michael carpenter, thanks very much, a former defence...eign policy adviser to vice presidentjoe biden. the us, britain and france have carried out missile strikes against chemical weapons sites in syria. american secretary of stems general mattis said the three sites had been hit, one near damascus and two near the city of homs. —— american secretary of defence. theresa may said she agreed because the world cannot allow the normalisation of the use of chemical weapons. several large explosions have been heard in damascus and the syrian observatory for human rights has reported a scientific research facility has been struck. they report the syrian army public and guard and fourth division, the elite units of the syrian military, have been attacked. syrian military, have been attacked. syrian state tv said the syrian military was confronting the airstrikes with anti—aircraft weapons and claim 13 missiles have been shot down in south damascus. us military sources are porting tomahawk cruise missiles are being deployed against multiple targets

according to the russian military, the syrian defence system, air defence system, shot down about 70fired last night. like you very much. i want to bring you up—to—date with what the british by minister, theresa may, has been saying. she says what happened in the early hours of the morning here in the middle east was a sending by the united states, uk and france of a clear message that the use of chemical weapons would not be tolerated. that step into a little bit of the press conference she held at downing street a couple of hours ago. as always, they have served our country with the greatest professionalism and bravery. and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. we would have preferred an alternative path, but on this occasion there is none. we cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to become normalised. either within syria, on the streets of the uk or elsewhere. we must reinstate the global consensus that chemical weapons cannot be used. this action is absolutely, in —— in britain's national interest. the lesson of history is that when the global rules and standards that keep us

and with the russian defences, at their defences were not deployed, where russian radar employed?year the focus was on delivery and this year the strikes went to the heart of the enterprise. to the research and development and storage. we are fairly confident that we have significantly crippled the ability of president assad to produce these weapons. let mejust of president assad to produce these weapons. let me just answer. the bls employed a joint stand—off missile, bis were accompanied by us fighters up bis were accompanied by us fighters up to the launch and release point, but is another way to integrate the air package to provide protection to the bombers, just as the french and british aircraft were accompanied by their own fighters as part of the integrated package to provide defence for the shooters. additionally, repositioned defensive counterairaround the additionally, repositioned defensive counter air around the theatre and thatis counter air around the theatre and that is still operational as we observe the potential syrian response. raptors? idon't observe the potent

they believe the air defence systems, yes, they we re the air defence systems, yes, they were fired,es that were fired by this coalition of france, the us and britain. and one thing else to say about britain's contribution, there is a political difficulty for theresa may because she has an opposition that is questioning the legality of this military actions. some have been calling for a vote in parliament before she was allowed to authorise this military action so she had to tread carefully and that may explain in part why the british contribution was less than france's martinelli and those of the us's which of course is the biggest military power. but britain believed that they should be part of this military option. they believe that they have degraded president assad's chemical weapons programme and to be honest if the syrians say they did actually down these missiles they have got to show the proof. thank you forjoining us. in damascus today there were scenes of celebration. people took to the streets to dance and to hail the defiance of the syrian people and president assad. so

the ministry of defence he says for raf jets were the ministry of defence he says for rafjets were usedt this latest statement in london, the language is interesting, they stress carefully coordinated strikes and scientific analysis, highly targeted, reducing further risk, they are at pains to say this was very limited and specific. this is a demonstration of key ability rather than trying to take out specific elements of the assad regime, and both the americans and ourselves have been keen to prove this is not intervening designed to give you a punch on the on to say this is what we can do and if you don't behave, they will follow it up with something bigger. it is about 100 missiles fired from naval units and aircraft, 20 more than were fired last year, it has stepped up a little but let's not overestimate the weight of the attack, it is not really something that will give the regimea really something that will give the regime a body blow. described as a little punch with 100 missiles, we can see the weaponry involved, this was baker award knitted attack between three major countries

they are now up against a first world air defence system, if they choose to fly over syria.is causing them to think long and hard, to give cautious advice and somehow to try to find a way in which they would do some sort of damage, but maybe tell the russians where they were going to strike, that kind of thing, not engage with the russians. that is a very narrow path. all options are on the table and a final decision has not been made. the white house is trying to keep everyone guessing. we will see what happens, folks. in truth, its options and their possible consequences will have to be carefully considered. russia has been very threatening in stating that it would shoot down missiles, possibly even planes, used by the united states and its allies in any potential strike. syria has also moved some of its aircraft to military bases. that adds a layer of complexity, because we would be striking russians and syrians together, potentially. strategists often weigh military power in terms of capability and intent. right now, limited coalition capability defines its options. opti

