06/04/2017 BBC News at Ten

Tonight at ten, the White House dramatically changes policy

on Syria, after this week's suspected chemical weapons attack.

As relatives mourn the dead, Washington says there's no

doubt Syrian government forces were responsible.

Investigators have been at the scene of the bombing.

America says Syria has no future under President Assad.

I think what happened in Syria is a disgrace to humanity.

But he's there and I guess he's running things,

And tonight there are reports of detailed discussions

between the Pentagon and the White House,

President Trump prepares to meet China's Presidnt Xi,

the first face to face talks between the super power rivals.

Britain's highest court rules against a father

who took his daughter on holiday during the school term.

The issue is no longer - if ever it was -

It's about the state taking the rights of parents away,

when it comes to making decisions about their children.

Not the welcome he was expecting for the French Presidential

candidate Francois Fillon - we'll have the latest

There's a dramatic start to the Masters,

with the world number one Dustin Johnson pulling out.

And an inspired work of art, or expensive folly?

We have an exclusive on the latest work by Damian Hirst.

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News: Dustin Johnson walks off

the first tee and out of the Masters.

The world number one won't play at Augusta

after injuring his back in a fall at home.

In an apparent major shift in policy, the Trump administration

says Syria has no future under Bashar al-Assad, after the deaths

of at least 80 people, killed in a suspected chemical

The authorities in Damascus have denied any involvement,

but tonight, the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said

there was no doubt Syrian government forces were responsible.

It's being reported that detailed discussions are taking place

between the Pentagon and the White House about possible

military action against the Syrian government and President Assad.

And speaking in the last hour, President Trump aboard Airforce One,

said the bombing was "a disgrace to humanity" and "something

Our correspondent Nick Bryant reports from the United

Yesterday we saw Abdul-Hamid Alyoussef grieving for his twin

children, poisoned in the attack. Today, he suffered the further agony

of burying them. Often the images we see from Syria are of helpless

victims, caught in a spiral of violence that they have no way of

controlling. But today, these Syrians became activists. Doctors,

rescue workers, children, a silent protest, an expression of dignified

rage, an act of self preservation. They are demanding punishment for

the Assad regime and protection from the international community. And

growing signs tonight both could come from the Trump administration.

It top diplomat hinting strongly the US could respond militarily and

saying President Assad will eventually have to go. We are

considering an appropriate response for this chemical weapons attack,

which violates all previous UN resolutions, violates international

norms and long held agreements between parties, including the

Syrian regime, the Russian government, and all other members of

the UN Security Council. It's a serious matter that requires a

serious response. Today, America's commander in wounded warriors from

past conflicts. This has been a big stress test of his America first

approach, a philosophy predicated on a narrow view of US interests in

which exercising moral and humanitarian leadership was not

considered central. But the chemical attack has clearly altered that

thinking. As he indicated tonight, aboard Air Force One. What Assad did

is terrible. I think what happened in Syria is one of the truly

egregious crimes and it shouldn't have happened. And it shouldn't be

allowed to happen. The diplomatic battle ground in this conflict has

long been the United Nations Security Council. It's seen a

struggle primarily between the United States and Russia and they've

clashed again over the wording of the draft resolution responding to

the attack. The British and the French drafted this resolution and

then the Americans inserted much stronger demands. They are insisting

that the Syrian military hand over all the flight logs for the day of

the attack and also give international investigators access

to its air bases. The Russians say that's unacceptable. The Americans

are refusing to back down. The Syrian government continues to claim

it wasn't responsible for the chemical weapons attack.

TRANSLATION: Our army has never used chemical weapons and will not use

chemical weapons, not only against our civilians, our people, but also

against the terrorists. The international investigation is now

under way and victim soft Tuesday's mass poisoning is being treated in

Turkish hospitals provide major clues. Samples taken from them and

postmortem is carried out on the dead have left the Turkish

government in no doubt the Assad regime carried out the attack. And

fortunately, it's very clear to us that the Assad regime has no

hesitation in using chemical weapons. They attacked with chemical

weapons. The gruesome images from Syria do appear to have stirred a

dismal response from Donald Trump. He often reacts to what he sees on

television. There are increasing indications his outrage will be

expressed in some kind of military response.

