this is bbc news. the headlines: the hush money trial of donald trump opens in new york — the first criminal trial of a former us president. new pictures of the barrage of missiles and drones launched by iran at israel as tehran rejects western criticism of its attack. live pictures from the house of commons, where prime minister rishi sunak will address parliament in the next few minutes about the role the uk played in repelling the attack. another mass stabbing event in sydney — a church is targeted just days after six people were killed by a knifeman in a shopping mall.

more now on developments in the middle east. uk prime minister rishi sunak will make a statement to the house of commons shortly. the statement will be about the iranian attack on israel and how rafjets helped to shoot down some of the drones that were launched against israel. earlier, the foreign secretary lord david cameron confirmed that the uk would "absolutely" consider further sanctions on iran in response to its attack on israel. we will return to the house of commons when rishi sunak begins his statement. we can cross live to westminster to speak to our political correspondent harry farley. i suppose we will get the details of the british involvement but i suppose the basic message to israel

of restraint will be underlined in the next few minutes. i of restraint will be underlined in the next few minutes.— of restraint will be underlined in the next few minutes. i think that's exactly right. _ the next few minutes. i think that's exactly right. i _ the next few minutes. i think that's exactly right, i think _ the next few minutes. i think that's exactly right, i think we _ the next few minutes. i think that's exactly right, i think we can - the next few minutes. i think that's exactly right, i think we can expect| exactly right, i think we can expect the prime minister to call for calm. i think he will condemn the iranian strikes on israel and i think he will seek to defend why the raf got involved and he will argue that it was in britain's own national interests for the raf to do so. shooting down some iranian drones there. i think we can expect more details. we can expect questions from the labour party on the legal basis for the uk's involvement in hitting iranian drones and taking them down. i think we can also expect questions from the labour party on whether iran's revolutionary guard should be prescribed as a terrorist organisation in the uk. i think the overall message from rishi sunak will be calling for calm and

restraint in israel's response. david cameron gave a round of interviews earlier in the day, pressed a lot of questions about gaza, about these iranian strikes but he was asked about the response that iran, justifying these strikes, pointing to the attack in damascus. remind viewers who didn't see those interviews what the foreign secretary concluded there. he called for israel to — secretary concluded there. he called for israel to be _ secretary concluded there. he called for israel to be smart _ secretary concluded there. he called for israel to be smart as _ secretary concluded there. he called for israel to be smart as well- secretary concluded there. he called for israel to be smart as well as - for israel to be smart as well as tough and i think there is a sense in westminster today that ministers and the government are watching israel nervously for what israel does next. there are repeated calls with david cameron the foreign secretary making those calls on his round of media interviews this morning including the bbc, calling for israel to be sensible, calling for israel to be sensible, calling for calm and restraint. he said iran

had suffered "a double defeat" because he felt that iran's attack on israel was not only repelled and they had shown themselves to be "the maligned force in the region." so i think david cameron looking to condemn iran's attack but also looking to call on israel to show restraint in its response and there is a sense of nervous anticipation, watching events in israel and watching events in israel and watching how benjamin netanyahu's government response. i can watching how benjamin netanyahu's government response.— watching how benjamin netanyahu's government response. i can see rishi sunak sitting — government response. i can see rishi sunak sitting down _ government response. i can see rishi sunak sitting down on _ government response. i can see rishi sunak sitting down on the _ government response. i can see rishi sunak sitting down on the benches i government response. i can see rishi sunak sitting down on the benches so j sunak sitting down on the benches so i don't think we are far away from the prime minister standing up and giving that statement. we will get a labour of response as well. there has been questions asked about whether there will be a vote given the elongated nature of this conflict, the escalating nature of the conflict and the uk's

