welcome to newsday on the bbc. our headlines this morning: tensions are mounting about possible us military action in syria. jets and warships are moved into place, but president trump adopts a less bullish tone. we're looking very, very seriously, very closely, at that whole situation. and we'll see what happens, folks, we'll see what happens. mike pompeo faces a grilling by us senators at his confirmation hearing. president trump's choice to be secretary of state denies he is a war hawk. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: the chinese baby that has been born despite its biological parents dying in a car crash four years ago. and the deportation threat facing the so called windrush generation — commonwealth migrants who came to britain in the ‘50s and ‘60s. good morning.

it is 7:00am in singapore, midnight in london and 7:00pm in washington, where there was a shift in tone from president trump over the administration's approach to possible military action in syria. mr trump said that a decision would be made soon" his defence secretary, jim mattis, said no decision on any assaults had yet been made, and there would be a meeting of the national security council to discuss the issue. this came as french president macron said he had proof it was the syrian government which carried out the chemical attack near damascus at the weekend. here is our north america editorjon 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 5,000 miles away, and the senior officer awaiting orders to attack from the president. i'm so pleased and proud of the harry s truman strike group team, 6,000 of the finest americans you could ever sail with or serve with. we're 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 24—48 hours, no more nice, new, and smart missiles raining down. instead, this. we're 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 had 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're looking for the actual evidence. the 0pcw, this 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 is 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 no justification for any action. translation: washington continues to make militaristic statements that risk causing a dangerous escalation. there are 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 are 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. we will return to washington to get the very latest from our correspondent later. let's take a look at some of the day's other news: mike pompeo, president trump's

nominee for the new us secretary of state, has faced questions from members of congress in the senate's confirmation hearing. mr pompeo, who is currently the director of the cia, appeared to confirm reports that in february around 200 russians were killed in clashes with us—led forces in syria. he referred to the incident when he was asked if more sanctions were needed against russia. there is still more work to be done on other sanctions provisions as well, i readily concede that. vladimir putin has not yet received the message sufficiently, and we need to continue to work at that. but it hasn't just need to continue to work at that. but it hasn'tjust been sanctions. the largest expulsion, of 60 foakes, was from this administration. this administration announced a nuclear posture review that has put russia on notice that we are going to recapitalise our deterrent force on syria —— folks. now, a handful of weeks ago, the russians met their

match. a couple of 100 russians were killed. also making news today: chinese president xijinping has overseen the military‘s largest—ever naval display, saying the need for a strong maritime force has never been more urgent. 10,000 personnel and dozens of vessels took part in the drill in the south china sea. campaigners have called on the uae to explain what has happened to a princess who posted a video online saying her father, the ruler of dubai, had put her in fear of her life. the group detained in dubai says sheikha latifa al maktoum was fleeing on a yacht when it was boarded in international waters last month by the indian coast guard, and she was taken back to dubai. a storm has destroyed two sandstone pillars that decorated entry gates to the taj mahal in india. officials said the world—famous mausoleum in the northern city of agra was hit by winds of 130km/h. work has begun to restore the damaged structures. and it is a moment they will never forget.

13 elephants in laos who were sold illegally to an animal park in dubai have been saved by an animal sanctuary. the conservation project alerted the laotian government about the deal, and then the prime minster personally blocked it. the animals have now left the sanctuary, and are staying in laos. let's return to our top story now, and the ongoing debate about possible military strikes on syria by the united states and others. joining me now is chris buckler, our washington correspondent. so chris, in the past hour, president trump held a phone conversation with the british prime minister, theresa may. tell us the latest. yes, and the questions of

when and if this military strike will happen, there have been diplomatic discussions continuing as they try to formulate a military plan. and certainly we now know that president trump and theresa may, the uk prime minister, have spoken. and in that conversation they established that they believe that there has been a dangerous pattern of behaviour from there has been a dangerous pattern of behaviourfrom president there has been a dangerous pattern of behaviour from president assad's regime in the use of chemical weapons. and they went on to say that it was agreed the use of chemical weapons should not go unchallenged and on the need to deter the further use of chemical weapons by the assad regime. so again you get the that some kind of military action is looming. just a short time ago, when president trump left the meeting of the national security council here in washington, it was also made clear that nothing has been decided yet. plan still being worked out. and i think that is partly because the uk, the us and france all have to be kept informed of this, but also they have to work out some kind of a joint strategy.

