this is bbc news. i'm rebecca jones. the headlines at 6: after days of denial, iran admits shooting down a ukrainian passenger plane over tehran on wednesday, killing 176 people, including four britons. in ukraine, questions over why the plane was allowed to take off from tehran. anger over iran's initial denials. translation: the iran representative instructed our crew in clear words and a calm voice to take off and the crew followed the orders. in the current climate, it would be stupid to try to hide something. the northern ireland assembly resumes for the first time since the collapse of power—sharing three years ago. it is time to renew and rekindle a

political environment of reconciliation and respect and deliver of the promise of a new approach to politics in this decade. sir keir starmer, the shadow brexit secretary, officially launches his bid to become the next labour leader, saying the country needs radical policies to fight inequality. the moral fight against injustice and poverty and homelessness isjust as big a moralfight now as it was in that general election. and second—placed leicester city lose ground at the top of the premier league with a surprising defeat at home to southampton. we'll bring you a full round—up of all the sport in sportsday in half an hour.

hello and welcome to bbc news. borisjohnson has said that iran's admission that it shot down by mistake a ukrainian passenger plane over tehran is an "important first step". four britons were among the 176 people killed in wednesday's crash. a senior iranian military official said the airliner was misidentified as a cruise missile. iran's president rouhani has called the downing of the jet an "unforgiveable mista ke". we are going to go straight to canada to hear from justin trudeau. i reiterated to president rouhani it is absolutely necessary that canada participate in this investigation. we expect the full cooperation of iranian authorities. currently three pieces have been approved for members of the rapid deployment team. we expect lead members of this tea m team. we expect lead members of this team will arrive in tehran around

for pm today and establish a presence on the ground to support canadian families. additional team members will follow. we are working with our partners who are facilitating the process by which visas are granted. currently the iranians are cooperating in granting visas. he speaks in french. translation: those who have been fighting —— and other coalition members. i called for a de—escalation of the tensions in order to ensure peace and stability in the region. it is at times of tension like these that tragedies like this crash can happen, causing great loss of innocent life. president rouhani's response to me was a commitment to collaborate to

give closure to the victims, de—escalate tensions in the region and continue this dialogue. our focus remains accountability, transparency, and justice for the families and loved ones of the victims. as the minister said yesterday, our government is taking additional steps to provide more support to those grieving. i have asked the clerk of the privy council to set up an emergency task force which convened earlier today. additionally, consular and immigration officials have been dispatched across the country so they can be in direct contact with they can be in direct contact with the families of canadians affected by this tragedy. the minister has set up an emergency line to ensure that officials from immigration canada are available to help with any visa issues. he speaks in french. translation: he will continue to remain in contact with other government so that families

will get the support they need. i have spoken to all opposition leaders, and too many leaders in the affected provinces. when canada goes through times of great difficulty, canadians show solidarity towards one another. in the face of this tragedy, we were there for our neighbours, for our communities. i know that this outburst of compassion will continue in the wake of this tragedy. but this government will not stop calling for answers to the questions that remain unanswered. we will be there, i will be there, to ensure that full light is shed on the outstanding incidents. i remain in contact, as do my ministers. last night i spoke to the minister of japan do my ministers. last night i spoke to the minister ofjapan who is on his way to the middle east and i

will soon be speaking again with the ukrainian president, zelensky and the swedish prime minister. our minister has been in touch with his cou nterpa rts minister has been in touch with his counterparts from iran, switzerland, sweden and ukraine, in part to discuss progress on issuing visas for our teams. we will also reconvene a second for our teams. we will also reconvene a second call of the international coordination and response group for the families and victims of ps752, to coordinate a response for the families together with representatives from ukraine, sweden, afghanistan and the united kingdom who are also he speaks in french. grieving. the minister had spoken to french authorities earlier today. i assure you that all those discussions will be ongoing. today. i assure you that all those discussions will be ongoinglj today. i assure you that all those discussions will be ongoing. i want to end by sharing with you a bit of what i did yesterday. i had a chance to sit with some of the families of the victims. they are hurt, angry and grieving and they want answers,

they want justice. what and grieving and they want answers, they wantjustice. what iran has admitted to his very serious. shooting down a civilian aircraft is horrific. iran must take full responsibility. canada will not rest until we get the accountability, justice and closure that the families deserve. he speaks in french. thanks for being here this morning and we will now take questions. good afternoon, prime minister. now that iran has admitted guilt, are you more confident that families will be able to bring their loved ones home and is there a timeline on that? the admission of iran of responsibility in this horrific crash is a very important first step. we have seen from iran a

