:00:08. > :00:09.Hello, I'm Nuala McGovern, this is Outside Source.
:00:10. > :00:12.A suspected chemical weapons attack has killed at least 58 people -
:00:13. > :00:17.including women and children - in a rebel-town in northern Syria.
:00:18. > :00:23.All the victims who arrived at neural stress and yellow saliva
:00:24. > :00:26.All the victims who arrived had neural stress and yellow saliva
:00:27. > :00:30.And very soon blood starting coming out of mouths which means
:00:31. > :00:33.The White House has called the attack reprehensible and blamed
:00:34. > :00:39.We'll be live in Washington for more reaction.
:00:40. > :00:41.Russian investigators say the main suspect in the bomb attack
:00:42. > :00:43.on the St Petersburg metro is a Russian citizen
:00:44. > :00:49.We'll hear from the BBC Kyrgyz Service and from the driver
:00:50. > :00:59.When the door of the first carriage opened, the passengers were just
:01:00. > :01:02.standing there explaining all at once what had happened.
:01:03. > :01:05.In France, 'the big debate' is under way featuring all 11 candidates
:01:06. > :01:09.We'll bring you highlights and analysis with the election less
:01:10. > :01:34.And don't forget you can get in touch using the #BBCOS.
:01:35. > :01:37.At least 58 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a suspected
:01:38. > :01:41.chemical attack in north-western Syria, a monitoring group says.
:01:42. > :01:48.It's in rebel-held Idlib province.
:01:49. > :01:54.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say that the attack
:01:55. > :01:58.was carried out by either Syrian government or Russian jets.
:01:59. > :02:19.At seven in the morning, fighter jets of the Syrian air force hit the
:02:20. > :02:23.town with two air strikes. Civil services were sent to the area
:02:24. > :02:26.immediately. Our medical team say the area was targeted with a
:02:27. > :02:31.chemical agent. Many were injured while trying to reach the area. More
:02:32. > :02:32.than 200 people were taken to medical facilities. We do not know
:02:33. > :02:45.how many were killed at this point. I went to a hospital in the south of
:02:46. > :02:48.the city of it live. I was completely shocked when I entered
:02:49. > :02:54.the facility. The place was packed with patients. Survivors were
:02:55. > :02:59.everywhere, in emergency rooms, treatment rooms, operation theatres,
:03:00. > :03:03.hallways. Absolutely everywhere. They all had similar symptoms: they
:03:04. > :03:09.were choking, they had constricted pupils, and foam around the mouth.
:03:10. > :03:13.These symptoms meant they suffered from a condition caused by a
:03:14. > :03:18.chemical agent. Isil ten bodies in the hospital. Which is one of the
:03:19. > :03:21.smallest in the area. -- I saw ten bodies in the hospital.
:03:22. > :03:23.There were also reports that aircraft fired rockets
:03:24. > :03:25.at the local clinics that were treating survivors.
:03:26. > :03:27.The Syrian army has denied it is responsible.
:03:28. > :03:29.A spokesman said "The army command categorically denies using any
:03:30. > :03:31.chemical or toxic substance in Khan Sheik-hun today.
:03:32. > :03:33.It stresses that it has never used them,
:03:34. > :03:36.any time, anywhere, and will not do so in the future."
:03:37. > :03:37.But France's president Hollande has directly blamed
:03:38. > :03:50.And this is what the UK's Prime Minister had to say.
:03:51. > :03:55.I am appalled by the reports that there has been a chemical weapons
:03:56. > :04:00.attack on a town south of Idlib, reportedly by the -- allegedly by
:04:01. > :04:08.the Syrian regime. We condemn the use of chemical weapons under all
:04:09. > :04:14.circumstances. If proven, this will be further evidence of the barbarism
:04:15. > :04:18.of the Syrian regime. I would urge the organisation for the Prohibition
:04:19. > :04:22.of chemical weapons to investigate this incident as soon as possible. I
:04:23. > :04:26.am very clear that there can be no future for Assad in a stable Syria
:04:27. > :04:29.which is representative of all the Syrian people, and I call on all of
:04:30. > :04:33.the parties involved to ensure that we have a transition away from a
:04:34. > :04:33.sad. We cannot allow the suffering to continue.
