tonight at ten — the white house says no decision has yet been made on syria — as donald trump appears to delay a response. we're looking very, very seriously, very closely, at that whole situation and we'll see what happens, folks, we'll see what happens. here, an emergency meeting of cabinet agrees the use of chemical weapons must be challenged. we'll be looking at the options for the international community and their potential effect in syria. also tonight. an inquiry into the sexual abuse of young boys in rochdale says the local council failed to keep children safe for 25 years. the children of commonwealth migrants who settled legally in the uk decades ago — and whose right to stay is under threat. sir cliff richard at the high court — he claims the bbc breached his privacy and data protection over a police raid on his home. and bolt‘s back, but not on the track — as the former champion cheers on the commonwealth games. media scrums in athletics tend

to only happen for one man. bolt retired last year, yet he still remains the main draw. coming up on sportsday on bbc news — in a week of drama on the continent, could arsenal hold onto their first leg lead and reach the semifinals of the europa league? good evening. there've been mixed signals from the us today, as donald trump appeared to take a step back from military action in syria. his defence secretaryjim mattis called for more evidence on the chemical weapon attack, and tonight the white house says no final decision has been made on a military assault. france's president macron said that france had proof it was the syrian government which carried out the chemical attack near damascus

at the weekend, and syria has said independent inspectors are due to arrive in the affected area over the next day or two. here, theresa may held a cabinet meeting to discuss possible military action — more on that in a moment. first, here's our north america editor, jon sopel. weapons locked and loaded, sailors ready for action, this us carrier battle group left its home port in norfolk, virginia — destination the eastern mediterranean, still 5000 miles away. and the senior officer awaiting orders to act from the president. i'm so pleased and proud of the harry s truman carrier striker team, 6500 of the finest americans you could ever sail with or serve with. we are trained, we're ready, any mission, any time, anywhere, we're ready to go. and though this powerful flotilla might be full steam ahead, you get the sense in washington of rowing back. from the commander—in—chief today, the talk was a lot less bellicose.

no more a big price to pay, no more decisions in 2a to 48 hours, no more nice new and smart missiles raining down. instead, this. we are looking very, very seriously, very closely at that whole situation. and we'll see what happens, folks, we'll see what happens. it's too bad that the world puts us in a position like that. and from the defence secretary, an insistence that no decisions to strike have been taken. all options were on the table. and what sounded like uncertainty over who was responsible for the attack. i believe there was a chemical attack and we are looking for the actual evidence. the 0pcw is the organisation for the chemical weapons convention. we're trying to get those inspectors in. probably within the week. but the allies are not speaking with one voice. listen to how much more definitive the french president is. translation: we have

proof that last week, now nearly ten days ago, that chemical weapons were used, at least chlorine, and that they were used by bashar al—assad's regime. us action a year ago amounted to little more than cratering a runway. it still likely that this time multinational action will be more extensive and will come sooner rather than later. but with chemical weapons inspectors due to arrive in douma at the weekend, the window for a quick response would appear to be closing fast. the russians, though, still insist there is nojustification for any action. translation: washington continues to make militaristic statements that risk causing a dangerous escalation. there were accusations not only against damascus, but also against the russian federation. donald trump tweeted this morning that a military strike may come soon, or maybe not so soon. now, if you're being generous you could say this is the

fog of war, keep the enemy guessing. or it may be that there is still some confusion and indecision over what to do next. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. tonight, the white house said that president trump will be speaking to president macron and theresa may this evening. it comes after an emergency meeting of the cabinet — and they agreed chemical weapons attacks cannot go unchallenged. from westminster, here's our deputy political editor, john pienaar. is the military ready? things to do, bombing raids to support. the defence secretary, the whole cabinet, called in today to discuss and approve britain's part in any air strikes in syria. is bombing the answer? i'm just going to go straight in. ministers met to see the intelligence showing the assad regime was behind the chemical attack that killed dozens. a lone protester tried to get in the way. and failed. inside the cabinet, one who'd opposed air strikes five years ago had changed his mind.

