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Hello, I'm David Harper with the BBC News.
Donald Trump has hinted at the possibility of a change of leadership in Iran. The U.S. president said while it is not politically correct to use the term "regime change," if the current Iranian government is unable to, in his words, "make Iran great again," then why shouldn't there be a change? With more, here's our North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher. J.D. Vance, Vice President Marco Rubio, the ;Secretary of ;State, Pete Hegseth, the ;Secretary of ;Defense, all went out of their way to say this is not about regime change. It seems like Donald Trump is dipping his toe in the waters of regime change here, though he does it in a very Trumpian fashion, right? He's only asking questions. He's not calling for it. He's saying why not and saying it's, you know, not politically correct to talk about this. But one of the reasons it's not politically correct to talk about this is because Donald Trump had very serious advantage using the calls for regime change in the Iraq War as political cudgel against the rest of the Republican establishment, and that's one of the reasons why he was so successful in 2015 and 16. The U.N. Security Council has held an emergency meeting to discuss the U.S. airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites. Iran's ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, condemned the attacks as "blatant aggression." Meanwhile, Israel's ambassador, Danny Danon, accused Tehran of using negotiations as a "camouflage" to buy time. The U.N. chief, António Guterres, warned that the region could fall into an endless cycle of violence. "From the outset of the crisis, I have repeatedly condemned any military escalation in the Middle East. The people of the region cannot endure another cycle of destruction. And yet, we now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation." Israel has continued airstrikes against Iran. Iranian state media say three people were killed after an ambulance was hit in an Israeli strike in central Iran. Local media reported that the ambulance driver, the patient and their companion were killed. In a post on social media, the Israeli military said its fighter jets had attacked Iranian infrastructure used for storing and launching missiles. Military radar sites for detecting and creating aerial intelligence pictures were also targeted. At least 20 people have been killed in a suicide bombing at a church in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The Interior Ministry said the attacker belonged to the Islamic State group. Security forces have evacuated the dead and injured from the Mar Elias Church in the eastern suburb of Dweila, but have not yet released an exact number of casualties. Issam Nasr was in the congregation and described what happened. "We had just finished praying and were on our way out when someone in a mosque came in armed with his weapon. He opened fire on the people and killed many of them. People rushed at him and surrounded him. Then he blew himself up at the church door. Bodies were torn apart and scattered and the church collapsed." World News from the BBC. Air India says it's temporarily reducing its scheduled domestic and short-haul international flights to allow for safety inspections. On Thursday it also announced reductions to long-haul international flights. The cuts follow the crash of an Air India plane shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad earlier this month. A regional party in Japan has emerged as the largest force following regional elections in Tokyo. It comfortably beat the Liberal Democratic Party of the prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba. The Tokyoites First Party won 31 seats in the city's legislature. The LDP came second with 21 seats, a record low. The vote is widely seen as a bellwether for nationwide elections for Japan's upper house of parliament due to take place next month. A bride in the south of France has been shot dead on her wedding day after a gang of masked gunmen attacked the venue. Officials say one of the assailants was also killed and three others injured, including the groom. More than a hundred police officers have been deployed to the area with a major manhunt underway for the remaining suspects. French media reported that the violence might be linked to possible drug-related score settling. In basketball, the winner of this year's NBA title will be decided in a few hours when the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the finals. More detail from Andrew Ochieng. Oklahoma, also known as OKC, are hot favorites. They had a better season and their best player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is currently the most valuable player in the NBA. But throughout these finals they have had content with a gritty Indiana. For instance, in the first game, the Pacers led for less than one second, winning the game at the very last moments with their last shot at the basket. While OKC has made stifling defense their trademark, the Pacers hope their speed, attitude and star player Tyrese Halibutton will help them to the title. If they win, it will be their first ever NBA championship. Andrew Ochieng with that report, and that's the latest BBC News. |