donald trump returns to court in new york — as jury selection for his hush money trial continues. a muslim student loses a high court challenge against a ban on prayer rituals at a school in london. a potential world—first smoking ban for future generations will be debated by mps in the uk. hello, i'm sarah campbell. welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction. we begin with events in the middle east, where israel appears to be trying to gather international support following the iranian air strikes, but has not — so far, at least — carried out any direct military action in response. instead, israel is calling for more sanctions on iran, which itself has warned israel

against attempting any retaliation following those drone and missile attacks, which iran says were a response to an israeli attack on its diplomatic mission in syria. our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, has been sending us updates from jerusalem. israel says it is now launching a diplomatic offensive. the israeli foreign minister has written, he says, to 32 countries around the world, urging them to impose even more sanctions against the islamic republic of iran. the foreign minister, israel katz, posted this on x, formerly twitter, saying that iran has to be stopped now before it is too late. and that is the message that's also been sounded by leading senior military officials here in israel, including the chief of staff, lieutenant general herzi halevi. he said that israel would have to respond. he made the comments while visiting the nevatim airbase in southern israel, where some of iran's missiles did actually hit in the early hours of sunday morning, although israel says

there was limited damage. israel says only a handful of missiles actually got through of the 350 suicide drones and cruise and ballistic missiles which were fired by iran. iran says its retaliatory strike was in response to israel's attack on its diplomatic compound in the syrian capital, damascus, on april the 1st. iran's foreign minister, amir—abdollahian, has reiterated that message in a telephone conversation with the un secretary—general antonio guterres, saying that iran acted in legitimate self—defence. iran, too, is calling for restraint, saying it doesn't want this to escalate into a wider war. we're going to look at the peril in this moment, butjust to remind you that this tension takes place in the midst of the ongoing israel—gaza war. it's the i93rd day of war.

and today there are reports of fighting in the gaza strip and, most particularly, in beit hanoun in the north—east. there are also reports that more aid is now getting into gaza from the north. we're getting reports on the ground, and that is what israel's saying. that news has been greeted with relief. for many, many weeks now, aid agencies have been warning that more than half of the population of gaza is facing acute hunger. well, let's now cross to the qatari capital, doha, tojoin mehran kamrava, who is the director of the iranian studies unit at the arab center for research and policy studies. welcome to bbc news. thank you, lyse. good to be here.

of course, you are following every twist and turn of this escalating crisis between israel and iran. how would you describe this particular moment? well, the israelis crossed a red line by attacking iran's diplomatic compound in damascus, and then the iranians crossed another red line by attacking israeli soil. and so we're at a very precarious — in fact, dangerous — moment, where we're likely to see an israeli retaliatory strike for iran's retaliatory strike, and so the vicious cycle is likely to continue, unfortunately. this moment seems to underline the dangerous differences in perception. iran is saying this was a very limited, very calibrated strike. it caused limited casualties,

limited damage. for israel, of course, it was a reckless strike which breached its security and there must be a retaliation. and that is what is going to fuel this conflict, is it not? absolutely. and, in fact, i think we do see thast the iranians did hold back. they had to somehow retaliate for the attack on the embassy compound and so as far as they're concerned, deterrence has been re—established and now they are saying if israel attacks iran again or iranian interests or personnel, there will be more of this kind of retaliatory strike. of course, netanyahu's political predicaments inside israel don't allow restraint. we have seen netanyahu have a penchant for overreaction. he is also under pressure

from the right flank of his own cabinet. and so unfortunately, as you mentioned, we are at a precarious and very dangerous moment. indeed, and the speculation now seems to be that even though there were disagreements within the war cabinet — we are hearing the cabinet may meet again today — some of the former military generals saying we should retaliate now, others saying, "let's build an international and our regional coalition first," because they are emphasising that this coalition, the support israel is receiving at the moment matters too. absolutely, and also crucial is the support that the united states will give to israel, both diplomatically and militarily. and we've heard very loud and clear messages coming out of washington

that the united states would not assist israel on an attack on iranian soil and so i think that has also given pause to israeli military commanders. do they really want to go it alone, knowing that iran has this so—called axis of resistance that it can activate when it feels very threatened? thank you very much. it was good to see your perspective. we will hear from you again as this crisis continues to unfold and, as we mentioned during that discussion, we are hearing reports of the war cabinet meeting again today. this will be its third meeting since that unprecedented attack on the early hours of sunday morning. what is absolutely clear is that israel has decided it will respond, but will it retaliate by attacking iran directly? that would also be unprecedented after decades of a shadow war and covert operations. will it attack some of iran's proxies in lebanon, iraq, syria or even, indeed, in yemen?

or will they wait and build a coalition? these are questions which matter to the future stability of this region in the midst of what is already a very, very volatile time. that was our chief international correspondent lyse doucet in israel. a potentially world—first smoking ban for future generations is currently being debated in the uk's parliament today. the proposed ban means that it would be illegalfor anyone turning 15 or younger this year to ever be able to buy tobacco products. let's ta ke let's take a listen, that is the health secretary. i let's take a listen, that is the health secretary.— health secretary. i give this commitment _ health secretary. i give this commitment at _ health secretary. i give this commitment at the - health secretary. i give this| commitment at the dispatch health secretary. i give this - commitment at the dispatch box that we will consult and we are conscious of the complexities of that and want to get it right and he has my absolute undertaking we will consult the full regulations brought before

the full regulations brought before the house. i willjust make some progress, and i will in fact conclude and if the honourable gentleman wants to dive in before i conclude i will let him do so. i do appreciate _ conclude i will let him do so. i do appreciate the — conclude i will let him do so. i do appreciate the secretary of state taking _ appreciate the secretary of state taking these interventions. given that this — taking these interventions. given that this is — taking these interventions. given that this is a flagship policy by the government, can she give me a guarantee _ the government, can she give me a guarantee from the dispatch box this will apply— guarantee from the dispatch box this will apply equally to all parts of the united kingdom? i have raised a number_ the united kingdom? i have raised a number of— the united kingdom? i have raised a number of concerns because we have a land border_ number of concerns because we have a land border with the european union, the european union will insist on the european union will insist on the windsor framework they can block us from _ the windsor framework they can block us from being implemented in northern— us from being implemented in northern ireland as they did with the danish government... the debate continuin: the danish government... the debate continuing in — the danish government. .. the debate continuing in parliament— the danish government... the debate continuing in parliament on _ the danish government... the debate continuing in parliament on this - continuing in parliament on this proposed ban, a world smoking ban forfuture generations. —— proposed ban, a world smoking ban for future generations. —— a world first. new zealand had planned something similar, but the country's new coalition government scrapped the policy. uk prime minister rishi sunak is facing opposition from some of his own mps, while labour are in favour of the proposal.

let's ta ke let's take a look at the background with our correspondent, sophie hutchinson. smoking is the single biggest cause of preventable death in the uk. it kills two thirds of long—term users. the aim of the new bill before parliament is to protect younger generations from harm by banning tobacco use for them. one caller with experience of that harm told the nicky campbell show on bbc radio 5 live he regretted ever starting to smoke. i had to have one lung removed, got emphysema and copd in the other lung, and now i've found out i've got terminal cancer in my liver and adrenal glands. i'm so sorry. yeah, it's something i've got used to now, i've come to terms with it, but what i've gone through the last three years, i wouldn't like anyone to go through, you know? and if i could go back, i wish i'd never started. the harm done by smoking is well documented.

it causes lung and heart disease, cancer, stillbirths, dementia and asthma. england's chief medical officer, sir chris whitty, supports the ban. people are trapped in smoking at a very young age, and once they become addicted, their choice is taken away. so, if you're in favour of choice, you should be against something which takes away people's choices. the great majority of smokers wish they'd never started, but now they're in trouble. the tobacco and vapes bill set before parliament today represents a huge step change. it proposes that anyone turning 15 this year and all younger generations would be banned from buying cigarettes throughout their lives. but it's sparked a fierce debate about freedoms. what this policy does is it infantilises future adults, because when you are 18 in this country, you are legally an adult, and, as such, you should be treated like one. now, look — at 18, you can drive a car, you canjoin the army,

you can possess a credit card, you can buy alcohol, and, most importantly, you can vote. the bill also includes new restrictions to tackle concerns about the sharp rise in children using vapes. it would ensure flavours and packaging were less appealing to children, but some are doubtful it would work. i don't think anybody necessarily looks at the packaging and will be like, "oh, let's just try that." it's more that, "oh, it's vaping." it's, like, a cool thing to do — just as smoking was in the '805. kids will be kids — they will try smoking, they will try vaping. the debate continues in parliament today, where mps will be given their first chance to vote on what would be the world's first lifelong smoking ban for younger generations. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. that debate is continuing in the commons. health secretary victoria atkins has been explaining to the house of commons why she wants the law to be changed. we are trying to move away from this

idea that teenagers, current youngsters will be able to buy their cigarettes legally in shops from the age of 18 in 2027, precisely because we want to ensure that they can lead a longer, healthier life.— a longer, healthier life. victoria atkins there, _ a longer, healthier life. victoria atkins there, the _ a longer, healthier life. victoria atkins there, the health - a longer, healthier life. victoria - atkins there, the health secretary. the high court has ruled that a ban on ritual prayers, which has been enforced by a school in london, can remain in place. it had been challenged by a muslim pupil at the michaela community school in brent, who said her rights to pray were being ignored. the school's headteacher has said the ruling is a victory for all schools. here's our education editor, branwen jeffreys. morning. katharine birbalsingh says her school is the strictest in england. last year, a ban on prayer was brought in, leading to this legal challenge. some muslim pupils had started praying in the yard, asking for space to pray inside.

the school argued it had always been non—religious. from the moment we opened in 2014, we've never had a prayer room, we've always made that clear to parents. i mean, it's notjust prayer rooms — everything that we are, because we are different, we say that to parents, and yes, we use the word "secular" to describe ourselves. today, the court upheld the school's right to decide. in a statement, the head teacher said, "a school should be free to do what is right "for the pupils it serves. "the court's decision is therefore a victory for all schools. "schools should not be forced by one child and her mother "to change its approach simply because they had decided they don't "like something at the school." michaela school structures every moment of the day for pupils. it argued allowing prayer would change the ethos. the founding chair of governors and former home secretary has backed this approach.

we need to have cohesion around common values, british values. those children are british citizens, and therefore it's around a british culture that they should cohere. that's what michaela propagates and advocates — that's why it's been a successful school. the pupil in this case remains anonymous. her mother said she was profoundly dismayed by thejudgment, adding, "the case was rooted in the understanding that prayer "isn'tjust a desirable act for us, it's an essential element that "shapes our lives as muslims. "in our faith, prayer holds undeniable importance." this judgment has implications for every state funded, non—faith school in england. it supports the right of individual schools, the head teacher, school governors, to decide what is in the best

interests of their pupils. while some schools do set aside a room for prayer, or quiet reflection, there is no legal, overriding duty to do so. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. let's go to the court in manhattan where the former president, donald trump, has arrived at the court. you can see that donald trump arrived at the front of the gort entrance about 25 minutes ago and he is somewhere in the building and yesterday, when he walked through that area, he did make some comments to the waiting media as he is often wants to do, so waiting there to see if you will make any comment on the way out. —— the court entrance. you will remember that his jury selection is continuing and this is day two of

the former president's long awaited hush money trial in new york. he has not said anything so far today to the waiting cameras but he has been making comments on truth social, the social media channel. he said that his trial is an assault on america, and he has also made some comments about thejudge, saying he is a conflicted trump heating judge, so if you want to keep up with all those latest lines, there is a live page on the bbc website which is bringing all the latest developments live from manhattan. —— votejudge. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. —— trump—hating judge.

now, let's go straight to brussels.

the organisers of a conference in brussels which is hosting right—wing politicians from across europe say they have been told to shut down the event. among those who addressed the national conservatism event were two british politicians — nigel farage and suella braverman. the organisers — who were rejected by two other planned venues after a series of protests — have said they will seek legal advice. ms braverman has left the conference after giving her speech. she didn't stop to speak to reporters before getting in her car. there didn't appear to be any protests in the street as she left. our europe correspondent, nick beake, wasjust in front of the venue. the picture here tells the story because you can see a line of police officers, probably about a dozen or so, and the reason for that is because the local mayor here in brussels has said this event needs to be shut down so as you can see,

the police aren't exactly running into tough people out but basically, the organisers of this event and conference have been told it needs to wind down so in effect what is happening is people are being allowed in and those leaving at the moment including nigel raj and suella braverman have left, these prominent uk politicians, but they won't be allowed in along with anyone else. —— turf people out. nigel farage, who is known as a leading campaignerfor nigel farage, who is known as a leading campaigner for brexit, nigel farage, who is known as a leading campaignerfor brexit, said this was an attempt to stifle free speech and i put it to him that what was said in this letter which was presented to the organisers here that there were potentially homophobes and people with views on other subjects such as abortion on stage and in the audience, and he said that was cobblers and he did not think that was the case whatsoever and he made his exit. 50

whatsoever and he made his exit. so is the event are now completely shut down and stopped? we are just looking at pictures of suella braverman who i think was speaking earlier. let braverman who i think was speaking earlier. , , ., , ., braverman who i think was speaking earlier. , , ., earlier. let me 'ust try to show you what is earlier. let me just try to show you what is happening. _ earlier. let me just try to show you what is happening. it _ earlier. let me just try to show you what is happening. it won't - earlier. let me just try to show you what is happening. it won't be - earlier. let me just try to show you what is happening. it won't be a . what is happening. it won't be a particularly great shots but if you look through, this is where the main event is and you can possibly see someone on stage there and so there are a few speeches getting under way and people have had some food and light refreshments. this is continuing, despite the efforts of the local authorities and the police to close it down. what is definitely not happening is that you have loads of police officers running in and pulling people out, but the idea is that this will come to a halt. i think it might be that for another couple of hours or so, we are in this limbo and the big question is what happens tomorrow, because you have victor orban, the leader of hungary he was supposed to be among the keynote speakers tomorrow and will people be allowed in the venue?

—— viktor orban. the whole idea of this event has been overshadowed by what is happening and this is the third place to attempt hosting it after the two previous venues are fell through, and people from the centre—right and particularly the far right across europe are here exchanging ideas ahead of the european elections injune. one of denmark's most historic buildings — the 17th century stock exchange in copenhagen — has been engulfed by fire. you can see the spire of the building there — it subsequently collapsed. everyone inside the building was able to leave and people rushed to rescue some of its historic paintings. the culture minister said 400 years of danish cultural heritage "had gone up in flames". firefighters say their efforts to tackle the blaze are hampered because the copper roof is keeping the heat in.

a little earlier, i spoke to cultural historian anders sorensen, who is writing a book on the history of the place. he told me just how important the building is to the people of copenhagen. it's a devastating sight. i don't know if you can sense the smoke behind me, but the stock exchange is still... smoke is still coming up from the now—burnt building. the past year, i've been writing on a business history and cultural history on the building's 400 years of history, celebrating its 400—year anniversary this year. and it's just sad to see such a hallmark building going up in flames, it really is. anders, tell us why this building is so important culturally in denmark. the building has been, for 400 years, epicentre of danish cultural and especially business history.

it has been in the offices of this building that many of the renowned danish — and biggest — danish companies that we know today, still exist today, has been founded and financed. ap moller maersk, for example, one of denmark's biggest companies, had one of its first offices in the very building. so the building represents the history of danish business and capitalism, but also a important cultural symbol of... cultural and national symbol of denmark. anders, many people captured on camera the moment that the spire collapsed and you could hear the cries of anguish, almost, actually, from the people watching. just take us through... it's a particularly special part of the building. the spire consists of four entwined dragons or fable animals that, according to legend, protect the building from fire and has done so for the past 400 years at least.

so that's the story that's been told about that particular spire. and the building has dodged fires throughout history — two majorfires in copenhagen, a series of minor episodes of fire in the building, but has always somehow managed to escape a devastating fire, one which sadly has been today. business news next. do stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. it's not been as windy today. there's still a number of showers around, mind you. if we look out in the atlantic, this is where we've got high pressure at the moment.

and around that, there is some cloud coming in. we'll get some of that later tonight and into tomorrow. but ahead of that, we've still got these north to north—westerly winds. they are feeding in this colder air and a mixture of sunshine and showers, some of which could be heavy, had some threatening clouds already. and we're going to find some heavier showers pushing into the south east of england later on in the day. these are the temperatures. so we're still below average. could make double figures, though, across the central belt and 14 perhaps in south wales. but there will be some heavier showers as we head towards the end of the afternoon. those in the south east will move away. we'll see another band of showers pushing across northern england and wales and some further wintry showers overnight in northern scotland. but there will be some clearer skies around it as well and the winds will continue to ease down a bit, too. so it is going to be quite chilly out there with a frost more likely across the northern half of the uk

heading into tomorrow. and this is the cloud that's coming in from the atlantic that's going to bring a little rain to northern ireland and eventually into wales. but elsewhere, after a fairly bright and sunny start, we'll see the cloud building up. we'll see more showers breaking out, not quite as heavy, not quite as widespread as we've seen over the past couple of days. but if anything, after that colder start, temperatures could be a bit lower in the afternoon, typically only ten degrees on wednesday afternoon. now, that cloud comes on that weather front there, which sinks its way southwards around the high pressure. another weather front arrives overnight into thursday morning for northern parts of the uk. but with clearer skies and light winds across england and wales, there is actually a risk of a touch of frost here. sunny start maybe, but we've got more cloud for scotland and northern ireland. some outbreaks of rain, the heavier rain over the hills of western scotland. some of that rain pushes southwards into northern england with the sunshine hanging on towards the south west with cloud elsewhere and temperatures typically around 12 degrees. now, the weather system bringing that rain is going to move very quickly southwards overnight and during friday. and then following on from that, we get the high pressure that's in the atlantic, finally building back towards the uk and that will bring us some much—needed drier weather in time

for the weekend. it could, though, bring a fair bit of cloud and it's certainly not going to be as warm as it was last weekend.

cautious optimism for the global economy. the international montetary fund upgrades the outlook but warns that inflation continues

to be a major threat. making it in china — germany's chancellor tells china's president his country wants a better deal on trade with the world's second biggest economy. welcome to world business report. i'm tadgh enright. the global economy is on course for a "soft landing" after years of difficulties caused by the covid pandemic and the war in ukraine — that's the optimistic assessment from the international monetary fund. it's launched its latest outlook as the world's finance minister and central bankers gather at its annualjoint spring meeting with the world bank in washington to discuss the future of the global economy. the report forecasts the global economy will grow 3.2% this year — that's a very slight upgrade of 0.1% compared to the last asessment in january. it's big concern is about inflation — the rate at which prices are rising.