welcome to bbc news, broadcasting at home and around the globe. i'm tom donkin. our top stories: after its missile strike on a syrian airbase, washington warns it will no longer allow president assad to use chemical weapons without consequences. four people are killed, and 15 injured, in what the swedish prime minister is calling a terrorist attack after a lorry ploughs into shoppers in the capital stockholm. the united states has warned that it may not stop at its missile strike in syria. president trump authorised the attack on a syrian airbase, from which he believes president bashar al—assad's forces launched a chemical weapons attack. russia and syria have both condemned the action,

but addressing an emergency meeting of the un security council, the american ambassador nikki haley said stopping the use and spread of chemical weapons was a vital national security interest. our military destroyed the airfield from which this week's chemical strike took place. we were fullyjustified in doing so. the moral stain of the assad regime could no longer go unanswered. his crimes against humanity could no longer be met with empty words. it was time to say "enough", but not only say it, it was time to act. bashar al—assad must never use chemical weapons again, ever. a lorry has been driven into a crowd of pedestrians in the swedish capital stockholm, killing four people and injuring 15. sweden's prime minister has called it an act of terrorism. our correspondent, dan johnson,

reports from stockholm. people running in terror, as a truck races towards shoppers in the centre of stockholm. and this is where it ended up, in flames, after crashing into a department store. translation: i saw exactly where the lorry went in, just there. there wasn't much of a reaction, then the police arrived. the police just said, "you have to run". you could actually see bodies lying on the street, and i could see the police covering a body with an orange blanket. and there were lots of police around, lots of people just standing around and filming, taking photos. the truck belongs to a brewery company, who said a man hijacked it earlier, as it was dropping off beer. the bluntest of weapons, used to deliver a sudden and deadly blow, that has hit sweden hard. there was a lady laying with a severed foot, there were blood everywhere, there were bodies on the ground everywhere, and a sense of panic.

people standing by their loved ones, but also people running away. so many questions. first, who was involved, and why? police quickly released images of a man they wanted to question, and within hours they had made an arrest. translation: earlier, we released a picture of a person of particular interest to the investigation. and a short while ago, we apprehended a person that matches that description. and sweden's prime minister said his country would not give in to terror. thoughts, concerns, and condolences have reached many of us from all around the world, and we are grateful for the many warm expressions of sharing our grief. we are determined never to let the values that we treasure, democracy, human rights, and freedom, to be undermined by hatred. after hours under lockdown, at least some normality is returning

to the city. the metro has reopened, and people are returning. there is an uneasy feel here tonight. this has really shaken people in this city. the police are visible in number, and there are already extra checks at sweden's borders. already, some are saying this is a wake—up call for the security services. sweden has a proud history as an open society, that embraces all, but it is now the latest corner of europe forced to confront death, so sudden, so shocking. danjohnson, bbc news, stockholm. in other news: senators in the united states have confirmed neil gorsuch as a supreme courtjudge, following a year—long political battle over the post. it's being seen as the biggest success so far for president trump, who had nominated gorsuch over democratic opposition. mr gorsuch will be the iisthjustice

of the us supreme court. this is bbc world news. still to come: the violent husband who was spared custody is now sent to jail after his claims to be a professional cricketer are proved untrue. a romanian tourist who was knocked into the river thames during the westminster terror attack, just over two weeks ago, has died. andrea christea had been visiting london with her boyfriend when she was struck by a car driven by khalid massood. her family have paid tribute to their "irreplaceable" daughter, sister and partner. our home affairs correspondent, tom symonds, reports. there had been a hope that andrea cristea would make it. she was young, she'd been on holiday, about to receive a marriage proposal. it wasn't to be.

