this is bbc news. i'm vicki young. the headlines at 6pm. the syrian government denies it is behind an alleged chemical attack in syria. reports suggest 70 people were killed in the rebel—held area of douma. donald trump has denounced the syrian government and condemned its allies, calling president assad an animal. ministers deny any link between falling police numbers are the rise in violence in london. labour accuse them of having their heads in the sand. the foreign secretary borisjohnson describes jeremy corbyn as "the kremlin‘s useful idiot". labour has hit back saying mrjohnson has "made a fool of himself" over russia. polls are just closing in the hungarian general election where the right—wing nationalist viktor orban is expected to win a third consecutive term. also in the next hour. canadian prime ministerjustin trudeau says "an entire country is in mourning" after the fatal bus crash involving a junior ice hockey team.

15 people were killed and two others are said to be in a critical condition. the humboldt broncos had been on their way to a match when the accident happened. campaigners put to sea to protest against the government's plans for eu fishing quotas during the brexit transition period. good evening, and welcome to bbc news. president trump has warned bashar al assad of syria that there would be a "big price to pay" for an alleged chemical attack on a rebel—held town outside damascus. medical aid groups are reporting that dozens of people have been killed due to poison gas in the town of douma in eastern ghouta. there's been widespread

condemnation, and one of mr trump's top advisers says a missile strike against syria hasn't been ruled out. the syrian government and its biggest ally russia deny chemical weapons have been used. this report from our middle east correspondent martin patience contains distressing images from the start. this was the scene at an emergency clinic in douma. medics hosing down children after an alleged chemical attack. these pictures were filmed by activists on the ground. some children were barely conscious. this baby is alive, but struggling to breathe. the medics are doing what they can, but they are overwhelmed, working in a war zone without enough medical supplies. we received many patients who suffered from symptoms compatible with exposure to high

concentration chlorine gas, also their symptoms were deteriorating in a fashion which is not compatible with pure chlorine gas exposure, and that is why our physicians are concerned about exposure to nerve gas in low concentration. president trump has denounced the attack. this is what he tweeted. the white house is ruling nothing out. is it possible there will be another missile attack? i wouldn't take anything off the table, these are horrible photos. the state department put out a statement last night, the cabinet has been talking throughout the evening and this morning. backin morning. back in syria, government troops have surrounded douma. it is the

last rebel held town in eastern boot. both damascus and its ally russia described claims of a chemical attack as fabrication. they are prepared to take douma at any cost. this footage was shot by the civil defence in syria, known as the white helmets. here, they run into the aftermath of an air strike. they find an injured man. while the politicians talk, this is the reality in douma. martin patience, bbc news, beirut. our correspondent in washington chris buckler told me why a military response from the west was inevitable if the use of chemical weapons in douma is proven. if you take a look at what they have been saying since the first images appeared of those who really saw those images appear of what was emerging out of douma, horrific images.

even before they were verified, the us state department has been making clear that if it does prove to be chemicals used, there will have to be some kind of international response. it seems increasingly clear that does mean some kind of military response. it is worth remembering it is only a year ago to the day that president trump ordered missile strikes after a sarin gas attack. it seems clear from what he has been saying on twitter he believes yet again chemicals have been used, and the assad regime is responsible. on twitter, he says, there are many dead, including women and children, in a mindless chemical attack in syria. the area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by the syrian army making it inaccessible by the outside world. president putin, russia and iran are responsible for backing animal assad. a big price to pay. open the area immediately for medical help and verification. another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever.

so you get a real sense there of president trump saying, not only would syria have to be held accountable, but also russia. it is worth mentioning he specifically talks about vladimir putin. that is relatively rare for president trump. he has remained quiet even while his administration has been talking tough about russia. in the last days, we have had sanctions against russia in which specifically their support for syria, their influence internationally and other things like ukraine, was mentioned time and again. you get a sense that president trump is sending a message to vladimir putin even amid the deteriorating relationships between the white house and the kremlin. he also singles out president obama for criticism. it has to be said we have heard a lot of these hard tough words before, president obama talked about a line being crossed, but no action being taken. do you think there is a difference this time around?

it is difficult to say. and only because we did have that military strike last year. that time when it seemed president trump's administration said enough was enough. yes, there was criticism from president obama, there was military action involving president obama. there continues to be an american presence inside syria. 2,000 troops there. trying to get involved in fighting is. there are other responsibilities beyond that. we have had indications from president trump recently he perhaps wants to leave syria, pull us troops out. that becomes difficult if you are criticising what is happening with the assad regime. a lot of what the troops are doing there for america is specifically targeting is. it is not involved in targeting the assad regime. that has been scaled down.

