narrator: fundingio for this presentatn is made possible by... woman: babbel, a nguage app that teaches real life conversations in a new language, like spanish, french, german, italian and more. babbel's 10 to 15 minute lessons are available as an app or online. more information on babbel.com. narrator: funding was also provided by... the freeman foon. by judy and peter blum-kovler foundation. pu solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers li, thank you. wowoman: and now, bbc d news.

laura: this is "bbc world news america." reporting from washingto am laura trevelyan. d retaliation sponse. president trump claims the u.s. has the upper hand in the conflict with iran after tehran fires missiles at american bases. pres. trump: iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world. laura:he tragic crash in tehran. 176 people are killed when a ukrainian airliner goes down just after takeoff. iranian officials say they won't give the black boxes to outside investigators. plus, a royal bombshell. the duke and duchess of sussex an ounce they are stepping back from regal life. wh next for harry and meghan?

laur for those watching on pbs and around the globe, welcome to "world news america." president trump claims iran appears to be backing away from conflict with the u.s. can even as iran's supreme leader warns esat the strikes on u.s. b in iraq were not enough. mr. trump saysu. n or iraqi lives were lost in the attacks last nightbut the head of the joint chiefs of staff says in his assessment the strikes were meant tol ks. personnel. iran was retaliating for the was blowing of its top military commander, general soleimani. jeremy bowen reports from iraq. jeremy: the iranians kept their promise and may have bought some time. iran had to calibrate its missile launches. enough to satisfy angry iranians, not enough to provoke

a much more destrti american response. they seem to have -- iraqi soldiers shouted warnings to eh other. they share the huge base in iraq afterwards for the leaders came a chance to save face, claim victory, and step back for the moment. pres. trump:o ericans were harmed in last night's attack by the iranian regime. we suffered no casualties. all of our soldiers are safe. iran appears to be standing down , which is a good thing for l parties concerned and a very good thing for the world. jeremy:ok it different in iran. a few in tehran even got up early toelebrate revenge.

here is a university student. "i have a great fling," she said. "i hope revenge continues and i hope to see trump fail." and later, the regime's faithful chanted "death to america," has supreme leader ayatollah, khamenei told him he hadn't finished left. ayatollah khamenei: what happened last night was just a slap in the face. jeremy: for him, the assassination promotes unity in a divided country. now iran has more time for its speciality, unconventional warfare using proxies and allies. here in baghd, the morning had nothing for iraqis, who want iranians and americans to leave them alone. aar political p based on a per

iranian militia gathered to mourn the assassinations and condemn the u.s. refusal to pl their troops out of iraq. >> they forced everybody in iraq, everybody in iraq, to go for militaryta rese against them. jeremy: do you think the iranians have made this attack, it is the end? >> they do more, and they increase. i think it is a message. jeremy: a message to the americans saying? >> that we are serious. jeremy: this is a long-term conflict. at the moment in the most unstable part of the world. without a political dialogue and someind of deal, the slide towards war will continue. jeremy bowen, bbc news, baghdad. laura: president trump said

today the u.s. would impose more sanctions on iran. mr. trump is no fan of the 2015 deal aimed at stopping iran from building a nuclear bomb, and he told the u.s. out of the agreement in 2018. our north america correspondent bryant reports fr washington. nick: from the president of the united states, an almost celestial entrance. hisdi military chief st at his soldier. a core belief of the trump doctrine on his teleprompter. pres. trump: president of the united states, iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. nick: though flanked by his genera from he decided not to respond militarilyo an's attacks. he has opted for more sanctions against iran, a de-escalation. and there were call for america's allies including britain to abandon the iran

nuclear deal negotiated by the obama administration. pres. trump: they must break away from the remnants of the iran deal, or jcpoa, and we must work together towards making a deal with iran that makes the world a safer and more peaceful place. nick: christmas 2018. and a surprise visit from donald trump to the al-asad air base in western iraq, one of the targets for last night's iranian attack. the pentagon received what one official called multiplern hours wag from satellites and communication intercepts,, plenty of time for troops to take shelter in bunkers. they played down reports of geroing a caps off fthe iraqi government, and that iran was deliberately tryinto miss. in the oval office 24 hourse a, esident was threatening strong u.s. military retaliation for any iranian attack. pres. trump:if iran does anything they shouldn't be