doctors at st bartholomew's said she'd been in a critical condition since the attack. yesterday, they decided to withdraw life support. we are saddened by the death of miss andreea cristea at st bartholomew's hospital. she had been receiving care here since the westminster terror attacks, having been initially treated at the royal london hospital. and our thoughts are with her friends and family at this difficult time. i'd like to pay tribute to all the staff who showed great care and compassion in looking after her. her family praised the kindness and empathy shown by medical staff and the police. after fighting for her life for over two weeks, they said, our beloved and irrepressible andreea, wonderful daughter, sister, partner, dedicated friend and the most unique and life—loving person you can imagine, was cruelly and brutally ripped away from our lives in the most heartless and spiritless way. she will always be remembered as our shining ray of light that will for ever keep on shining in our hearts. khalid masood can't have cared

who he targeted that day, using a blunt weapon, a hire car. he mowed down his victims, somehow sending andreea over the railing of the bridge and into the river. leslie rhodes, aysha frade, kurt cochrane and pc keith palmer also lost their lives. the inquest into their deaths has been adjourned, but it will consider what happened in precise detail that day. the benefit the coroner has is the sheer number of witnesses. it's thought 1,500 people may have seen what happened. last week, andrei burnaz laid a single flower in memory of the woman he'd hoped would be his wife. today, for all the victims, the flowers, the candles and the thoughts kept coming. a man who was spared jail because he told a judge he would lose an offer to play professional cricket, has been sent to prison after it emerged that he was lying. mustafa bashir will now serve 18 months for assaulting his wife with a cricket bat and forcing

her to drink bleach. judith moritz reports. mustafa bashir played lower league cricket, but he posed as a promising talent about to sign professional papers. he thought it would prevent him going to prison, after assaulting his wife. last month, he told the court that if he was jailed, he'd lose a contract with leicestershire county cricket club. in fact, he had only ever played a couple of open net sessions there. the club called his claims an invention and told the court. today, mustafa bashir was sent straight to jail, thejudge saying he'd been fundamentally misled. if you are in a position where you have to give evidence in court, it's very important that you tell the truth, as mr bashirfound out today to his cost. the judge also addressed criticism he'd faced for saying bashir‘s victim, his former wife, was not particularly vulnerable. he said: this evening,

i spoke to mustafa bashir‘s ex—wife, who has asked not to be named. she told me she had been upset by the originally court hearing, but said that she was pleased to hear the judge's comments and decision today. she said, "i feel relaxed, i feel strong. now, i feel free." tonight, mustafa bashir is spending his first night in prison — paying not just for his violence, but for the lengths he went to to avoid jail. in a few hours' time, the basque separatist group, eta, is due to hand over the last of its weapons. it announced that it would fully disarm in a letter obtained by the bbc, after a militant campaign that killed more than 800 people since the 1960s.

the group actually declared a unilateral ceasefire six years ago, but today's events bring a formal end to the violence. the bbc‘s chief international correspondent lyse doucet reports from san sebastian, in spain's basque region. the heart of the basque region, once the heart of eta's brutal insurgency. hard to imagine it now in towns like san sebastien. for many basque, impossible to forget, especially for officials who were targets of assassination. translation: the world of violence was like the tide. it came up the beach, little by little, until it took over your whole life, and the lives of everyone around you, and the lives of your family. the basque separatist movement emerged under spain's long franco dictatorship. eta became a byword for car bombs, extortion, shootings, for decades. this man, a local police chief, one of many victims. his wife, rosa, remembers every

detail of the day eta shot him. "my son told me, ‘mama, be strong,”' she says. doctors tried for five days to save him, but now she wants her country to move on. "any steps towards peace are good," she says. but she accuses eta of making too much of their declaration. eta calls it disarmament day. their statement obtained by the bbc says all its weapons will be handed over to civil society representatives. this prominent basque politician played a key role in persuading eta to give up its guns. arnaldo ortegi once headed eta's political wing. translation: the ceasefire was a few years ago,

so disarming was the obvious next step. but look at what is happening in the world, as well. the strategies of the 20th century are over. when you look back, do you regret those decades of violence? translation: it's a difficult question. i believe the armed conflict should have ended earlier. 0ur society wanted us to take this step earlier. we should've listened. in some ways, eta's move is largely symbolic. it doesn't have many weapons left, and there haven't been any attacks here in the basque region of spain for many years. but this is an historic turning point. it draws a line under what had been decades of violence, and brings an end to the last