defence —— served as former policy adviser tojoe biden.er policy adviser tojoe biden. he is now a senior fellow with the atla ntic he is now a senior fellow with the atlantic council and i asked her about the russian response to the strikes. this is a sticky and tricky situation, but so far even if one ta kes situation, but so far even if one takes the reports from the... they we re takes the reports from the... they were that to be taken with a grain of salt because there is a large element of propaganda, but even if we assume that voting us incoming whistles were taken down and as the general said in the briefing, a path —— proximally 120 missiles were fired, —— proximally120 missiles were fired, that is a low proportion, that means the us was able to get through both syrian and russian air defences. the sophisticated surface—to—air missiles defences that were there on the ground. that signifies to me that the russians are probably unwilling to take on the us with their aircraft and sophisticated air defence systems, and that means it is

you mentioned the syrian air defences had engaged the syrian state tv, saying they shot down 13, hawkomahawk. we cannot... the time on target was about an hour ago and we came straight up here to give you the best information we have right fiow. the best information we have right now. morrow morning, we will give you more detailed operational updates, and some of the details, but they are not available right fiow. but they are not available right now. but this wave of air strikes is over? it is over, that is why we are speaking to you now.” over? it is over, that is why we are speaking to you now. i wanted to follow u p speaking to you now. i wanted to follow up on what you said about the legal basis for this strike, could you talk a little bit more about that because in your testimony the other day it sounded like you were saying that there is appended —— a potential strike would somehow be linked to self defence and that the presence of american forces in syria, can you say more about that, and regarding whether or not there will be future action or additional strikes, you said that

our home affairs correspondent, daniel sandford, is at the ministry of defence.ear that the 105 missiles fired by the three nations, 87 were fired by americans, 12 by the french and eight were british storm shadow cruise missiles. these were fired from four tornadojets cruise missiles. these were fired from four tornado jets that took off from four tornado jets that took off from the airbase in cyprus. they are stand of missiles and so the aircraft would have fired from quite aircraft would have fired from quite a long way away from the target, let go of the cruise missiles which would descend to a low altitude to try to go under any radar defences, and then they rise up just before the target to acquire the target properly and dive down into the target, and they have two warheads on them, these storm shadow missiles, one to break through any concrete defences and is second to explode inside. the british said they still had only an initial assessment and they were not com pletely assessment and they were not completely certain about the details of what appeared t

spending. and defence capabilities.ng thursday in parliament with me, alicia mccarthy. telling horrific stories of the injuries suffered by women. sometimes after childbirth. tested as rigorously as drugs. by one of my constituents. she was advised to have this mesh operation. she is now unable to work. she is in constant pain and suffering. she can't take part in sport and has problems sleeping. feeling horrified that this had happened to her. over 100,000 women had mesh inserted between 2008 and 2017. these women were ignored. these women are the victim of a scandal. i thank my honourable friend. she's making a very powerful and moving speech. can i include testimony from my constituent from chiswick? a catalogue of errors with her case. it was only mild incontinence. physiotherapy would have sorted out. there were consent issues. she was denied that. the biggest medical scandal since thalidomide? i completely agree this is an absolute scandal. of incontinence. to stop these problems before they even arise. and then u

we‘ve had information from our defence correspondentjonathan information from our defence correspondention coming from this statement, they say these four raf tornadojets statement, they say these four raf tornado jets launched storm statement, they say these four raf tornadojets launched storm shadow missiles firing first at a former mill military missile base 15 miles west of the city of homs. that‘s where the syrian regime is believed to have kept chemical weapons precursor is stockpiled in breach of the syrian obligations under the chemical weapons agreement. —— precursor is. they were saying they we re precursor is. they were saying they were trying to minimise casualties. martin patience on the ground in beirut has heard that six people have been killed near the homs passivity. —— facilities. we will keep you up to date with what‘s happening from that co—ordinated airstrikes. some other stories for you this morning: to rugby players legally cleared of raping a woman in belfast have been cleared to leave the club. during the trial, a series of sexually explicit messages sent by the