why? two reasons — one, because we hadn't provided the evidence and intelligence that we knew who it was. and secondly, because there was not a proper plan which was thought through properly. those two things, i am sure, we're going to answer today. no sight or word from the prime minister yet, so a former tory leader passed on the message. action was justified. swift action. these are a real and genuine threat to everybody. they cannot be used. they've been used in salisbury against british citizens. we need to put our foot down now and we need to strike their ability to use them, stockpile them, manufacture them, or deliver them. i think that is the key element of what action should be taken. so no obvious problem with cabinet approval. mrs may supports urgent action to prevent another chemical attack and, remember, the military need clearjustification for offensive operations, but parliament is having to wait, maybe till after the bombing. the labour leader believes he speaks for people who want peace and a bigger role for parliament. more bombing, more killing,

more war, will not save life. we elect members of parliament, they should have a voice in this. the cabinet on its own should not be making this decision. ministers agreed to confront and deter chemical weapons along with allies. no details were given. mps in all parties argued for and against action and many wanted parliament to have its say first. you always need parliamentary approval if you're planning the use of significant military force for policy reasons. we're a modern parliamentary democracy. we know about the consequences of intervening. syria stands as a test case about the consequences of not intervening. i'm not convinced that a retaliation that has been suggested by washington, by paris, is the kind of thing that the uk government should be engaged in. it is not clear how it'll help bring the war to an end. the last tory prime minister lost a vote on syria in 2013. will parliament back mrs may? well, if military action goes

according to plan, some tories may swallow any doubts. and mps on both sides may hesitate before denying british forces political cover. but mrs may will be accused by critics of bypassing parliament and dancing to donald trump's tune. with national influence at stake the prime minister was keen to back up her american ally. but the final plan still looks like a work in progress. the timing is anyone's guess. john pienaar, bbc news, westminster. as jon mentioned there, downing street said ministers were agreed that it was "highly likely" the syrian government was responsible for last weekend's chemical attack — and that the use of such weapons did not go unchallenged. but what action could be taken? in the streets of douma, supporters of president assad paraded. the town's been a no—go area for them for more than six years. thousands who used to live there

have been bussed out. these were arriving in idlib, a province held by rebel groups. it didn't bring much more then they could carry and accou nts much more then they could carry and a ccou nts of much more then they could carry and accounts of what they'd experienced. for many, this was their parting memory of douma before they left. it's been condemned by the west as a chemical attack carried out by the assad regime. its ally, russia, says this wasn't caused by chemical weapons. this medical technician who says he treated the wounded arrived in idlib with some bad memories. translation: -- translation: -- translation: fatalities came in, they had suffocated. they were entire families, children, women, babies. it was very difficult. we hope the regime takes a hit. we don't care who strikes. we don't feel sorry for it. this man is a

criminal. he's a criminal. he means president assad, looking relaxed with an iranian visitor. he's always denied using chemical weapons. douma's former residents don't believe him. this doctor was sheltering in a basement during the attack and he heard about it when he emerged. regime forces had entered douma. translation: the doctors had been warned against saying anything about casualties, because if they talked the patient, his family and douma would be put in harm's way, so no one dared speak out because they we re one dared speak out because they were afraid. people who were in douma saw how ferocious the bombing was. no one dared say anything. the timing ofa was. no one dared say anything. the timing of a military response isn't clear. its potential consequences are. if the west attacks syria, its neighbours will feel the heat. the us, britain and france and saudi

arabia has offered to join us, britain and france and saudi arabia has offered tojoin in, face a difficult military challenge. they wa nt to a difficult military challenge. they want to punish the syrian regime, but not go to war with syria's allies, russia and iran. the western powers wa nt allies, russia and iran. the western powers want to deter the use of chemical weapons, but how do they do it without killing and maiming the syrian civilians they say they are protecting? russian soldiers are in douma, alongside their syrian allies. they've been winning. changing that would take a bigger war than the west is contemplating. jeremy bowen, bbc news. in a moment we'll speak to nick bryant in new york, but first to steve rosenberg in moscow. how have the day's events gone down where you are? well, if donald trump ‘s aim via twitter is to sow chaos and confusion about his intentions, that's working in moscow, because the russians are completely confused. i was watching a live

political talk show earlier on russian state television, when the news came in that president trump and tweeted that an attack on syria could happen very soon, or not soon at all, and a bemused presenter looked into the camera and said one word in russian which means incredible. also today, the kremlin said that a special crisis communications link which had been set up before by the us and russian military is to prevent an accidental clash between russia and america in syria, that that line was still functioning, it was still being used, and that suggests that conversations are taking place behind the scenes to prevent a us military strike from sparking an accidental conflict between russia and the united states. nick, at the united nations in new york, the military are clearly still talking to each other, but what about the