insurgency in the heart of europe. but, for many basques, there's still the issue of eta prisoners. in villages across this region, they're regarded as heroes. hundreds languishe in spanish and french jails, far from theirfamilies. but eta won't get anything in return fordisarming. the spanish government won't negotiate with people it calls terrorists. an old conflict goes on, fought now with words, not with weapons. lyse doucet, bbc news, san sebastian. this is bbc news — the headlines. the united states has warned that it could take further action against syria over its use of chemical weapons hours after firing missiles at an airbase. well, as we've been hearing the syrian government condemned thursday night's attack as reckless and irresponsible. but less than 2a hours after the strikes, syrian warplanes were reportedly once again taking off from the airbase. 0ur north america editor jon sopel reports. it was after dark on the east coast of america, and before the sun had risen in the middle east,

when the commander—in—chief gave the order to strike. from two us warships in the eastern mediterranean, a volley of cruise missiles was fired, targeting a single military airbase outside homs, that had been used, say the americans, by the syrian air force to launch the deadly chemical weapons attack on idlib earlier in the week. it is in this vital national security interest of the united states to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons. there can be no dispute that syria used banned chemical weapons, violated its obligations under the chemical weapons convention, and ignored the urging of the un security council. the grotesque after—effects of the attack — the us believe the nerve agent sarin was used — horrified the world, and more importantly,

horrified this president. a line had been crossed, and unlike his predecessor, he was going to act. assad choked out the lives of helpless men, women, and children. it was a slow and brutal death for so many. even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered, in this very barbaric attack. no child of god should ever suffer such horror. what is truly astonishing, dizzying even, is the speed with which this administration has changed its policy towards syria and decided to act. at the beginning of the week, president trump saw bashar al—assad as a useful ally in the fight against so—called islamic state. there was no talk of regime change. but the chemical weapons attack changed everything, and within two days, targets had

been identified and struck. here is what we know about the attack. 59 tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from the two destroyers in the eastern med. the shayrat airbase is some 20 miles from homs, deep in syrian government—held territory. targets included aircraft, their shelters, fuel depots, air defences, and radar sites. but, because russian forces are also deployed at the base, russia was informed of the attack in advance. the aftermath shows damage and debris at the base, but hardly devastation. the pentagon says it didn't particularly target the runways, as they can be quickly repaired. the aim was to destroy the infrastructure that allows the base to function, and the attack has brought the president strong support. mr president was authorised to conduct this strike. he's not asking for a declaration of war. he's not committing ground troops over an extended period of time. he was dealing with

exigent circumstances, and as the commander—in—chief, not only does he have the right, he has an obligation to act. and hillary clinton has also backed the president's action, but with this qualification. we cannot in one breath speak of protecting syrian babies, and in the next, close america's doors to them. the president and his team at the makeshift situation room at mar—a—lago, as they await news of the strike. donald trump, who didn't want to get embroiled in foreign conflicts, hasjust ordered us forces into action. and, as he ended his address to the nation last night, he no longer sounded like the "america first" isolationist. goodnight, and god bless america, and the entire world. thank you. the president, not yet 100 days in, has travelled a long way in a short time. jon sopel, bbc news, palm beach, florida. daniel drezner is professor of international politics at the fletcher school of law

and diplomacy at tufts university. he also writes for the washington post and he joins us live via webcam from newton in massachusetts. professor drezner. good of you to join us. good of you tojoin us. do good of you to join us. do you think this action has this action good of you to join us. do you think this action has completely changed 01’ this action has completely changed or signalled a change to president trump's strategy in syria? i ask you because do you think he might now go further and enforce things like no—fly zones, etc? it is unclear at this point. i would be inclined to say no. the one way in which i think president trump could escalate actions in syria is the question of — are these the only chemical weapons left in syria? and if they haven't been destroyed, then how does the united states guarantee that the chemical weapons convention has been enforced which might raise thorny questions down the road. i