0ur correspondent at the ministry of defence today is daniel sandford.ecifics of britain's involvement in these air strikes. it is now pretty clear exactly what the british involvement was. four tornado gr jets took off from akrotiri airbase in cyprus and they were launched eight storm shadow cruise missiles which once launched by the plane rocked down to a very low level, hopefully going underneath any missile defences, and then rise up just before they come to the target, get themselves accurately positioned over the target and then they have a double warhead. 0ne target and then they have a double warhead. one is to break through concrete and a second warhead explodes inside any bunker or command control facility. those eight storm shadow cruise missiles all targeted what is known as the chemical weapons storage facility and command and control centre about 15 miles west of homs and command and control centre about 15 miles west of horns and it is believed by the british and americans that is where precursor chemicals, that, mixed together to make che

the air defence system near assad —— homs was activated.t worry, it doesn't look particularly cold, as we'll see. not so much sunshine in the week ahead as we enjoyed in cornwall, though, on sunday. it looked pretty nice too in inverness, broken cloud and sunny spells. scotland and northern ireland will see the best of the sunny spells as we go on through monday. some fog around to start the day, it could be quite dense in places — that gradually clearing. through east anglia and south—east england, a lot of cloud here, patchy rain and drizzle. 0n through the day, thatjust shunts a bit further west towards the midlands, maybe eastern parts of wales late in the day, with some spots in south—west england. looking to scotland, a few showers developing, not everybody will catch one. if you do, it could be on the heavy side. temperatures for the most part around ten to iii degrees, it could be quite misty and murky throughout the day. some eastern coastal parts of northern ireland, and some spots on the north sea coast as well. 0n through monday

the wording from the ministry of defence ina wording from the ministry of defence in a restatement, thetwice, the word coordinated used twice. they are at pains to suggest this is joint action with france and america and it is precisely targeted?” action with france and america and it is precisely targeted? i think thatis it is precisely targeted? i think that is a good point. people are being careful, they don't want to cause unnecessary suffering, unlike the russians who are indiscriminate with their bombing in syria. we want to show there is a clean difference between what we do on our side and what the russians and syrians do on theirs. you have touched on iran as well, they are very interesting in all this? iran are all over syria at the moment. they have helped the assad regime to survive. they have significant interest in confronting israel and advancing their positions towards dealing with israel at some stage, and we are seeing a heightening tensions between israel and iran at the moment. iran will look for any opportunity in the circumstances to make mischief and make military

the us defence secretary, james mattis, also spoke to the press about the operation. destroy the chemical weapons capabilities of the chemical weapons capabilities of the syrian regime. tonight, france, the syrian regime. tonight, france, the united kingdom and the united states took decisive action to strike syrian chemical weapons infrastructure. really be assad regime did not get the message. —— clearly the assad regime. we have struck hard with our allies, together sending a clear message to a side and his murderous lieutenants that they cannot perpetrate another chemical weapons attack for which they will be held accountable. —— assad. the 70 nations in the defeat isis coalition remained committed to defeating isis in syria. the strike tonight superliga mate —— demonstrates —— separately demonstrates —— separately demonstrates international resolve to prevent chemical weapons being used on anyone, under any circumstances, in contravention of international law. i want to emphasise these strikes are directed at the syrian regime, and in conducting the strikes we ha

the defence case or undermines the prosecution's.that that's failed far too often. afterfive years heading up what some call the nation's law firm, alison saunders will leave the crown prosecution service when it's under intense scrutiny. clive coleman, bbc news. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter — i'm @babitabbc. time now for all the sports news in sport today. today live from the bbc sports centre. coming up on the programme, after a thrilling prey a play—off, bowls first major of the year is clinched. two days away from the opening ceremony of the commonwealth games, syringes are discovered in the athletes' village. and a spot in the athletes' village. and a spot in the round of 16 is sealed in the asian league. welcome to the programme. they say the good things come to those who wait and after an epic and hole play—off, that certainly of flies to lindbergh. the world number 95 has won herfirst major after defeating a south korean player in a thriller at the aae inspiration in california. as

the defence secretary james mattis was one saying it should be more limited.orth reflecting the president trump was only two weeks ago saying he wanted to get us troops out of syria, to leave syria to other people to sort out, and even in the speech that he gave as these missiles were being launched, he was making very clear that he doesn't the america's presents inside the middle east as one to solve the problems, comdex problems and once he talked about very briefly. the reality is president trump was intending to send a message with the strikes come he was not intending to solve the problems of syria. i don't think ultimately there is a wider strategy beyond that, and certainly, that is what some of his opponents in congress are saying. it is although well to have strikes, but do you really have a strategy when it comes to syria? chris buckler in washington, thank you. i am going to ask the same question of our middle east correspondent martin patience who is here. i wasjust asking chris buckler if the white house and others think they have achieved anythin

retired lt col daniel davis is a senior fellow at defence priorities.to being on bbc world news. give us your take on what we have been hearing about and who you think might be behind it? —— thanks for. been hearing about and who you think might be behind it? —— thanks forlj think andy is right on target with that. any evidence implies this was israel because back in february when the israelis claimed there was a iranian drone that had penetrated their airspace and come from this very same airbase and attack it then. it appears they are now trying to ta ke then. it appears they are now trying to take out more iranian aircraft to prevent to take out more iranian aircraft to p reve nt a ny to take out more iranian aircraft to prevent any future incursions. it could be considered or that president trump has threatened particular new responses for the last legend chemical strike. also, given where we are where, with the war in syria and also it seem as though that president aside has the upper hand, the us would entreat carefully about intervention at this