the question for president trump is, yes, he will criticise what president obama did, but is there also potentially criticism is he doing enough, particularly whenever you have these horrible images coming out apparently from douma. there are reports coming out from syria quoting that local authorities may be able to enter the city to restore utilities. that is according to local negotiators, quoted by reuters. the possibility that some people may be allowed in to the city to help restore public services. and a deal between rebels and the russians could allow rebels who make peace with the syrian authorities not to be pursued by security forces. the possibility of some kind

of pause in hostilities. also, out of pause in hostilities. also, out of paris, a report paris is seeking an urgent un security council meeting on syria. the french government seeking urgent un security council meeting on syria. the home secretary amber rudd has rejected claims that the rise in violent crime in london is linked to police cuts. the government is preparing to outline a new strategy to tackle the problem, but labour says ministers have their heads in the sand. susana mendonca reports. a high visibility police presence on london's streets, after a week that's seen a spate of violent deaths. but the home secretary has rejected claims that falling police numbers are to blame, and she's been backed up by cabinet colleagues. go back a decade. serious violent crime was a lot higher than it is today, but so were the police numbers, so for anyone to suggest this is caused by police numbers,

it is not backed up by fact. tomorrow, the government will launch a serious violence strategy, to focus on early intervention. it will also unveil a new 0ffensive weapons bill which will further restrict the sale of knives online, make so—called zombie knives and knuckle—dusters illegal to possess, and introduce a new offence of possessing corrosive substances, like acid, in a public place. the move has been welcomed by police chiefs. this is a really essential piece of legislation for policing and for the public and communities. it will allow us to control the purchase by people under age 18, and it will allow us to have much more control as to who carries it in a public place, and whether they have good reason to or not. ministers here say they are investing more money in policing, but acknowledged that the system is stretched. this latest move is an attempt to get the government back on the front foot following criticism it hasn't been doing enough. but the debate over how many officers are needed isn't going away. labour says police officer numbers have been cut by 21,000 since 2010,

and it would be naive of the government to argue that hasn't had an impact, and with many young people involved in recent stabbings and shootings, labour says wider cuts to public funding may also be playing a part. it's notjust about police numbers, it's about our community services as well, our youth services, children's centres, our social workers and our local councils that have seen significant cuts to their budgets as well. with more than 50 lives lost in london alone this year to violent crime, the mayor of london is calling a summit this week. it isn't yet clear whether the home secretary will attend. the foreign secretary borisjohnson has stepped up his criticism ofjeremy corbyn over the poisoning of a former russian spy in salisbury. he said the labour leader was "the kremlin‘s useful idiot" for refusing to say unequivocally that russia was responsible for the nerve agent attack. labour says mrjohnson has "made a fool of himself" by misrepresenting what he was told, by chemical weapons experts.

voting has just ended in the hungarian general election where the right—wing nationalist viktor 0rban, is seeking his third consecutive term as prime minister. his fidesz party had a big lead in opinion polls, but the high turnout could benefit opposition parties. jenny hill reports from budapest. divisive, defiant. for viktor 0rban, it's hungary first. good morning, mr 0rban, bbc news. are you feeling confident? no wonder europe is watching closely. mr 0rban knows how to upset the neighbours. his dream for the eu, closed doors, illiberal values, and most of all, no migrants. it's won him elections before and he is hoping it will work again. a simple message — hungary comes first for us. but will mr 0rban come

first for hungary? the opposition here is weak, fragmented, but turnouts much higher than usual. translation: the stakes are huge. we will either become an immigrant country or we will stay free. we need change, because what's happening here is chaos. the problem? everything — corruption, healthcare in ruins, low wages. viktor orban is perhaps europe's most divisive leader. it is a reputation he has carefully crafted and he is counting on it to win this election. mr orban, very few migrants are coming into this country, why the focus on immigration when so few people come? there is a question of the future. mr orban, the eu says that you flout its values and laws, is this the direction hungary should be going in? we are just standing for democracy now. and he has powerful friends — russia, poland. what hungary chooses

today will influence europe's course tomorrow. jenny hill, bbc news, budapest. nick thorpe is in budapest for us now outside an election event and has the latest. the polls have closed, is this a foregone conclusion? no, it is not a foregone conclusion. i have two contradict you, the polls we re i have two contradict you, the polls were meant to close if you minutes ago but under the hunger in rules, if there are people still in queues, they cannot close and the voting cannot begin until all polling stations are closed. i have heard even at one particular polling station in budapest, the cube is so long that the electoral officers think they may not close for another two hours. we are facing several hours of confusion before it can begin. what are the main issues? we have

heard about immigration, in the report, this issue, is that what has dominated this campaign? that is sadly what the governing party that is as party have made their central issue. that single issue, should hungary become a country of immigration, or should it stay as it is a smart a country with very few people from other cultures. it is to not many immigrants want to come to hungary at all, there were 200 years ago they were crossing hungary to western europe. the real problem is immigration, a shortage of workers in the country because so many hungarians have gone to western europe to look for work. corruption is being raised often by the opposition parties. mr orban has beenin opposition parties. mr orban has been in power eight years and there are widespread allegations of corruption against him. turnout is