We'll hear a bit more from the King but first, let's talk to our America

editor Jon Sopel, who is in Palm Beach ahead of President Trump's

meeting with President Xi of China. The suggestion we are seeing a shift

in policy on Syria from the Trump administration, how clear is that?

Well, it's pretty clear, and it's pretty dramatic. I mean, a month ago

Bashar al-Assad, in the eyes of the US administration, was part of the

solution, that he could be very useful in the fight against

so-called Islamic State. Yesterday, we heard President Trump say that

his position had changed, that the Assad regime had crossed many lines.

When I was outside the White House this time yesterday, I thought I

said I thought the implication was that there was going to be military

action. I've now changed that. Given everything that has been said in the

last 24 hours, I think that military action is a betting certainty and

could be imminent and we could wake up tomorrow morning and find out

that the Americans have taken action. Cast your mind back to what

Donald Trump said about Barack Obama, when he said a red line had

been crossed and he did nothing about it. Were Donald Trump not to

act now, he would look weak and he would not want that. What would the

objectives of military action be? Is it a metaphorical slap on the wrist,

or something more profound? I understand General Mattis is

briefing the president on military options. It could range from cruise

missiles launched from the eastern Mediterranean, taking out the Syrian

I forced off from to launch the attack, to attacking Syrian air

defences, to other options. It goes back to that original question you

asked, what is the military objective? That, we don't know. It's

easy to start something, much more difficult to stop it. Jon Sopel,

thank you, in Palm Beach. Let's go to Nick Bryant in UN in New York. We

seeing real toughening of the language from the White House and we

are expecting a vote at the UN shortly? In the next couple of hours

we are expecting a vote on the resolution demanding access to the

air bases for investigators to go in there, and what I've been told,

while we've been on air, I've received a text from somebody who is

in those negotiations and their full expectation is that the moment that

the Russians will veto that draft resolution. That will be the eighth

veto of a resolution that was aimed at the Assad regime. The Americans

are saying publicly and privately Rex Tillerson repeated it today as

well, that the Russians have to rethink their support for the Assad

regime. They want that to change. Rex Tillerson will be in Moscow next

week, delivering that message personally. What the conversation

and the negotiations have been about in New York this past day, have been

about getting investigators access to the airbase. That conversation

could change dramatically and possibly overnight, and there is

this possibility is that we could be talking tomorrow about some kind of

US air strike on the basis from which they believe the planes took

off, that launched the chemical attack. Nick Bryant at the UN in New

York. Donald Trump was speaking about Syria on his way to Florida,

to meet President Xi Jinping of China. The two men will discuss a

highly contested issues of trade on the growing threat from North Korea.

They are meeting at Mr Trump's resort in Palm Beach in Florida and

in a moment we'll get the view of our China editor, Carrie Gracie, on

the meeting. First, Jon Sopel. President Trump and the First Lady

arrived in Florida for what promises to be the most important meeting of

his presidency. President Xi arrived, two superpowers with

different missions. We are getting ripped by China. We can't allow

China to rate our country. Travel down the coast from here to the port

of Miami and you can see what the president is talking about. Far more

goods are coming in from China than American products going the other

way. It's a massive imbalance and the president has threatened to

introduce tariffs, which could spark a trade war. But the local mayor

said that must be avoided. The president would like to see more of

the balancing exports and imports but I don't think we are going to

get into a trading war with China. It would not be good for the United

States or China. And the picture is more complex than the campaign

rhetoric. Take apple's iPhones, an American company that chooses to

manufacture in China. US companies are account for 40% of imports

coming in from the Asian superpower. In America, there's more Chinese

investment like this windscreen facility in Ohio, creating tens of

thousands of jobs. This is the number-1 foreign policy concern of

the Trump administration. There is frustration that China hasn't done

more and Donald Trump has threatened to go it alone. A bad idea, says

this North Korea expert. We will do a lot better at it if we were doing

this in conjunction with China and with the Republic of Korea, than if

we are trying to do it separately. These are the most asked Vietnamese

protesters unhappy about Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea.

