a very warm welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to our viewers in north america and around the globe. my name's mike embley. our top stories: global condemnation for the suspected chemical attack that's killed dozens in north—west syria. the us blames the assad regime. north korea fires a medium range ballistic missile into the sea ofjapan on the eve of a key us—china summit. st petersburg pays tribute to the 1a killed in the metro bombing. a 22—year—old born in kyrgyzstan is identified as prime suspect. and frontrunners in the french presidential election clash over europe in their second tv debate. prince harry unveils a plan to rid the world of landmines and honour the legacy of his mother, princess diana. hello.

the suspected chemical weapons attack in syria was brutal, unabashed barbarism, according to the us secretary of state. at least 58 people died, hundreds more were affected, choking, fainting, foaming at the mouth. the white house has said it's certain president assad's regime was responsible, despite denials from syria and its ally, russia. the un security council is to hold an emergency session. the attack was focused on the rebel—held town of khan sheikhoun, in the north—west province of idlib. this report from our middle east editorjeremy bowen. there are distressing images coming up, right from the beginning. this boy was one of hundreds of victims of the attack, he's showing classic symptoms of poisoning, perhaps by a military—strength nerve agent. the victim's lungs were badly affected. rescue workers did what they could

to decontaminate the victims. that includes removing clothes, where the poison can linger, and by spraying fresh water. the attack happened in khan sheikhoun, a town that has been heavily bombed by the regime and by the russians in the last two days. it's in idlib province, which is one of the last rebel strongholds in syria. the hospital was overwhelmed by casualties. translation: all are wounded, some are dead, there are many suffocation cases. we couldn't enter khan sheikhoun city because of the intensive and systematic shelling. there doesn't seem to be much oxygen there, which could have saved more people. translation: i lost my son, my children, my neighbours, my daughter. they're all gone, i only have god left. this morning it looked just

like the chemical attacks in 2013 near damascus. confronted with scenes just like these, president obama threatened military action, and then pulled back, when syria gave up its chemical weapons. if this latest mayhem was caused by a regime attack, it suggests some chemical weapons were held back. condemnation is coming in from around the world. i'm appalled by the reports that there's been a chemical weapons attack on a town south of idlib, allegedly by the syrian regime. we condemn the use of chemical weapons in all circumstances. if proven, this will be further evidence of the barbarism of the syrian regime. we have understood it was a chemical attack and it came from the air. we will be stimulating all those who have the capacity of finding out technically what happened. president assad's regime has denied it launched the attack but, if that's not true, what's in it for them?

idlib is one of the last rebel strongholds in syria, perhaps someone in the regime thought it was time to increase the pressure. president assad's regime is much stronger than it was when the last big chemical attack happened in 2013. perhaps the way the president faced down american threats back then makes him think he can get away with it again. when local activists were still reporting what happened, the hospital was hit by air strikes. jerry smith supervised the removal of the syrian chemical arsenal after the 2013 attack. everything that they declared left the country, we can absolutely guarantee that. so the issue then becomes, is this new stuff, if it is indeed a warfare agent. or is it undeclared? what's happened in khan sheikhoun

shows, once again, that the syrian war is far from over and the long list of war crimes committed in this war has another entry. we can now speak to ambassador robert ford. he was the us ambassador to syria between 2011 and 2014 and currently a senior fellow at the middle east institute in washington. and a professor at yale. i know you lead for the state department on policy towards syria. there's going to bea un policy towards syria. there's going to be a un resolution, clearly. the white house and the us secretary of state are seeing strong things. you see much change in? there's going to bea see much change in? there's going to be a draft resolution, which the americans, french and british are going to football —— put forward. i don't think the russians and chinese

will allow it to pass, however, and the russians and chinese have already vetoed the condemning of syria. how do you think it will play out in the future? i think this latest atrocity, which clearly was committed by the syrian government, you heard the un representative saying it was delivered by aircraft and only russian aircraft operate around that area, along with syrian government aircraft. the issue here is that the syrian government can use chemical when it is with impunity. an organisation and international watchdog based at the hague said last november that on at least three occasions in 2014 and 2015 the assad government used chemical web and is, despite the russian—american deal from 2013 and

despite the security resolution at that time. the issue is the impunity with which the syrian government operates. we heard the inspectors in jeremy's report saying that everything was declared by the assad regime was removed. you think some are not removed 01’ regime was removed. you think some are not removed or are they making new chemical weapons? are they that confident? the november 2016 report, which your viewers can get on google, have said two things. number one, it said after investigations there were at least three incident in march and april of 2013 and 2014 in which the syrian government used chemical weapons. they said the syrian government could not verify that they had declared all of their chemical weapons materials and production facilities and therefore they could not be certain that the