involvement. what is the government's position on that? the liberal government's position on that? iia: liberal democrats government's position on that? "iie: liberal democrats calling government's position on that? iie: liberal democrats calling for government's position on that? i“i;a: liberal democrats calling for a retrospective vote on the military action that the raf was involved in over the weekend. the government's position is that it doesn't need a vote, that it has the prerogative power to launch without parliament's approval. a statement but no vote. it's worth saying that the liberal democrat thought there should be a vote on principle but would support military action anyway. it's interesting because political opposition to the military involvement from the uk over the weekend is certainly muted to say the least. , , ., ., ~' weekend is certainly muted to say the least. , , ., ., ~ ., the least. just looking at the pictures. _ the least. just looking at the pictures. the _ the least. just looking at the pictures, the prime - the least. just looking at the pictures, the prime minister| the least. just looking at the i pictures, the prime minister is the least. just looking at the - pictures, the prime minister is on his feet so let's cross live to the commons. he was a true giant of this house

and the other place. i want to express my solidarity with our australian friends after the attacks in sydney in recent days. on saturday evening, iran sought to plunge the middle east into a new crisis. they launched a barrage of missiles and attack drones over iraq and jordan and towards israel. the scale of the attack and the fact it was targeted directly at israel are without precedent. it was a reckless and dangerous escalation. if it had succeeded, the fallout for regional security and the toll on israeli citizens would have been catastrophic but it did not succeed. in support of his real�*s own defensive action, the united kingdom joined a us led international effort along with friends and partners in the region which intercepted almost all of the missiles, saving lives in israel and its neighbours. we sent

additional raf typhoons to the region as part of our existing operations against daesh in iraq and syria and ourforces operations against daesh in iraq and syria and our forces destroyed a number of iranian drones. we also provided important intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance support for our partners. our pilots put themselves in harm's way to protect the innocent and preserve peace and stability. i spoke to the raf earlier today, they are the best of the best and i know the whole house willjoin me in expressing our gratitude. with this attack, iran has once again shown its true colours. they are intent on sowing chaos in their own back yard on further destabilising the middle east. ouraim is to further destabilising the middle east. our aim is to support stability and security because it is right for the region and because although the middle east is thousands of miles away, it has a direct effect on our security and prosperity at home. so we are

working urgently with our allies to de—escalate the situation and prevent further bloodshed. we want to see calmer heads prevail and we are directing all our diplomatic efforts to that end. yesterday i spoke to my fellow g7 leaders. we are united in our condemnation of this attack. we discussed further potential diplomatic measures which we will be working together to coordinate in the coming days. i will also shortly be speaking to prime minister netanyahu to express our solidarity with israel in the face of this attack and to discuss how we can prevent further escalation. all sides must show restraint. ouraction escalation. all sides must show restraint. our action reflects our wider strategy in the middle east which i have set out in this house previously. i believe there are three vital steps to put the region onto a better path. first, we must uphold regional security against

hostile actors including in the red sea and we must ensure israel's security. that is non—negotiable. it is a fundamental condition for peace in the region. in the face of threats like we saw this weekend, israel has our full support. second, we must invest more deeply in the two—state solution. that is what we have been doing over the past six months including working closely with the palestinian authority so that when the time comes, they can provide more effective governance for gaza and the west bank. it is significant that other regional partners actually help to prevent a much worse attack over the weekend. it reminds us how important the attempts to normalise relations between israel and its neighbours really are, and it holds out precious hope for the region. third, the conflict in gaza must end.

hamas, which is backed by iran, started this war. they wanted not just to kill and murder, but to destabilise the whole region. this weekend, they rejected the latest hostage deal, which offered a road to a ceasefire. it is israel's right andindeed to a ceasefire. it is israel's right and indeed its duty to defeat the threat from hamas terrorists and defend its security. i want to be clear, nothing that has happened over the last 48 hours affects our position on gaza. the appalling toll on civilians continue to grow, the hunger, the desperation, the loss of life on an awful skill, the whole country wants to see a whole end to the bloodshed and more humanitarian support going in. the increase in aid flows is positive but it is not enough. we need to see new crossings open for longer to get in vital

