04/04/2017 Outside Source

Hello, I'm Nuala McGovern, this is Outside Source.

A suspected chemical weapons attack has killed at least 58 people -

including women and children - in a rebel-town in northern Syria.

All the victims who arrived at neural stress and yellow saliva

All the victims who arrived had neural stress and yellow saliva

And very soon blood starting coming out of mouths which means

The White House has called the attack reprehensible and blamed

We'll be live in Washington for more reaction.

Russian investigators say the main suspect in the bomb attack

on the St Petersburg metro is a Russian citizen

We'll hear from the BBC Kyrgyz Service and from the driver

When the door of the first carriage opened, the passengers were just

standing there explaining all at once what had happened.

In France, 'the big debate' is under way featuring all 11 candidates

We'll bring you highlights and analysis with the election less

And don't forget you can get in touch using the #BBCOS.

At least 58 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a suspected

chemical attack in north-western Syria, a monitoring group says.

It's in rebel-held Idlib province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say that the attack

was carried out by either Syrian government or Russian jets.

At seven in the morning, fighter jets of the Syrian air force hit the

town with two air strikes. Civil services were sent to the area

immediately. Our medical team say the area was targeted with a

chemical agent. Many were injured while trying to reach the area. More

than 200 people were taken to medical facilities. We do not know

how many were killed at this point. I went to a hospital in the south of

the city of it live. I was completely shocked when I entered

the facility. The place was packed with patients. Survivors were

everywhere, in emergency rooms, treatment rooms, operation theatres,

hallways. Absolutely everywhere. They all had similar symptoms: they

were choking, they had constricted pupils, and foam around the mouth.

These symptoms meant they suffered from a condition caused by a

chemical agent. Isil ten bodies in the hospital. Which is one of the

smallest in the area. -- I saw ten bodies in the hospital.

There were also reports that aircraft fired rockets

at the local clinics that were treating survivors.

The Syrian army has denied it is responsible.

A spokesman said "The army command categorically denies using any

chemical or toxic substance in Khan Sheik-hun today.

It stresses that it has never used them,

any time, anywhere, and will not do so in the future."

But France's president Hollande has directly blamed

And this is what the UK's Prime Minister had to say.

I am appalled by the reports that there has been a chemical weapons

attack on a town south of Idlib, reportedly by the -- allegedly by

the Syrian regime. We condemn the use of chemical weapons under all

circumstances. If proven, this will be further evidence of the barbarism

of the Syrian regime. I would urge the organisation for the Prohibition

of chemical weapons to investigate this incident as soon as possible. I

am very clear that there can be no future for Assad in a stable Syria

which is representative of all the Syrian people, and I call on all of

the parties involved to ensure that we have a transition away from a

sad. We cannot allow the suffering to continue.

Meanwhile, the White House says there is not a fundamental option

Rajini Vaidyanathan in Washington brought us more

White House press Secretary Sean Spicer described the attack as

heinous, reprehensible, and said it cannot be ignored. Crucially, in the

statement he gave to reporters, he also blamed what he described as the

consequence of the past administration 's weakness and

irresolution. A dig President Obama, who of course set in red line when

it came to chemical weapons in Syria. And was then criticised for

not taking divisive action against President Assad. We are also seeing

that there the Syrian regime, Assad, there is no chance of changing it.