syrian government had in fact suspended and terminated its ability to produce chemical web is. what do you make of president trump blaming the chemical attack on barack 0bama's in action? i think in 2013 he was urging the obama administration not to attack, wasn't he? yes, he did in 2013 urge president obama not to attack syria because of the use of chemical weapons back then and so i would say this is another example of president trump's incredible hypocrisy. all right. i'm sure he would have something to say about that. thank you very much. the us military has confirmed that north korea has fired a medium—range ballistic missile from near its eastern port of sinpo, into the sea of japan. the launch looks timed to coincide with the visit by china's president to the united states. xijinping is due to discuss with president trump how to rein in pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes. the bbc‘s steve evans has more details from

the south korean capital seoul. it's looking like a pretty routine missile launch. not as big for example as the one on month ago, the four simultaneous missiles that approached japan. so it looks like it's a pretty calibrated gesture. firstly, they want to test missiles. secondly there is a political gesture going on and you can't divorce it from the political background. xijinping meeting mr trump in florida in the coming days. ramped up rhetoric about north korea from the administration. the reaction from washington has been not quite dismissive, but simply rex tillerson the secretary of state said we've talked enough about north korea, we've got no comment. the implication being the time of talking is soon to be over. so what the launch seems to be saying is, don't forget we're still here, but we're not going to make this

launch so provocative that it goes near to japan or anywhere near thejoint us and south korean military exercises which are now happening. they're not specifically referring to any of the trump rhetoric in pyongyang, but they are clearly noted it. mr trump gave an interview to the financial times the other day, where he basically said if china won't help then we'll do it on our own. and he said in the past that if north korea comes anywhere near getting missiles that could reach the united states, quote, "it will not happen". so we are getting heightened rhetoric, but the question of what can actually happen remains unresolved. here, in seoul, there is evidence of increasing concern

because if you're talking about pre—emptive or reactionary military strikes against north korea, the risk then is of a conventional military attack on seoul. experts here say that could generate another korean war. in other news: the powerful south african trade union federation has called on president jacob zuma to step down. cosatu, a key ally of the governing african national congress, says the president is no longer the right person to lead the country. mr has been zuma is under growing pressure since he fired his widely respected finance minister last month. ajudge in argentina has opened a case against the former president, cristina fernandez de kirchner, and her two children on charges of money laundering and corruption. two business associates have also been named. all five have been banned from leaving the country. cristina fernandez has denied illegally amassing personal wealth while she was president. the national electoral council in ecuador has declared the socialist candidate, lenin moreno, the winner of sunday's presidential poll. with almost all results now in,

he's got at least 51% of the votes. the right—wing candidate has disputed the results, saying it was fixed. india has dismissed a suggestion from america's ambassador that tensions between india and pakistan could we de—escalate had, through the us's mediation. they shave —— say they should resolve all issues ona say they should resolve all issues on a bilateral basis. in russia, investigators have named the man they suspect of carrying out the bomb attack on a metro train in st petersburg. they say akbarzhon jalilov was a 22—year—old russian citizen, originally from kyrgyzstan in central asia. investigators believe he detonated a device that killed 14 people, injuring dozens and left a second bomb at another station, which was defused. steve rosenberg has the latest. this is what chaos looks like, underground.

this mobile phone footage was shot seconds after the bomb. there is a mad scramble to get out of the train alive. "smash it, break it down", says a voice. some passengers were helped to safety. "give me your hand". at that moment someone cries, "mum, mum." the injured are pulled away. ulvi was on the train, one carriage down. translation: there was a flash, then panic, people screaming, crying. at moments like this you think about your parents. how will they live without you? when i got out of the carriage, i could hardly stand. i was in shock, i was shaking. i saw blood, body parts, a horrifying scene. and here's the station today, wreckage cleared, service back, st petersburg trying to be normal.

it is astonishing how quickly a scene of chaos and carnage can be replaced by an air of normality. as you can see, the metro is up and running again today. but look over here, and you see a reminder of yesterday's drama. people are normally rushing by in the metro, not today. some here said prayers for the dead. but returning to normal isn't easy. more metro stations were shut today because of bomb threats. 0ne hero from this tragedy is the driver of the bombed train, for keeping calm and not stopping in the tunnel. "i was just doing myjob", alexander kaverin says. russian investigators now say that yesterday's attack on the train was carried out by a 22—year—old man from central asia, who'd been living in st petersburg. they're searching for clues to explain why. that's a question that people of st petersburg are asking.