supplies. i want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the three british aid workers who were killed on gaza, john chapman, james kirby and james henderson. they were heroes. the children of gaza who they were risking their lives to feed need a humanitarian pause immediately, leading to a long—term sustainable ceasefire. that is the fastest way to get hostages out and aid in, and to stop the fighting. israelis and palestinians deserve to live in peace, dignity and security and so to people across the entire region. in conclusion, saturday's attack was the act not of a people but of a despotic regime and it is symptomatic of the dangers that we face today. the links between such regimes are growing. tel aviv was not the only target of iranian

drones on saturday. putin was also launching them at kyiv and kharkiv, and who was the sole voice speaking up and who was the sole voice speaking up for iran yesterday, seeking to justify their actions? russia. the threats to stability are growing not just in the middle east but everywhere and we are meeting those threats time after time with british forces at the forefront. it is why our pilots were in action this weekend. it's why they have been policing the skies above iraq and syria for a decade. it's why our sailors are defending the freedom of navigation in the red sea against the ruthless attacks of the iran backed houthi militia. it's why soldiers are on the ground in kosovo, estonia, poland and more and why we have led the way in backing ukraine and will continue to back them for as long as it takes. when adversaries like russia or iran threaten peace and prosperity, we

will always stand on their way, ready to defend our values and our interests, shoulder to shoulder with our friends and interests, shoulder to shoulder with ourfriends and our interests, shoulder to shoulder with our friends and our allies, interests, shoulder to shoulder with ourfriends and our allies, and i commend this statement to the house. leader of the opposition, keir starmen _ leader of the opposition, keir starmen |_ leader of the opposition, keir starmer. ., ~' leader of the opposition, keir starmer. ., ~ ., ., ~ starmer. i would like to thank the prime minister _ starmer. i would like to thank the prime minister for _ starmer. i would like to thank the prime minister for advance - starmer. i would like to thank the prime minister for advance copy l starmer. i would like to thank the | prime minister for advance copy of his statement. and for the regular briefings on the developing situation in the middle east. i also thank the prime minister for his warm tribute to your father, a great servant of our party, respected by all who knew him. i alsojoined the prime minister in offering solidarity to the victims in the attack in sydney and the aid victims killed in gaza. turning to the events of this weekend, we support the defensive action taken by the uk

over the weekend alongside our international allies against the iranian attacks on israel, and we welcome the prime minister's call for restraint. once again, we all salute the professionalism and bravery of our armed forces. we also support the raf planes being sent to the region to bolster the operation. their efforts are vital for a safer world. there can be no doubt that the attack perpetrated by iranian forces this weekend has left the world a more dangerous place. it targeted innocent civilians with the clear intent to destabilise the region. it must be wholly condemned ljy region. it must be wholly condemned by all. but let us also be clear, a full—scale conflict in the middle eastis full—scale conflict in the middle east is in no one's interests. it is a path that can only lead to more

bloodshed, more instability in the unleashing of forces that are beyond the ability of anyone to control. the combined defensive action this weekend was a success and because of that, lives were saved. as a result, escalation is not inevitable. in repelling the attack, israel showed strength and courage. it must now show the same strength and courage to de—escalate. that has to be the primary objective. that is the responsibility of all sides and every partner. we must be resolute and united in our support for the collective security of israel, jordan and other partners in the region. but tensions remain very high. we must proceed calmly, carefully and with restraint. because if diplomacy takes centre

stage, and it must, then we also need to be clear, diplomatic premises should not be targeted and attacked. that is a point of principle. but as a condemnation from our g7 allies rightly notes, iran's response this weekend was unprecedented. a further step towards the destabilisation of the region and the risk of escalation, and nobody in this house should be or is under any illusion, this is a regime that sponsored terror across the middle east and beyond, that murders and represses its own people and supports putin's war efforts in ukraine, so can the prime minister update the house on any new steps he is taking with our international partners to pursue sanctions against the regime? and can he clarify what steps he is taking to limit the power of the revolutionary guard to

glorify terrorism here in the uk? whilst there is nojustification glorify terrorism here in the uk? whilst there is no justification for iran's actions, we cannot be naive to the fact that one of the drivers of tension in the region is the ongoing war in gaza. six months on from the horrific hamas terror attack, hostages remain separated from their families, thousands of innocent palestinians have been killed and now more than i million people face the imminent threat of famine. so i urge the government again to use every ounce of diplomatic leverage that we have had to make sure aid to gaza is unimpeded and drastically scaled up. alongside that, we reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire, for hamas to release hostages and for a return to a diplomatic process that can rekindle the hope of a two—state