It is a political reality is another man I was reading. What will it be

when it comes to strategy from the US White House in dealing with this

attack? We know that President Ram has met with his national security

team, but we do not know whether he himself has set a breadline. We do

not know any more details of strategy from him directly. -- has

set a red line. What we do know is some of the noise were getting from

officials close to him. We know the focus in that region for the Trump

administration is to counter Islamic State. If you look at some of the

things that some of those close to him have been saying in regards to

Syria, let's take Rex Tillerson for example. He says the long-term

status of Assad will be decided by the Syrian people. Nikki Haley, the

US ambassador to the UN said the priority is no longer focused on

getting Assad out. That rings true for what you are saying, that that

has been criticised by some in President trumps own party. People

like public and Senator John McCain, saying there needs to be more

decisive action from this administration. He was very critical

of President Obama to. He is also urging the government to support the

free Syrian army. A live televised debate

between all 11 candidates for the French Presidential election

is under way. The first round voting is now less

than three weeks away. All eyes are on these two

because if the polls are to be trusted, far-right candidate

Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron will make it

through to the second round, where Mr Macron is expected

to take a decisive victory What I offer you is a real

alternative. The complete renewal of our political life. We will have new

faces, new ways of working. I have confidence in our country. We can

take on the challenges that we face. I want to bring back optimism. I

want to give the people a voice. I want the money of the French people

to return to the French. I want to put France back in order. For this I

have a clear and precise plan. I have no ambiguity in my mind, and I

am not a liar. I would like to say to the French people, voted to take

back control. It is the only use about. -- the only useful vote.

With 11 candidates taking part, I asked the BBC's Helene Daouphras

if anyone would get a fair chance to speak.

It has been organised very precisely. They all had a chance

initially to introduce themselves. The question was, who are you? Then

there were three big questions over the evening. One was about security

in France, one about how they will implement their social model. The

other about jobs, because obviously the big question in unemployment.

They have three minutes each to answer each question. In total, they

have only 17 minutes of time speech tee to speak. It is a unique thing

we have never seen in France before. Our people tuning in, is it popular?

I think so. People were very impressed by what they have heard

the deal -- people were very impressed, from what I have heard,

with the last debate. They thought it was well managed and they all had

time to express themselves. Tonight is more of a challenge. For people

tuning in to the French election, what do they know, who are the front

runners on what to watch? There is Marine Le Pen, who is still doing

very well in the polls. She gets 25%. In front of her, we always knew

that he would be doing well, we thought Francois Fillon would be the

main frontrunner with her. But then with all the stories and scandals

going on. We Now have Emmanuel Macron, who is potentially the next

big man to be against her. But we still have 36% of the French people

who do not know for whom they are going to vote. That is a big

question for the French people right now. A lot of them are very

disappointed by what has happened, they are very lost. The left, the

Labour candidate, is completely going down the polls now. It's not

really any of the main parties, none of them may be present. In the

second round. What will it take for the French people to make up their

minds? I think people are waiting because they are expecting maybe

another scandal. People are so disappointed right now, and so

unsure. Many people still don't dare to open up about their vote for

Marine Le Pen, because there is still some stigma.

Let's move on now to the St Petersburg metro attack.

The death toll has risen to 14 after three of those

The man who was driving the metro train has been speaking

to journalists today about the moment the

There was a bang and smoke. I contacted the dispatch and reported

the situation. At that moment, unclear messages began to come in on

the passenger- driver communication line. Everyone was talking at the

same time. I took the decision to drive the train onto the station.

There was no time to be afraid, I had to do my job. There was no

panic, believe me. When the door of the first carriage opened, the

passengers were explaining all at once what had happened. They did not

even leave the carriage. They were all saying there had been a loud

bang in the first carriage. So what do we know about

who was responsible? Well so far, Russian and Kyrgyz

authorities have identified 22-year-old Akbarzhon Jalilov

as the main suspect. He was born in the Kyrgyz city

of Osh in the south of the country in 1995 and had obtained

Russian citizenship. Russian investigators released

a statement saying Conclusions Russian investigators released

a statement saying conclusions of DNA tests and CCTV footage give

the investigators enough reason to presume that the man

who committed the terrorist attack in the metro car,

was also the one who had left the bag with the bomb

at the Ploshchad Vostanya station. Gulnara Kasmambetov

is from the BBC Kyrgyz Service and told me more about the area

that the suspect is from. a densely populated area where the

majority of the Kyrgyz, also Russians and Ukrainians living in

that area. Because that is densely populated, and it is a valley area,

95% of the country are Mounties. It's that Valley area that is

densely populated. Many people do not have jobs, they migrate to

Russia to work there. And send money to their homes and families. Many

people in Russia think this is the country where we are working, we are

migrants ear, and they used to like Russia. That's why the latest event

that happened in St Petersburg is quite shocking for Central Asians.