now remember her defence has always been, since last wednesday when she spoke to a cross— party laste to a cross—party home affairs committee, that there weren't any targets. then she said there were localised targets, but she had no knowledge of them. she has now seen documents that at the very least if she hasn't read them, she should have read them. they made it very clear these targets did exist. because of that she has decided her position is untenable, she has told the prime minister, who reluctantly in the past few minutes has accepted that resignation, and we are expected to see letters between the prime minister and the home secretary very shortly. many thanks for that. amber rudd succeeded theresa may as home secretary. it was the windrush candle that marked the start of the end for the home secretary. days of damning headlines about the treatment of migrants who had lived and worked in britain for decades. when will your government get a grip oi'i when will your government get a grip on the windrush crisis? good morning. amber rudd under increasing pressure for her handlin

and from that defence secretary, an insistence that no decision to strike had been taken. all options we re strike had been taken. all options were on the table, and what sounded like uncertainty over who was responsible for the attack.” believe there was a chemical attack, and we are looking for the actual evidence. the 0pcw, this is the organisation for the chemical weapons convention, we are trying to get those expect to see and, 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. chlorine, and that they were used by bashar al-assad 's regime. us action a year ago amounted to little more than crater in a runway. it is still likely that this time multinational action will be more expensive and will come sooner rather than later. but, with chemical weapons is due to arrive in douma at the weekend, the window for a quick

he also pointed out that the russian air defences were not operating at the time. that there are defences had worked. aside still has a way to go to wind this war and to hold his position. —— assad. he is quite defiant in response to these strikes, isn't it? president assad, time and again in recent yea rs, president assad, time and again in recent years, has been defiant, vowing, even against their wishes at times of his ally russia, in saying that he will take back every inch of syrian territory. he has been saying that again today, saying that these airstrikes make him even more determined to crush his opponents. they are saying tonight that all of eastern ghouta, that last suburb on the edge of damascus that was under rebel control, is now back in the hands of the syrian army and government agencies. the next target, widely expected, will be the province in northern syria that is largely under rebel control, and thatis largely under rebel control, and that is idlib. so there are still areas controlled by the syrian opposition but they have no kind of territoria

on the la ptop the defence was identified on the la pto p of the defence was identified on the laptopberty, they were in charge of my liberty at the time and hopefully eve ryo ne liberty at the time and hopefully everyone has done theirjob properly, you want a fair trial. the prosecution asked for an adjournment, to sift through the material that should have been disclosed. judge robert trevorjones refused and ended the trial, saying that the case showed lamb at a ball negligence, indicating wide area going beyond one officer. the catastrophic failure to disclose evidence to the defence, which led to the collapse of the trial here at liverpool, is really significant. it shows that disclosure failings are not just limited to shows that disclosure failings are notjust limited to recent high—profile rape cases, they are systemic. it isn't just high—profile rape cases, they are systemic. it isn'tjust a problem with the police, other investigating authorities like the hmrc are also failing in their duties to disclose evidence. the former lord chief justice lord thomas blames big cuts to cr

we can speak to the great britain defence ben o'connor who joins the great britain defence ben o'connorins us the great britain defence ben o'connor who joins us now. congratulations firstly on that. for those who don't know ice hockey, how important a step is theirs for the sport here? it is huge. it is massive in the game. we want gold medal a year ago to this day in belfast to move up to this division and we came into this division as the lowest rank seed. everyone was writing us off and we were just happy to be there. we went and showed everyone what we are about and getting the gold model piyush chawla medal. you did it in some style, it was so dramatic at the end. were down and you had to come back to get that gold to level it up. then the shoot out. yes, we needed one point out of the game and we we re needed one point out of the game and we were down 2—0 going into the third period. great britain have scored! 15 seconds to go in the game. i think we havejust lost scored! 15 seconds to go in the game. i think we have just lost the audio to ben o'connor there, just as he was expla

by the way, the secretary of defence under president we re secretary of defence under president wereility earlier today. i read that the pentagon is sending more troops to syria. the un secretary—general has called on warring parties in yemen to restart peace talks, saying it's the only way to resolve the catastrophic situation there. addressing a donor conference in geneva, antonio guterres said women and children were bearing the brunt, as the conflict in yemen enters its fourth year. the duke of edinburgh has been admitted to hospital ahead of hip surgery planned for wednesday. prince philip will undergo the scheduled surgery at king edward vii hospital in london. the 96—year—old retired from royal duties last august. an eyewitness has caught on camera the dramatic moment a freight train slammed into a truck that was stuck on a railway crossing in acworth, georgia. luckily no one was seriously injured with the driver of the truck exiting his vehicle before impact and one person aboard the train being taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. russian president vladimir putin a