solution. it is right that we condemn iran's action. it is right that we work with others to defend the security of our allies, and it is right that we seek the end of conflict in gaza, but this is a moment for restraint. because escalation will only lead to further destruction and for the sake of all those still caught in the horror and violence, that must be avoided. prime minister. i violence, that must be avoided. prime minister.— violence, that must be avoided. prime minister. i thank the right honourable _ prime minister. i thank the right honourable gentleman - prime minister. i thank the right honourable gentleman for - prime minister. i thank the right honourable gentleman for his i prime minister. i thank the right - honourable gentleman for his support of the government's actions. israel has a right to self—defence as any state does and the g7 leaders spoke yesterday and unequivocally condemned the attack and expressed solidarity. but as the foreign secretary said this morning, this is a time to be smart as well as tough.

israel has successfully repelled the iranian attack and iran is even more isolated on the world stage, as others have said we would urge them to take the win at this point. we want to avoid further escalation and bloodshed. he is right that it would be deeply destabilising for the region and risk more lives and all our diplomatic power will be geared towards that goal in partnership with our allies. turning to iran, the behaviour of the iranian regime including the actions of the irgc poses a threat to the safety and security of the uk and our allies and yesterday at the g7 we agreed to work together on further measures to counter the iranian regime and its proxies. it was agreed that we should coordinate those actions and that work is now under way, and

obvious that the appropriate time, i or ministers will update the house. we have sanctioned over 400 iranian individuals including the irgc in its entirety, we have a new sanctions regime to enable us and will give us more powers to designate sanctions that we put in place at the end of last year and the national security act creates new offences for espionage and foreign interference and means that our security services have the powers that they need to deter, disrupt and detect threats of a more —— from states like iran. with regard to diplomacy for israel and the region, we are absolutely committed to a two—state solution and working very hard, using all our efforts to bring that about, particularly over the last few months, building up the capability of the palestinian authority so that they have the technical and administrative capability that is

necessary when the moment comes to provide effective governance in the west bank and gaza. it is absolutely my view and the government's view that israelis and palestinians should have the opportunity to live side by side in peace with security, dignity, and opportunity and i'm proud of the role studio: let me summarise what we have heard from the uk prime minister. he will speak to benjamin netanyahu later today to express solidarity after the attack by iran and he paid tribute to the british aid workers who died, part of the seven who died in that israeli strike. nothing, he said, the last 48 hours affects our position on gaza. you heard keir starmer ask the prime minister about whether they will be any new sanctions against iran and the answer to that was, he

said they are coordinating with our allies and at some stage in the near future will give more details on that. those are the key lines coming out of that statement from rishi sunak stop whilst we were listening to that, a line of breaking news from australia, the attack we were telling you about, police saying a 15—year—old has been arrested after australian church stabbing, horrifying pictures. australian police saying officers were injured in vehicles damaged in the unrest and religious leaders now in western sydney calling for calm with faith leaders meeting in the last little while. news that a 15—year—old has been arrested over that australian church stabbing. a government—appointed commission in germany has recommended that

abortion be legalised. termination of a pregnancy is currently largely outlawed, although in practice, it's widely available in the first three months of pregnancy. this situation was described as "untenable" by one of the commission's legal experts, but the report says abortions should remain banned after an embryo becomes viable. we can cross live to berlin and our correspondent there damien mcguinness. bring us up to speed. a lot of people will not realise that that is where currently the law stands in germany. where currently the law stands in german . i, �* , i, where currently the law stands in german . . �* , ., ., germany. that's right. indeed, a lot of --eole germany. that's right. indeed, a lot of peeple in — germany. that's right. indeed, a lot of people in germany _ germany. that's right. indeed, a lot of people in germany would - germany. that's right. indeed, a lot of people in germany would only - of people in germany would only realise that when they themselves have to have an abortion. some women, the first thing they hear about is it being illegal when they go to schedule a termination and they get told that this is, in theory, illegaland they get told that this is, in theory, illegal and what they have to do is go into a compulsory consultation, a medical consultation with an adviser. it's something

