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BBC News with Moira Alderson.
Iran has confirmed the death of its security chief Ali Larijani. Israel had earlier said it had hit his hideout in an overnight airstrike. Tehran has also acknowledged that the leader of the Basij militia has been killed. Our international editor Jeremy Bowen told us what impact Ali Larijani's death might have. This is part of Israel's mission. It's very clearly, explicitly stated war aimed to try to destroy the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Now what kind of man was Mr. Larijani? Well, he has effectively been the guy who's been running the war. Seen as a pragmatist, a regime insider with the clout if eventually a deal was put on the table to end the war, the clout perhaps to make that sort of deal. Now if he's replaced by someone who's much more of a hard line then he might be rather less pragmatic and want to fight it out to the end. Retaliatory strikes launched by Iran and its allied militias are continuing across the Middle East. Israeli officials say two people have been killed near Tel Aviv by an Iranian ballistic missile. The United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Qatar and Kuwait have also been targeted. President Trump has sought to downplay the resignation of the top U.S. counterterrorism official over Iran describing it as a good thing. He accused Joe Kent of being "very weak on security." Mr. Kent argued Iran had posed no imminent threat and it was clear the U.S. had started the conflict due to pressure from Israel. More details from our White House correspondent, Bernd Debusmann. Joe Kent is someone who ran as a Republican for Congress twice, who's been a very outspoken supporter of the president for many years now and who has an impeccable war record in special operations. President Trump was quite dismissive of his security record in the Oval Office but many people from within that MAGA base that are uncomfortable with the prospect of a drawn-out conflict overseas will point to this as evidence that perhaps this war was unnecessary in their view. In other news, the Confederation of African Football has stripped Senegal of this year's Africa Cup of Nations title, declaring the result of the final to be an administrative 3-0 win for their opponents, the hosts Morocco. The governing bodies appeal board overturned Senegal's 1-0 victory. Tom Kavanagh reports. January's AFCON final in Rabat was decided in highly controversial circumstances, with Senegal winning through an extra time goal following chaos at the end of normal time. In unprecedented scenes, the Senegalese players left the pitch for more than 15 minutes in protest after tournament hosts Morocco were awarded a late penalty. A controversial refereeing decision moments earlier had denied Senegal a goal. BBC News. The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Cuba's decision to allow nationals living abroad to invest and own businesses in the communist country is not a dramatic enough change. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Rubio said the island's economy doesn't work and its government can't fix it. The Cuban-American who's a long-standing critic of the ruling communists hinted at further U.S. pressure stating that Cuba had some big decisions to make. El Salvador's Congress has approved a constitutional amendment which allows whole life sentences for charges including murder, rape and terrorism. The move comes as the increasingly authoritarian government continues its crackdown on the country's gangs. Previously sentences were in effect capped at 60 years. The Scottish Parliament's rejected the introduction of a legalized assisted dying after a highly emotional debate. The bill would have allowed terminally ill, mentally competent adults to seek medical help to end their lives. Concerns were expressed about coercion as well as safeguards for medical professionals. More detail from our medical editor Fergus Walsh. When the bill was first introduced, there were protections put in for healthcare staff who didn't want to be involved and there were also protections that it would not in any way harm their career. They were taken out because it was found that the U.K. government had those powers. They were not a devolved power, so I think because that was initially on offer in the bill that had potentially an impact. A long-term study has found that a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, nuts and olive oil could slow down brain ageing. Researchers tracked more than 1,600 people over a 12-year period and found less brain tissue and grey matter loss in those who most closely adhered to a diet high in antioxidants and high quality protein sources. BBC News. |