far south of england. perhaps. now that cold front clears southwards and eastwards. behind it a different air mass, clearer, drierair with a lot less moisture. so there will be more sunshine, a different feel to the weather into the start of next week. again, it's looking largely dry. we could just see one or two showers run down these north sea—facing coasts at times, but most areas staying completely dry and this time the sunshine is a lot more evenly shared. temperatures will start to rise a little above the seasonal average perhaps too, but lots of dry weather around again on tuesday with high pressure out towards the west. we could see one or two showers again for eastern—facing coasts. that certainly is possible on tuesday, but largely dry with the best of the sunshine again in the west. temperatures starting to slip a little, and it will tend to feel cooler

as we work our way through into the middle the end of next week. but if we just take a look at the outlook for our capital cities, then you can see there will be a lot more sunshine on offer. so a lot less gloomy as we head through monday and tuesday. bye—bye for now.

live from london. this is bbc news... senior us democrat, nancy pelosi, has suggested president biden is partly to blame for the party's election defeat.

iran denies it plotted to assassinate donald trump before the election —— after a third man is charged in the us. a bomb at a railway station in western pakistan has killed at least 26 people and injured dozens more. and the uk's metropolitan police force has referred itself to a watchdog over its handling of the mohammed al fayed abuse allegations. hello. the former speaker of the us house of representatives, nancy pelosi, has partly blamed president biden for the democrats' election loss, suggesting the party would have performed better if he'd left the race sooner. ms pelosi played a key role in convincing mr biden to end his re—election bid. but she told the new york times the democrats could have used more time to choose his replacement. meanwhile, kamala harris' running mate, tim walz, told supporters his fight wasn't over: