iran's foreign minister has warned his country will give, what he called, "an immediate and maximum response" if israel acts against its interests — but only if there is a significant attack from israel. he was speaking to us media after a presumed israeli drone attack on isfahan in central iran. iran's top diplomat downplayed this, questioning whether israel was involved. tehran�*s muted response to friday morning's events has raised hopes that tensions between the countries can be dampened, and a wider escalation averted. with me now is said shehata from bbc arabic. what more have we heard from the foreign minister? the? the foreign minister? they mainly saying _ the foreign minister? they mainly saying what - the foreign minister? iie: mainly saying what happened yesterday was just drones that were downed by the air defence. he said it's israel because israel itself didn't

acknowledge the attack so in this case iran is trying to get out of this dilemma because it was the israeli strike than it would have been responded, they are a leader of iran and it would be an immediate response in seconds and even the foreign minister said it was significant, the attack would be responded with massive response to respond to israel. in this case they tried to convert situation, the tension is there but the calm is that because of the pressure from the united states and other regional countries in order to avoid any all—out war in this region because it is not an interest if around because they cannot afford a war with united states and israel cannot afford to have a front with and yemen and gaza. it's a way out but

still tension is there, all efforts try to avert any attention because it will affect oil prices, the freedom of navigation so it will have many bad consequences on the economy and stability and peace in the region. we economy and stability and peace in the region-— in the region. we had no acknowledgement - in the region. we had no acknowledgement from | in the region. we had no - acknowledgement from israel following the events of the early hours of friday morning. what may come next from the israeli side?— israeli side? israel i think will in effect _ israeli side? israel i think will in effect from - israeli side? israel i think will in effect from the - israeli side? israel i think - will in effect from the western pressure on iran, especially the united states. they are trying to impose sanctions on the drones and missiles programmes of iran because it was a main source of threat because they launched more than 300 drones and towards israel. also they were downed by the defences but still maintains the aspect of iran military

arsenal. israel will benefit from international pressure, more sanctions on missiles and drone programme, more sections on the economy and trying to minimise the threat of iran and contained them. the other one may be israel benefiting from starting the rafah because the man pledges to carry on to achieve full battery and complete victory over hamas and go to rafah. as many pressure on him regarding the invasion or the offensive in gaza in rafah but this opportunity this time may be benjamin netanyahu doing that to calm the pressure from within israel especially from within israel especially from the families of hostages. so many pressures coming in from different sides, said shehata from bbc arabic, thank you forjoining me.

let's get some analysis now from professor abbas milani, director of iranian studies at stanford university. welcome to the programme. what comes next in your view? i think, and i hope, that there will be a period of calm. run back decided it does not want for war with israel and the united states will be joining, iran cannot afford a war right now, people are angry at the regime has broken a ritual war against women who refused to wear a hijab. against women who refused to weara hijab. but against women who refused to wear a hijab. but they are also not in a position to not respond so they decided to say that there was no israeli attack, if you read the iranian papers in the last 2a hours, they would have been pleasantly surprised. they would have been pleasantly

surrised. , ., , surprised. they may not be any further escalation _ surprised. they may not be any further escalation following - further escalation following the events of the last seven or eight days, but of course for years has been a so—called shadow war between the two nations. does that continue on and tell us more about that? i think that will continue on, there is evidence that has continued over the past 24—hour stud some of iran's allies have been attacked, the us said it was not them and i would expect the proxy war to continue. the flames that were beginning to engulf the two countries in a full war and maybe engulf the rest of the region i think from the time being, wiser heads have prevailed and the economy has forced iran to rethink its bombastic threats.—

has forced iran to rethink its bombastic threats. where do you think this leaves _ bombastic threats. where do you think this leaves that _ bombastic threats. where do you think this leaves that proxy - think this leaves that proxy war as you described it, because you have the houthi numbers in the red sea, hezbollah and hamas as well? i think how the war will unfold depends in no small measure on what israel will do. if israel continues its policy of going after civilians, as collateral damage, if it goes into rafah, there are images of children dying and starting, i think the proxy war will intensify and international pressure will intensify and i think iran and its proxies will be the beneficiaries of that kind of violence. if it continues in gaza. , , , violence. if it continues in gaza. , , ' i, ~ gaza. interesting stuff, thank ou so gaza. interesting stuff, thank you so much _ gaza. interesting stuff, thank you so much gregory, - gaza. interesting stuff, thank|

you so much gregory, director of studies at stanford university.— of studies at stanford universi . g , a huge blast has rocked a military base south of the iraqi capital, baghdad, killing at least one person. 0nline video showed an intense fire at the base. security sources reported an airstrike on the facility near the town of iskandariya. the base is used by the popular mobilization forces — an umbrella organization linking several pro—iran militias who've recently attacked us personnel in iraq. but the pentagon says it has not carried out any new strike in iraq. let's take you inside iran now — where the clerical regime appears to again be cracking down on women. there's been a renewed presence of the morality police on the street as videos verified by bbc persian show. parham ghobadi reports. iran is fighting on two fronts, simultaneously. launching missiles and drones at israel,

and flooding the streets with police. to force women to wear the mandatory headscarf. but could the two campaigns be linked? it could the two campaigns be linked? , , ~ , ., linked? it seems likely that they are related _ linked? it seems likely that they are related because i linked? it seems likely that they are related because ofj linked? it seems likely that - they are related because of the timing of the campaign against women. many believe that the real reason behind that move is the regime is a very fearful of the regime is a very fearful of the possibility of another uprising against it, especially if iran is weakened by a possible israeli attack. in this video verified by bbc persia a woman is violently arrested by the morality police in tehran. as bystanders argue with them. in another video that shocked the nation, a girl is seen having a seizure after she was confronted by the police over her refusal to wear a headscarf. another woman who was beaten by the morality police shared her experience with bbc persia. to protect her

identity a journalist reads her account of events. fix, identity a journalist reads her account of events.— identity a journalist reads her account of events. a big male officer kicked _ account of events. a big male officer kicked me _ account of events. a big male officer kicked me very - account of events. a big male officer kicked me very hard i account of events. a big male officer kicked me very hard in | officer kicked me very hard in the back, later i began urinating blood. the doctor told me my kidney was partly torn, the court find me $50, thejudge what if torn, the court find me $50, the judge what if i was detained again i would go to prison and be banned from travelling abroad.- prison and be banned from travelling abroad. despite the threats, many _ travelling abroad. despite the threats, many women - travelling abroad. despite the threats, many women are - threats, many women are refusing to cover their hair. the campaign started after the death of a girl nearly two years ago who was detained by the morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly and died in custody. protests swept the country and over 550 people were killed in the government crackdown according to the un. the reappearance of the morality police in such numbers follows an order from police in such numbers follows an orderfrom a run back�*s commander in chief. translation: , ., ,

commander in chief. translation: , , translation: everyone must obey the law, i believe _ translation: everyone must obey the law, i believe the _ the law, i believe the government and the judiciary should carry out the lawful and religious responsibilities in this regard.— this regard. despite such warnings. _ this regard. despite such warnings, women - this regard. despite such warnings, women are - this regard. despite such - warnings, women are refusing to give up under dream of freedom. parham ghobadi, bbc news. a russian official says a ukrainian drone strike has killed two people in the belgorod region, which borders ukraine. the governor says a residential building and a barn in the village of poroz were completely burned down. it comes as the us house of representatives has moved a step closer to approving a much delayed $60—billion package of military aid for ukraine. democrats backed a procedural measure that will allow a vote on the bill on saturday. the republican house speaker, mikejohnson, who's long blocked the aid, still faces some resistance from the right of his party. let's speak to yuriy gorodnichenko, professor of economics at the university of california, berkeley. welcome to bbc news. do you

think that this is finally going to get through congress, we talked to you about this for months now. i we talked to you about this for months now.— months now. i think it is likely to _ months now. i think it is likely to happen, - months now. i think it is likely to happen, surely| months now. i think it is . likely to happen, surely and months now. i think it is - likely to happen, surely and to remind our viewers that when winston churchill was asking roosevelt what happens during world war ii he said america will try everything else and everything else has been tried. they will do the right thing. all of this comes after months of appeals for that funding from volodymyr zelensky who says it is absolutely vital. it is absolutely vital and i want to remind it is not only about weapons, it is also about economic aid. the ukrainian economy is very much affected ljy economy is very much affected by russian strikes and the government needs about $4 billion a month to continue operations, pensions, education

and social spending.— and social spending. where would you _ and social spending. where would you assess _ and social spending. where would you assess the - and social spending. where i would you assess the situation is at the moment when it comes to the war in ukraine? we report on it every day that is ukraine gaining ground? i’m report on it every day that is ukraine gaining ground? i'm not a military expert, _ ukraine gaining ground? i'm not a military expert, i _ ukraine gaining ground? i'm not a military expert, i can't - a military expert, i can't comment on that but on economic fronts i think they are holding up fronts i think they are holding up nicely. inflation is lower thanit up nicely. inflation is lower than it is in russia right now and it is telling you something.- and it is telling you something. and it is telling you somethin.. ., ., ~ ., , something. you talk about this aid package — something. you talk about this aid package from _ something. you talk about this aid package from an _ something. you talk about this aid package from an economic| aid package from an economic point of view. it is notjust going to military hardware, it is also going to help other areas of the country? that is correct. _ areas of the country? that is correct, there _ areas of the country? that is correct, there is _ areas of the country? that is correct, there is a _ areas of the country? that is correct, there is a common i correct, there is a common misconception that economic aid is used by ukraine to buy weapons internally in the country in ukraine, that is not true. it is basically euro dollars from economic aid spent on military, ukraine is using

internal resources to cover its military spending internally and economic aid is basically used for social needs and human element, healthcare and education and so on. yuriy gorodnichenko, _ education and so on. yuriy gorodnichenko, thank i education and so on. yuriy gorodnichenko, thank you | education and so on. yuriy i gorodnichenko, thank you for joining us from california. thank you. staying the is us — jury selection for donald trump's hush—money trial is complete, with the case now expected to open monday. the republican presidential candidate is accused of falsifying business records over the payment of money to a porn actress. but an incident outside court friday has prompted a security review at the new york courthouse. a man set himself ablaze and is now in a critical condition. 0ur north america correspondent nada tawfik has more. journalists had just learned thatjury selection had concluded slightly after 1:30 in the afternoon when a man now identified as a florida resident in his mid—30s entered the park, flew coloured

pamphlets in the air and doused himself in lighterfluid and set himself on fire and we could see the blaze and feel the heat. 0fficials later said he was not targeting an individual 0rgroup orthe 0r group or the trial. they believe he was a conspiracy theorist. they say they will review security protocols around the courthouse in light of the high—profile nature of the trial and whether or not to close the park to the public. nevertheless, court resumed and remained on schedule and opening statements in this trial will now be beginning on monday. donald trump leaving the court today, again slamming this case as a hoax, a witch—hunt. he is charged with falsifying business records to hide a so—called hush money payment to the adult film star stormy daniels in order to influence the 2016 election, to hide a potentially damaging sex scandal. he denies all wrongdoing and the extra—marital affair and opening statements

will begin on monday. the us government is spending hundreds of billions of dollars transforming its industry, to try to compete with china on green manufacturing. it's led to a boom in factories and a stronger economy — but there are fears it's also fuelling inflation and record debt. and the state of the economy will be a crucial issue in the presidential election in the autumn. 0ur economics editor faisal islam reports from the state of georgia. here in georgia, the landscape is changing — the southern bible belt of america reborn as the battery belt, as the usa throws money at out—competing china in manufacturing a variety of electric cars. and where some of these vehicles are going, they won't need roads. so we're building an all—electric vertical take—off aircraft, which is basically a flying car. this flying car will hold four

passengers, plus a pilot. mass produced here? mass produced here, in the hundreds to thousands of flying cars per year. we're going to be getting up to thousands ofjobs. the speed and the scale of america's green industrial rebirth is staggering. it shows itself in america's jobs numbers and growth numbers and raises the question, in this election year, about whether that old mantra — that it's the economy, stupid, that matters — whether that still applies. this is green tech done the american way. $100,000 electric trucks weighing three tons are a niche. another factory for these rivian trucks is planned here in covington. but in the central square's ice cream parlour, many voters aren't feeling a boom. do people feel like it's gone well over the past few years? not at all, not at all. and hopefully it'll get better this coming, you know, election year. but we'll see.

how does it feel right now in terms of the us economy? um, it's not terrible. i mean, we adjust to it, the costs of everything, and you just kind of move on, we're not going to stop living life �*cause things are... just work harder — that's our motto. so most places are saying they can't find people to work, and so i'm like, well, if you can't find people to work, then why are our numbers so high? so, like, especially after covid. back into america's big cities such as atlanta, the flipside of a strong economy — stubborn inflation. and that presents a big dilemma here at the atlanta branch of the federal reserve, which helps decide us interest rates. so rate cuts are on hold, and there are new concerns about surging us government debt. i expect the us economy to be strong, to continue to be strong — but not quite this strong. what do you make of some concerns in the markets about the fiscal position in the us, of debt now heading above 100% of the size of your economy? that you're noting that more and more people are asking whether our budgetary

approach is a good thing — to me that says, ok, now maybe we should be having that conversation about, are we undermining the confidence and the full faith and credit of the us government? because we really can't afford to do that. across the us, these government—backed green investments are leading to new inflation and debt risks, but they're also helping the economy defy expectations. it will matter for the election and the world economy too. faisal islam, bbc news, in georgia. flights into dubai international airport are being restricted because of continuing disruption caused by flooding after more than a year's worth of rain fell in a single day on tuesday. some passengers have complained of chaos and overcrowding at the airport as they tried to leave. 0ur reporter louisa pilbeam has the details. terminal 3 at dubai airport,

days of cues, crowds and cancellations on making people desperate to get out. the passengers who filmed the said they stood for two nights, crammed into the small space stop this is where the queue starts. this was taken by a man who said some people passed out and others got into fights. he said he slipped on the floor for 48 hours.— said he slipped on the floor for 48 hours. every time they cancel a flight _ for 48 hours. every time they cancel a flight you _ for 48 hours. every time they cancel a flight you got - for 48 hours. every time they cancel a flight you got to i cancel a flight you got to queue back up. you can't do it online because they can't transfer your baggage. this woman felt _ transfer your baggage. this woman felt this _ transfer your baggage. this woman felt this footage trying to fly to dublin, she says there has been little information on what she described as no staff. this is why flights cannot take off or land, plans are sitting in a sea of floodwater at the world's busiest international airport. flights in and out currently are limited. in a statement on social media, the airport said its teams are working tirelessly to restore

normal operations and minimise delays and say passengers welfare is its top priority. for some the damage is done, to top indian wrestlers missed a mandatory way in for a qualifier at the summers 0lympics qualifier at the summers olympics in paris. dubai, qatar and 0man have seen unprecedented flooding after the heaviest rain recorded this week. a years rain fell in one day alone. just look at the damage caused, cars and lorries were left submerged and stranded in countries lacking the infrastructure for these weather conditions. across the golf states, more than 20 people have died. the rain may now have stopped but trying to get people out of dubai and neighbouring countries will take days and the cleanup here much longer. louisa pilbeam, bbc news. tesla has recalled thousands of its new cybertrucks over an issue with their accelerator pedals that could increase the possibility of crashes.

the recall of almost 4,000 vehicles applies to every one of the trucks that have been shipped to customers since the model went on sale late last year. the biggest election in the world is underway in india. unemployment and inflation are major issues, along with the future of india's democracy, following a crackdown on political opponents. prime minister narendra modi is hoping to win a third term in power. the main opposition congress party, in alliance with smaller parties, is seeking to prevent that. the election is an enormous undertaking. close to a billion people can cast a ballot — one in eight of the world's population. so voting takes place on seven separate days — over the next six weeks. because of the huge which is tickle operation. —— which is a right given to every adult citizen since india's independence. more than 75 years on, it

remains a much cherished one. despite the blazing heat, people came out. this is rural muzaffarnagar in uttar pradesh. a politically significant state because it sends the most number of mps to parliament. many here are farmers and daily wagers, coming in early so they can get to their jobs after voting. this man has flown back from saudi arabia, where he works as a construction labourer, to cast his ballot. translation: unemployment is the biggest issue in india. i the situation for young people is terrible, and it can only change if we cast a vote and elect leaders who can fix it. when people go in to cast their ballot, they will be able to press a button and select whichever candidate they please. but in the run—up to this election, there are questions about whether it's actually been a fair competition.

"save democracy" — the main slogan of this alliance formed against prime minister narendra modi's bjp by dozens of opposition parties, including the once powerful, now diminished, indian national congress. this is rahul gandhi, their main face. he's among more than 100 opposition leaders who've faced criminal cases under bjp rule. some, like arvind kejriwal, are injail — seen here in custody of law enforcement officials accused of corruption. he's delhi's chief minister and a prominent face of the opposition alliance. we met his colleague, sanjay singh, who was also jailed for months on similar charges. everywhere, they are targeting the opposition parties and making false cases, putting the leaders inside the jail.

the prime minister — a mass leader like only a few india has seen in its history. he's widely expected to win the election, riding on a hindu nationalist agenda, a growing economy, and on the promise of welfare schemes. he rejects the opposition�*s charges. "the people who steal from the poor are going to jail." "strict action will continue to be taken against the corrupt." "this is modi's guarantee," he said at a party event. today, the first votes have been cast. hundreds of millions more to go over the next six weeks. yogita limaye, bbc news, muzaffarnagar. construction is now complete of the world's largest digital astronomy camera. the 3,200 megapixel device will now be transported from california, to atop

a 8,900 foot mountain in chile. it'll arrive in the country in a month. the camera can produce 1,000 images per night, allowing scientists to study dark energy, dark matter, and the distribution of galaxies. the public will see its first images in 2025. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. many parts of the uk had some lengthy spells of sunshine on friday, but there were a few showers around. the remain of some of this shower cloud in wolverhampton gave this fine end to the day, a fine sunset, and the majority of the shower cloud through friday afternoon was associated with a stripe of cloud you can see right here. this was actually an old cold front. the significance of that is colder air is behind it. and as we go through the next few hours, that will be pushing in across much of the uk. milder air recirculating around our area of high pressure into northern ireland and western scotland.

so it's here through the weekend that we will see the nation's highest temperatures. now on to the next few hours, we're looking at that colder air arriving, a lot of dry weather, a lot of clear skies. and that means it's a recipe for things turning pretty cold. and heading into the first part of saturday morning, we start off with a frost, even some patches of frost, i think, across rural areas of southern england. the lowest temperatures probably down to about —3 or so into rural areas of northern england and scotland. for saturday, where we get this colder air moving in, for most, it's a glorious start to the day with clear, blue, sunny skies. a bit of cloud coming in to eastern areas of norfolk and suffolk and maybe a bit of cloud developing through the day elsewhere. some splashes of rain possible for the far north of scotland, but otherwise it's dry. the highest temperatures likely in northern ireland. we could see a 17 here in the very warmest spots. for sunday, generally, there's going to be a bit more cloud across parts of scotland, thick enough for some splashes of light rain, fleeting rain, really, a few showers coming in across east anglia and south—east england,

where we'll continue to have quite a chilly wind. could be even warmer for northern ireland — if we were to get 19, well, that would be northern ireland's highest temperature of the year. so we'll be monitoring that carefully through the weekend. 0n into next week, high pressure stays to the west of the uk, and we continue to see this feed of cloud coming down the north sea. if anything, the cloud getting a bit more extensive, a bit thicker, and that means there's more likelihood of seeing some patches of drizzle across northern and eastern scotland and some eastern areas of england as well. the best of the sunshine, probably parts of north west england, wales, south—west england, northern ireland might still do 0k, and western parts of scotland. where the sunshine comes out, it shouldn't feel too bad. but if you're in the east where it's going to be quite cloudy with that wind coming in off the north sea, it will probably feel quite chilly. temperatures picking up a little later next week.

this is bbc news. the headlines — iran's foreign minister has warned his country will give, what he called "an immediate and maximum response" if israel acts against its interests, but only if there is a significant attack from israel. he was speaking to us media after a presumed israeli drone attack on isfahan in central iran. a man is in critical condition after setting himself on fire outside the new york courthouse where donald trump is being tried. he's been named as maxwell azzarello from florida, a new arrival in new york with no criminal record

in the city. the us house of representatives has moved a step closer to approving a much delayed $60 billion package of military aid for ukraine. now on bbc news, it's the travel show. europe by train. for generations of backpackers, interrailers — and, well, for me — it's what travel�*s all about. and in germany, the railways are booming, partly because of this — it's called the deutschlandticket. it costs me 49 euros a month and it allows me almost unlimited use of the country's regional public transport

network. it was a cost—of—living measure introduced in 2023,