important because simply that the larger numbers of the vote could well favour opposition parties, adding another level of uncertainty to the result this evening. thank you very much. german authorities say a man who drove a van into people outside a restaurant in the city of munster, was a german citizen with no apparent links to terrorism. two people were killed and the driver shot himself dead at the scene. our europe correspondent bethany bell reports from munster. the town of munster is in shock, the man drove a silver grey camper van into a crowd of people sitting in a square in the old town. the driver shot himself dead. the authorities say there is nothing to suggest this was an islamist attack. reports in german media said the driver who came from munster may have had a history of mental health problems.

police have been combing the area for clues. overnight they cordoned off the town centre and evacuated the residents. they have now been allowed to return home. this square in the heart of munster‘s old town is normally full of ta bles munster‘s old town is normally full of tables and chairs, and at the time when the van drove in here, people had been out enjoying the early spring sunshine. now police have cordoned it off and people have been coming here to lay flowers and light candles for those who died. among those coming to pay their respects was germany's interior minister. he said his thoughts are with the victims and their families. the incident comes at a time of heightened concern, there have been a series of cases in which vehicles have been used to attack crowds in public places. bethany bell, bbc news, munster. police in germany have

arrested six people over an alleged plot to carry out a "violent crime" at the german capital's half marathon. the german newspaper die welt says the group has links to anis amri who was behind the lorry attack on a christmas market in the city in 2016, in which 12 people died. the canadian prime ministerjustin trudeau has said his country is in shock following the deaths of 15 people in a road accident involving a canadian junior ice hockey team. two other people are said to be in a critical condition. the humboldt broncos had been on their way to a play—off match in the province of sakatchewan. police are still trying to determine the reason for the crash. teams around the country have paid tribute to the dead during weekend fixtures. we'll take that time to recognise our... all of our young men and our coaching staff and everybody who has been involved in this tragedy. the headlines on bbc news:

the syrian government denies it is behind an alleged chemical attack in syria. reports suggest 70 people were killed in the rebel—held area of douma. ministers deny any link between falling police numbers are the rise in violence in london. labour accuse them of having their heads in the sand. the foreign secretary borisjohnson describes jeremy corbyn as "the kremlin‘s useful idiot". labour has hit back saying mrjohnson has "made a fool of himself" over russia. campaigners have demonstrating on land and sea across the uk today to protest against the european union continuing to set quotas on how much fish can be caught off britain during the "tra nsition period" after brexit. the government says it's "disappointed" but insists the uk would seek to "take back control" of its waters at the end of 2020. one of the protests took place in hull, as our correspondent kate sweeting reports.

they are marching they say to save what is left of the fishing industry. these protesters in hull are unhappy about the terms of britain's departure from the eu. we didn't vote for a transitional period and we don't want one in the fishing industry. we got sold down the river when we went in and it looks to me we are being sold down the river again. it is a big jewel for england our fishing industry and our waters and they are giving it away for nothing. the bottom line is we should be able to take back control of our own waters which is not happening. if we leave, we leave, you can't be in and out, you've got to be one or the other. protests have been taking place around the country today because after brexit there will be a transition period of almost two years during which the eu will continue to set quotas on how much fish can be caught off britain even though britain will have no say

in what those quotas are. some fear it will bankrupt the industry, something the prime minister denies. as a uk government we are keen we want to see fishing industry across the uk in scotland and elsewhere enhanced. we want to rebuild that industry for the future. that is ouraim. many living around the humber can still remember the area's fishing heyday and some want it back but fear the terms of brexit agreed by the government prevent that. i am very worried because the longer it takes us to break completely free of the eu, the longer our industries, all industries, are going to suffer damage. campaigners say they will continue to fight to get what they voted for. the cambridge analytica whistle—blower christopher wylie has told the bbc that the question of britain leaving the european union should be revisited.

