07/04/2017 BBC News at Ten

Tonight at Ten: Strong condemnation from Russia of the US bombing

59 missiles were fired by the US at the airbase -

said to be the launch pad for a deadly chemical

The targets - aircraft, ammunition bunkers,

and air defence systems - all owned and controlled

Tonight, I call on all civilised nations to join us in seeking

to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria.

But Russia says the US has illegally attacked a sovereign state.

A lorry ploughs into pedestrians in the Swedish capital Stockholm,

I could actually see bodies lying on the street and I could see

the police covering a body with an orange blanket.

Andreea Cristea, who fell into the Thames during

the Westminster terror attack last month, has died.

The violent husband who was spared custody is now sent to jail -

after his claims to be a professional cricketer

And could the Yorkshireman who won last year's Masters

be about to crash out of this year's competition?

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News: Two defeats on day one

in France mean Great Britain is on the verge of going

out of the Davis Cup in the quarterfinals.

Russia, an ally of Syria, has condemned a missile strike

authorised by President Trump on a Syrian government target.

59 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from US warships

in the Mediterranean at the Shayrat airbase.

It was from there, according to Mr Trump, that this week's deadly

chemical weapons attack in northern Syria was launched.

In a moment, we'll get the latest on Russia's response -

and how the strike could affect the long war in Syria.

But first, here's our North America editor Jon Sopel.

And a warning, his report does contain some distressing images.

It was after dark on the east coast of America and before the sun had

risen in the Middle East, when the commander-in-chief gave

From two US warships in the eastern Mediterranean,

a volley of cruise missiles was fired, targeting a single

military airbase outside Homs that had been used,

say the Americans, by the Syrian Air Force to launch

the deadly chemical weapons attack on Idlib earlier in the week.

It was in this vital national security interest

of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use

There could be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons,

violated its obligations under the chemical weapons convention,

and ignored the urging of the UN Security Council.

The grotesque after effects of the attack -

the US believe the nerve agent sarin was used - horrified the world,

and, more importantly, horrified this president.

A line had been crossed, and unlike his predecessor,

Assad choked out the lives of helpless men, women and children.

It was a slow and brutal death for so many.

Even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this

No child of God should ever suffer such horror.

What is truly astonishing, dizzying even, is the speed

with which this administration has changed its policy towards Syria

At the beginning of the week, President Trump saw Bashar al-Assad

as a useful ally in the fight against so-called Islamic State.

But the chemical weapons attack changed everything,

and within two days, targets had been

Here's what we know about the attack.

59 Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from the two

The Shayrat airbase is some 20 from Homs, deep in Syrian

Targets included aircraft, their shelters, fuel depots,

But because Russian forces are also deployed at the base,

Russia was informed of the attack in advance.

The aftermath shows damage and debris at the base,

The Pentagon says it didn't particularly target the runways,

The aim was to destroy the infrastructure that allows

the base to function, and the attack has brought

Mr President was authorised to conduct the strike.

He's not asking for a declaration of war.

He's not committing ground troops over an extended period of time.

He was dealing with exigent circumstances.

As the commander-in-chief not only does he have the right,

Hillary Clinton has also backed the President's action,

We cannot in one breath speak of protecting Syrian babies

and in the next close America's doors to them.

The president and his team at the makeshift situation room

at Mar-a-Lago, as they await news of the strike.

Donald Trump, who didn't want to get embroiled

in foreign conflicts, has just ordered US

And as he ended his address to the nation last night,

he no longer sounded like the America first isolationist.

Good night and God bless America and the entire world.

The president, not yet 100 days in, has travelled a long

Jon Sopel, BBC News, Palm Beach, Florida.

Russia - as a supporter of President Assad -

has accused the United States of violating international law.

It said that President Trump's actions encouraged terrorists

in the region, including the Islamic State group in Syria.

Our Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg has the latest

Until recently, the Russian media have been singing

Today, state TV accused him of an unprovoked show of force

with the missile strike he'd ordered on a Syrian air base.