Are the Kyrgyz authorities in rational thought is working

together? Yes, -- all the Kyrgyz authorities and Russian authorities

working together? The person who was involved in the explosions is the

Russian citizen who was born in Kurdistan. -- Kurdistan. We also

seem to have come quickly to a conclusion that this is their man?

Journalists have been discussing, how when they are still treating

wood and people, they have come up so quickly with a conclusion? --

wounded people. What is the evidence that it is, that this particular

person, took part in the explosion? The Kyrgyz authorities that they

could not give us any more information. The Russian services

confirmed after a few hours, saying that some genetic material taken

from the place of the explosion confirmed that this is the person.

Coming up: President Trump is delivering on another

He's cut funding from a UN programme that promotes family planning

The former London mayor, Ken Livingstone, has been suspended

from the Labour Party for two years for saying Hitler supported

The National Executive Committee found him guilty

Our political correspondent Mark Lobel is at Westminster.

Chamois Chakravarty wrote that report on anti-Semitism in the

Labour Party has sent out a statement. She says, I hope people

might now revisit my report, and remind themselves better ways to

argue about difficult without compromising the Labour Party's

values of solidarity, and respect. A criticism of Ken Livingstone from

her. Also the Jewish labour movement, the chair was speaking

after the verdict. He was unhappy that Ken Livingstone had not been

expelled. He was questioning what was meant in the Labour Party, and

wanted to hear more from Jeremy Corbyn.

This is Outside Source live from the BBC newsroom.

A suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town in Syria

is reported to have killed at least 58 people - most of them civilians.

There's been strong international condemnation.

President Trump says he is working on sweeping reforms to the banking

regulations introduced in the United States following

The president said he was going to give

the Dodds-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

Michelle Fleury joins me from New York.