That issue might be touched upon. But it's not central to the concerns

today, where the focus is on trade and North Korea. Jon Sopel, BBC

News, Palm Beach, Florida. President Xi likes to play the

strongman, every appearance choreographed, every meeting

scripted. He doesn't do risky Blind dates. But in Florida he hopes to

seize the day and shake President Trump's China policy in a way that

suits China. -- shape President Trump's China policy. Last time

President Xi visited the US he made the point that companies like Boeing

earn good money in China. But with economic growth slowing at home, he

can ill afford a trade war with his biggest market, and he laughed to

offer help for US exports and jobs. He can from this investment in

deprived areas of the United States and promised Trump he is bringing

jobs to the United States. He's using North Korea as an excuse to

deploy aggressive strategic military assets closed China. He's using

deploy aggressive strategic military assets closed China. He's if Mr she

can then head off a trade war and temper Mr Trump's tweets on North

Korea, he'll call this Florida summit a triumph. Carrie Gracie, BBC

News. The highest court in England

and Wales has ruled that any parent who takes their child out of school

during term time could be fined, A man from the Isle of Wight had

argued he could take his daughter out of school

because she attended regularly. Jon Platt had originally

refused to pay a fine, after taking his daughter

for an unauthorised holiday. The Supreme Court, in overruling

a High Court judgment, said parents need to act

within school rules. Here's our Education

editor, Branwen Jeffreys. Jon Platt took his case

to the highest court and lost, but today,

defiant, he said for him this The issue is no longer -

if ever it was - about term time holidays, it's about the state

taking the rights of parents away when it comes to making decisions

about their children. Later, Jon told me

he has no regrets. His daughter had attendance

of more than 90%. He won't plead guilty when it goes

back to the magistrates and could face a fine

of up to ?1000. Not every day missed at school

has a negative impact, because if it did we wouldn't have

schools taking children What do you say to people who argue

it's the areas where children are missing lots of school

and results are really poor that So if they are missing

school all the time and they are persistently

absent, prosecute them. So where does this leave

England's schools? It means they get to decide

the rules on attendance. Something headteachers

have welcomed. We've always stood our line

at this school anyway, because we said to parents,

when you chose to send your child to this school you signed our

home-school agreement that said I'll send them everyday regardless,

but it will make our life a lot It's not just us saying it, we've

got the full force of law behind us. Families at Exmouth today,

at the start of their Easter break. Many annoyed by the high holiday

prices, but sympathy too for the judges' view that if too

many children miss If everyone took their children out

of school because of cheaper holidays, then school wouldn't

be the same. I think children need to be

in there, but occasionally I can see why parents do take their children

out of school, because the holiday companies just ramp up the prices

during the school holidays, I think they should be

taken out of school, because they always did in our day

and it never did us any harm. A week or two, they don't miss that

much and they learn so much Elisha works in a cafe

at this seaside town. She says it's hard for parents

who have seasonal work. We are busiest in the half terms

and the summer holidays, so it's hard to get time off work,

and it's easier when Parents have a legal duty

across the UK to get their children to school regularly,

but the chances of a fine Wales - the exception,

where families can ask for up No consolation in England,

where schools may now be stricter. Let's take a look at some

of the day's other top stories. Theresa May has told the President

of the European Council, Donald Tusk, that the sovereignty

of Gibraltar is not up for negotiation,

during Brexit talks. The two met at Downing Street

for the first time since Mrs May triggered the process of leaving

the European Union. The oil giant, BP, has cut the pay

of its Chief Executive, Bob Dudley, by 40%,

after facing a shareholder The company said it had

consulted investors, before putting forward

the new package worth ?9.3 million, to ensure a clear link

between pay and performance. The Ukip Welsh Assembly

member, Mark Reckless, has left the party and will now vote

with the Conservatives, making them the second-largest party

in the devolved Assembly,overtaking It's another blow for Ukip,

after its only MP, Douglas Carswell, announced

he was leaving the party last month. Labour says if it wins the next