ing, they are going to b suffering the consequences, and very strongly. nick: but in the white hous l situation rot night, facing perhaps his biggest test as command for circumspection amidst public indicationfrom iranianey officials anted to call it quits. for now, the trump white house been present this as a foreign-policy victory, dramatically weakening the erican regime -- iranian regime by assassinatosg its secondfigure without embroiling u.s. us is in another protracted middle east conflict. nick bryant, bbc ns, washington. laura: for more on the unfolding tensions between the u.s. and iran, i spoke earlier with lantica slavin of the counci thanks for being with us, barbara. president trump is saying that iran appears to be standing down, while iran's supreme leader seems to be saying something very different. is this a de-escalation? barbara: i think it is a cse. i was thinking-- pause.

ini was ng of the period in world war ii before the hostilities began, when we were in a phony war. k i th are in a phony war now. it is not over. as long as the administration making the maximum- aessure campaiinst iran, iran will find ways to retaliate. laura: iran's supreme leader has said clearly he wants americadl out of the m east for the do you think troops will be targeted via proxies? barbara: we have already seen the iraqi parliament vote to nsexpel the ameriand the nato presence in iraq has become untenable. as long as the united states and iran are in his confrontation, iraq is caught in the middle. it will not be safe not just for american servicemen, but for diplomats, tourists, others. one way or another this has to be result, or yes, the americans ll have to leave. laura: how do you see it being resolved? prident trump talked about new

sections on iran but seem to open up ath window for a new towards peace. barbara: i have been searching for a strategy behind hi maximum-prsure campaign ever since it began. i still don't see it. i don't know what the goal is of these policies that the u.s. has espoused with iran. it regime change, is it capitulation, is it a new nuclear deal, is it the end of interference in other countries? what is the goal? guntil we know what tl is, we cannot gauge whether there is a positive path towards ge ing laura: president trump said he wants a new and better deal with iran. is that possible? barbara: he says he doesn't want iran to have nuclear weapons. iran says he doesn't want nuclear weapons. they agreed to a deal in 2015 that give a verifiable assurances that they cannot build ugly weapons at least until t0. --build a nuclear weapons at uleastil 2030. i just don't see that donald trump will get a better deal

after everything he has done come after everything yes but the people of iran through. laura: y have written about the cult of martyrdom in iran. is soleimani now a martyr who is helpful? barbara:mu ver so. there were iranians in the streets otesting their own government. now we see millions in the streets emacing cosan so money as a national hero of--embracing qassem soleimani as a al hero. you see pictures of him on social media being embraced by the great martyr in shia islam. he was killed by the evil caliph yazid in the seventh century. the united states has becom yazid for religious shia, including those in iran and other parts of the middle east. laura: barbara slavin, thanks for being with us. barbara: you are quite welcome. laura: one murdered from iraq tonight -- supermarkets have landed in--one more note from

iraq tonight. several rockets have landed in iraq's green zone. sirens were heard in the heavily fortified part of the city home tomericans in iraq. th are not aware of any casualties. prince harry and his wife, meghan the duchess, are stepping back as senior members of the royal family. l the bombshnouncement came on the couple's instagram account. the pair will split time between britain and north america d plan to become financially independent. buckingham palace said these are complicated issues which will take time to work through. here's our world correspondent cholas witchell with mor nicholas: canada house in london yesterday. harry and meghan had returned from their extended break in canada. it is now clear that although they had been discussing a new roleth for themselves with members of the royal family, they did not tell senior members

of the family or their officials sat ty were about to issue a personal statementting out their intentions. the bbc understands buckingham palace is disappointed. that is unusual. in their statement, the sussex is said, "after many months of her flexion and internal discussions, we have chosen io make a transthis year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. we intend to step back as senior members of the royal family and work to becomeinancially independent while continuing to fullyhe support her majesty t queen." quite what a progressive new role mns is unclearth. e statement says they tried to e their time between the united kingdom and north america. the signs that the couple were unhappy with their royal life have been apparent for some months, notably during and since there tour of southern africa were both of them gave interviews.

