on an raf base.o on weather world, crippling cold, the uk and much of europe falls victim to the beast from the east. freak freeze... the flood that turned to ice. how a weather disaster can strike as if from nowhere. the storms that can sweep you off your feet. but some people try to carry on regardless! this year marks the centenary of britain's royal air force, the raf. we've come to its largest station, raf brize norton in 0xfordshire, home to almost 6,000 service personnel. the aircraft based here support british military operations around the globe, and it's surprisingly busy with frequent landings, departures and training manoeuvres. a lot of what happens in a military airport like this is very different from a commercial airport but some things are the same. air traffic control is the hub of all activity and that is where sarah is now. i'm here with simon, who is in charge of all air traffic control here at brize norton, and tell me, why is it so important brize norton stays open all year rou

raf. how do you propose to engage with young people ?|j raf. do you propose to engage with young people? i think we start from a real advantage. the royal air forces at the forefront of the air and space and cyber... said there is great technology there. we also set a great example of challenging young people, and giving them opportunities and allowing them to develop themselves. we want to inspire young people to get out there, inspire up to 2 million young people, the ages of nine to 15 primarily, and use raf 100 as a launch platform to help them develop their opportunities. it is real about making those connections with young people. you mention nine to 15—year—olds, connecticut back to that time, what was inspiring you at that time, what was inspiring you at that stage to think about the royal air force as a possible career? was that they thought in your mind goes my personal journey started that they thought in your mind goes my personaljourney started earlier than that. my father had been in the raf trainee second world war. he bought me

at an raf base.on weather world, crippling cold, uk and much of europe falls victim to the beast from the east. freak freeze... the flood that turned to ice. how a weather disaster can strike as if from nowhere. the storms that can sweep you off your feet. but some people try to carry on regardless! this year marks the centenary of britain's royal air force, the raf. we've come to its largest station at raf brize norton in 0xfordshire, home to almost 6,000 service personnel. the aircraft based here support british military operations around the globe, it's surprisingly busy with frequent landings, departures and training manoeuvres. a lot of what happens in a military airport like this is very different from a commercial airport but some things are the same. air traffic control is the hub of all activity and that is where sarah is now. i'm here with simon, who is in charge of all air traffic control here and tell me, why is it so important brize norton stays open all year round? it is home to the raf

raf. how do you propose to engage with young people ?|j raf.vantage. the royal air forces at the forefront

happy centenary, raf.onies have been taking place around the country as the queen pays tribute to the skill and sacrifice of the men and women of the royal air force who, she said, had gallantly defended freedom. and laura kuenssberg listens to a panel of voters as they discuss their views on brexit. that's in half an hour, here on bbc news. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the comedian eddie izzard, who has just been appointed to labour's governing national executive committee, says the party must stamp out anti—semitism and rebuild relations with thejewish community. it follows the resignation of his predecessor, after complaints she'd offered support to a council candidate accused of holocaust denial. our political correspondent chris mason has been following the story and joins me now. chris, this story feels like it has been running for weeks. one of the great challenges for any political party when it has negative publicity is to change the narrative, as they say. how will do that? it is the b

why is stow maries and iconic place for the raf, today and back then?ce for the raf, today and back themm is the only one left, as far as we can see. this was genesis, where the royal flying corps on the 1st of april turned into the raf, absorbing the royal naval air service, the royal air corps and becoming the first truly independent air force in the world. there is no where we can still fly aircraft that is not a commercial aerodrome, a housing estate, has not been redeveloped for farmland. this is it. i made reference them to the fact that if i had come five or ten years ago it would have looked very different. what have you achieved and what do you want to achieve? a true commemoration to the amazing work done here during the great war. we have been super successful over the last three years, there has been lots of very, very dedicated people. we have rescued five buildings from the heritage at risk register, there are about ten more to do and we are doing everything to save those. it will take about ten years and about £24 million but the end resu

i knew if i wanted to join the raf i wanted to be a pilot. the air training corps, i got a flying scholarship and one day i ended up here. it's a remarkable journey, and lots of people watching would imagine that someone in your position had come through, you know, the most elite form of education imaginable, but that's not true in your case, in the sense you're state educated, in kilmarnock. tell us a little bit about that background and what it says about the royal air force, that you have been able to make the journey you've made. i think it is a really important thing about the royal air force. from the very start we have been open to all, we have been a merit based organisation, really not interested in where people come from, we are just interested in what they can do and what their potential is. that is what i felt throughout my royal air force career, is that it's just that merit principle that has been at the forefront. in terms of my background, then i would describe my background as typical for a young boy growing up in kilmarnock,