think that's the part where it is unclear. also it should be noted that the administration has been somewhat unclear as to whether or not what this means going forward. rex tillerson said one thing, the secretary of state, secretary of defence said something else. but truthfully we need to see how syria reacts to this and how russia reacts as well. do you think this was potentially an opportunity too good to miss for the new administration? i say that because obviously president trump has wanted to forge his own path in his presidency and by doing that he's basically done the opposite of what president 0bama has done. is that how you read the situation? i would read it somewhat differently. i don't doubt that is certainly a factor. there's something that international relation scholars like to talk about called the cnn effect, the notion that presidents occasionally acted because there were horrific images on television, that that called a public groundswell or demand to do something, that then led the

president to pursue action. there's not a tonne of evidence for the cnn effect in prior presidents, but i would argue that we're now experiencing a fox news effect. we actually have a president who really does watch a fair amount of cable news, and there's already reports in both politico and the washington post suggesting that one of the things that motivated president trump in this case was the fact he saw horrific and grisly images of children and other syrians who were dead because of chemical weapons' use. so as a result i think that might have motivated him to action. which unfortunately suggests that if there are other horrific images from elsewhere in the world, that wind up coming across his desk, he might decide he wants to do something there, as well. ithink decide he wants to do something there, as well. i think the point that he is a president who definitely does what he says and also does things that are unpredictable to the wider community, but also he has surrounded himself with some pretty impressive and well respected military minds, so, you know, is there an argument to say that this was a surgical strike, it was, you

know, well executed, so potentially wasn't such a knee jerk reaction? there's no denying that's the case. indeed, one of the reasons i believe the action was taken so quickly is that the pentagon already had these plans on their shelf and i have no doubt that the generals that you're talking about probably presented these plans to president 0bama in 2013-14-15-16. the these plans to president 0bama in 2013—14—15—16. the difference is that 0bama was extremely resistant to the idea of getting involved in syria, whereas trump demonstrated a willingness to defer to the generals. the moment he requested the options be put in front of him, it's not a shock that the pentagon could put extremely well—drawn, detailed, precise plans right on his desk as soon as possible. good to talk to you, daniel dress dress. that was professor daniel drezner at the fletcher school of law in the us. more now on the confirmation by senators in the united states of neil gorsuch as a supreme court judge, following a year long political battle over the post.

we can cross live to new york now and speak to corey brettschneider, professor of political science at brown university. good to see you, sir. you've rather fore nsically good to see you, sir. you've rather forensically studied what neil gorsuch has written over i guess many years on big issues like gay marriage and euthanasia. in your experience can we glean anything from that about how he might operate in the court? yes, i think he can, he's written a lot, a disser tags at oxford university and a book that followed based on the disser tags. the topic of the book is assisted suicide. he gives an argument as for why there has to be a respect for human life and an argument for a national ban on assisted suicide, potentially enforced by the supreme court. and the question in regard to abortion is whether or not he would apply

that sort of framework in thinking about abortion as well. i think certainly the book has lots of criticism of the foundation of the right to an abortion, namely the rite to privacy, or, as he terms it, the right to make intimate choices and he's very critical about that jurisprudence. similarly he is critical about the right of gay marriage, but of course it was a book — sorry, in the dissertation i think he was critical — but that was written before this decision came down. yeah, he was pretty good not giving away any of his views in that hearing process. he didn't hint at how he might rule on some of the issues. it is kind of a lifejob — you get a life term for the supreme court. do you think, then, it's going to take some time before we find out who justice going to take some time before we find out whojustice neil gorsuch actually is? it depends on the cases that come before the court. the justices don't have the ability to justices don't have the ability to just address any issue. they have to wait for a case of controversy. but there are several on abortion that are brewing. he will have the power