you saw that, while the russians may have had their defence system is turned they didn't act.eve's metaphor about the playground, last year, the americans gave russia a slap on the wrist with the attack on syria, and maybe they've added a punch in the arm, but it isn't a full—scale bundle. there has been a lot of overheated rhetoric from the americans and russians this week, but the actions which were taken well considered and very proportionate, in the american view. donald trump ran into some opposition from the pentagon about taking this action. they were wary that this could lead excavation the lap —— could lead to escalation, and it seems nobody wants that. the prime minister, theresa may, says the raids sent a clear signal that the use of chemical weapons would not be tolerated, and she said it had been "right and legal" to take action. but the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, has called the strikes "legally questionable". with more on the reaction here in the uk, here's our political editor, laura kuenssberg. 2am at home. 4am at the target. raf jets take off to strike at a

we heard earlier on that the anti—aircraft defences open fire.ave been intercepted by their defence of. syrian media are reporting that they are under attack and that people have been killed in that attack. you have to set against that, these reports from the united dates, initially, we were told that the bbc was told there is nothing to confirm. now those denials from the us have been hardened up and they say, i think, us have been hardened up and they say, ithink, it us have been hardened up and they say, i think, it is not us, basically. they have not launched any raids on the syrians. we have a conundrum, in fact that it the syrians say they are under attack. they say the americans are suspected and the americans say no, it is not at of course, this comes at a point where there is so much happening in the region and so many players involved. for example, turkey has become involved in the past. israel has as well. in a sense it could almost be anybody. it is difficult to say who we could be. we have heard nothing from his rahilly as far as hea

of the missiles, none of the aircraft were engaged by syrian air defences.which had been fired came after the attacks by the western aircraft. he pointed out that the russian air defences were not engaged and he was not sure they we re not engaged and he was not sure they were operating at the time. other points. here is our correspondent barbara plett who was watching this. let's move on to the politicians and there was difference cushion discussion about president trump saying mission accomplished, we heard this was a legitimate operation, what is being said in the united states by pundits and politicians, is there broad support orare politicians, is there broad support or are questions being asked? well, there is i think broad support for there is i think broad support for the idea of a limited strike to target the chemical weapons programme, to send a clear and narrow message that chemical weapons use cannot be tolerated and the united states should act. there is a broad consensus in washington that president obama in 2013 when he said he would carry out

the defence minister, mark lancaster. can essential public services like gas, electricity and banking be protected if there's a cyberattack? last week the national cyber security centre, the fbi and the us government's department of homeland security issued an unprecedented statement about "malicious cyber activity" said to be carried out by the russian government. a joint committee of mps and peers wanted to find out from regulators what was behind that alert. this puzzles me, i have to say. here we have these three major organisations producing a significant alert, but you said it was not terribly new because you knew that already and your companies have presumably done different in the week meanwhile. it strikes me as being awed, and leads me to wonder whether there is a connection with salisbury or syria or it is all part of a national ramping up with russia or... what is it? it seems a peculiar routine announcement by these organisations... 0r, nothing to worry about, go on, chaps? that advice goes direct to the comp

and then roberto firmino two more, roma's defence in ruins.'s joy was tempered by two late goals by the visitors, edin dzeko and then diego perotti providing an unexpected twist. a fightback, however, that shouldn't detract from another european master class. liverpool will always have expected to use home advantage here at anfield but to score five goals tonight would have been beyond their wildest dreams. roma have already proved in this competition this year they're capable of remarkable comebacks, and they'll be dangerous in the second leg next week. but its place in the champions league final is liverpool's to lose. dan roan, bbc news at anfield. that's all from us. here on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. have a good night. good evening from bbc london news. it's being described as the biggest ever shake—up to train timetables in the uk. every service on four major franchises in and around the capital will change from next month, hello and welcome to sportsday. the headlines tonight, seven goals that and failed, five of the

sergio garcia has —— the peregrine ‘s title defence of the peregrine ‘s title defence of the masters.ng for gold at the masters. and going for gold at the commonwealth games but how releva nt the commonwealth games but how relevant is the event on the gold coast for the biggest sporting landscape? welcome to the programme. we start with footballing news. rearmament read have one foot in the semifinals of the champions league after a 3— win overjuventus. that saw one of the goals of the season from real m. they are looking to make a third consecutive title. conor mcnamara was in turin with the former scotland international pat nevin. it's a very important win for real madrid and a crushing defeat forjuventus. there is one moment of this game which will be remembered in the sands of time. an exquisite bicycle kick from cristiano ronaldo. a privileged to witness. sometimes you hear about goals and talk about goals and there is hyperbole involved. there was none here. this was a phenomenal piece of skill. an understanding of where he was. just the athleticism to do it, before you start th