What does this mean in practical terms? It's no surprise that this

was on Donald Trump is much to-do list. He's been critical of

regulations and says he wants to create an environment that is

pro-business. Today he was meeting with about 50 business leaders,

talking to them about things that were on his agenda. Reforming or

giving the Dodd Frank reform act a major haircut amongst those. In

terms of what he can do, this would require Congress to get involved. It

would involve rewriting a law that was passed by the former president

back in 2010. In the wake of the financial crisis. Essentially

toughening up rules on banks and financial institutions. Any changes

to that would require votes and passage through Congress. Happily

have seen before, Donald Trump has struggled with his health care law

-- as we have seen before. Some Republicans have already been

talking about this in advance of today's meeting, and have suggested

that Republican lawmakers are already at work trying to craft

something will stop one of the things they are looking at is how

they can pay for tax reform. They are trying to see if there is

anything in Dodd Frank that would save the government money that could

then be used toward tax reform. Thinking very much. -- thank you

very much. The UK's Finance Minister,

Philip Hammond, is in Delhi where he hopes to lay the ground

for an eventual Free Trade He has said Brexit will make trade

ties between the countries This report from Justin Rowlatt

contains some flash photography. India is a crucial part of Britain's

post-Brexit strategy, hence the Chancellor's visit to this

market in the centre of Delhi. The message of this visit

is absolutely clear. What the British government wants

to say is that there is a world India already invests more in the UK

than the rest of Europe combined, and Philip Hammond is hoping

to build on that. India offers a vast potential market

and is the fastest-growing large In a trendy cafe, the Chancellor

meets Indian entrepreneurs keen to work with British businesses

to develop new opportunities, but the real prize is much

bigger - a trade deal. This afternoon he met

the Indian Finance Minister. Britain can't negotiate new trade

arrangements until it actually leaves the EU,

but that doesn't mean it can't begin Once that opportunity arises,

after Brexit, India's open to all arrangements

which are in mutual interests But actually getting a deal

is likely to be difficult. The EU has been negotiating

for almost a decade without any luck, so why should Britain find

it any easier? 28 countries trying to agree

together the terms of a deal that they want to make with a third

country is always going We've seen that and other European

negotiations as well. It's always easier to make

a bilateral agreement than it is to But don't underestimate

the work involved. Britain will be trying

to strike similar deals It is going to keep a small army

of civil servants very busy Justin Rowlatt, BBC

News, New Delhi. This Friday the US Senate will vote

on whether or not to confirm Donald Trump's Supreme court

nominee, Neil Gorsuch. Despite Republicans holding

the majority in the Senate - This came into the newsroom

a few hours ago. The senate republican leader

will file a petition to end an expected Democrat

filibuster of Gorsuch. This is because Democrats

were expected to use a tactic called a filibuster to thwart Republican

efforts to confirm Mr Gorsuch. Anthony Zurcher is in

Washington for us. The state of play. Who has the upper

hand right now? The clock is ticking towards the doomsday scenario, the

nuclear option that Republicans will use. I love this language, it makes

Sennett Parliamentary procedure sounds so much more dramatic. The

Republicans need 60 votes to end the Republicans -- Democrats filibuster

on Friday. Without the votes, they are talking about using the nuclear

option to change the rules to make it a simple majority required. They

would need 51 to confirm him. That's why we are heading right now. To

flip the switch is it were, to take the boat and see Neil Gorsuch on

Friday night. Why do they had all these methods to override what

people decide? Is that democracy in action? Is that the way the American

people say it? The idea of the filibuster has been around in its

current form for about 60 years. It is meant to give the minority some

form of influence over Senate rules and votes, the idea that Sennett has

an upper change is a much more deliberative body where people

cooperate and not as worried about partisanship. In the current state

of US politics, those notions seem almost quaint. Everything is

straight party line votes now, we still see a little crossing the

aisle occasionally, but for the most part, people are entrenched in their

partisan lines and they battle back and forth. I think that is why we

are heading. The clock has been ticking on this filibuster for a

while now. Thank you very much. It's not just the Supreme Court

that Donald Trump's mark could be left on -

long after his presidency is over. He could replace one-third

of the judiciary in four years, giving him more power to influence

the US federal court system than any He's got mad with the media,

riled by Russia and been given But it's the federal courts

that have really made Just a short time ago

attacking the legal system... We're going to fight

this terrible ruling. And now he has the chance

to shake them up. It's conceivable that

President Trump could replace one third of the judiciary

in four years. The Republican-controlled Senate

was loathe to confirm President Obama's nominees,

therefore you got a big backlog and there are over 100

vacancies on the court. So he has greater potential

to impact our federal judiciary While all eyes are on Mr Trump's

for the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, the President's power to appoint

judges will ripple through When you think of the American

judicial system, think Only a handful of cases get

to the Supreme Court. Then you have the intermediate

courts and then the big base of that pyramid,

they are the Federal District Court. That's the face of

justice in America. Interaction with the American

people and the judiciary, Federal courts rule on a whole range

of issues including guns They also have the power

to thwart the best laid plans The federal courts actually have

the last word on whether something Giving President Trump the power

to appoint these judges, That's US politics. Let's take a

moment to look at French politics, there is a debate with 11 candidates

taking place just after the interval. They are continuing to go

on. There are some live pictures coming out. Apparently everybody is

going to have their say, even though there are 11 candidates. You stay

with us, we have another half-hour of the programme to come, following

up on the development is on the stories we have been bringing you an

outside source from the BBC. Stay with us, and you can get in touch

with the hashtag BBC OS.