clearly there is talk about action, but exactly how sustained, how severe that will be, and exactly what its purpose is, those are all things that are still being discussed at a very high level. as you say, there has been a bit of a shift in the tone from president trump. some people seem to think that tensions might be easing. but is it too soon to say that? yes, i think it is too soon to say that. truthfully, if you take a look at what president trump has been saying, it has been that question of when strikes will happen, not a question of if they will happen. and certainly, although he is saying it might be soon, it might not be soon, you do get the sense that something is looming. and what is happening behind the scenes is that evidence is being gathered. they are trying to assess the intelligence that they have. president macron has gone much further in terms of what he believes

france knows. the americans are being somewhat circumspect at this stage, however a number of us outlets are saying that they have looked at the evidence coming out of syria, but there have been some blood and you're in samples that have been examined, and it does indicate the use of chlorine in the nerve agent —— you're in samples. they say they can be confident about those results, but not 100% sure. but it is the kind of evidence that is being gathered as they work out what the response should be. there is also the issue of russia, as well, russia making very clear that if there is a strike, that they will regard that as something very serious indeed. all of that is being measured up by the americans, the uk and france. but at the same time there is this feeling, when you read there is this feeling, when you read the diplomatic discussions, that something must be done by president assad —— something must be done about president assad's regime. let's get more analysis of the syria crisis. with me is aylina kilic, who is a freelance journalist covering the syrian conflict.

we heard there the british prime minister and president trump speaking. of course, they want to be seen to be doing something, not this kind of talk and then stepping back, what kind of message does that send to president assad? well, i think that the message obviously stands... which is being sent is that obviously the united states and its allies want to be sure that a chemical attack took place in douma, and obviously not to be so quick for military intervention, and actually have enough evidence to back up this. so obviously, in a way, the syrian regime has said that it will hold the west responsible if the chemical weapons watchdog is not put inside douma for an investigation, and to actually verify that the nerve agent was used against

civilians in douma. so obviously it shows that the united states and its allies want to be sure of that before taking any military intervention, because obviously it isa intervention, because obviously it is a very important step in the syrian civil war to actually carry out this intervention. well, it will be an absolutely huge, game changing step, in fact. be an absolutely huge, game changing step, infact. but be an absolutely huge, game changing step, in fact. but what we are seeing is, it is almost as if there isa seeing is, it is almost as if there is a discrepancy in how strongly the different communities are speaking. we heard macron dare speak very forcefully about this, and yet we've got president trump reining back a little bit on what he had said. again, the international community is not 100% on its next steps. yes indeed, is not 10096 on its next steps. yes indeed, because on monday we will have the nato general secretary

visiting ankara. 0bviously have the nato general secretary visiting ankara. obviously it will be an important visit, because it will be about possible talking about... you know, like, the chemical attack, and what turkey's response will be to that. because turkey has not had a clear response to it yet. although turkey has said that no chemical attack must go unpunished, it obviously has tried to intervene to stop the crisis from escalating even further. yes, and it is certainly something that the british prime minister, president trump saying no chemical weapons attack should be unchallenged. for the time being, thank you so much for your time. 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.