to effect which cases are taken. so if it turns out that he is devoted to overturning roe, we may find that out sooner than we think. they don't have the votes now to overturn roe v wade. he's a replacement for the previous justice so i wade. he's a replacement for the previousjustice so i don't wade. he's a replacement for the previous justice so i don't think they yet have the votes but i think his influence will be felt well beyond his vote. he's a very smart person steeped in these issues in a deep way and has strong commitments. i think his persuasion and his influence will be well beyond this vote. we might see it soon. thank you forjoining us, professor of political science at brown university. more than eighty hot air balloons have travelled from england to france to try to set a new world record for the largest group crossing the channel. 0ur reporter fiona lamdin was on board one of them. they gathered at first light in a field in kent. and as the sun rose, with almost military precision, at exactly 7am, the mass ascent began. 82 pilots from across europe, here to set a new record.

the pack drifted over dover's castle and cliffs. england was soon behind them as they headed 26 miles over the channel to mainland europe. it's just fantastic being up with so many other balloons. it's a once—in—a—lifetime opportunity. well, the cameraman is in a balloon somewhere out there so i am filming there myself. we are right in the middle of the flight. can't see france, can't see england, all i know is i'm above the world's busiest shipping lanes. and after three hours drifting above the sea, they arrived in france, south of calais, to the warmest of welcomes. after three hours, 21 minutes, and 20 seconds, it was down—to—earth with the most gentlest of bumps. bend your knees, bend your knees... when we began to see a little point in the sky,

and so we, with the car, we tried to follow the course of the balloons, and we are happy to see you! the pilots are confident they've broken the previous record of 49 balloons, but are waiting for confirmation that they hold the new title. the weather now with jay wynne. hello there, good morning. as april weekends go, i think we are in for a bit of a treat this weekend, because there is some strong sunshine to be had for large swathes of the uk on both days. and we are going to see those temperatures creeping up day by day, 23, 2a degrees by sunday afternoon for some of us. however, across england and wales through the day today, we do have some quite high levels of pollen. it is birch pollen at this time of the year. now, to end the week, we saw a good deal of sunshine for much of the uk. always a bit more cloud in the north and west of the uk, but the odd spot of rain.

but, with the clear skies for most, it is turning quite chilly once again. 0vernight, major towns and cities into single figures. but it is in more rural spots where we are getting down to the bottom end of single figures. two, three degrees for some, so quite a chilly start to saturday with a few patches of mist and fog. mist and fog will not last too long, nor will the chilly feel to things. once the sun is up, those temperatures will be it looks like it could be sunny for large swathes of the uk. it is just the far north—west where we could see a few spots of cloud and some rain. 1a or 15 for glasgow and belfast, but into the low 20s in between, in aintree, around about 17 or 18 degrees. the sky, light winds, very pleasant indeed. and if you are off to the premier league matches, no problem with the weather, at 16 or 17 degrees the top in man city, a little bit of pressure in bournemouth, but still a lot of sunshine. and temperatures are on the rise for the second part of our weekend as well.

warmth coming up from spain and france will raise those temperatures, especially across more central and eastern parts of england. it will be a fresh start to the day on sunday. a few patches of mist and fog, but a decent day for most places, lots of sunshine. more cloud in the north and west bringing more rain into western scotland, maybe into northern ireland. thickening cloud on the western side of england and wales, but here, that is where we are going to see the sunshine and the highest temperatures. and it is that fresher air which will eventually win out, late sunday on into monday, the weather fronts out there head south. not much rain on it, but it will be introducing this cool, fresh air. so by monday it is going to be a rather different day. we just have a quick reminder of those temperatures on sunday, because they will be doing quite well. but by monday, a sharp drop in those temperatures. those temperatures will be coming back down by a good eight or nine degrees, so a fresher feel to things on monday, and a different sort of look at things as well. there will be a lot more cloud in the sky, there will be a few showers around, and of course,

it will feel that bit cooler. the latest headlines from bbc news. the united states has refused to rule out further military action against syria. it comes after it fired missiles at an airbase from which it believes president assad's forces launched a chemical weapons attack. but despite the strikes, syrian warplanes are reportedly once again taking off from the airbase. four people have died and 15 people were injured,