Less than half of the missiles fired, Moscow claimed,

Still, Russia condemned the attack as a gross,

groundless violation of the international rule book.

It's definitely an aggressive act against international law,

against a sovereign country, and without any true

evidence of the Assad regime using chemical weapons.

It's Russian military power that's been keeping

Russia's air force and navy helping Syria's leader turn the tide

of the country's civil war, and boosting Moscow's

Today, the Kremlin accused Washington of inventing a pretext

Those American Tomahawks may have been targeting the Syrian military,

but judging by what the Kremlin has been saying, it's US-Russian

relations that will take a real battering now as a result

The Russians had been hoping that with Donald Trump

in the White House, relations with America would improve.

But so far, there's been no sign of that.

Later, the two countries clashed at the UN Security Council.

It could be that Russia is knowingly allowing chemical

It could be that Russia has been incompetent in its efforts to remove

Or it could be that the Assad regime is playing the Russians for fools.

I would ask America not to insult my country, said Russia's

Today, Moscow suspended a deal designed to prevent incidents

between US and Russian warplanes over Syria.

Which means that we have two big military powers in the area

operating without any contact and any coordination,

The Russians are hoping that this US strike was a one-off, but tonight,

they are strengthening air defence systems across Syria, just in case.

Until this week's chemical attack in northern Syria,

President Trump had appeared set against any intervention against

Our Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen reports now on the implications

of the US strike for the six-year Syrian war.

This man buried his brother, a victim of the war crime in Khan

Sheikhoun that pushed the Americans into action. He is hoping the

Americans have a strategy to end the suffering of his family and friends.

He wants the Americans to remove the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

TRANSLATION: What happened in Shayrat last night, the air strikes,

was a very simple response to what Bashar al-Assad has done to the

Syrian people. We want the children to go to school. We don't want

Bashar The Syrian regime denies it has ever used chemical weapons. I

think President Trump himself knows that Syria did not use any chemical

weapons and does not have any chemical weapons, as it had given

all its stockpiles to the International organisation

responsible for that. The Americans say they have clear proof that the

Syrian Armed Forces carried out war crimes by using nerve gas against

Syrians. They are absolutely certain of that, that's why they carried out

this rate. 14 years after the invasion of Iraq, we see Iraq has

been destroyed. Syria is the second secular state after Iraq, that is

being targeted by them simply because it's secular and it has an

army and it's the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Residents in Khan

Sheikhoun seems to have no doubts that the regime used chemical

weapons. This war has driven home a lesson. Civilian lives come a poor

second to the interests of the long list of powers who are in the fight.

A major reason why the Syrian war is so hard to stop is that so many

countries are involved. With different interests and objectives.

President Assad's main allies are Russia and Iran, the biggest Shia

Muslim country. These days the rebels, still fighting the regime,

are mainly Sunni Muslim Islamists. Some are approved by the West, some

are jihadists. Rebels sometimes fight each other. There's also the

War against so-called Islamic State, led by the US and its allies. Think

of it all as layers of conflict. Sometimes they are parallel and

sometimes they intersect, and now, Donald Trump has added a whole new

lair. And the President's response to the killing in Khan Sheikhoun has

delighted the Syrian opposition in exile. He has now connected,

finally, connected the fight against terrorism with the need for a

political transition in Syria, where Assad has obviously no role to play.

It's not clear yet whether what happened here at Khan Sheikhoun will

change the course of the war. That depends on whether the Americans

have a new long-term strategy. Force equals influence in Syria and

American threats will now be taken more seriously. But more foreign

intervention, no matter who does it, will not magically deliver peace.