willingness to facilitate consular access, support for the families, but it is too early to have a sense of time lines in terms of when they will be able to return with their family members. you said you had a chance to speak with rouhani. should iran compensate canadian families? that is certainly something that will need to be part of the discussion. i sat down with a number of families who are absolutely devastated with the loss of loved ones. they are facing financial challenges on top of the extraordinary grief they are feeling right now. and we need to make sure that those families get the justice they deserve. he speaks in french. what guarantee do you have from president rouhani that there will be a full and independent investigation and how much trust do you put in the

iranian authorities? answer, i think the fact we have accepted responsibility for the missile strike which brought the plane down, i think that establishes already that they are open to having an investigation to find out exactly what happened. we need to make sure obviously, it is a credible investigation, with independent international investigators involved, but once iran took responsibility for what happened, there has been every indication that they are open to a full and open investigation. obviously there have been calls for a credible international investigation from the very beginning. the fact that iran has now taken responsibility for the downing of that aircraft means that it is likely they will be full

participants and fully allow a credible, independent international investigation with all partners involved. we still have work to do to ensure that happens but the question of responsibility takes us a step forward to literally having a very credible and thorough investigation. he speaks in french. iran drawsa investigation. he speaks in french. iran draws a direct connection between this tragedy in the conflict with the us. do you make any such connection? answer, ithink with the us. do you make any such connection? answer, i think that in times of conflict and tension, that is precisely when innocent lives are lost. obviously in this context, in the middle east, these days, that contributed to this tragedy, but iran did the right thing and take responsibility for the downing of this plane and for this tragedy. mr

prime minister, you have said that the tensions in the region contributed to this and you expect iran to take full responsibility but iran to take full responsibility but iran is still pointing fingers at the united states, as are others for raising tensions in the first place. do you share those views and do you plan to speak with the us president and discuss it? i have had a number of conversations with the us president recently and will continue to. the reality is there have been significant tensions in that region for a long time. what we are calling for a long time. what we are calling for now is a de—escalation to ensure there are no more tragic accidents or loss of civilian life, as well as moving forward to the piece and stability that is deserved by eve ryo ne stability that is deserved by everyone in the region. ourfocus right now is on ensuring accountability, answers and closures for the victims. that is what we are

engaged with. the ukrainian airlines executives are questioning why iran did not warn them that there were potential missiles in the area, that they did not close the airspace. are you confident that this was actually an accident? this is one of the issues that we need better answers to and that is why this first step of admission of responsibility is an important one by iran but there are many other questions like that one that we will need clear answers to in the coming days and weeks. he speaks in french. translation: i would like to know, a lot of families are angry, upset, what is your reaction, prime minister? are your reaction, prime minister? are you also upset? answer, yes, i am furious that canadian families have lost their parents, their children, their spouses. it is a massive tragedy for the entire country, not just for the iranian community. the

crocodile— canadian community as a community that has contributed greatly to canada's prosperity. —— the iranian canadian community. they have worked very hard and they have believed in this country and the future they have built here. for many of those families, that has been struck down, out of the blue, bya regime been struck down, out of the blue, by a regime that they had fled. they believed they had got away from it. this is an incident that is truly horrible. i am angry and disappointed. but i am firmly committed to getting answers, and compensation and help and justice for the victims. i am, of course, outraged, and furious that families across this country are grieving the

loss of their loved ones, that the iranian canadian community is suffering so greatly, that all canadians are shocked and appalled that this senseless loss of life. the iranian canadian community is one that has contributed tremendously to this country. hard—working, proud canadians, contributing everyday to building a better future for and their kids, and to many families are destroyed. many of these families have fled the regime, trying to build a better life for them elsewhere, and to have the regime that they have left behind accept responsibility for this is a bitter pill indeed. what specific demands did you make to

president rouhani on that phone call and what specific assurances that you get? i ask that we be fully included in the investigation into the cause of the crash. that all the a nswe rs the cause of the crash. that all the answers be worked on together, and that we are able to have our investigators involved in everything from the black box to support on dna identification and the various processes . identification and the various processes. i ask to ensure that consular processes. i ask to ensure that co nsu la r a ccess processes. i ask to ensure that consular access for canadian fisheries —— canadian officials to support grieving family members is extremely important to us and i asked him to commit to working with us asked him to commit to working with us and international partners to continue to de—escalate tensions in the region. he speaks in french. translation: i asked the region. he speaks in french. translation: iasked president rouhani that canadian experts able to fully participate in the