and in the next hour happy centenary, raf.have been taking place around the country as the queen pays tribute to the skill and sacrifice of the men and women of the royal air force who, she said, had gallantly defended freedom. and the travel show heads tojerusalem and bethlehem. that's in half an hour here on bbc news. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. britain's largest teaching union is warning that a growing number of children with special needs in england are being left without suitable school places. last year, more than 4,000 children with the most severe needs were not offered places. the union has accused the government of "starving" local councils of funding. but the department of education insists that local authorities now have more money for every pupil, in every school. 0ur education editor bra nwen jeffreys reports. every child deserves an education, but special needs help comes from the school budget first, then they fight for extra council funding from budgets already overstretched, making it hard for sch

happy centenary, raf.onies have been taking place around the country as the queen pays tribute to the skill and sacrifice of the men and women of the royal air force, who she said had gallantly defended freedom. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the comedian eddie izzard, who has just been appointed to labour's governing national executive committee, says the party must stamp out anti—semitism and rebuild relations with thejewish community. it follows the resignation of his predecessor christine shawcroft, after complaints she'd offered support to a council candidate accused of holocaust denial. our political correspondent chris mason has been explaining to me why it may take labour some time to rebuild bridges with the jewish community. it's well over a week now since this row first made the news, with the backlash that there was to that pretty historic remark that jeremy corbyn had made about that mural and the potential for a mural to be whitewashed, the mural that was largely seen to be anti—semi

these eight cadets will write a new chapter for the raf.rite a new chapter for the raf. we havejust been hearing in write a new chapter for the raf. we have just been hearing in the studio about the technology. is this still... we are so far away from this now. we take a variety of people throughout the uk, through great training we turn them into fantastic people to use and export the technology. if we take this 100 years ago for what it was, 100 mph, now we have stealth bombers and typhoons that exploit the capability of our people. you have a parade to command so i will leave you be. thank you very much indeed. that flag ceremony is due to take place injust about flag ceremony is due to take place injustaboutan flag ceremony is due to take place injust about an hour flag ceremony is due to take place in just about an hour from now. flag ceremony is due to take place injust about an hourfrom now. we will bring that to you on bbc news once those pictures are available. pope francis has used his easter message to call for dialogue on the ko

and in the next hour, happy centenary, raf.eremonies have taken place around the country, as the queen pays tribute to the men and women of the royal air force, who she said had gallantly defended freedom. and coming up, journalist caroline frost and parliamentary journalist tony grew willjoin us for a look at tomorrow's papers. that's in half an hour on bbc news. good evening and welcome to bbc news. israel has rejected calls for an independent inquiry into the killing of at least 15 palestinian protestors by israeli troops in gaza on friday. both the united nations and the european union have called for an inquiry. the israeli defence minister says his soldiers were protecting the country's borders, and that ten of those who died were militant islamist activists. our middle east correspondent tom bateman reports from the gaza strip. the third day of protests on gaza's border with israel. these tend to just hundreds of metres from the fence where israeli snipers watched. palestinian protesters say they will stay put, as they t

i am going to bring in our raf historian, howard.k at that aircraft in a minute but hang on for a second. these look incredibly fragile. were they? know. they were manufactured deliberately to ta ke they were manufactured deliberately to take some serious action. not initially any me action because the first aircraft flying in the great war were reconnaissance aircraft, literally flying over german lines and taking photographs, plotting things on maps. they were designed to be tough for aerial action but as the war developed we began to see airto aircombatand the war developed we began to see air to air combat and we began to see different designs of aircraft, soaking up more enemy action from bullets being fired at them. let's go inside. we see the word and the wiring and they are covered with a fabric. is lenin? it is a fabric with a doping, which is like glue, similarto with a doping, which is like glue, similar to putting wallpaper up at home. a very durable construction. a mixture of different fabrics and there was piano wire an

it's 100 years since the raf became the world's first independent air force, the raf became the world'stoday to mark the occasion. the raf was formed by merging the army's royal flying corps and the royal naval air service. the army's royal flying corps our correspondent robert hall reports from stow marries in essex. on the runway at europe's last intact first world war aerodrome, echoes from the day the raf became a reality. this tiny biplane would have been familiar to the men who pioneered military aviation. been familiar to the men today, stow maries airfield has turned back the clock, remembering squadrons who defended london against the zeppelin airships and who helped convince sceptics that air power could survive and expand. sceptics that air power we're very proud to say that of the operational aerodromes, active on operations on the day of formation, we're the only one left. on the day of formation, we're the only one that you can still fly from and the only one where you can see these aircraft doing what they did then. in london, serving personnel and veterans gathered for a