Jeremy Bowen, BBC News. In a moment we can speak

to Jon Sopel, who's But first, Ben Wright

is in Downing Street. What has the reaction been. Britain

was a supporting by stander. The Government was told before the the

United States was going to do this. But the UK was not asked to take

part. Ministers are pleased that President Trump has acted. The

Defence Secretary said it was an entirely appropriate response and he

thinks will deter president Assad from using chemical weapons in the

future. That was echoed by Liberal Democrats and many senior Labour

Party figure. But not Jeremy Corbyn. He thinks the missile strike could

only escalate the conflict in Syria. He is opposed to it and called for

further peace talks. Nobody in Westminster thinks there is a simple

solution. But one question is whether, if the US action escalates

and becomes more widespread, is there a chance the UK may be

involved in the future. The Government have been clear, that can

only happen if Parliament gives approval and you remember in 2013

the Government tried to get support for air strikes against Syria and

suffered a bruising defeat and they're only going do that if

they're sure they can get support. My hunch that is not on the agenda

and President Trump seems perfectly keen to do this on his own. Ben,

thank you. Jon Sopel in flor fla, is this a -- Florida is this a one off

strike. Well I think President Trump would love it to be seen as a simple

one-off attack on Bashar al-Assad. And as a message to him that, look,

if you drop chemical weapons, then America will act. But it is

complicated. There are already reports coming suggesting that

Syrian aircraft have taken off from the air base that was cratered over

night by the 59 Tomahawk missiles. If that is true, what then. And what

are the objective of the the exercise. Is it the overthrough of

Bashar al-Assad. The Secretary of state announced there would be

function tightening of sanctions against Syria. Although it is hard

to see much trade is going on at the moment. The Secretary of State is on

his way to Moscow for talks his counter part on Sunderland.

Relations will be very difficult. But then this the wider question of

Donald Trump and the rest of the world and I heard it best praised by

a Republican Senator or who said there is a new Sheriff showing who

is the boss and the world has better sit up and take notice. It probably

is. Thank you. A lorry has been driven into a crowd

of pedestrians in Stockholm, killing four people and injuring 15,

nine of them seriously. The Swedish Prime Minister said

everything suggested The incident happened

mid-afternoon on a busy pedestrian shopping street,

with the truck eventually crashing Tonight, police arrested a man

who they say resembles images they released on CCTV

after the attack. Our correspondent Dan Johnson has

just sent this report Panic and confusion on the streets

of another European capital. People are scared. Something's happen bg.

People running in terror as a truck races to shoppers in Stockholm. And

this is where it ended up - in flames after crashing into a

department store. TRANSLATION: I saw exactly where the lorry went in just

there. There wasn't much of a reaction, then the police arrived.

The police just said, you have to run. You could actually see bodies

lying on the street and I cold see the police covering the body with a

blanket and there were lots of police and people around filming.

The truck belongs to a brewery company whose owner said a man

hijacked it. A blunt weapon with a blow that has hit Sweden hard. There

was a lady laying with a severed foot. There were bodies on the

ground. And the sense of panic. People standing by their loved ones,

but people running away. So many questions - first, who was involved

and why? Police quickly released images of a man they wanted to

question and within hours they had made an arrest. TRANSLATION: Earlier

we released a picture of a person of interest to the investigation. A

short while ago we apprehended a person that matches that

description. Sweden's Prime Minister said his country wouldn't give in to

terror. Thoughts, concerns and condolences have reached many of us

from all around the world. And we are grateful for the many warm

expressions of sharing our grief. We are determined never to let the

values that we treasure - democrat circumstances cy and human rights to

be undermined. Now some normality is returning. The metro has re-opened

and people are returning. There is an uneasy feel here. It has shaken

people. The police have visible in number and there are already extra

checks at Sweden's borders. Already some are saying it is a wake up call

for the Security Services. Sweden has a proud history as an open

society. But now it is the latest corner of Europe forced to confront

death so shocking. The issue for the Security Services is how you can

prevent these attacks from happening again? Yes, that's a big challenge.