diplomats? not in a constructive way, no, and it's the words of the russian ambassador that are reverberating in the united nations tonight. and his refusal to rule out the possibility that air strikes could spark war between russia and america. and it's those kind of comments and donald trump ‘s tweets that have heightened concern here about the risk of a major power military confrontation between washington and moscow, and for that reason the un secretary general antonio guterres has taken the rather unusual step of bringing up the ambassadors of america, russia, france, britain and china, and stressing to them the importance of not letting this situation spiral out of control. now the swedish have been trying to broker an 11th hour compromise, but their proposals are far too weak for the british, the americans and the french, and although the russians have called another emergency security council meeting tomorrow, there's a strong sense that diplomacy has been

exhausted. our correspondent nick brya nt exhausted. our correspondent nick bryant in new york there. the international chemical weapons watchdog, the 0pcw, has confirmed the uk's assessment of the nerve agent used against a former russian spy and his daughter in salisbury. the government has said it was novichok, a poison developed in the soviet era, and that the russian state must have been behind last month's attack. moscow has denied any involvement — and said today's report is part of an operation to discredit russia. 0ur security correspondent frank gardner reports. investigating every possible site of last month's nerve agent poisoning in salisbury has been exhaustive. now britain's findings have been backed up by the global chemical weapons watchdog, the 0pcw. today, it published its report confirming the findings of the uk relating to the identity of the toxic chemical that was used in salisbury. britain's chemical defence laboratories at porton down quickly identified that toxic chemical as a novichok. today's report doesn't mention that word, but a second

classified 0pcw report has been given to governments identifying the name and structure of the nerve agent which it said was of high purity. by itself this is not going to be determinative, but if you look at the contextual facts of what we know about novichoks, they were invented by russia largely to avoid verification under the chemical weapons convention. today, russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman dismissed the report as being part of an operation to discredit russia. yulia skripal, seen here before she was poisoned in march, is now in hiding somewhere in britain with police protection. russia has suggested she is being held against her will. her father is still seriously ill in hospital. tonight, britain has called for a un security council debate on the 0pcw report. whitehall officials say russia has some hard questions to answer. frank gardner, bbc news.

an inquiry into child sexual abuse in rochdale has criticised the council and the police over their response to the sexual exploitation of young boys. it said for more than 25 years the council failed to protect children in care. and it said boys as young as 11 were viewed by the authorities as the "authors of their own abuse". judith moritz has more. rochdale, where children in care were not safe from harm. boys abused then abandoned by the institutions which should have intervened. victims like this man, who was teenage prey for cyril smith. he asked me to take my pants down. then had to turn round and face the wall. he started bringing his hands up the side of my legs. this was years ago.

yes. the pain is still very sharp. aye. i'm 70 now. and still feeling the pain and suffering as i did. as councillor, mayor, then mp, cyril smith wielded power and influence. he was never charged. smith helped found knowl view, a school for troubled boys. for 25 yea rs, staff abused pupils and sex between boys was thought normal. the independent inquiry found former council leader richard farnell lied on oath when he denied knowing about the abuse. so you were completely and utterly oblivious to what was going on at knowl view for all of those years? all those people you mentioned did not bring that to my attention. mr farnell says he did not lie, but the report authors are firm.

clearly now that is a matter for others to take forward, but the panel are very clear that they felt he had lied in his evidence given to the inquiry. might be a matterfor the police. indeed it might be a matter for the police. rochdale has lurched from one scandal to the next, from cyril smith in the 60s to the more recent grooming of teenage girls. and there are many here who feel that the town can't move on until the full truth is told. rochdale council has apologised forfailing children. but police say they will consider whether to take action. judith moritz, bbc news. latest figures for accident and emergency waiting times in england are the worst since records began 14 years ago. the health watchdog nhs improvement says hospitals are continuing to face a "mammoth task" coping with rising numbers of patients. 0ur health editor hugh pym reports. staff working flat out trying to cope with sicker patients and a struggle to find beds. it was a familiar story in hospitals this winter.