:04:34. > :04:36.Meanwhile, the White House says there is not a fundamental option
:04:37. > :04:48.Rajini Vaidyanathan in Washington brought us more
:04:49. > :05:02.White House press Secretary Sean Spicer described the attack as
:05:03. > :05:07.heinous, reprehensible, and said it cannot be ignored. Crucially, in the
:05:08. > :05:10.statement he gave to reporters, he also blamed what he described as the
:05:11. > :05:16.consequence of the past administration 's weakness and
:05:17. > :05:19.irresolution. A dig President Obama, who of course set in red line when
:05:20. > :05:26.it came to chemical weapons in Syria. And was then criticised for
:05:27. > :05:35.not taking divisive action against President Assad. We are also seeing
:05:36. > :05:39.that there the Syrian regime, Assad, there is no chance of changing it.
:05:40. > :05:45.It is a political reality is another man I was reading. What will it be
:05:46. > :05:49.when it comes to strategy from the US White House in dealing with this
:05:50. > :05:53.attack? We know that President Ram has met with his national security
:05:54. > :05:58.team, but we do not know whether he himself has set a breadline. We do
:05:59. > :06:02.not know any more details of strategy from him directly. -- has
:06:03. > :06:06.set a red line. What we do know is some of the noise were getting from
:06:07. > :06:09.officials close to him. We know the focus in that region for the Trump
:06:10. > :06:14.administration is to counter Islamic State. If you look at some of the
:06:15. > :06:19.things that some of those close to him have been saying in regards to
:06:20. > :06:23.Syria, let's take Rex Tillerson for example. He says the long-term
:06:24. > :06:30.status of Assad will be decided by the Syrian people. Nikki Haley, the
:06:31. > :06:34.US ambassador to the UN said the priority is no longer focused on
:06:35. > :06:39.getting Assad out. That rings true for what you are saying, that that
:06:40. > :06:43.has been criticised by some in President trumps own party. People
:06:44. > :06:47.like public and Senator John McCain, saying there needs to be more
:06:48. > :06:51.decisive action from this administration. He was very critical
:06:52. > :06:52.of President Obama to. He is also urging the government to support the
:06:53. > :06:54.free Syrian army. A live televised debate
:06:55. > :06:56.between all 11 candidates for the French Presidential election
:06:57. > :07:00.is under way. The first round voting is now less
:07:01. > :07:02.than three weeks away. All eyes are on these two
:07:03. > :07:13.because if the polls are to be trusted, far-right candidate
:07:14. > :07:15.Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron will make it
:07:16. > :07:17.through to the second round, where Mr Macron is expected
:07:18. > :07:35.to take a decisive victory What I offer you is a real
:07:36. > :07:40.alternative. The complete renewal of our political life. We will have new
:07:41. > :07:44.faces, new ways of working. I have confidence in our country. We can
:07:45. > :07:52.take on the challenges that we face. I want to bring back optimism. I
:07:53. > :07:57.want to give the people a voice. I want the money of the French people
:07:58. > :08:01.to return to the French. I want to put France back in order. For this I
:08:02. > :08:06.have a clear and precise plan. I have no ambiguity in my mind, and I
:08:07. > :08:10.am not a liar. I would like to say to the French people, voted to take
:08:11. > :08:15.back control. It is the only use about. -- the only useful vote.
:08:16. > :08:18.With 11 candidates taking part, I asked the BBC's Helene Daouphras
:08:19. > :08:22.if anyone would get a fair chance to speak.
:08:23. > :08:27.It has been organised very precisely. They all had a chance
:08:28. > :08:31.initially to introduce themselves. The question was, who are you? Then
:08:32. > :08:36.there were three big questions over the evening. One was about security
:08:37. > :08:40.in France, one about how they will implement their social model. The
:08:41. > :08:45.other about jobs, because obviously the big question in unemployment.