There is a strange atmosphere on the the streets of this city, the

Swedish people are considering quietly what happened today and what

it may mean. It raises some possibly difficult questions. Sweden's Prime

Minister was confident he said it has the hall marks of a terror

attacks. But we know nothing about who was behind it. The police are

questioning one plan and are searching for another. Now, there is

a challenge for the Security Services here and across all cities

really as to how to keep people safe when they walk through a city like

this if someone is prepared to kill with an object as every day as a

delivery truck. Thank you. A Romanian tourist who was knocked

into the River Thames during the Westminster terror

attack just over two Andreea Cristea had been visiting

London with her boyfriend when she was struck by a car

driven by Khalid Masood. Her family have paid tribute

to their "irreplaceable" daughter, Our Home Affairs Correspondent

Tom Symonds reports. There had been a hope that

Andreea Cristea would make it. She was young, she had

been on holiday, about to receive

a marriage proposal. Doctors at St Bartholomew's

said she had been in a critical condition

since the attack. Yesterday, they decided

to withdraw life support. We are saddened by the death

of Miss Andreea Cristea She had been receiving care

here since the Westminster terror attack, having been initially

treated at the Royal London Hospital and our thoughts are with her

friends and family at this I would like to pay tribute

to all the staff, who showed great care and compassion

in looking after her. Her family praised

the kindness and empathy shown by medical

staff and the police. Khalid Masood can't have cared

who he targeted that day. Using a blunt weapon - a hire car -

he mowed down his victims, somehow sending Andreea over the railing

of the bridge and into the river. Leslie Rhodes, Asha Frade, Kurt

Cochran and PC Keith Palmer also The inquest into their deaths

has been adjourned, but it will consider what happened

in precise detail that day. The benefit the coroner

has is the sheer number It is thought 1,500 people may

have seen what happened. Last week, Andrei Burnaz laid

a single flower in memory of the woman he had hoped

would be his wife. Today, for all the victims,

the flowers, the candles and the A man who was spared jail

because he told a judge he would lose an offer to play

professional cricket, has been sent to prison after it

emerged that he was lying. Mustafa Bashir will now serve 18

months for assaulting his wife with a cricket bat and forcing her

to drink bleach. Mustafa Bashir played

lower league cricket, but he posed as a promising talent

about to sign professional papers. He thought it would prevent him

going to prison, after Last month, he told

the court that if he was jailed, he'd lose a contract with

Leicestershire County Cricket Club. In fact, he had only ever played

a couple of open net sessions there. The club called his claims

an invention and told the court. Today, Mustafa Bashir

was sent straight to jail, the judge saying he'd been

fundamentally misled. If you are in a position

where you have to give evidence in court, it's very

important that you tell the truth, as Mr Bashir found out

today to his cost. The judge also addressed criticism

he'd faced for saying He said:

was not particularly vulnerable. This evening, I spoke

to Mustafa Bashir's ex-wife, who has She told me she had been

upset by the originally court hearing, but said

that she was pleased to hear the judge's comments

and decision today. She said, "I feel

relaxed, I feel strong. Tonight, Mustafa Bashir is spending

his first night in prison - paying not just for his violence,

but for the lengths he went to to The stage and screen actor

Tim Pigott Smith has died. It's not enough to say

I'm English and you're Indian, but I'm a ruler and you're

one of the ruled. He was well known for his portrayal

of Ronald Merrick in the epic drama, Jewel in the Crown in the '80s,

for which he won a Bafta. And in his most recent

role he played Sniggs in the new BBC adaptation

of Evelyn Waugh's Decline and Fall. Golf, and defending champion

Danny Willett looks almost certain to drop out of the US Masters

in Augusta tonight. With a few hours of play remaining,

he's looking very unlikely to qualify for the remaining two

days of the tournament. Here's our sports

reporter Patrick Gearey. Augusta - one part beauty,

one part cruelty. These manicured lawns can

become a wilderness. England's Lee Westwood had

been in contention, but on these treacherous

greens and fairways, Danny Willett, his countryman and

defending champion, fared far worse. Few can dominate while wrestling the

wind and American Charley Hoffman has come closer to most,

but he is still being Among them, Sergio Garcia,

one of golf's major figures, But he was hitting heights

not many can reach. Might he finally fill

that gap on the CV? But this is a timeless

place, right now he is a They say the best players know

what a good score is on Rory McIlroy did enough

to stay in touch. He knows the wind is due

to drop, conditions will improve and if now you're

a coper, you could become a Master. Now on BBC One, it's time

for the news where you are.