the latest a&e figures for england show there's been no letup with the arrival of spring. what we're seeing is that nurses are struggling to deliver the quality and level of care that they want to deliver, patients are frustrated because they're not getting the care they want. it is just a very difficult situation. the proportion of patients treated or assessed within four hours in a&e was the lowest over a year since records began in england. by march it was just 84.6% dealt with in that time. slightly higher was the latest figure from scotland, which was forjanuary, with 87.2% within four hours. whereas in wales and northern ireland the average waiting times for the latest months available were worse than in england and scotland. some hospitals, like this one, the royal london, have worked hard to develop new methods of managing the flow of patients,

even in the face of extreme pressure over the winter. in partnership with the local ambulance service, they send consultants out to try to treat more patients in the community, and for those who are admitted, a big effort is made to get them home as quickly as possible. we have joint meetings between the doctors, nurses and therapists so patients get the therapy they need, the tests they need, the treatment they need, just slightly quicker. these marginal gains can take a day or two off the length of stay. but nobody denies it's a really demanding task. there's still relentless pressure. it's what one senior doctor has called "eternal winter". hugh pym, bbc news. the princess royal has visited her father, the duke of edinburgh, in hospital in central london. the duke, who is 96, has been recovering from a hip operation last week at king edward vii hospital. princess anne is believed to be the first member of the royal family to visit him. lawyers for sir cliff richard told

the high court today that bbc coverage of a police raid on the singer's home was a "very serious invasion" of his privacy. sir cliff is suing the broadcaster, claiming breach of privacy and data protection, after officers went into his berkshire home in 2014 following an allegation of an historic sexual assault. sir cliff denied any wrongdoing. he was not arrested and was not charged with any offence. the bbc argues its coverage was in the public interest. our special correspondent lucy manning reports. sir cliff richard is more used to walking out on stage than into a courtroom. the singer has sold millions of records, achieved fame and fortune, but claims the bbc seriously invaded his privacy and he wants very substantial damages. south yorkshire police have confirmed that they are searching a property in berkshire. this news report from 2014 was highly intrusive, said sir cliff richard's barrister, as the bbc filmed from a

helicopter as south yorkshire police searched his flat. they were investigating an allegation of historical sexual abuse, which the singer has always denied. he was never arrested or charged. he looks tearful in court as the reports were played. at times closing his eyes. the bbc claims it was in the public interest to report what was accurate information about a serious police investigation. sir cliff richard's barrister said this story was a toxic combination of unchecked ambition by their local reporter and an obsessive desire to scoop rivals to make headlines rather than report the news. and a regrettable failure by senior managers to even adhere to proper standards. he said, we're talking about intrusive footage served up to the british public as a sensational story. bbc managers fran unsworth and jonathan munro will

give evidence. they argue this case raises great issues about press freedom and about what the public can be told about police investigations. and they claim bbc reporter danjohnson was given the information about the search by south yorkshire police. the bbc‘s barrister gavin miller asked if sir cliff richard could have expected privacy. we say the answer is very clearly know, he said. he may have hoped for that he may have wanted that. but that would not have been a reasonable expectation for somebody in his position to have in those circumstances. in court it was revealed south yorkshire police has already agreed to pay the singer £400,000, and his legal costs, after he sued them. how was your first day? very good thank you. very good, said sir cliff richard, about his first day in court. he is expected to give evidence tomorrow. lucy manning, bbc news. the fate of thousands of people from the commonwealth who arrived in the uk legally as children has

been subject of an urgent diplomatic meeting today. despite having lived here and worked and paid taxes for decades, many now face possible deportation due to a lack of official paperwork. the home office says "they have no intention of making people leave who have the right to remain here". but it's thought some 50,000 people, who arrived by 1971, may be affected. our community affairs correspondent adina campbell has been listening to some of their stories. last year while working as a special needs teaching assistant, the 66—year—old was let go. because he couldn't provide proof of his legal living status. when you heard the words in legal in and how did it make you feel? i fell to pieces inside, i didn't show it externally

until i came home and i sat and i cried. how has it been over the last two yea rs how has it been over the last two years 01’ how has it been over the last two years or so? two years i've been inside myself. empire windrush marks the beginning of mass multiculturalism in the late 19405 but many of the children from that generation never applied for a passport or had official documents to prove their right to stay, which has now led to this unprecedented meeting between some of the uk'5 caribbean high commi55ioner5. meeting between some of the uk'5 caribbean high commissioners. 15% of caribbean high commissioners. 1596 of oui’ caribbean high commissioners. 1596 of our population migrated to this country and with toyland tears and sweat helped make the multicultural