frank gardner reports. investigating every possible site of last month's nerve agent attack in salisbury has been exhaustive. now, britain's findings have been backed up the 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 detection 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 on 4 may, is now in hiding 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. you are watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: the chinese baby that has been born despite its biological parents dying in a car crash four years ago. also on the programme: the children of commonwealth migrants who settled legally in the uk decades ago and whose right to stay

is under threat. pol pot, one of the century's greatest mass murderers, is reported to have died of natural causes. he and the khmer rouge movement he led were responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million cambodians. there have been violent protests in indonesia, where playboy has gone on sale for the first time. traditionalist muslim leaders have expressed disgust. the magazine's offices have been attacked, and its editorial staff have gone into hiding. it was clear that paula's only contest was with the clock, and as for a sporting legacy, paula radcliffe's competitors will be chasing her new world—best time for years to come. quite quietly, but quicker and quicker, she seemed just

to slide away under the surface and disappear. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko 0i in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: tension mounts about possible us military action in syria, jets and warships are moved into place. mike pompeo faces a grilling by us senators at his confirmation hearing. but trump's choice to be secretary of state denies he's a war hawk. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. we start with the new york times.

will latin american leaders be missing donald trump this week? the paper looks at donald trump's decision to skip the summit of the americas. they wonder if his absence will be interpreted as indifference. the straits times in singapore is concerned about the welfare of the most beloved bear in singapore. the 27—year—old, known as inuka, was the first polar bear to be born in the tropics. but vets are concerned, they've warned his health is declining. and the china daily reports on a restaurant making some really fast food using high—speed noodles. customers there can expect their food to pull—up on two wheels. the little truck is designed to prevent people being scalded by piping hot bowls. a baby boy has been born in china four years after the death of his parents. the couple died in a car crash

in 2013 just days before they were due to transplant a fertilised embryo as part of their ivf treatment. after a long legal battle the child's grandparent had the frozen embryo implanted in a surrogate in laos. we're joined now from shanghai by the co—founder and ceo of the ivf clinic true baby, lim li. this is an absolutely incredible story, extraordinary situation, have you heard of anything like this before? it's not common in china. it isa before? it's not common in china. it is a rare case. the legal battle the grandparent went on... explain a bit about it because it's very drawn out and infact about it because it's very drawn out and in fact probably they wouldn't have won if this was happening right 110w. have won if this was happening right now. actually it's the very first case where the biological parents

died, but the grandparents got the embryo and then they went to laos to get a surrogate and deliver a baby in china. it's not a common case. it's the first case we've had in china. why do you think they did win this particular case? they sued the hospital, which was the first time, and they actually sued the hospital twice. the intermediary peoples court gave the custody of the embryo to the grandparents. what do you make of this? you are a clinician, what do you make of what has happened here? in the past the embryo was not defined as a live so in law the embryos cannot be

inherited by other people, like grandparents or relatives. based on the ethics and emotional point of view, the court authorised the custody of the embryo to the grandparents. have the doctors involved said anything in public yet? no. two weeks after the doctors didn't really respond after they we re didn't really respond after they were approached. thank you so much for your time and insight into this rather extraordinary story. lim li, live from shanghai, thank you. the fate of thousands of people from the commonwealth who arrived in the uk legally as children has been the 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. our community affairs correspondent, adina campbell, has been listening to some of their stories. grandfather michael braithwaite

moved from barbados to the uk when he was nine. but 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, illegal immigrant, how did that make you feel?|j heard the words, illegal immigrant, how did that make you feel? i fell to pieces inside, i didn't actually feel it externally until i came home andi feel it externally until i came home and i sat down and i cried. and how has it been over the last two years 01’ has it been over the last two years orso? has it been over the last two years or so? two years i think i have rationalised a lot of things inside myself basically. citizens of the british empire coming to the mother

country with good intent. empire windrush began 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 passports caribbean high commissioner is. 1596 of our population migrated to this country and with toil and tears and sweat out make the multicultural society and the modern economy that everyone celebrates today. here's the problem, the home office didn't keep a record or issue paperwork to commonwealth citizens a record or issue paperwork to commonwealth citizen5 already living here in the uk when the immigration act came in back in 1971. that's 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 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 he can't prove he is a legitimate citizen. after being two working all this years for my national insurance i thought that's what it's all about, it's not fair. the royal marsden hospital says albert i5 receiving ongoing care from his gp while the home office says all cases will be dealt with 5en5itively. but with the uncertainty, that's not much comfort to those who say their lives are now firmly in the uk. adina campbell, bbc news. you've been watching newsday. don't go away. i will be back with bu5ine55 don't go away. i will be back with business news. stay with us for a major u—turn. president trump wants to take another look at the pacific trade pact he withdrew the united states from early last year. and before we go, let's take