it's whether wild, marking 100 years of the raf, and where better than here at its biggest base, raf norton? good morning and welcome to bbc news. labour has sought to distance itself from some facebook groups set up by supporters ofjeremy corbyn, after it emerged members have posted anti—jewish, violent and abusive comments. the sunday times says it's uncovered more than 2,000 offensive messages. labour said it didn't run the groups or have any official connection with them — and it had strict rules prohibiting abuse and discrimination. 0ur political correspondent jonathan blake has been following the story and joins me now. they have investigated what they say are the biggest groups set up to supportjeremy corbyn and his leadership and the investigation has found around 2000 messages with various examples of different forms of abuse, their anti—semitism, other forms of racism, misogynistic abuse against women, threats of violence and the list goes on. it's really nasty stuff. the labour party, as you say, is distancing itself from these groups. it has made clear in these groups. it

the years following the birth of the raf weren't always easy.s and air planes. the new service needed a great deal of determination, perhaps summed up in its motto — "through adversity to the stars." time now for all the sports news in sport today. welcome to sport today. i'm gavin. coming up. spurstamps welcome to sport today. i'm gavin. coming up. spur stamps their mark on the top four in the epl. a place at the top four in the epl. a place at the masters for ian poulter. and isner gets the biggest win of his career after a match at the miami open. we start with the football. totte n ha m open. we start with the football. tottenham has beaten chelsea, beating them for the first time in 28 years to strengthen a grip on the champions league places. dele alli scored twice. richard potts ekene's men

ceremonies are being held today to mark exactly 100 years since the raf became the world's first independent air force. it was formed by the merger of the army's royal flying corps and the royal naval air service. a number of events are being held across the country, including a fly past at biggin hill in kent where three world war 2 aircrafts took to the skies watched by veterans. 0ur correspondent robert hall has been at stow maries great war aerodrome in essex where he's been speaking to people involved in today's celebrations. few better places to be on this milestone day for the raf, because stow maries is the last intact first world war aerodrome in europe. intact because lots of people, many of them volunteers, have worked here for quite a few years to get it back to something resembling what it would have been in 1918.

what is the raf's take on it?there word two targets at the city of homs. one was eight command control centre believed to be involved in the use of chemical weapons, and then the second strike which the raf carried out with their storm shadow cruise missiles was honoured chemical weapons production facility which had the precursor is for chemical weapons, or where it is believed they had the precursors to produce chemical weapons. what we are getting from the mod is they believed those strikes were highly successful, in the words of the defence secretary gavin williamson. they have not been able to confirm whether they were engaged in the syrian missiles when they were fired and reaching their target. we have not had any confirmation from the mod that these were shot down. the implication from the mod is that they hit those targets but the analysis has to go on. we do know that there were attempts by the syrian regime to engage their air defences and to shoot down some of these missiles. we don't have any detail o

on the runway echos from the day the raf became a reality.ootage: they flew like goldfish in a bowl, in all directions, around guy... you were alone, you know, and you fought alone and died alone. today stow maries' airfield is turn back the clock, remembering the airships, and those are argued airpower could expand and survive. we are very proud to say that of the operational aerodromes active on operations the day of formation, we are the only one left, the only one you can still fly from. and the only one where you can see these aircraft are doing what they did then. in london serving personnel and veterans gathered for a service to mark the start of the centenary commemorations. the raf family, looking back to events which provide inspiration to the future. it was a wonderful service, a service and a commemoration but also i think a celebration of the work our air force has done throughout its history and what it is today, what we achieve and who we are as an organisation. in 1918 the airmen of stow maries watched the raf standard hoisted

hereford has been marking the centenary of the formation of the raf this afternoon.n. it also marks the final day of the weeping window sculpture of poppies which has been on display for six weeks. ben sidwell reports. they packed into hereford cathedral, veterans, serving members and cadets, all here to celebrate the centenary of the raf. raf hereford was here from 1939 to 1994, training many thousands of young men and women for the royal air force. so there is a large veteran community, many of whom have attended the service this afternoon. among the congregation, 98—year—old doug cox from herefordshire, a bomber command during the second world war. i personally have always felt the raf, it has been there, and to suddenly realise that it's only a couple of years older than i am is quite amazing. and it wasn't just the centenary service attracting the crowds. today also sees the final day of the weeping window poppy sculpture. in the six weeks it's been here at hereford cathedral, close to 200,000 people have come to visit. it seems very fitting that it's outside, w