5ociety sweat helped make the multicultural society and modern economy that eve ryo ne society and modern economy that everyone celebrates today. here is the problem. the home office didn't keep a record or issue paperwork to commonwealth citizens already living here in the uk when the immigration act came in back in 1971. that is why some people are finding it difficult to prove their legal right to remain here in the uk. former mechanic albert thompson who doesn't wa nt to mechanic albert thompson who doesn't want to give his real name arrived from jamaica a5 a child without a passport. he now needs radiotherapy for his prostate cancer treatment but has been asked to foot the bill and pay the nhs more than £50,000, a5 and pay the nhs more than £50,000, as he can't prove he is a legitimate citizen. to have been working all the5e citizen. to have been working all these years paying national insurance, that's what it's all about, the way they treat me isn't fair. the royal marsden hospital 5ay5 fair. the royal marsden hospital say5 albert i5 fair. the royal marsden hospital say5 albert is receiving ongoing ca re say5 albert is receiving ongoing care from his gp while the home 0ffice care from his gp while the home office says all cases will be dealt with 5en5itively. but with the

uncertainty, that isn't much comfort to those who say their lives are now firmly in the uk. 0edema campbell, bbc news. arsenal have progressed to the semifinals of the europa league despite a poor performance in the second leg of their quarterfinal against cska moscow. after going 2—0 down at the start of the second half they were in danger of being knocked out but this goal by danny welbeck effectively settled the type. the late equaliser from aaron ramsey gave them a comfortable 6—3 win on aggregate. at the commonwealth games on australia's gold coast, there's been more success for the home nations. england's sophie hahn won gold in the women's t38100 metres with a new games record. is there were more medals for scotland and wales too. but zharnel hughes was denied first place in the men's 200 metres after a disqualification. natalie pirks has a round—up of the day's events — including a special visitor to the gold coast. commentator: she's come here for gold. sophie hahn is a study in composure.

in a year where others have questioned her classification, the paralympic champion dominated her 100 metres race to win england's first gold medal the track. i'm so, so happy. i've always wanted the commonwealth title. to come here to australia and collect it is wow, really. more home nations success came with silver for scotland's eilidh doyle and england's kyle langford, and a brilliant bronze in a star packed women's 200 metres for dina asher—smith. but the blue riband event was the men's 200 metres, a race was dominated by a certain jamaican. is the usain bolt circus rolled into town yesterday, with the former sprinter dj—ing, before playing along to keep his sponsors happy today. media scrums in athletics tend to only happen for one man. bolt retired last year, yet he still remains the main draw. some might say bigger than the current athletes. who can carry athletics now you're gone? i don't know.

it doesn't have to be the 100 or 200 metres, or a sprinter, itjust needs somebody with personality and somebody with their heart. he had a perfect view for a controversial race. england's zharnel hughes won gold in a photo finish, but it was short lived. he was disqualified for stepping out of his lane. with a field lacking star power there's little wonder organisers were keen on bolt‘s stardust, but his presence is another reminder that his are big shoes to fill. we'll get get latest from natalie in a moment. but first, let's take a look at the medal table. australia are still on top, and england second. scotland remain in seventh place and wales have equalled their record medal tally for an overseas commonwealth games.

natalie — what's in store for the next day's action? world indoor heptathlon champion katarina johnson—thompson has long been talked about as being the air to jessica ennis—hill's throne, been talked about as being the air tojessica ennis—hill's throne, she leaves after four events and is favourite to win gold today. caster semenya is always a talking point, she's won gold in the 1500 metres and tonight goes in the 800 metre final, her favourite distance. and tonight goes in the 800 metre final, herfavourite distance. tom daley had to pull out of the individual diving because of injury. he should go in the ten metre platform synchro today with his partner dan goodfellow. jack laugher has won two golds at these games can he is going for the hat—trick in the three metre synchro with chris mears, his partner. they are the reigning 0lympic champions.