investigation into the causes and various aspects of this tragedy. i asked that we have asked this to consular services in order to be there in iran, to help canadian families who are suffering. and i also asked for him to work with canada and the international community, to de—escalate tensions. do you believe a crime was committed and what would justice look like to you in this case? these are exactly the kind of things that we need better a nswers the kind of things that we need better answers to. to understand exactly what happened and the conversations around justice and compensation and accountability are questions that families have that other countries have, we have convened a group of countries that have citizens who were killed in this terrible crash. and we will be

looking to answer exactly those questions and moving forward on getting justice and accountability. he repeats in french. good afternoon, prime minister. what consequences should iran face for this and what options does canada have? those questions canada, the iranians and international community are asking. this is something we will be looking at and working on in the coming days. ourfocus right now is ensuring support for the families, whether consular support or support for the investigation to ensure a credible understanding of what actually happened is the very

first step. there are many more steps to come. and you said iran must take full responsibility for this. i am wondering, what are the elements of that? how will you measure whether on not they have? elements of that? how will you measure whether on not they have ?! better understanding of both the actual incident that happened in the context in which it happened, in which a tragic loss of life was able to happen even in a moment of heightened tension, this should never happen. prime minister, despite the fact the area name government has taken this possibility for this, government has taken this possibility forthis, how government has taken this possibility for this, how can you have any faith in them, given they lied about this for three days?” think that is a very real question that many people are asking. we are looking at the actual facts of what we see and we are seeing iran grant leases to canadian consular officials who are right now on their way to tehran. we are seeing iran

allow canadian investigators to participate in the crash investigation but we are going to look for tangible examples of real collaboration and real openness every step of the way. so that we are supporting and looking out for and getting what is needed by the canadian victims. one would think the consequences canada could have for iran is imposing sanctions. how difficult is that of a diplomatic dance, given that you need access in iran and they have to granted to you but at the same time, there are canadians who want iran to face consequences. i think there will be many conversations and reflections on consequences over the coming days and weeks. right now, we're focusing on what the families most need and thatis on what the families most need and that is answers and access and that is where all of our efforts are focused. in addition to excess and

condolences, trump said they would investigate and prosecute. i wonder if the iranian system may now find the culprit without the international community?” the culprit without the international community? i think there is a recognition that there is probably individual culpability in the situation but there is also a systemwide culpability and the reflections around that is something that the iranians and indeed the international partners will be engaged with over the coming weeks, as we unfold in this investigation. you talked about iran's so for willingness, the visas they have granted, having granted any to for tsb investigators and are you concerned that they have not if they have not? can you speak to the state of the reasons? they are on the ground as of this morning. they will be, they have submitted their request for visas so we are waiting to hear about that but thus far, we

are being assured that visas will be granted both to them and to our consular teens. so granted both to them and to our consular teens. so we granted both to them and to our consular teens. so we will be able to provide more information on that over the coming days. terrorist entity since 2012, qasem soleimani was the loser of that quds force, so my first question is —— leader of the quds force. was he a legitimate target and my follow—up question is that if you see his killing contributed to events that led to the downing of the aircraft, would your government now, can your government trust the regime on that and would it follow through listing the entire revolutionary guard corps asa the entire revolutionary guard corps as a terrorist entity as you voted for in september2018?

as a terrorist entity as you voted for in september 2018? these are the kinds of questions we will have to be reflecting on in the coming days and weeks. our focus be reflecting on in the coming days and weeks. ourfocus right now be reflecting on in the coming days and weeks. our focus right now is providing the support to grieving families that need answers, need closure, that need justice. need access to consular support, both in iran and in canada. we are doing everything we can to ensure that that happens in the short—term, but obviously there are reflections in the medium and long—term as we move forward. your defence minister categorised qasem soleimani's assassination as an act of deterrence. one made by the united states, do you agree with that assessment? i think there are many conclusions that we will be drawing as we move forward in reflecting on these incidents of the past week. our focus these incidents of the past week. ourfocus right these incidents of the past week. our focus right now is on ensuring that we are giving all the support necessary to families who have suffered immeasurable loss, right now, that means access to consular

officials, that means being part of a credible investigation, so that we get all the answers upon which we can then start to reflect on the steps. prime minister, since iran has made the admission that they shutdown the admission that they shutdown the plane, we have seen the number of protests sparked up in tehran, many canadian sea having frustrated about that. what is your message to the protesters? my message canadian families who are grieving is that we will be there for them, the message to people around the world who are outraged at this incident is that they should be demanding answers and they should be demanding answers and they should be denouncing accountability and justice as well. this is a tragedy that should not have happened. and we need to make sure that we are supporting families who are going through terrible

