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BBC News with Sue Montgomery.
State media in Iran say a huge explosion at one of the country's largest ports has killed at least 14 people. Officials have suggested the blast at Shahid Rajaee was caused by poorly stored chemicals. More than 700 people have reportedly been taken to hospital. BBC Persian's Kasra Naji has more details. Videos posted on social media show the fire still raging at Shahid Rajaee port. Loud bangs can be heard which appear to come from exploding shipping containers. Firefighters are tackling the blaze but authorities say it may not be under control for many hours. Local media is already raising the possibility of sabotage, with suspicion falling on Israel. Shahid Rajaee receives some 80% of Iran's imports and authorities have warned of food shortages. Pope Francis has been laid to rest at his favorite church in Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore, after a private service. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets to see his coffin being taken there. Our correspondent Sarah Rainsford was at the funeral. With helicopters overhead and police speedboats on the Tiber, in some ways today was just what you'd expect for a papal funeral. But in other ways, as in life, Francis was mold breaking. His coffin, up on the basilica steps, was made of simple wood. The mass itself was in multiple languages for an international, inclusive church. And in the crowd, there were people from the causes closest to his heart, refugees and migrants, the homeless, the poor. President Trump says Russia's continuing missile attacks on civilians in Ukraine makes him think that Vladimir Putin may not want to stop the war. Mr. Trump raised the possibility of new sanctions against Moscow. Earlier, he met Ukraine's president, Zelenskyy, ahead of the pope's funeral. President Trump has said that all American military and commercial ships should be able to travel through the Panama and Suez canals for free. He said the U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, had been asked to take care of the situation. This report from David Bamford. In typically audacious manner, Donald Trump says he thinks that American vessels should not be required to pay to pass through the Panama or Suez canals. He doesn't explain why he thinks the U.S. should be exempt. Both canal authorities charge up to $500,000 per transit for large container ships. The host countries receive billions of dollars per year. The U.S. built the Panama Canal over a century ago, but handed it over to Panama in 1999. It had no role in the construction of the Suez Canal. World News from the BBC. The Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, has appointed his first ever deputy and likely successor. Hussein al-Sheikh is a senior aide of Mr. Abbas, who is 89. There have been repeated international calls for the Palestinian Authority to be reformed, so it can potentially play an expanded role in the post-war governance of Gaza. Kurdish political parties in Syria have adopted a joint statement calling for a decentralized democratic Syrian state with guarantees for Kurdish rights. A senior Kurdish official said federalism would make the country stronger. Syria's new Islamist-led rulers are looking to enforce central control over the whole state. In football, Barcelona have won the Spanish Cup or Copa del Rey, defeating their arch-rivals Real Madrid 3-2. The two Spanish giants hadn't met in a final since 2014. Leonardo Rocha reports. Barcelona came to the match in Seville as the favorites. They controlled the first half and scored first. Real Madrid reacted in the second half when Kylian Mbappé, still recovering from an injury, came off the bench, but Barca equalized in the final minutes of regular time. The match could have gone either way during extra time, but with five minutes to go, the Madrid defense gave the ball away and the French defender Jules Koundé scored the winning goal. Barcelona now have the chance of winning the treble. They are currently leading the Spanish league and have also reached the semi-final of the European Champions League. Chris Eubank Jr. has beaten Conor Benn in one of boxing's most bitter family rivalries. A frenetic fight in London lasted the full 12 rounds. Both men's fathers were champion boxers who first faced each other more than three decades ago. Saturday night's grudge match between their sons was two and a half years in the making. BBC News. |