to a british raf base in cyprus... to the uss monterey in the red sea, days of planning was replaced by execution, with bombing and missile strikes. the president said britain, france and the us had marshalled their righteous power against barbarism and brutality. a short time ago, i ordered the united states armed forces to launch precision strikes on targets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of syrian dictator bashar al—assad. and he singled out syria's two principal backers. to iran and russia, i ask, what kind of a nation wants to be associated with the mass murder of innocent men, women and children? the nations of the world can be judged by the friends they keep. in damascus last night, flashes, bangs and streaking missiles light the night sky, but those launching the attack seemed as keen to define what this mission wasn't as what it was. this was not about interfering in a civil war, and it was not about regime change. as i discussed with president trump and president macron, it was a limited, t

those four raf tornado jets took off in the early hours of this morning.ow cruise missiles, which have a a50 kilograms warhead on. they have a range of about 300 miles, so they wouldn't have had to have flown ready for it to be within range of their target. they believe the chemical weapons storage facility 15 miles west of homs, they believe that site had the precursor is for syria's chemical weapons programme. those missiles would have been pre—programmed with gps to reach their target. they would have skimmed along the surface and then climbed and dived into their target. as virus they are concerned, kiev analysis to maximise destruction but minimise the risk of contamination. they also say this was not a populated area, so they wanted to avoid civilian casualties. thejets came back at 5am our time, so 3am your time. they are safely back. they were out of syria's air defence range. the missiles have a range of up range. the missiles have a range of up to 300 miles. as virus whether this is a one—off or there will be more action, the sense we are getting

we are going to talk to a historian, we are looking back at how the raf, or the predecessors of the rafration? the royalflying corps? yes, that was a very small operation, it came from a number of different sources. it was a culmination of the army and the royal navy flying service coming together. initially, the first formation, you have to remember that the birth of air power had just been about ten years before. people were really learning what air power could do. the whole concept we are familiar with today was not something that had been formulated. so they were not quite sure what this newfangled third arm, after the land and the naval arms of warfare, would actually be doing. so it was very embryonic beginnings, nobody really knowing, taking the ten —— taking tentative steps towards the potential for air power as we know it today. these machines look awfully fragile, but in fact they are not? no, not at all. they are incredibly strong, and the designers of the time, both in the united states, in france and in the uk, we re states, in france and in the uk, were painstaking to ensu

celebrating the 100 years of the raf today. easter sunday is the best day

events are being held across the country to mark the time when the raf became the world's first independent force. time for sport.

it is home to the raf strategic and tactical air transport fleet. we're also the gateway to operations across the world. that's to say delivering, whether it's troops, cargo or disaster relief, as we saw at the end of 2017 in the caribbean. meteorology and aviation will always be intrinsically linked, so how do you get your weather information here? we're very lucky insofar as we have our own met office,

. >>> fire raf asia san francisco building housing three families. tonight one of the families is mourning the loss of a loved one as firefighters make sure that the fire doesn't flair up again. >> good evening, friends i'm dion lim eric has the night off. about a dozen residence displaced by the fire starting at homes on eighth avenue after 9:30 last night. abc 7 news reporter coronell bernhard is there life. you have the latest. >> reporter: yeah, dion, the san

yes, indeed. 0n the very day that the raf came into being, the 1st of april 1918, where better to behan here? this is the last intact first world war aerodrome anywhere in europe. join me laterfor a look around. and in sport: 0ne game away. manchester city beat everton to close in on the premier league title. a win over rivals manchester united next weekend and they are champions. and helen has the weather. good morning. today it is still looking to be the driest weather day

statement, they say these four raf tornado jets launched storm statement, they say these four raf tornadojets 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 men we re explicit messages sent by the men were read out in court. last night protesters gathered outside the stadium to demonstrate against the pair‘s reinstatement. donald trump has called the former director of the fbi an "untruthful slime ball". the us president was reacting afterjames comey compared him to a mafia boss in his upcoming book. mr comey was fired last year over his handling of the inquiry into hillary clinton‘s emails. his sacking led to claims the white house was interfering in an inve

events are being held across the country to mark the time when the raf became the world's first independentorce. yes, 100 years to the day, we are

and in the next hour, happy centenary, raf. taken place around the country, as the queen pays tribute to the men and women of the royal air force,