:08:46. > :08:54.They have three minutes each to answer each question. In total, they
:08:55. > :09:01.have only 17 minutes of time speech tee to speak. It is a unique thing
:09:02. > :09:06.we have never seen in France before. Our people tuning in, is it popular?
:09:07. > :09:12.I think so. People were very impressed by what they have heard
:09:13. > :09:15.the deal -- people were very impressed, from what I have heard,
:09:16. > :09:20.with the last debate. They thought it was well managed and they all had
:09:21. > :09:25.time to express themselves. Tonight is more of a challenge. For people
:09:26. > :09:30.tuning in to the French election, what do they know, who are the front
:09:31. > :09:36.runners on what to watch? There is Marine Le Pen, who is still doing
:09:37. > :09:42.very well in the polls. She gets 25%. In front of her, we always knew
:09:43. > :09:45.that he would be doing well, we thought Francois Fillon would be the
:09:46. > :09:52.main frontrunner with her. But then with all the stories and scandals
:09:53. > :09:59.going on. We Now have Emmanuel Macron, who is potentially the next
:10:00. > :10:04.big man to be against her. But we still have 36% of the French people
:10:05. > :10:09.who do not know for whom they are going to vote. That is a big
:10:10. > :10:12.question for the French people right now. A lot of them are very
:10:13. > :10:19.disappointed by what has happened, they are very lost. The left, the
:10:20. > :10:27.Labour candidate, is completely going down the polls now. It's not
:10:28. > :10:31.really any of the main parties, none of them may be present. In the
:10:32. > :10:36.second round. What will it take for the French people to make up their
:10:37. > :10:41.minds? I think people are waiting because they are expecting maybe
:10:42. > :10:46.another scandal. People are so disappointed right now, and so
:10:47. > :10:50.unsure. Many people still don't dare to open up about their vote for
:10:51. > :10:54.Marine Le Pen, because there is still some stigma.
:10:55. > :10:56.Let's move on now to the St Petersburg metro attack.
:10:57. > :10:59.The death toll has risen to 14 after three of those
:11:00. > :11:03.The man who was driving the metro train has been speaking
:11:04. > :11:05.to journalists today about the moment the
:11:06. > :11:20.There was a bang and smoke. I contacted the dispatch and reported
:11:21. > :11:24.the situation. At that moment, unclear messages began to come in on
:11:25. > :11:28.the passenger- driver communication line. Everyone was talking at the
:11:29. > :11:32.same time. I took the decision to drive the train onto the station.
:11:33. > :11:37.There was no time to be afraid, I had to do my job. There was no
:11:38. > :11:40.panic, believe me. When the door of the first carriage opened, the
:11:41. > :11:44.passengers were explaining all at once what had happened. They did not
:11:45. > :11:45.even leave the carriage. They were all saying there had been a loud
:11:46. > :11:52.bang in the first carriage. So what do we know about
:11:53. > :11:54.who was responsible? Well so far, Russian and Kyrgyz
:11:55. > :11:56.authorities have identified 22-year-old Akbarzhon Jalilov
:11:57. > :11:58.as the main suspect. He was born in the Kyrgyz city
:11:59. > :12:01.of Osh in the south of the country in 1995 and had obtained
:12:02. > :12:03.Russian citizenship. Russian investigators released
:12:04. > :12:10.a statement saying Conclusions Russian investigators released
:12:11. > :12:12.a statement saying conclusions of DNA tests and CCTV footage give
:12:13. > :12:15.the investigators enough reason to presume that the man
:12:16. > :12:17.who committed the terrorist attack in the metro car,
:12:18. > :12:20.was also the one who had left the bag with the bomb
:12:21. > :12:22.at the Ploshchad Vostanya station. Gulnara Kasmambetov
:12:23. > :12:27.is from the BBC Kyrgyz Service and told me more about the area
:12:28. > :12:43.that the suspect is from. a densely populated area where the
:12:44. > :12:49.majority of the Kyrgyz, also Russians and Ukrainians living in
:12:50. > :12:54.that area. Because that is densely populated, and it is a valley area,
:12:55. > :12:59.95% of the country are Mounties. It's that Valley area that is
:13:00. > :13:05.densely populated. Many people do not have jobs, they migrate to
:13:06. > :13:11.Russia to work there. And send money to their homes and families. Many
:13:12. > :13:15.people in Russia think this is the country where we are working, we are
:13:16. > :13:21.migrants ear, and they used to like Russia. That's why the latest event
:13:22. > :13:27.that happened in St Petersburg is quite shocking for Central Asians.