a look at these pictures. gorilla 5ee5, gorilla does. this is bolingo and he has stunned his keeper5 at florida zoo by learning to do a hand5tand. the video is proving to be very popular on the bbc website. specialists at busch gardens zoo say the activity enhances the ape'5 well—being. i have to say it is all very cute. from all of us and the whole newsday team, thanks for watching, goodbye. well, thursday wa5 well, thursday was a really disappointing day acro55 so many

pa rt5 of disappointing day acro55 so many parts of the country. five degrees for example in sheffield, really cloudy skies and we sourcing i5 for example in sheffield, really cloudy skies and we sourcing is like this, a picture from leicester, but beautiful weather to yesterday. the wee highland picture here of some flowers. let's have a look at the forecast for the early hours of friday then, 5till forecast for the early hours of friday then, still some rain and drizzle around low—grade cloud 5hrouding the hilltops of the pennines, really unpleasant conditions through the course of the night so clear in the far north of scotla nd night so clear in the far north of scotland and the temperatures wherever you are in the far north or 5outh, not really that different, seven in plymouth, around six expected in edinburgh. the forecast for friday itself and we're expecting some of that great, damp weather to eventually clear away and for most of us it's a case of cloudy skies through much of the morning and much of the afternoon but in the south it looks as though some of tho5e clouds will be breaking up a bit so some 5un5hine on the way i think later in the day for london. cardiff, possibly for birmingham and norwich a5 cardiff, possibly for birmingham and norwich as well. 14 tomorrow in

london, 5till chilly in the north, only seven in aberdeen and nine in the lowlands of scotland. how about the lowlands of scotland. how about the weekend? it looks as though things are going to be warming up, quite a bit of bright weather around but we are also expecting heavy showers to develop in one or two areas, not a completely dry weekend. let's look at saturday, starts really bright acro55 let's look at saturday, starts really bright across most of the uk and the chances are there will be one 01’ and the chances are there will be one or two and the chances are there will be one 01’ two showers and the chances are there will be one or two showers breaking out across southern one or two showers breaking out across southern areas so one or two showers breaking out across southern areas so be prepared for the odd downpour but for most of us across for the odd downpour but for most of u5 across the country it's going to bea dry, u5 across the country it's going to be a dry, bright day with temperatures up to 17 in the south. then saturday night into sunday, this low pressure 5wing5 then saturday night into sunday, this low pressure swings in off the atla ntic this low pressure swings in off the atlantic and increases the winds in western areas of the uk, really gusty conditions and it's also going to bring some cloud and rain for south—western part5 to bring some cloud and rain for south—western parts of england, for wales, northern ireland and western scotland. the east, think, on sunday, should just about 5tay scotland. the east, think, on sunday, should just about stay dry and hear those temperatures will

start to rise and you will notice tho5e temperatures rising on the north sea coast, look at that, 14 expected in newcastle. into early next week and into the midweek, we'll see warm air coming out of the 5outh, turning hot acro55 france and potentially quite hot in the south of the uk and here's and outlook. say, for example, in london, sometime next week temperatures could peak at around 24, cardiff will be around 20 or so and even further north tho5e temperatures will rise. i'm kasia madera with bbc news. our top story: president trump gives mixed signals about possible american military intervention in syria. he says a strike in response to an alleged chemical attack could come very soon, or not so soon at all. meanwhile, france says it has evidence the assad regime definitely used chemical weapons. mike pompeo faces a grilling by us senators at his confirmation hearing, but trump's choice to be secretary of state denies he is a war hawk. he also warns north korea not to expect rewards for holding talks with america.

the international chemical weapons watchdog confirms sergei skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a soviet—era nerve agent. the organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons did not name the agent as novichok, but says it agreed with british findings so far. that's all from me now. stay with bbc world news.