this has been a day of mourning here, a day for paying respects to the victims, to the passengers of a metro train who never made it home. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: a political row and mass protests in hungary as the government targets one of the country's most prestigious universities. 25 years of hatred and rage as theyjump up on the statue. this funeral became a massive demonstration of black power,

the power to influence. today is about the promise of a bright future, a day when we hope a line can be drawn under the bloody past. i think picasso's works were beautiful. they were intelligent. it's a sad loss to everybody who loves art. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the us has accused syria's president of brutal, unabashed barbarism

after an apparent chemical attack left at least 58 people dead. a draft un resolution has called for a rapid investigation. north korea has fired a medium range ballistic missile into the sea ofjapan — on the eve of a key us—china summit. there are still 300 people still missing after the landslide in colombia which devastated entire neighbourhoods, and killed over 250 people. there is little hope of finding anyone alive. 0ur correspondent laura bicker has spent the day in mocoa, and sent this report. in mocoa, they are finding their missing, but after days of desperate searching, there are no comforting reunions. those who have survived pick through the remaining possessions. this man has lost family and friends, but he saved many lives in the worst hit neighbourhood of san miguel with just a simple flashlight. he calls it his saviour. translation: i was the only one who had a flashlight. the darkness was everywhere

and people everywhere were shouting. i tried to shine light on them, when they shouted, "here she is, the saviour." they're doing all they can to try to reclaim their homes from the mud. the people who settled here were already displaced after years of conflict and now, once again, they have nowhere to go. columbia has endured 52 years of war and now its president says they must prepare for another battle, one against a changing climate. he believes warmer and wetter conditions are on the increase and he says it's turning this mountainous landscape into a killer. but, for now, there is a more immediate problem — no clean running water and, with so many dead bodies still to find, this is a breeding ground for disease. and still they search, but with little hope. over 300 people are still missing, many of them young children.

work is already under way to try to repair and rebuild the scar this torrent of water has left on the town, but the wounds it has inflicted on its people may never heal. laura bicker, bbc news, mocoa, columbia. in an interview with the bbc the colombian president juan manuel santos said the disaster was a direct result of climate change. all the world is vulnerable to climate change. a country like colombia, that is especially vulnerable, because of our geography, our location. what happened, this tragedy, it is a demonstration that climate change has terrible effects. the intensity of the rain, in two hours it rained what usually rains in one month. that intensity produced the avalanche. that is a direct product of climate change. the hungarian parliament has passed a controversial law that could lead to the closure of one of the country's most prestigious

universities. the law, fast—tracked by the nationalist government of viktor 0rban, bans institutions registered outside the european union from awarding diplomas without government permission. sarah corker reports. in downtown but a pest, students, professors and supporters surrounded the university buildings, chanting for free university —— budapest. the central european university, and the university is seen by some as a bastion of liberalism that is under attack by the government. this is an attack by the government. this is an attack against the students. we believe that eventually this support will lead the government to repeal this law. hours earlier, mps passed a new bill, fast tracked legislation, which places tougher

restrictions on foreign universities. translation: --1 ——1 minister said, it ——1ministersaid, it is ——1 ministersaid, it is in hungary's best interests to have as many higher education institutes as possible. but it goes against hungary's interests in hosting experiments, which aim at undermining the leadership. the university's founder is a sworn enemy of the right—wing government. processed as a bill is the latest clampdown on liberalism. it has seen prime minister viktor 0rban in —— increase his influence. the university has students from more than seven countries and presents itself as a champion of free speech. it is in the top 200 universities in

the world in eight disciplines. this bill would effectively shut down the university. our current plan is that we wa nt university. our current plan is that we want to remain in budapest. we've done nothing wrong. it is adding to a growing chorus of a test across the world, with students vowing to fight the bill and saying they will appeal to the hungarian president for help. the 11 candidates in the french election have spoken on french tv. franz election have spoken on french tv. fra nz tost election have spoken on french tv. franz tost beyond was hoping to revive his campaign —— franscois

fillon. prince harry has paid tribute to his mother, diana, for raising awareness of landmines and unexploded munitions. he wants to finish the job and rid the planet of landmines nicholas witchell reports. it was one of the many images of her that caught the world's attention. diana, princess of wales, a matter of months before her death, visiting a mine clearance operation in angola. she met people, many of them children, who'd lost limbs to this most indiscriminate of weapons. she couldn't understand why the world wasn't doing more, and she said so. i am committed to supporting in whatever way i can... her intervention upset some politicians who called her "ill—informed." a few months later, diana was dead. but the world had heard, a treaty was passed, real progress was made. forward, now, to 2017, and it is her son, harry, who is challenging the world to finish his mother's work. his speech tonight was personal and heartfelt. he recalled that his mother had been a voice for all those who'd felt marginalised.