election, every primary school pupil in England will get free school

meals, and they'll be paid for by charging VAT

on private school fees. Jeremy Corbyn says the health

and performance of young children will be improved,

but critics say Labour's A political hot potato

which Labour is reheating. The Labour Leader was in

Lancashire to promote the idea of free school meals

for all state-educated, primary age children in England, with the aim

of improving their health, paid for by adding VAT

to independent school fees. What can be more important

than making sure our children are What can be more important

than making sure our children grow up with a balanced

diet and a reliable lunch every It's the families of these

private school pupils who would be paying for the initiative,

a prospect which doesn't impress But the thing is it wouldn't be

just taxing the rich, these are the very people

who are struggling to send their Paying twice with their taxes,

and making the choice of wanting It cost ?9,000 a year to send

a child to this school. If Labour gets their way, a tax

of 20% would be added to the bill, These two women send

their children to independent Oh, it will make a huge

difference for most people who are just about affording to send

their children to private school. I honestly think

that's the majority of people who do without holidays,

they do without new cars. My own daughter is now

sending her child to the same And I know full well

that the majority of her friends will not be able to continue

if they have to pay another 20%. But there are those who support

a tax on school fees. I had children in private school,

also had them in mainstream. When we could afford

it, yes - I wouldn't have minded paying for

the people who couldn't. Let them help people who are less

fortunate than themselves. Labour has pointed

to research it claims shows that providing free school

meals at primary level raises But the actual researchers

clarified their position today. Our research showed there

was a positive, academic benefit, to having universal free

school meals in deprived areas. It said nothing

about whether it would have the same impact

if you rolled it out nationally. Labour says the tax could raise

?1.5 billion a year. Danny Savage from the BBC

News, West Yorkshire. With little more than two weeks

to go before the first round of the French Presidential

elections, the candidates have been attending campaign rallies

across the country. But there was a setback

for the Republican candidate, Francois Fillon, when a protester

threw a bag of flour He's under investigation,

accused of paying hundreds of thousands of pounds to family

members for work they didn't do, Well, the latest opinion polls show

Mr Fillon trailing in the race, behind the centrist candidate

Emanuel Macron, and Marine Le Pen Our Europe Editor, Katya Adler,

has travelled to the town of Bandol in the south of France,

where she found voters, willing to bypass the established

political parties. Sun, song and Provencal

charm cascades through Like much of France,

so appealing on the outside, but bubbling with resentment

on the in. "We need a radical

change," Alain told me. "Our politicians line

their pockets while we struggle While Mimi said her

country was beautiful, This strong antiestablishment

feeling plays into the hands of far right presidential hopeful

Marine Le Pen, traditional Le Pen activists were campaigning

hard in the market today. TRANSLATION: Ours is

a patriotic programme, a complete change for France,

and the people say The Le Pen campaign

casts a wide net. Marine targets angry low-income

workers in the north, prominent niece Marion woos

struggling businesses in the south. Both are anti-immigration

and anti-globalisation. But now there's a rival

antiestablishment kid in town. Back in the market, Team Macron

was on a charm offensive. With Emmanuel Macron

we have the choice to vote against the professionalisation

of politics and someone We're not against free trade

or globalisation or immigration. The Macron appeal is he's

an insider-outsider. Traditional political background,

but youthful, unconventional. He's chatting here to schoolchildren

about his vision for a new France, But it's not only the future

of France riding on these elections. France is an EU heavyweight,

historically, politically and economically, but the leading

presidential candidates here want to pull the country

in different directions. In deep with Emmanuel Macron,

who even campaigns with EU balloons. Marine Le Pen wants out of the euro

and possibly the union altogether. TRANSLATION: It would be a disaster

for Europe if Le Pen won. After Brexit, if France goes,

the EU would have no military power anymore,

no nuclear power. Compared to China,

Russia or America, the EU The number of abstentions

and last-minute voters The disillusioned could decide

the direction of France and beyond. Katya Adler, BBC News,

south of France. It's day one of the first

