BBC News Briefing

4 March, 2026

Alex has short blonde hair and blue eyes. She is smiling and wearing a black turtleneck

Alex Binley

Hello. The conflict in Iran is "far from over", the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine has said, adding that the military is set to strike "progressively deeper into Iranian territory". We'll bring you the latest on the day's developments. In Nigeria, a meeting of clergy from a conservative group in the Anglican Church could split the denomination. And finally, a 500-year-old cave home is for sale in the UK, and it looks cosier than you might think.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Iranian warship sank by US submarine in Indian Ocean, Hegseth says

A large military warship is seen at sea. A line of people standing along the deck can be seen. The ship is seen from a distance and few details can be made out.

The US has said one of its ambitions is to destroy the Iranian navy. Credit: AP

A torpedo from a US submarine sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has confirmed. About 180 people are thought to have been on board - 32 were rescued and Sri Lankan authorities said 80 bodies have so far been found. The Pentagon released footage of the strike that you can see here. Hegseth used his statement to "try to project the image" of overwhelming US power in a "chest-thumping, openly belligerent statement", US State Department correspondent Tom Bateman writes. As diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams notes, much of Iran's military capability appears to have been destroyed. Meanwhile, Iran has postponed a three-day funeral ceremony for ex-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet explores who could be his successor.

Latest updates

GET UP TO SPEED

A man with short grey hair stands in front of a large window with yellow curtains. He is wearing a navy blue suit, white shirt and navy and orange striped tie. He appears to be talking and is gesticulating with his hands.

Higher tariffs likely this week, says US Treasury

The treasury secretary said it's "likely" that "sometime this week" the US will increase import tariffs to 15% from the existing 10%.

Read more >

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Doctors suspended over death of Adichie's son

Nigeria's medical council has provisionally suspended three doctors following the death of the author's 21-month-old son.

More on this >

A crowd of protesters block a street in a city centre. They are holding banners which are written in Greek

Greek court upholds verdict on neo-Nazi Golden Dawn

The party's founder Nikos Mihaloliakos and other officials were again found guilty, almost six years after an original trial.

What happened >

NEWS FROM THE UK

Arrests: The husband of a Labour MP is among three people arrested on suspicion of spying for China.

Mohamed Al Fayed: The investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by the late Harrods owner should include trafficking, an ex-police officer has said.

Meta: The regulator has written to the tech company following a "concerning" report that workers are watching intimate AI glasses videos.

AT THE SCENE

Lagos, Nigeria

Anglican divisions deepen as rebel clerics meet to pick rival to first female leader

The head and shoulders of a woman can be seen. She is wearing a bishop's gold robe over a high-necked red top and holds a gold staff. She has blonde bobbed hair and is wearing tortoise shell glasses.

Dame Sarah Mullally will officially be installed as the leader of the world's Anglican communion at a lavish ceremony later this month. Credit: PA Media

Conservative clerics are meeting in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, to choose a rival to the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of almost 95 million Anglicans, in part due to the belief of many conservative Christians that only men should be consecrated as bishops. It's a move that threatens to turn divisions within the global church into a full-on split.

Lebo Diseko, global religion correspondent

The Vining Memorial Church Cathedral in Lagos is full for its weekly highlight, the Sunday service. Some congregants, like Bunmi Odukoya, are supportive of the appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury. "The work of God is an individual thing. If you're called - you can be a man, you can be a woman - you need to fulfil the calling of the Lord," he tells the BBC.

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Others, like Uche Nweke, strongly disagree: "I don't think it's Christian. When you look at the Bible and the apostles, there was no woman in there, so a woman being the head of the Anglican church in England, I don't think it's going to go well."

Keep reading

Analysis: These are the time bombs in the new Archbishop of Canterbury's in-tray.

Women: On the day she was confirmed into her post, Dame Sarah said she would speak out on misogyny.

Christian revival: Has Gen Z started going to church in droves, or is the truth more complicated?