‘s defence too strong and too good. —— is defence. —— his defence.quatter finals, the next he will face david goffin in the squatterfinals, the belgian battling hard to win in straight sets of. on the bottom half of the draw, milos raonic was forced to pull—out of the tournament with an injury before his third—round match. the number two seed will play kei nishikori, who qualified in three sets. the number three seed it alexander zverev is also true that the quarter—finals, beating a fellow german in straight sets. richard gasquet beat his older brother in straight sets of. the ecb are launching a new city —based tournament to rival the indian career tournament to rival the indian career league and australia's the bash in two years time but it won't bea bash in two years time but it won't be a t20 competition, instead there will be 100 balls in each innings which will consist of 15 regular overs and one final over of ten bowls. aim is to attract younger audiences but as the sports editor reports, not everybody is in favour. old trafford hosting lanca

this is not the syrian defence minister, it is the american defence secretary.is this administration? 0n the 10th of december 2000 12, 2012, so six years ago, the 10th of december 2000 12, 2012, so six years ago, we the 10th of december 2000 12, 2012, so six years ago, we conveyed formal letter to the council. so before the first time the operators of terrorist groups claimed that sarin gas was used on march 19, 2013, we informed you that the united states, the united kingdom and france have launched a campaign of allegations claiming that the syrian government might have used chemical weapons. back then, we warned that such allegations would encourage governments that sponsor terrorist is to provide chemical weapons to armed terrorist groups and then claims, claimed that the syrian government had use those weapons. what happened in the past few years in eastern ghouta and other villages and towns in syria, confirms unequivocally that what we had warned of five years ago... the united states, the united kingdom and france had been so eager to hold one meeting af

that was uppermost in secretary of defence's outlook.. i don't take the view that if the americans get involved it is more chaos. better assad than chaos. i'm of the view that the current formula of the view that the current formula of america standing off and letting russia run the show is a formula for worse than chaos. it will entrench iran in server. give them access to the mediterranean and create huge problems for saudi arabia, jordan and israel. —— iran in syria. problems for saudi arabia, jordan and israel. -- iran in syria. has there been an effort to deal about this organisation of iran, syria and russia? iran and russia did not have the same interest in syria. russia wa nts to the same interest in syria. russia wants to go home as a victor and remaina wants to go home as a victor and remain a diplomatic orbiter, economic arbiter. but they don't have the resources to escalate into war. the iranian regime, not the people, particularly the general pa rt people, particularly the general part of the revolutionary guard, they want t

we conduct self—defence measures, armed activities in self—defence and that's a right, even under internationalyourself, your families from brutality, atrocity, bordering genocide, ethnic cleansing, that this brutal minority regime has undertaken throughout ethiopia, it's a right to defend yourself, don't you think? what would happen, let me ask you — what would happen if the ira from ireland came and took over britain, captures all the economy, irish people, only 4 million out of the 60 million, they control the economy, they control the military, the security, what would you feel? and you, as a journalist, how do you react? are you not playing with fire here? we know that ethiopia's ethnic mix is, to put it bluntly, fragile. and we know when you accuse the government of being a front for tigrayan security, military and intelligence interests, we know that that kind of language is going to inflame ethnic tensions given the mix of peoples in your country, and it seems to me that when you tweet things like this, and i'm going to quote a tweet of yours from just a month ago. you said, "give me de

the vikings' defences were outfoxed.ng his 100th for the club. 28— six the final score. there we re club. 28— six the final score. there were wins for warrington, hull fc, leeds and catalan dragons. on to snooker, and in beijing, ronnie o'sullivan is bidding for a record sixth ranking event title in a single season of the china open. he is currently on five for the campaign. victory would see him surpass the record he now shares with henry and selby. o'sullivan hasn't actually won this tournament since 2000, but more than just a record two play for, a top prize of £225,000. joining him in the last 64 is the world number one, mark selby, who won 6—4. selby, who hasn't lost the tournament since 2014, came from 2-0 the tournament since 2014, came from 2—0 down to the 20—year—old from china. he will face scott donaldson tomorrow. a swedish golfer has won her first tomorrow. a swedish golfer has won herfirst major tomorrow. a swedish golfer has won her first major after tomorrow. a swedish golfer has won herfirst major after