she knew she had a big spotlight to shine and she used it to bring attention on the people that others had forgotten, ignored or were too afraid to support. in august 1997, one month before her death, diana went to bosnia. there she met two boys, both of whom had lost their legs to landmines. to one of them, a boy called zarco, harry said she'd made a promise. when my mother said goodbye to zarco that august, just weeks before her untimely death, she told him that he would not be forgotten. please, help me keep her word to zarco and malic, and other people like them throughout the world, who still need us to finish the job and rid the planet of landmines. harry met zarco and his friend malic, both grown men now, both though still struggling with the life—changing effects of weapons of war which,

as diana pointed out 20 years ago, kill and maim without discrimination long after the wars are over. nicholas witchell, bbc news, at kensington palace. and let's finish the programme with more than one sparkle. a rare pink diamond that was mined in south africa in 1999 has broken the world record for a gemstone at an auction. it fetched more than $71 million in hong kong. the 59.6 carat pink star is the largest polished diamond in its class to go under the hammer. it fetched a higher price when it was put up for auction in 2013, going for $83 million, but the new york—based buyer defaulted on the deal. hello there.

high pressure is going to be the dominating force for the weather across the uk for the rest of this week and into the weekend. here it is, just nudging in from the south—west, pushing that area of low pressure out of the way — and that has brought some severe gales to the far north of scotland, and certainly to the northern isles, that gradually easing down. so first thing on wednesday, for most of us, the winds will be light, quite a chilly start across england and wales, especially in rural places. now, there will be quite a bit of cloud across the northern half of the uk, where it will be quite windy. the best of the sunshine, to start off with across central and southern areas. so that wind quite a feature across the northern half of scotland and for the northern isles, we'll see some outbreaks of rain and a little patchy rain as well across western scotland, drier across the east. but generally speaking, it's going to be quite cloudy for scotland, northern ireland, and to the north of england. maybe some light rain or drizzle for cumbria. in the midlands southwards, here we start off dry. could be a bit of mist and fog

around but that will clear quickly. because the winds will be light it's going feel not too bad in that sunshine with temperatures of about seven or eight degrees to start the day. through the day, it looks like the cloud across the north will move southwards, turning greyer for many central and south—eastern parts. i think the sunshine just holding on across the south coast and in towards the south—west, and will see sunny spells developing across, say, the south—east of scotland, with some shelter in the north—west. and where you get the sunshine, 13 or 14 degrees, cooler than that, though, where it stays cloudy, around 11 or maybe 12 degrees. stays rather cloudy for wednesday evening and overnight, with further spots of rain across western scotland, but those winds easing all the while. so for thursday and friday, they are looking similar, day—by—day. so for the end of the week, it's largely dry thanks to high pressure. there will be some cloud around, but also some sunny spells where it will feel quite warm. now across the pond,

into the united states, the masters golf has started off very windy. those winds will gradually ease down on thursday — and into friday, looks like we should see some good spells of sunshine, then it is even warmer into the weekend with very light winds. that's what is to be happening across the uk to the weekend. this high pressure keeps things settled. we also import some warm air off the near continent. you see the orange colours bathing much of the country but it could be locally very warm across the south—east of england on sunday. but this area of cooler air, as you can see, will be making inroads into the start of the next week, so things are set down to cool down a little bit monday onwards. for saturday, though, starting off rather cloudy, some sunshine breaking through that cloud, and we'll see temperatures reaching the mid—teens celsius in many places. on sunday, it looks like the best of the sunshine will be central, south, eastern parts of the country. it'll be very warm, starting to feel cooler and cloudier, though, across the north—west. from bbc news. my name is mike embley. the suspected chemical weapons attack in syria was "brutal, unabashed barbarism , "

according to the us secretary of state. at least 58 people died. hundreds more were affected. the white house has said it's certain president assad's regime was responsible, despite denials from syria and its ally, russia. the un security council will consider a draft resolution calling for a rapid investigation. north korea has fired a ballistic missile into the sea ofjapan, prompting an angry reaction from japan. it's all just ahead it's alljust ahead of a visit by china's president xijinping to it's alljust ahead of a visit by china's president xi jinping to the united states to meet president donald trump. st petersburg has paid tribute to the 14 people killed in the metro bombing. investigators have identified a 22—year—old born in kyrgyzstan as prime suspect.