which the government says is just not sustainable, really, because all sorts of legal barriers are put in people's way. i think what we are seeing here is even though this is a theoretical ban and it's rare for someone to be prosecuted, in reality what this does mean is because of this legal grey area, where many doctors and clinics are unsure if they would be prosecuted, it means that a lot of clinics don't even offer abortions and what this means is that particularly in rural areas, provision can be very patchy. a lot of women are saying it's not good enough, you can have a theoretical allowance of abortion but if in reality it means that provision is poon reality it means that provision is poor, it's really not good. it also has other impacts like in germany, every person pays a monthly health insurance which is quite expensive. abortion provision is not included so you have to pay privately. lots of uncertainty about what would happen later if there are other

severe cases such as rape or if the woman's health is at risk. all of this leads to a lot of uncertainty and stigmatisation, meaning that it is a subject that has not openly talked about and it's not clear what is available where, so many problems attached to that and that's where the experts recommended a change. when we return after the break, we will have all the latest from the middle east, all the latest from the start of the trial with donald trump, we will talk to the federal prosecutor life here on bbc news. don't go away. hello there. wild weather to greet us first thing this monday morning. we've had heavy rain, we've had damaging gusts of wind that have brought trees down in parts of the east midlands. we've also seen some snow showers and some hail mixed in there, as well. just a couple of days ago we had

the warmest day of the year so far, just over 21 degrees in south—east england, but take a look at south—east england as we go through the week. it's cool, showery and pretty unsettled until we head towards next weekend. more on that in just a moment. but on the whole, low pressure dominates the story at the moment. the rain may be easing away, but the winds will drive in a frequent rash of showers. so we've seen this spell of heavy rain pushing into the south—east, the showers tucking in behind. yes, they will be wintry across the tops of mountains in scotland, across the lake district and north wales. there will continue to be a rash feeding in with the strong north—westerly wind. so sunny spells and scattered sharp showers as we go through the remainder of the day. the wind, quite widespread gusts in excess of 40mph. maybe the lightest winds into the far north of scotland. but factor in the strength, the direction of the wind and those showers from time to time, it's going to feel disappointingly cool out there — nine to 12 degrees at the very best. as we move through the evening, a spell of more organized

showers pushes its way down into the south—east, but the low will gradually ease off into the north sea, so clearer skies out to the west, still windy with a few scattered showers across east coasts. overnight lows generally of four to eight celsius. first thing tomorrow morning still could be cool and breezy on exposed north sea coasts, with some showers just clipping perhaps east yorkshire, lincolnshire down into east anglia. if that happens, it will stay disappointingly cold. fewer showers and a little more sunshine further west and with slightly lighter winds it might feel a little bit more pleasant out there, but still the temperatures are struggling at nine to 13 degrees. through the middle part of the week we've got another front moving through, but then high pressure is going to start to build in from the west and, hopefully, quieten down the weather story as we move towards the weekend. so, yes, there will still be some showers around, gradually the temperatures creeping back up to where they should be for this time of year and it will turn a lot drier.

live from london. this is bbc news. the hush money trial of donald trump opens in new york the first criminal trial of a former us president. protestors take to the streets chanting, "no—one is above the law," as the former president faces

34 charges of fraud. iam i am live in new york court is in session and high—stakes jury selection is set to be gained. new pictures of the barrage of missiles and drones launched by iran at israel, as tehran rejects western criticism of its attack. a 15 year—old boy is arrested after another mass stabbing event in sydney — a church is targeted. a new report paints a bleak picture of the future of coral reefs — us officials declaring another mass bleaching event is under way. hello, welcome to verified live, we start in new york and history being made with a former us president, standing trial in a criminal case. this was donald trump setting off from central manhattan

a couple of hours ago. he's charged with 34 counts of fraud, relating to hush money