arsenal's defence caught sleeping. but their forwards the box. arsenal's defence caught sleeping.l's defence caught sleeping. but their forwards had the perfect response. catholic from danny welbeck and six golds and ford pierre—emerick aubameyang. danny welbeck‘s shot from outside the box was on target but helped on its way bya was on target but helped on its way by a deflection. southampton desperately need points for premier league survival and it looked like they might have rescued one when charlie austin made it 2— to within two minutes of coming on. but danny welbeck ensured the wind for the gunners skipping the second goal of the match with a header. both sides finished with ten men. jack stephens shown a straight red for his reaction to jack wilshere within his shirt. temp three was sent off for a shop on soirees. the result keeps arsenal six and southampton in the bottom three. even when we were questioned we find the resources and they must give credit to the team. some players had heavy legs today but they still find the resources to wind the game. when we were question

and at the defence department, they're preparing for all eventualities.till assessing the intelligence, ourselves and our allies, we're still working on this. we stand ready to provide military options if they're appropriate as the president determines. although a slightly more conciliatory tone later from the president, when he said... a year ago, the us military launched a one—off cruise missile attack on a syrian airfield. it seems as though the us is preparing for something more extensive and more sustained this time, and with other nations involved. the ayes to the right, 272, the noes to the left, 285. five years ago, when barack obama was president, plans for military action by the us fell apart after the british parliament voted against such a move. but it looks as though this time around, theresa may is giving her american counterpart the nod there'll be no such impediments. all the indications are that the syrian regime was responsible, and we will be working with our closest allies on how we can ensure that those responsible are held to account

this is fundamental to national defence.that of our allies is america's ability to maintain a strong and robust manufacturing base which we really are doing in the united states. we have additional steel pla nts states. we have additional steel plants opening. steel plants are expanding. aluminium is doing great. a lot of things are happening that we re a lot of things are happening that were never going to happen before. that's why we must have a fair and reciprocal trading relationss with oui’ reciprocal trading relationss with our partners. —— trading relations. $151 billion a year, including a annual trade deficit and auto parts. iam hoping annual trade deficit and auto parts. i am hoping to work with chancellor merkel to reduce barriers to united states exports to remedy these trade imbalances. antipin are —— deep in oui’ imbalances. antipin are —— deep in our economic ties. we also welcome her partnership in promoting major reforms to international organisations. like the world trade organisations. like the world trade

donald trump was due to be in peru this weekend and has cancelled out, the defence secretary was duess, he is in washington, nikki haley is on her way from new york now to be in washington. one other significant thing we heard in the report from james robbins, we have now had the state department and white house at the briefing a short time ago saying in no uncertain terms they have proof that syria was behind the attack and russia did nothing to stop it. that is a big change from one day ago. this attack may have happened sooner but for reservations from the pentagon who fear a wider escalation. i suppose one rate that could still happen is if the chemical weapons inspectors are in place, i don't think that bombing would start then. one other thing, donald trump doesn't want to be seen as the man, like the grand old duke of york who munched his troops up the hill and marched them down again, or worse still, the hill and marched them down again, orworse still, be the hill and marched them down again, or worse still, be compared to barack obama who differed and then didn't act. the ph

over to the ministry of defence now and our correspondent, daniel tangudd. become clear over the afternoon. yes, that is right and we have heard from the un security council and it is still not clear what the full impact of british involvement is, as put by the british ambassador to the united nations. but of the 105 missile strikes, 87 were american, 12 french and eight british storm shadow missiles fired from four tornado due forjets. these cruise missiles which go at very low altitude and they rise up before the target and hit the target. the americans put out aerial photographs which seems to show there was considerable damage to the chemical weapons facility where the british missiles hit. we also had some justification today, some more details on the british ambassador to the united nations in her intervention, where she was saying that they had eyewitness reports that they had eyewitness reports that there was a syrian helicopter hovering, dropping the barrel bomb at around the time that the chemical weapons were released in douma and they had intelli

our top stories: state television in syria says air defences have shot down missiles fired at an airbase near homs. there are other unconfirmed reports that missiles have also been intercepted over an airbase near damascus. a bbc exclusive with russia's foreign minister, who says relations with the west are worse than the cold war. during the cold war, there were channels of communication, and there was no obsession with russophobia. donald trump hits back at the former fbi directorjames comey, who claims he was morally unfit to be president. and a taste for toxic waste. the scientific breakthrough that could help tackle plastic pollution. hello. first for you, breaking news from syria in the past hour or so, with unconfirmed reports of missile attacks on two airbases. the pentagon has said there is no us military activity in the area. it is worth noting that the syrians blamed an airstrike last week against the t—a airbase on the israelis. there was no official comment then from the israelis. this time, syrian state tv is claiming that government air defences shot down missiles above th

