A Japanese court has upheld an order to dissolve the controversial Unification Church, local media report.

Last year, a district court in Tokyo ordered the church disbanded after Japan’s education and culture ministry accused it of manipulating followers into making huge donations.

On Wednesday, the Tokyo High Court denied the church’s appeal and rejected its argument that the donations were part of legitimate religious activities.

The church, popularly known as the “Moonies”, came under scrutiny after the shock assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.

The man who shot Abe, Tetsuya Yamagami, said he had held a grudge against the prime minister because of his ties with the Unification Church, which had bankrupted his family.

Yamagami, 45, was sentenced to life in prison in January. He has appealed the sentence.

The Unification Church is the first religious organisation in Japan to be given a dissolution order.

The dissolution order from the Tokyo district court was meant to strip the church of its tax-exempt status and require it to liquidate its assets, but still allow it to operate in Japan.

Now that the church has lost its first appeal against the ruling, the dissolution order would take effect immediately, local media report. However, it can still bring the case to the Supreme Court.

Even before Abe’s assassination, the Unification Church had drawn controversy with its teachings. At its centre is the church’s late founder Sun Myung Moon, who was revered among followers as a messiah.

In the wake of Abe’s shooting, investigations into the Unification Church revealed close ties with many conservative lawmakers.

Investigators also found that the church coerced followers into buying expensive items by exploiting fears about their spiritual well-being.

By Anthony Solly

BBC -President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that the war in the Middle East could leave Ukraine struggling to source air defence missiles.

He also said there was “a risk” Ukraine’s allies could be distracted by the conflict, and forget his country’s defence against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“We could find ourselves having difficulty obtaining missiles and weapons to defend our skies,” he told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. “The Americans and their allies in the Middle East might need them to defend themselves, for example Patriot missiles.”

Asked if there was a risk the United States and the European Union could forget Ukraine’s defence while focused on the Middle East, Zelensky replied: “Of course, it’s a risk. But I hope the Iranian crisis remains a limited operation and doesn’t turn into a long war. We know first-hand how bloody it risks being.”

For years Ukraine has become accustomed to being in the eyes of the world. Last week the streets of Kyiv thronged with Western leaders marking the grim, fourth anniversary of the moment Russia launched its all-out war.

But a few days later, people here in Ukraine’s capital have felt an almost tangible shift of focus away to another conflict. Some here have pointed out the reaction of Gulf residents to drone strikes that in Kyiv would prompt no more than a shrug. But more fear what the fighting in the Middle East might mean for them.

Zelensky’s remarks illustrate that uncertainty. On one hand he is gloomy, pointing to the risks that Ukraine’s defence against Russia becomes a forgotten war. There is already uncertainty about whether the latest planned talks with the US and Russia will take place.

He is also aware the vast numbers of air defence interceptor missiles being fired off by Gulf countries could lead to a global shortage, making such weapons more expensive and harder to find.

That was certainly true last summer when Israel and the US attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities. “Israel was under Iranian attack then, and missile delivery programs for us were slowed down,” Zelensky said. “It hasn’t happened yet, but I fear it could happen again.”

On Truth Social, President Trump claimed the US had an “unlimited supply” of arms. But he also used his post to mock Zelensky as “PT Barnum”, a 19th-Century US showman and hoaxer, suggesting Ukraine’s leader had tricked President Joe Biden into giving away too many US weapons for free.

Nonetheless, Zelensky has also looked for positives. Iran has sold Russia tens of thousands of Shahed drones that almost nightly wreak deadly havoc on Ukraine. That may stop. “I think attacking Iranian military targets was a good decision,” he said. “The Iranians produce a lot of weapons for Russia, especially drones and missiles, although I don’t think they’ll be able to do that anymore.”

Analysts point out however that Russia now also produces Shaheds domestically, after taking Iran’s design and modifying it for attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Kyiv may also benefit, financially and politically, if it could support Gulf partners with drone technology and expertise – but, as Zelensky has pointed out, that could probably happen only if Russia were to agree a ceasefire.

Ukraine’s president also believes Vladimir Putin’s failure to support Iran shows the Russian president’s weakness: “He talks, but doesn’t act, demonstrating that he is a weak ally of the Iranians. Just as he was with Bashar Assad’s Syria.”

That optimistic note was echoed by Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of the foreign relations committee in Ukraine’s parliament. He told me that by supporting US attack on Iran, Ukraine could win favour in the White House: “The US does not view us as allies, but as partners,” he said.

“This gives us a chance to show that we are allies. We are fighting against the same coalition – Iran and Russia.”

Merezhko also said Moscow had lost influence with the US because it could no longer argue it had influence over Tehran and its nuclear ambitions. “Iran does not have this leverage anymore, so it has become less useful in the eyes of Trump,” the MP said.

Others are less sure. They point out Russia has no formal defence partnership with Iran and had made no commitment to come to its aid in event of a US attack. Some also suggest Putin is deliberately staying out of the conflict, apart from calling Gulf leaders to offer Russia’s services as a mediator with Iran.

John Lough, head of foreign policy at the New Eurasian Strategies Centre, said: “Putin’s priority is to preserve the relationship with Trump and to use it to help him out of the quagmire he has blundered into in Ukraine.”