grief. thank you very much. we have been listening tojustin trudeau speaking about that plane crash in which more than 50 canadians died. it might be worth reiterating some of the key points. he said that iran's admission that it shut down the plane was in his words and important first step. he said the shooting down of civilian aircraft was horrific and iran must take full responsibility. and canada will need clear a nswers responsibility. and canada will need clear answers whether this was indeed a mistake. he said iranians had been co—operating with the canadians in granting visas to canadians in granting visas to canadian officials and investigators. interestingly, he also said that compensation for families by iran would be part of what must be done. and while he did not excessively blame anyone, he did

say —— explicitly blame anyone, he said conflict and tension are when innocent lives are lost and that tension contributed to the plane tragedy and he called for de—escalation. rana rahimpour from bbc persian is here. she was watching that statement from justin trudeau along with us. i was struck by the fact that he did not wa nt to struck by the fact that he did not want to talk about who he blamed, he did not want to talk about the consequences, did he? he was very focused on the fact that we need a nswe rs focused on the fact that we need answers and that we need to provide support for the families that have been affected. several times, support for the families that have been affected. severaltimes, he refused to talk about who he blames and he refused to escalate any tension with iranian authorities. but he said several times we are looking for accountability and justice. and these are not, to be honest, adjectives that iranian authorities are famous for. justice,

accountability, transparency itself, it took the uranium authorities three days, more than three days, to finally admit —— iranians authorities, that they are responsible for the attack and that is one of the reasons people are angry and many people asked justin trudeau can we believe that the iranians claim it was a mistake or was it intentional? those of the questions many people are in iran are also asking. they want to know why it took so long for the iranians to admit to it. they are thanked for to admit to it. they are thanked for to the canadian government. they believe that if it was not for canada, ukraine and the uk, the iranian authorities would never have admitted that it was their missile that shut down a passenger airline. so it was international pressure. what you're saying is it is fairly unprecedented, the fact that they this admission. has the reaction beenin this admission. has the reaction been in iran? anger. hatred,

disbelief, we have been speaking with many people in iran, and as you heard somebody asked justin trudeau, they are having protests in many cities across iran. many videos are also circulating on social media. people are chanting, death to dictator. very interesting, they are asking for the resignation of the commander—in—chief, which means the iranians supreme leader, interestingly similar protests a few months ago are going on, it was violently cracked down into many people thought it would take years for the iranian opposition to mobilise itself and energise it and get back onto the streets and here we are, after this plane crash. there are many people out on the street protesting. we were looking as you were speaking at a picture of one of those protests. are we any clearer as to why iranians airspace was not closed down at this time of heightened tension? we all knew

that! everyone is asking that question insofar nobody has given them an answer. the commander of the revolutionary guard gave a press conference, which was also a recorded press conference, which people think they want to make sure what he says on television. in which he said he told the aviation authorities that the security forces and the revolutionary guard were on the highest alert and they were expecting a strike. and they have told that aviation authorities what they did not take any action. —— but they did not take any action. —— but they did not take any action. —— but they did not take any action. there is questions about whether this is miscommunication between different sections or whether it was intentional to keep the airspace open. we are looking at the crash site as you speak and it is worth reflecting on this u—turn, the fact that iran's story changed in 2a or ask, because only yesterday, it looked like the iranians were

clearing away debris from the crash site, dented? they did and they were so unclear from day one. they said we find the black boxes but will not give it away, then on state television they said it is broken, we can't use it any more. they came out with all sorts of scenarios. in order to decline the role in this tragedy. and many believe that the reason they have come out is because the evidence was so strong. and because many of the country so had nationals on board have provided iran with that evidence so it reached the point that iranians authorities could no longer deny it. are planes now going in and out of tehran? is everything back to normal? or is that airspace close? the eu authority before i came here and hence, advice, european airlines not to fly over the iranian airspace for the foreseeable future, until further notice. we know that a number of regional airlines have

also decided not to fly over iran. ok, really good to talk to you. thank you so much. now it's time for a look at the weather with mel coles. today is a taste of what we can expect through the coming week, wet and windy conditions dominating the story. through this afternoon the strongest of the winds will be along this band of rain, heavy pulses for cumbria and snowdonia, and ahead it will be slightly dry but there is cloud around and behind it the winds will ease down. it will brighten up in scotland, but starting to feel a bit fresher. temperatures widely in double figures elsewhere, very mild for the time of year. as we head into the evening the band of rain continues towards the south and east taking the strongest of the winds. a few showers which might pose an ice risk on sunday morning first thing. this clears down towards the south and east on sunday, another band of rain in clearing the midlands

and eventually lincolnshire, brightening up through the afternoon for many areas.