golfing major of the year, But, as the players teed off,

there was a dramatic late withdrawal, with the world number

one, Dustin Johnson, pulling out. Here's our Sports Correspondent,

Katie Gornall. It was a guessing game right up

until the last minute. After a bad fall at his rental home, world

number one Dustin Johnson arrived in should -- injured and unsure. Would

his back hold-up? Following practice he had his answer. The red-hot

favourite walking away without taking a shot. His absences are

boosting his rivals. The masters is the one major title missing from the

CV of Rory McIlroy. He is expected to face competition from Jordan

Spieth. The American is looking to bounce back from last year's final

day collapse which allowed Danny Willett to become the surprise

winner in 2015. This time it was Matt Fitzpatrick who set the early

pace. Leading up to 15 holes he finished his first round one under

par. For many the conditions at Augusta were proving a challenge.

Jordan Spieth may be former champion but he struggled with the twins.

Rory McIlroy ensured a difficult start. His trademark roar all too

often replaced with the sight of frustration. Consistency has been a

problem for Danny Willett. After an early wobble, he covered with some

pinpoint accuracy. You can always rely on Watson to add colour to the

course. He played his round with a pink ball. As the first day's draws

to a close, much is in contention. Preserving sharks in formaldehyde,

or encrusting a skull with more There's no question Damien Hirst's

art is eye-catching, earning him notoriety and wealth

in equal measure. Well, now, the former

Turner Prize winner is hoping a fable about a shipwreck

will help relaunch a career that some critics believe

has hit the rocks. Called Treasures from the Wreck

of the Unbelievable, the new artwork has been nearly

a decade in the making, In his only broadcast

interview about the piece, Damien Hirst has been speaking

to our Arts Editor, Will Gompertz. What quickly becomes apparent

from Damien Hirst's new show filled two enormous palazzos

with mythical figures. The idea is that there

is a collector from 2000 years ago, who was a freed slave

from Antioch in Turkey. And he begged,

borrowed, stole, commissioned He built the biggest ship

of its day called The He packed the treasures

into it and the ship sank. Then, ten years ago,

we looked into the discovery of the wreck and we found the wreck

and excavated the treasures. The exhibition is the exhibition

of the treasures from the So the story goes but,

hang on a minute. An ancient sword, bearing

the legend, "SeaWorld." A marble sculpture

with Barbie branding. Doesn't matter tattooed figure

looks a lot like Rhianna? Is Damien Hirst taking

the Mickey Mouse? For me, the show is

totally about belief. You can believe whatever

you want to believe. Fantastical story aside,

this collection of bronze, solid gold and marble artworks must

have cost a fortune to make. More than 50 or less

than 50 million? Why do you want people

to believe in this story? I want you to be searching

for the truth, and I want you to have to be

peeling back the layers I don't know what that truth

is for you but I know what it is For me, it is that this

guy lived 2000 years ago, he amassed this

collection and he tried to do and it sank to the

bottom of the sea. It's like, I'm really shocked that

I say that to you now. There is something sort of barmy

about believing a story you actually You know, people

believe in Santa Claus. The difference is, those

are other people's story. If I close my eyes,

I can see the sky. Whether this show is

a great masterpiece, or an overblown vanity project,

or somewhere in between, will be Either way, there's plenty to see

and amuse in these works by a man who once pickled a shark but now

finds some of today's contemporary Sometimes I look at new art

and I think, what the hell is it? I can definitely walk

into an exhibition and go, "I don't understand these

contemporary artists." Now, that is a reality

for a lot of people. In what appears to be a shift in the

Donald Trump policy on Syria, a future role for president Assad has

been ruled out. Discussions are taking place between the Pentagon

and the White House about possible military action against the Assad

regime. Let's return to our editor. What is the latest? Politically we

have seen the most massive change in the last 24 hours with Donald Trump

announcing that his view has changed. Since then we have heard a

lot of things, a variety of different full sons, all pointing to

the idea there will be a true strike against Syria and that it could be

imminent. Plans have already been drawn up and decisions are being

made as we speak. The Defence Secretary briefing Donald Trump

about what the target options would be. They range from a slap on the

wrist to something much more profound with all the consequences

that could go with that. Thank you for that.