“In return for not standing in Trump’s way in Iran, he can reasonably expect Washington to put more pressure on Ukraine to accept his terms for peace,” Lough added.

Russia may also gain if global oil prices continue to soar, fuelling its industrial war machine. The US-based Institute for the Study of War think tank said: “Sustained high oil prices could keep Russia economically afloat and allow Russia to fund its war in Ukraine in the medium term.”

But crucially, it added: “It is unlikely, however, that Iran can successfully and indefinitely impose a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz long enough for Russia to reap long-term benefits from the current surge in oil prices.” Just one reason why Ukrainian policymakers are hoping the war in the Middle East does not sustain.

The biggest fear, perhaps, in Kyiv is that conflict in the Middle East fuels yet more war fatigue over Ukraine. One diplomat told me that despite rising temperatures as winter makes way for spring, the mood in the capital was grim.

“There is a lot of exhaustion,” they said. “The mood is almost brooding. There is a deep sense of betrayal from the Americans. And less trust in the Europeans. And now all this distraction. It’s not great.”

Funerals have been held for students and staff killed in what Iranian authorities have said was a US-Israeli strike on a school in southern Iran.

Iranian officials said more than 160 people were killed when a girls’ school was hit in the city of Minab on Saturday, as the US and Israel launched widespread strikes targeting Iran’s military sites and leadership.

Media has not been able to independently verify the Iranian authorities’ death toll.

The school was located near an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) base.

The US military said it was looking into reports of the incident, while Israel’s military said it was “not aware” of any operations in the area.

Hundreds of mourners packed the streets to pay their respects at the funeral which was broadcast on Iranian state TV.

Coffins draped in the flag of the Islamic Republic were carried through the crowds, as a voiceover recounted the grief of mothers and fathers who had lost their daughters.

Iranian officials said the school was hit by three missiles on Saturday morning. It was located about 600m (1970ft) from an IRGC base.

The six-day working week in Iran runs from Saturday to Thursday, with Friday being the only official day of rest, meaning the school was likely occupied when it was hit.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian called the incident a “barbaric act” and “another black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors”.

The country’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted a photo on social media of graves being dug for 160 people, with the comment: “This is how ‘rescue’ promised by Mr Trump looks in reality.”

The media has verified clips of the aftermath of the explosion, which show smoke rising from a building as crowds gathered nearby, with some people screaming in panic.

International news organisations are often refused visas to Iran which severely limits their ability to gather information there.

On Monday, the media asked the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio if the school building was struck by an American missile.

“The US would not deliberately target a school,” Rubio said in response. “We would have no interest, and frankly, no incentive to target civilian infrastructure.”

“I don’t have the details as to what led to it, but what is clear is that the United States would not target a school,” he added.

In a statement reported in US media, Centcom spokesman Tim Hawkins said: “We take these reports seriously.”

“The protection of civilians is of utmost importance, and we will continue to take all precautions available to minimise the risk of unintended harm,” he said.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to halt all trade with Spain, after the country barred the US from using its military bases as part of its operation in Iran.

In comments at the White House, Trump said Spain had been “terrible” and suggested “we’re going to cut off all trade”. “We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he told reporters.

It is unclear whether the Trump administration will follow through on the threat, or how officials would move to block trade with a European Union member state.

Trump’s comments add to existing tensions between the two countries, including over the Spanish government’s resistance to Trump’s demand for NATO allies to raise their defence spending.

“I could tomorrow – or today, even better – stop everything having to do with Spain, all business having to do with Spain,” Trump said on Tuesday.

Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent both claimed that the US can legally place an embargo on products imported from Spain.

But US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer was non-committal when asked by the president for his view on the plan.

“We’re going to talk about it with you,” Greer said.

“You have the strong power that the Supreme Court clarified – we know you can use it. And if you need to use it to assure national and economic security, we’ll do it.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the trade threat.

On Tuesday, Trump also expressed frustration with the Spanish government for refusing to increase its defence spending to 5% of its gross domestic product, in contrast to many other European countries that have acquiesced.

Trump has previously suggested that Spain should face economic punishments.

The European Union allows goods to move freely between the 27 countries in the economic bloc, which would complicate any bid to impose trade restrictions on a single member state.

The Spanish government said that if the US administration wants to review its trade relationship Spain, it must respect the autonomy of private companies, international law and bilateral agreements between the EU and the US.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who met Trump on Tuesday, said he told the president that Spain is part of the EU – and that any trade deals with the bloc must include Spain.

In 2025, the US exported roughly $26bn worth of goods to Spain and imports from the country amounted to about $21bn, according to data from the US Census Bureau. Spain’s top exports to the US include pharmaceutical products and olive oil.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, currently one of Europe’s few left-leaning leaders, on Sunday called the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran an “unjustified, dangerous military intervention” in violation of international law.

Officials in Madrid said they would bar the US from using military bases in southern Spain as part of the operation, arguing that doing so would violate the United Nations charter.

Trump also criticised the UK for being “very uncooperative” with his push to use military bases to attack Iran. But he did not make an explicit threat to impose trade restrictions on the country.