raf jets take off to strike at assad‘s regime.e is no graver decision for a prime minister than to commit our forces to combat. and this is the first time that i‘ve had to do so. we cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to become normalised. either within syria, on the streets of the uk, or elsewhere. not just a punishment for president assad, but about a wider principle, too. this was not about interfering in a civil war, and it was not about regime change. it was a limited, targeted and effective strike with clear boundaries. we must reinstate the global consensus that chemical weapons cannot be used. this action is absolutely in britain‘s national interest. the lesson of history is that when the global rules and standards that keep us safe come under threat we must take a stand and defend them. will you do the same again if president assad does the same again? as you have suggested he has. and do you feel you have the public‘s consent, given you have not even consulted mps in parliament? we believe the action was successful,

raf jets take off to strike at assad's regime.e minister emerged to explain her case. there is no graver decision for a prime minister than to commit our forces to combat. and this is the first time that i've had to do so. we cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to become normalised. either within syria, on the streets of the uk, or elsewhere. not just a punishment for president assad, but about a wider principle, too. we must reinstate the global consensus that chemical weapons cannot be used. this action is absolutely in britain's national interest. the lesson of history is that when the global rules and standards that keep us safe come under threat we must take a stand and defend them. will you do the same again if president assad does the same again? as you have suggested he has. and do you feel you have the public‘s consent, given you have not even consulted mps in parliament? we believe the action was successful, but the syrian regime should be under no doubt of our resolve in relation to this matter of the use of chemic

britain has tornado fighters and typhoon jets stationed at raf akrotiri in cyprus. duncan, another destroyer, is on a routine deployment in the mediterranean and could participate. are we going to attack syria without parliamentary consent? the cabinet which meets this afternoon has a difficult decision to make. it's a very, very delicate circumstance, and we've got to make this judgment on very careful, very deliberate, very well thought through basis, knowing exactly what we're trying to achieve, and exactly how strong the evidence is. and jeremy corbyn is again warning of the dangers of military action. more bombing, more killing, more war will not save life, it'lljust take more lives. and spawn a war elsewhere. this survey, donald trump warned russia yesterday, to be ready, that nice, new american missiles were coming. this morning came this, "never said when an attack on syria would take place. could be very soon or not soon at all." this syrian war and its many layers of conflict have caused catastrophic damage. there are no good options for western involvemen

and 100 years since the raf, how does it feel to be here? airfield.o be here7m is rather good, isn't it? ifeel as ifi is rather good, isn't it? ifeel as if i have done 75 years of them. it is just if i have done 75 years of them. it isjust a wonderful if i have done 75 years of them. it is just a wonderful feeling. if i have done 75 years of them. it isjust a wonderful feeling. and you are taking part in today's fly past in this beautiful spitfire behind us. in this beautiful spitfire behind us. i always like to get back into a spitfire again. and you were decorated during your time. spitfire again. and you were decorated during your timelj spitfire again. and you were decorated during your time. i was, where i shot the five aircraft down. and it is fantastic to be here today as part of these celebrations. also, mary ellis, who was also a pilot. she is here today. she is a wonderful person, really. alan, what is your best memory of all the planes that you flew? you did not just fly spitfire. no, i have flown more than 80 different kinds of aircraft bu

we can joinjordan peele at the raf base in cyprus where the british jets took off.y more details today about their side of the operations overnight? yes, you know that this is the base in cyprus from where british aeroplanes have been carrying out strikes against so—called islamic state for the last three years so they are well practised. this operation though did have added dangers because syria has air defence systems. it is backed by russia's military also. what we have learnt tonight is as well as those four tornado jets that carried the storm shadow cruise missiles each carrying a pair of those missiles they were accompanied by four typhoon jets which they were accompanied by four typhoonjets which are they were accompanied by four typhoon jets which are armed with airto air missiles typhoon jets which are armed with air to air missilesjust typhoon jets which are armed with air to air missiles just as typhoon jets which are armed with air to air missilesjust as a precaution. in the end they were needed because those tornado jets, the older tornadojets, needed b