:13:28. > :13:34.Are the Kyrgyz authorities in rational thought is working
:13:35. > :13:40.together? Yes, -- all the Kyrgyz authorities and Russian authorities
:13:41. > :13:44.working together? The person who was involved in the explosions is the
:13:45. > :13:56.Russian citizen who was born in Kurdistan. -- Kurdistan. We also
:13:57. > :14:02.seem to have come quickly to a conclusion that this is their man?
:14:03. > :14:05.Journalists have been discussing, how when they are still treating
:14:06. > :14:10.wood and people, they have come up so quickly with a conclusion? --
:14:11. > :14:18.wounded people. What is the evidence that it is, that this particular
:14:19. > :14:21.person, took part in the explosion? The Kyrgyz authorities that they
:14:22. > :14:26.could not give us any more information. The Russian services
:14:27. > :14:29.confirmed after a few hours, saying that some genetic material taken
:14:30. > :14:31.from the place of the explosion confirmed that this is the person.
:14:32. > :14:33.Coming up: President Trump is delivering on another
:14:34. > :14:36.He's cut funding from a UN programme that promotes family planning
:14:37. > :14:50.The former London mayor, Ken Livingstone, has been suspended
:14:51. > :14:53.from the Labour Party for two years for saying Hitler supported
:14:54. > :14:57.The National Executive Committee found him guilty
:14:58. > :15:07.Our political correspondent Mark Lobel is at Westminster.
:15:08. > :15:13.Chamois Chakravarty wrote that report on anti-Semitism in the
:15:14. > :15:19.Labour Party has sent out a statement. She says, I hope people
:15:20. > :15:23.might now revisit my report, and remind themselves better ways to
:15:24. > :15:30.argue about difficult without compromising the Labour Party's
:15:31. > :15:34.values of solidarity, and respect. A criticism of Ken Livingstone from
:15:35. > :15:40.her. Also the Jewish labour movement, the chair was speaking
:15:41. > :15:46.after the verdict. He was unhappy that Ken Livingstone had not been
:15:47. > :15:49.expelled. He was questioning what was meant in the Labour Party, and
:15:50. > :15:56.wanted to hear more from Jeremy Corbyn.
:15:57. > :15:58.This is Outside Source live from the BBC newsroom.
:15:59. > :16:03.A suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town in Syria
:16:04. > :16:06.is reported to have killed at least 58 people - most of them civilians.
:16:07. > :16:20.There's been strong international condemnation.
:16:21. > :16:22.President Trump says he is working on sweeping reforms to the banking
:16:23. > :16:24.regulations introduced in the United States following
:16:25. > :16:31.The president said he was going to give
:16:32. > :16:33.the Dodds-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
:16:34. > :16:43.Michelle Fleury joins me from New York.