harry conceded that he and his brother, williamoswere not as as before. prince harry: inevitably stuff happens, but we are brothers, we will always be brothers. we are certainly a different paths for the momt, but i will always be there for him and he will always be there for me. nicholas: underpinning so much of it is for the unfair treatment of them by the tablet media. meghan: my ie british said to me i'm sure he is great, but you shouldn't do that oucause british tabloids will destroylife. i very naïvely -- i'm an american we don't have that their -- " what are you talking about?" nicholas: at their wedding in windsor it all seemed to offer so much promise. a young prince and his american bride. harry and meghan were a couple who, it was sa and as they demonstrated, could bring something fresh to the british royal family and reach sections of the population which were otherw royals.ferent to the

now, some at least of those hopes have been dashed. >> it is extraordinary, but it is also very sad. harry and meghan aery much loved, and if we are not going to see so much of them, that is a real traged nicholas: so the sussexes have taken the initiative without waiting for the approval of the queen or the prince of wales. they have made their own announcement about their new life. there is not just his appointment at the palace, there is hurt at the most senior levels of the family. laura: nicpolas witchell ing there on harry and meghan's dramatic move. in other news, inonanada, one peas been shot dead and three are seriously injured a shooting in downtown ottawa. please say it happened on a -- police say it happen oa a street aboulometer from the parliament. one of those injured is a 15-year-old boy. officers are still looking for a suspect. they say the area is now secure. many puerto ricans have been

sleeping outdoors after the island was hit by the most powerful earthquake in more than a century. one person was killed, and homes have been flashing across the southern coast. power is slowly returning after it was shut down as a safety measure. venezuela's opposition leader juan guaido has called for three againstprotests president nicolas maduro hours after he was sworn in for another term as nationalism we it follows a standoff with the armed forces who initially stopped assembly.tering the mr. wide-out --mr. guaido"s has called majerus mandate illegitimatemaduro's mandate legitimate. you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come on tonight's ogram, making his case. former nissan boss carlos ghosn justifies that escape from japan where he was on trialco for muct. australia's primes inister says untry still open to tourists despite the deadly

bushfires that have been sweeping parts of the country. scottpe morrison wasing while on a visit to kangaroo island, a popular tourist attraction off of australia's southern coast. firefighters are getting ready for a new round of can with temperatures expected to spike in the coming days. here is the bbc's katy watson with more. katy: the recovery effort continues on kangaroo island. already one third of the island, home to some of australia't s mt importwildlife, has been ravaged by bushfires. the fear is the next few days tv brin more devastation. australia' prime minister visited the community earlier today and called on t not to be put off by the bushfire devastation. prime min. morrison: australia is open. australia is still a wonderful place to come and bring youoy family and ehe holidays. katy: these fires have captured worldwide attention. prince media to send this message to those affected.

in the hills of victoria, a farmer is holding his breath. fires have already scorched much of his land. there is real danger that existing bushfires for the north could emerge and create one big mega blaze. >> probably 70 or0 8 k's. in two hou us.ey could be upon katy: chris says the simple solution, what bubeland needs to urned in a controlled manner to stop fires getting out of hand. >> it is csing these intense fires. take away the fuel, the issue of these mega fires is gone away. katy: authorities, though, say it is not a silver bullet. but this is not the time of politics. already an area the size of burned, and bushfire season far from over. katy watson, bbc news,ictoria.

laura: a ukraine international airlines plane has crashed after taking off from tehran, killing all 176 peoe on board. most of the victims were from iran and canada. iranian authorities say they have recovered the ai black boxes but will not be releasing them to the u.s. or the plane's manufacturer, boeing. several airlines are opening iranian airspace because of the military clashes between iran and the u.s. here is tom burridge. tom: devastation minutes after takeoff. later, bodies of those on board the ukrainian airline flight were taken away. there were no survivors. most of those killed were iranianr o canadian. british national and another on

board, so were a man and his wife who got married in tehran. when report quoted a canadian intelligence official suggesting nat initial evidence suggested that the plane wasot brought down by missile and may have suffered a technical malfunction. ukrainian airline serviced two days ago. added an emotional press conference, the airline's technical director said the plane was one of the best. the plane left of the iranian capital, tehran, earlier this morning. ditn for the ukrainian capital, kiev. data published online shows the plane crashed minutes after takeoff. the boeing 737 steadily climbed some 4,500 feet. takeoff initially appeared normal. then the plane suddenly disappeared from radar. that suggests there was some type of catastrophic incident.