he claims that the uk may not have voted for brexit had it not been for what he called "cheating" by the leave campaign. mr wylie says that a canadian data company, which has been linked to cambridge analytica, received funding from vote leave and played a very significant role in the referendum result. what i'm saying, and i say this as someone who supported leave, i'm saying this as a eurosceptic myself, but this is a fundamental change to the constitutional settlement of britain, the foundational law of britain, and what i'm saying is that if we can't go back from brexit, if this is a one—time decision, we need absolute clarity that the decision made by the british people was made fairly and complied with the law, and so if that means we have to go back to the british people and ask for clarification, i think the british people should have a say and make sure that what we are doing is with the consent of people, that's what i'm saying. 0k... i want a democratic mandate for brexit, that's what i'm saying. french rail workers have begun a new two—day strike

against government plans to change their working conditions, including ending a guaranteed job for life and early retirement. the state rail operator sncf says only a fifth of high—speed trains are operating, and it says a quarter of eurostar trains to london will be cancelled tomorrow. shocking footage has emerged of a moped gang, armed with sledgehammers and knives, breaking into a luxury watch shop in central london. the thieves, wearing black helmets, ransacked the shop in broad daylight, stealing an unknown amount of high—end jewellery. ayesha buksh reports the aftermath of a robbery in london's best shot famous shopping area. it happened just before 10am on saturday and we have seen footage showing there were six people on mopeds and motorcycles. they mounted the pavement and carried what appeared to be sledgehammers and

machetes, forcing their way into the shop. in broad daylight, the gang wearing motorcycle helmets, can be seen smashing their way into the shop, using hammers and their bikes. they scared of anyone who comes near, one person is holding a machete in each hand. after opening the door a little, one robber squeezes in and quickly comes out clutching a bag. the break—in triggers smoke inside the shop. some of the watches on sale here are worth thousands of pounds. police confirmed the thieves made off with some items, a similar robbery at another branch in nearby bjones robbery at another branch in nearby b jones street robbery at another branch in nearby bjones street happened last month. this kind of crime has become a problem in london and the west end isa problem in london and the west end is a popular target. last year the met police launched new tactics, including remote—controlled spikes, smaller bikes for pursuit and the use of a dna spray to trace

suspects. as for this robbery, police have launched an investigation but no arrests have yet been made. ospreys were almost extinct in england and wales but are now making a comeback in some parts of the country. last week, a pair of the nesting birds arrived back in cumbria, after spending the winter in a warmer climate. judy hobson has the details. this is foulshaw moss, one of the few places in england and wales where you might catch a glimpse of a very rare pair of breeding birds. well, the ospreys are nesting safely in the distance, in the first set of trees. you can't actually see them from here unless you have a telescope, but we can show you some webcam footage. this is of the male arriving a couple of days ago because these birds have spent the winter in west africa. there are just 30 pairs of mating ospreys in england and wales. six are in cumbria. they mate for life and this pair have been coming back here for five years and have raised 11 chicks.

people love to follow them. they build these huge nests right in the top of trees. they are quite bold, if you like. and they have got this fantastic highwayman‘s mask, fantastic black and white markings. over the next few weeks, around 7,000 visitors are expected to come here to foulshawjust to see if they can get a glimpse of the ospreys. i thought i'd nip across the border from north yorkshire and have a look at them. it was cool. it was really... it looked really nice. this is a conservation success story. they're thriving now in scotland and are slowly starting to spread south of the border. judy hobson, bbc news. a quick update on our story on syria, the british mission to the un, on twitter, has said nine of 15

members of the un security council have now requested an emergency meeting of what they say is the syria chemical attack. listing the countries there, saying the uk, france, america, poland, the netherlands, sweden, kuwait, peru and cote d'ivoire have called an emergency meeting. we have seen all day international condemnation of what has been going on there in eastern cooter. good evening, a mixed weekend but just about all of us got to see some spring weather and some sunshine. it wasn't like that everywhere. you can see in belfast there were some big showers in the vicinity. tonight we will see showers for a time over northern ireland but they will fade away. staying cloudy and damp in this south eastern corner.

fog patches across south—west scotla nd fog patches across south—west scotland into northern england, and the west midlands. there will be some clear spells elsewhere. tomorrow, another damp affair across the south—eastern corner, patchy rain spreading westwards into the midlands and east wales in the afternoon. elsewhere, brighter skies, a scattering of showers in northern ireland and scotland. temperatures around where they should be. further ahead, temperatures around where they should be. furtherahead, it will stay mild, a cold wind from the north sea will make it feel chilly on eastern coasts. some rain at times but a little bit of sunshine as well. this is bbc news. our latest headlines: the syrian government denies it is behind an alleged chemical attack in syria. reports suggest 70 people were killed in the rebel—held area of douma donald trump has denounced the syrian government and condemned its allies, calling president assad an "animal".

ministers deny any link between falling police numbers and the rise in violence in london. labour accuse them of having their heads in the sand. voting in the hungarian election continues, as queues still remain at some polling stations. the right—wing nationalist viktor orban is expected to win a third consecutive term. hello and welcome to sportsday. i'm tanya arnold. northern ireland get theirfirst gold of the commonwealth games as teenager gymnast rhys mcclenaghan stuns olympic champion max whitlock on the pommell horse. sebastian vettel holds of the challenge from mercedes to wind the bahrain grand prix. can rory mcillroy close the gap

on the masters leader patrick reed? they will be out for their final round injust over an hour.