:16:44. > :16:51.What does this mean in practical terms? It's no surprise that this
:16:52. > :16:55.was on Donald Trump is much to-do list. He's been critical of
:16:56. > :17:01.regulations and says he wants to create an environment that is
:17:02. > :17:03.pro-business. Today he was meeting with about 50 business leaders,
:17:04. > :17:09.talking to them about things that were on his agenda. Reforming or
:17:10. > :17:14.giving the Dodd Frank reform act a major haircut amongst those. In
:17:15. > :17:17.terms of what he can do, this would require Congress to get involved. It
:17:18. > :17:22.would involve rewriting a law that was passed by the former president
:17:23. > :17:26.back in 2010. In the wake of the financial crisis. Essentially
:17:27. > :17:32.toughening up rules on banks and financial institutions. Any changes
:17:33. > :17:34.to that would require votes and passage through Congress. Happily
:17:35. > :17:42.have seen before, Donald Trump has struggled with his health care law
:17:43. > :17:44.-- as we have seen before. Some Republicans have already been
:17:45. > :17:48.talking about this in advance of today's meeting, and have suggested
:17:49. > :17:52.that Republican lawmakers are already at work trying to craft
:17:53. > :17:56.something will stop one of the things they are looking at is how
:17:57. > :17:58.they can pay for tax reform. They are trying to see if there is
:17:59. > :18:07.anything in Dodd Frank that would save the government money that could
:18:08. > :18:10.then be used toward tax reform. Thinking very much. -- thank you
:18:11. > :18:11.very much. The UK's Finance Minister,
:18:12. > :18:14.Philip Hammond, is in Delhi where he hopes to lay the ground
:18:15. > :18:16.for an eventual Free Trade He has said Brexit will make trade
:18:17. > :18:20.ties between the countries This report from Justin Rowlatt
:18:21. > :18:28.contains some flash photography. India is a crucial part of Britain's
:18:29. > :18:32.post-Brexit strategy, hence the Chancellor's visit to this
:18:33. > :18:37.market in the centre of Delhi. The message of this visit
:18:38. > :18:41.is absolutely clear. What the British government wants
:18:42. > :18:44.to say is that there is a world India already invests more in the UK
:18:45. > :18:53.than the rest of Europe combined, and Philip Hammond is hoping
:18:54. > :18:57.to build on that. India offers a vast potential market
:18:58. > :19:01.and is the fastest-growing large In a trendy cafe, the Chancellor
:19:02. > :19:08.meets Indian entrepreneurs keen to work with British businesses
:19:09. > :19:13.to develop new opportunities, but the real prize is much
:19:14. > :19:19.bigger - a trade deal. This afternoon he met
:19:20. > :19:21.the Indian Finance Minister. Britain can't negotiate new trade
:19:22. > :19:24.arrangements until it actually leaves the EU,
:19:25. > :19:27.but that doesn't mean it can't begin Once that opportunity arises,
:19:28. > :19:49.after Brexit, India's open to all arrangements
:19:50. > :19:51.which are in mutual interests But actually getting a deal
:19:52. > :19:55.is likely to be difficult. The EU has been negotiating
:19:56. > :19:57.for almost a decade without any luck, so why should Britain find
:19:58. > :20:03.it any easier? 28 countries trying to agree
:20:04. > :20:06.together the terms of a deal that they want to make with a third
:20:07. > :20:09.country is always going We've seen that and other European
:20:10. > :20:17.negotiations as well. It's always easier to make
:20:18. > :20:19.a bilateral agreement than it is to But don't underestimate
:20:20. > :20:24.the work involved. Britain will be trying
:20:25. > :20:26.to strike similar deals It is going to keep a small army
:20:27. > :20:32.of civil servants very busy Justin Rowlatt, BBC
:20:33. > :20:41.News, New Delhi. This Friday the US Senate will vote
:20:42. > :20:44.on whether or not to confirm Donald Trump's Supreme court
:20:45. > :20:48.nominee, Neil Gorsuch. Despite Republicans holding
:20:49. > :20:50.the majority in the Senate - This came into the newsroom
:20:51. > :20:59.a few hours ago. The senate republican leader
:21:00. > :21:04.will file a petition to end an expected Democrat
:21:05. > :21:06.filibuster of Gorsuch. This is because Democrats
:21:07. > :21:09.were expected to use a tactic called a filibuster to thwart Republican
:21:10. > :21:15.efforts to confirm Mr Gorsuch. Anthony Zurcher is in