i have been asked to track down the surviving raf pilots who flew in the battle of britain.r. if it wasn't for these guys our world today would be very different. in the summer of 1940, germany was preparing to invade britain. it needed air supremacy. the fate of the whole country lay in the hands of a couple of thousand airmen. tim elkington wasjust 19, the hands of a couple of thousand airmen. tim elkington wasjust19, a hurricane fighting pilots, confident about the battle to come. devey ever thought about morale, i don't think. nobody ever chickened or was doubtful —— nobody ever. i think we we re very doubtful —— nobody ever. i think we were very sure that we would defend the place. on august 16, 1940, tim was on patrol over the english channel when he found himself alone. as soon as i straightened out the fuel tank was hit and inflames. and so fuel tank was hit and inflames. and soi fuel tank was hit and inflames. and so i got out. tim had been shot in both legs. he was unconscious and heading for the sea. what happened next was extraordinary. a fellow pilot spotted him

four tornadoes which were based here at raf akrotiri. in the campaign against so—called islamic state. this was a different operation. they were loaded with storm shadows which is a long—range cruise missile. they can be fired 300 miles from the target. they took off from here. they were preprogrammed those missiles for a specific target. the target was an old missile based 50 miles west from the city of homes. it is believed that that is where some of the precursors used for chemical weapons we re precursors used for chemical weapons were stored. the mod have carried out scientific analysis of this site and they would have ensured those missiles would have caused maximum damage while minimising the risks of contamination there. all those jets have returned now, and we do expect that this limited action is probably for the moment, sending a clear message and the hope that syria doesn't engage in chemical weapons as has been said by the west. jonathan, thank you. our correspondents keeping us up to date throughout the morning as news come

that is the moon at raf lossiemouth.ough during the day ahead. as advertised, today, easter day, the best of the bunch for this long weekend. we are sandwiched between weather fronts, and it is taking up most of the forecasting time, this area of low pressure, looming large in the atlantic. it will bring its influence into the south west this afternoon, so make the most of the drier weather in pembrokeshire at the moment. northern ireland and western fringes of england and scotland, it is cold. some showers in the east and further south. they are breaking up so we will see some sunshine but the odd sharp shower for east anglia later. temperature isa for east anglia later. temperature is a bit tired today. without the wind and the sunshine, it will feel pleasa nt wind and the sunshine, it will feel pleasant enough. it will feel mild as we go through the week ahead. look at what is happening overnight. concerns about the amount of rainfall. there could be a couple of inches on the saturated ground where we have had flood w

with afterburners glowing, and loaded with storm shadow cruise missiles, four raf tornadoes take to theitain's contribution to raids overnight in response to syria's alleged use of chemical weapons. planes and missiles from france and the usjoined the raid. explosions were seen across damascus, ast he syrians launched their own defence rockets. this is not about intervening in the civil war. it is not about regime change. it is about a limited and targeted strike that does not further escalate tensions in the region, and that does everything possible to prevent civilian casualties. russia's us ambassador writing: a pre—designed scenario is being implemented, again we are being threatened. we warn such actions will not be left without consequences. un secretary generaljens stoltenberg tweeted: those using chemical weapons had to be held accountable. the foreign secretary wrote that the world was united in disgust at the use of chemical weapons especially against civilians. there was defiance on the streets of damascus this morning, but the aim of the strikes was to get rid of bashar al—a

as the raf celebrates its 100th anniversary, there are just a handful of fighters left.s portrait will be auctioned later this month. the money raised will be given to the air cadets to help the next generation of raf pilots. good piece, that. very interesting. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london news. a teenager wanted in connection with the death of a man who was fatally shot at a petrol station in essex has given himself up in amsterdam. officers had been searching for 18—year—old bradley blundell since last august, following the death ofjohn pordage in chelmsford. staff working for south—western railway will continue their industrial action for a fourth day today. members of the rmt are in dispute over the role of guards on trains. south—western railway, which operates services out of london waterloo, says it has taken steps to try and maintain a full service. it is a0 years since the uk border force first employed sniffer dogs to protect our borders. last year's figures show, across london's airports, they found $

happy centenary, raf.

it's an enormous privilege, really proud to be in command of the raf, but in this year in particular,ry and heritage, and our tradition. what are you trying to say to people this year about the significance of the air force and about its place in modern british society? well, we've got three themes. we want to commemorate that rich history and our heritage and our traditions, and all that sacrifice and courage that has gone on over the last 100 years, but we also want to celebrate what the royal air force is doing today, exceptionally busy, and operations defending the united kingdom, protecting our interests here and overseas, and we also want to inspire as well. the air force has always been a young service, with youth and technology and aspiration at its heart, and we want to inspire the next generation towards the ideals of the royal air force, and indeed to realise their aspirations, where ever they might lie. in practical terms, because it is a celebration, what do you have planned what should people look out for? so the big event clearly is going to be here in london, the natio