the missiles are reported to have been shot down by the country's air defences.ement. russia's foreign minister says relations between his country and the west are worse than during the cold war. in an exclusive interview with the bbc, sergei lavrov described the recent missile strikes on syria as an outrageous aggression. and this video is trending on bbc.com. "harry & meghan‘s windsor knot" beer has been created to give the traditional british pint an american twist, in honour of their wedding day. the pale ale is made from barley grown on the royal farm and combined with hops from the west coast of america, reflecting megan markle's heritage.

however, his secretary of defence has been more cautious.hey are still assessing the intelligence committee are still assessing the allies willingness to do so, so it is still a work in progress, so we know that something seems to be coming but we don't know exactly when. how much concern is there about the fact that russia is still militarily entrenched in syria? it will be quite challenging to not hit any russian targets eventually in the ramifications from that if it were to happen. yes, that's been the challenge for some time of course. and it is true that president trump did say he wanted not only to punish president assad but also the backers of the syrian regime, the iranians and the russians. but having said that, if the american military were to deduct and it will be drawn into the serene civil war, something it has worked a rdently civil war, something it has worked a rd e ntly to civil war, something it has worked ardently to not happen. recently, president trump has said he wanted to disengage from seroquel quiet trickling out of

at a pentagon briefing this morning, the defence chief said all targets had been hit with no casualties we're still conducting a more detailed damage assessment, but initial indications are that we accomplished our military objectives without interference from syria. i'd use three words to describe this operation, precise, overwhelming, and effective. but in damascus this morning, regime supporters were celebrating a success in repelling american aggression. perhaps more accurately, this strike was more limited than they'd anticipated. this apparently is president assad strolling to work today, although we don't see a close—up of his face. if he is able to walk tall, it's only because of the support he's receiving from the russians. today at the un they turned theirfire on britain, france and the us. translation: the us and its allies continued to demonstrate blatant disregard for international law. but as permanent members of the security council, they must be especially firm in protecting the un charter. that was positively restrained compared to what syria's ambassador had to say. tr

joins us of the defence priorities... joins us again tonight.tack, this strike, but the end of the person who is the leader of syria and who is committing these alleged atrocities is bashar al—assad and he is still in office. it's like there is almost no point? i can't say that i disagree to strongly because again, you say you want a message to be sent, but he is still in charge so what secretary mattis just said about the intent, well, certainly russia doesn't angry that is the case because they don't even admit that there was a chemical attack by bashar al—assad so they are saying whatever your intent was, that's not us, we didn't do that so we're not going to... we get the message and do something different. he is still in charge, they are still fighting a civil war and they still have battles against rebels so that will carry on. that's why i keep asking the question, what now and what was the question, what now and what was the intent? are not sure anything useful has been accomplished. there was a curious phrase he used, he talked about us

the defence case or undermines the prosecution's.ence lawyers have been saying that that's failed far too often. afterfive years heading up what some call the nation's law firm, alison saunders will leave the crown prosecution service when it's under intense scrutiny. clive coleman, bbc news. now, with all the sport, here's james pearce at the bbc sport centre... the commonwealth games begin in australia's gold coast on wednesday. it's the largest international event to be staged in australia for more than a decade. but already there's been an investigation into the discovery of syringes at the athletes‘ village, as our correspondent hywel griffith reports. there may be two days to go, but already at the athletes‘ village the games has had its first scandal, after syringes were found there by a cleaner. it is not known yet what they contained. but it has threatened to take the shine off this city‘s moment in the sun. the gold coast wants the games to sell the allure of its endless sand and surf. more than £1 billion is being spent to

the gatekeeper is the first line of the defence. another exclusive development in london. an apartment here was bought for nearly £4 million by an offshore company. 0ur documents show that offshore company was owned by the mayor of odessa's family in 2015. but mr popivker told us that when it bought the flat in 2016, the company was owned by someone else. we don't know who that owner is. but we've seen this woman regularly using the flat. it's anya angert again, the daughter of the don of odessa. it suggests the flat is linked to the organised crime gang. what makes it suspicious? the fact that somebody is under investigation for corruption, that you then have people who are directly and closely linked to that individual. and then you see a structure through an offshore territory owning property, high value property in london, and there is no obvious source of income linked to that that would be legitimate. it's the package that makes it suspicious. back in ukraine, we have been trying to catch up with the mayor. he's refused to gra