:21:16. > :21:30.Washington for us. The state of play. Who has the upper
:21:31. > :21:32.hand right now? The clock is ticking towards the doomsday scenario, the
:21:33. > :21:37.nuclear option that Republicans will use. I love this language, it makes
:21:38. > :21:45.Sennett Parliamentary procedure sounds so much more dramatic. The
:21:46. > :21:49.Republicans need 60 votes to end the Republicans -- Democrats filibuster
:21:50. > :21:53.on Friday. Without the votes, they are talking about using the nuclear
:21:54. > :21:58.option to change the rules to make it a simple majority required. They
:21:59. > :22:03.would need 51 to confirm him. That's why we are heading right now. To
:22:04. > :22:11.flip the switch is it were, to take the boat and see Neil Gorsuch on
:22:12. > :22:16.Friday night. Why do they had all these methods to override what
:22:17. > :22:22.people decide? Is that democracy in action? Is that the way the American
:22:23. > :22:27.people say it? The idea of the filibuster has been around in its
:22:28. > :22:31.current form for about 60 years. It is meant to give the minority some
:22:32. > :22:36.form of influence over Senate rules and votes, the idea that Sennett has
:22:37. > :22:38.an upper change is a much more deliberative body where people
:22:39. > :22:45.cooperate and not as worried about partisanship. In the current state
:22:46. > :22:48.of US politics, those notions seem almost quaint. Everything is
:22:49. > :22:52.straight party line votes now, we still see a little crossing the
:22:53. > :22:55.aisle occasionally, but for the most part, people are entrenched in their
:22:56. > :23:00.partisan lines and they battle back and forth. I think that is why we
:23:01. > :23:01.are heading. The clock has been ticking on this filibuster for a
:23:02. > :23:06.while now. Thank you very much. It's not just the Supreme Court
:23:07. > :23:08.that Donald Trump's mark could be left on -
:23:09. > :23:11.long after his presidency is over. He could replace one-third
:23:12. > :23:14.of the judiciary in four years, giving him more power to influence
:23:15. > :23:18.the US federal court system than any He's got mad with the media,
:23:19. > :23:30.riled by Russia and been given But it's the federal courts
:23:31. > :23:33.that have really made Just a short time ago
:23:34. > :23:40.attacking the legal system... We're going to fight
:23:41. > :23:42.this terrible ruling. And now he has the chance
:23:43. > :23:46.to shake them up. It's conceivable that
:23:47. > :23:48.President Trump could replace one third of the judiciary
:23:49. > :23:52.in four years. The Republican-controlled Senate
:23:53. > :23:53.was loathe to confirm President Obama's nominees,
:23:54. > :23:57.therefore you got a big backlog and there are over 100
:23:58. > :24:02.vacancies on the court. So he has greater potential
:24:03. > :24:07.to impact our federal judiciary While all eyes are on Mr Trump's
:24:08. > :24:15.for the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, the President's power to appoint
:24:16. > :24:18.judges will ripple through When you think of the American
:24:19. > :24:31.judicial system, think Only a handful of cases get
:24:32. > :24:36.to the Supreme Court. Then you have the intermediate
:24:37. > :24:38.courts and then the big base of that pyramid,
:24:39. > :24:41.they are the Federal District Court. That's the face of
:24:42. > :24:42.justice in America. Interaction with the American
:24:43. > :24:48.people and the judiciary, Federal courts rule on a whole range
:24:49. > :24:55.of issues including guns They also have the power
:24:56. > :24:58.to thwart the best laid plans The federal courts actually have
:24:59. > :25:02.the last word on whether something Giving President Trump the power
:25:03. > :25:19.to appoint these judges, That's US politics. Let's take a
:25:20. > :25:23.moment to look at French politics, there is a debate with 11 candidates
:25:24. > :25:28.taking place just after the interval. They are continuing to go
:25:29. > :25:32.on. There are some live pictures coming out. Apparently everybody is
:25:33. > :25:36.going to have their say, even though there are 11 candidates. You stay
:25:37. > :25:39.with us, we have another half-hour of the programme to come, following
:25:40. > :25:44.up on the development is on the stories we have been bringing you an
:25:45. > :25:47.outside source from the BBC. Stay with us, and you can get in touch
:25:48. > :25:50.with the hashtag BBC OS.