there was an initial suggestion from a ukrainian official of an engine failure. if the engine fails, the boeing 737 should be able to keep flying. pilots train regularly for that scenario. key will be the cockpit voice recorders. the iranian authorities have them. vertical dictates that they will lead the investigation. it is kind this video shows the plane--it is claimed tths video showplane. if genuine, it seems to be on fire. there is a fsh before the impact. >> if there is an engine failure, it is still capable of climbingap andle of returning to the airfield and if necessary abandoning the approach and climbin away again rod coming back around for a second ah. there should be no reason why the airplane fell out of the sky as it did. tom:ve airlines erouted flights away from iranian and iraqi airspace following iran's missile strikes on u.s. bases. because the plane was made by

boeing, the american should have a role in the investigation. but the animosity between washington and tehran will make that hard. tom garrett come a bbc news. laura: the former boss of nissan has appeared in put ic for the fime since his medic escape from bail in japan. carlos ghosnlaims he is innocent of financial misconduct andme bjapanese presbyters and nissan for his downfall. john simpson reports. john: there was utter chaos as photographerand cameramen from around the world fought to get the first images of the men who had escaped so spectacularly from japan. in fact, though, carlos ghosn refuse to go into any job whatever about the way he escape from japan's con psy airport -- japan's con psy airport, although it seems clear that he was smuggled out in a packing case made for musical equipment. in beirut,du png document

after document that he maintained prove his innocence, he was his old hyperactive self. the man, 5'6" tall,ho had been the tightening of the international carmaking industry also he is a hero to many lebanese journalists, and they applauded him again and again. to the japanese journalists in the audience, he was light and pleasant, though he could be quite pointed. carlos: what happened in pearl haor -- did you notice what happened in pearl harbor? younow? theou are asking me how did notice? john mostly he wanted to attack the japase legal system, which kept him in solitary confinement for more than ane year, questd aggressively week after week in order to get a confession from him. just about all criminal trials in japan depend on getting people to confess. carlos: it will get worse for you if you don't just confess,e

osecutor told me repeatedly. john:arlos ghosn's basic case is he was the vicllm of what he the conspiracy, that top people in japan wanted to stop nissan being swallowed up by a foreign concern. how high up in the japanese csystem does thspiracy go? does it go up perhaps to the very top, would you believe? carlos: i don't personally think that the top level was involved, if this is your question. hn: in jan itself, the response was furious. "carlos ghosn's one-s ted criticism japanese justice system was completely unacceptable," the authorities said. "by skipping il, he flagrantly disregarded japanese law." but the basic reason he escape was sitting in the front row never taking her eyes off him, his wife.

he couldn't bear to be parted from her, he said. john simpson, bbc news, beirut. laura: befe we go, let's remind you of the two big stories of the day. president trump saysran appears to be standing down after tehran launched a series of rockets at u.s.ases in iraq. there were no reported injuries, but the head of the jnt chiefs says he believes the strikes were meant to kill u.s. personnel. and the duke and ducss of sussex say they plan to step back from their dutiess a senior members of the well household. harry and meghan will divide their time between the u.k. and north america, and they plan to earn their very own living. buckingham palace says tonight that arrangement is complicated. i am laura trevelyan thanks for watching "bbc world news america." narrator: fu pnding for thisresentation is made possible by... babbel, an online program designed by language specialts

teaching spanish, french and more. narrator: fundvig was also pd by... the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum-kovler foundation. ng solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from u.viewers like you, thank narrator: be more, pbs. ♪ captioning sponsored by

wshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good ening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight...ar >> iran apto be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned, and a veryood thing for the world. >> woodruff: ...president trump vows to impose new sanctions and calls for european countries to abandon the nuclear deal after iran's missile attacks on u.s. forces in iraq. then, australia burning. the devastating toll of the historic wildfires that have darkened the skies of a continent. >> all the side of the highway was on fire. we just knew then didn't we that we weren't going to go back to anything. >> woodruff: and, personalized care: as d.n.a. tests skyrocket in popularity, genetic researchers pre