:00:00. > :00:00.The US launches missile strikes on the Syrian airbase believed
:00:07. > :00:13.to have mounted a chemical weapons attack earlier this week.
:00:14. > :00:16.Nearly 60 cruise missiles were fired from two American navy ships
:00:17. > :00:25.in the Mediterranean in the early hours of this morning.
:00:26. > :00:30.Tonight, I call on all civilised nations to join us in seeking to end
:00:31. > :00:32.the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria.
:00:33. > :00:34.As Syrian television shows the aftermath of the attack,
:00:35. > :00:36.Russia says fewer than half the missiles hit their target,
:00:37. > :00:43.The Governement here gives the attack its full support,
:00:44. > :00:45.but Jeremy Corbyn says it risks further escalating
:00:46. > :00:50.We'll have the latest from our correspondents
:00:51. > :01:04.The remaining in tourist injured in the Westminster attacks has died. --
:01:05. > :01:05.by Romain yen tourist. Andreea Christea was
:01:06. > :01:07.on holiday from Romania. She was catapulted into
:01:08. > :01:09.the Thames during the attack. There's a sharp rise in the number
:01:10. > :01:13.being turned away by A And, it's Ladies Day
:01:14. > :01:17.at Aintree on the second day And coming up in the
:01:18. > :01:24.sport on BBC News... Lee Westwood is the leading British
:01:25. > :01:27.player after the opening He is third, five shots off
:01:28. > :01:51.the lead, at Augusta. Good afternoon, and welcome
:01:52. > :01:55.to the BBC News at One. The US has carried out a missile
:01:56. > :01:58.strike on a Syrian air base in response to the chemical weapons
:01:59. > :02:01.attack earlier this It is the first direct US military
:02:02. > :02:06.action against forces commanded The Kremlin, which backs the Assad
:02:07. > :02:14.regime, has condemned the move. The missile strike hit the Shayrat
:02:15. > :02:17.airbase in the west of Syria, north of the capital,
:02:18. > :02:19.Damascus. Six people are thought
:02:20. > :02:22.to have been killed, and the Pentagon says aircraft
:02:23. > :02:25.and buildings were severely damaged. The strike was a direct response
:02:26. > :02:28.to the chemical attack believed to have been carried out
:02:29. > :02:32.by the Syrian regime further north Our first report comes
:02:33. > :02:38.from our correspondent It contains flashing images from the
:02:39. > :02:49.start. It was a decisive response
:02:50. > :02:51.from an administration that has often seemed disorganised
:02:52. > :02:54.and at times dysfunctional. A fusillade of Tomahawk cruise
:02:55. > :02:58.missiles fired from US Navy ships in the Mediterranean,
:02:59. > :03:00.aimed at the Syrian air base from which America says that deadly
:03:01. > :03:03.chemical weapons attack was launched A line-in-the-sand moment
:03:04. > :03:13.for the new Commander-in-Chief. On Tuesday, Syrian dictator Bashar
:03:14. > :03:19.al-Assad launched a horrible chemical weapons attack
:03:20. > :03:25.on innocent civilians. Using a deadly nerve agent,
:03:26. > :03:30.Assad choked out the lives These are the heart-breaking images
:03:31. > :03:40.that moved the President to action, prompting in the process
:03:41. > :03:43.a remarkable shift in foreign policy on the part of his
:03:44. > :03:47.fledgling administration. A week ago, White House officials
:03:48. > :03:49.professed little interest in regime change in Syria,
:03:50. > :03:53.but the use of what they now say was the deadly nerve agent sarin
:03:54. > :03:59.on people in the province of Idlib by Bashar al-Assad's forces
:04:00. > :04:03.has changed everything. At least 86 people are thought
:04:04. > :04:06.to have died in the attack, The President's revised stance
:04:07. > :04:11.on Syria is in sharp contrast to the position he took
:04:12. > :04:13.after the chemical As then President Obama
:04:14. > :04:20.contemplated, and subsequently shelved, plans for a retaliatory
:04:21. > :04:24.strike, Mr Trump fired off a string of tweets calling on the US
:04:25. > :04:32.to stay out of Syria. Now, less than three months
:04:33. > :04:35.after taking office, the man who campaigned on a platform
:04:36. > :04:38.of selective engagement in the Middle East finds himself
:04:39. > :04:41.embroiled in one of the most complex and intractable conflicts
:04:42. > :04:46.the region has ever seen. A conflict Barack Obama spent years
:04:47. > :04:49.actively attempting to avoid. So, will there now be more US
:04:50. > :04:57.missile strikes to come? This was the first time the US has
:04:58. > :05:00.taken direct military action The Tomahawk missiles
:05:01. > :05:05.caused considerable damage to the airfield in central Syria,
:05:06. > :05:08.and several Syrian soldiers are also President Trump said he acted
:05:09. > :05:18.in the national interest to prevent But news of the missile strike has
:05:19. > :05:24.overshadowed today's summit with China's President Xi,
:05:25. > :05:27.a meeting at which the two were expected to discuss the growing
:05:28. > :05:33.threat posed by North Korea. President Trump has said that,
:05:34. > :05:36.if necessary, he's prepared to go it But he could find he has his work
:05:37. > :05:42.cut out in Syria, in a quagmire of a conflict which could come
:05:43. > :05:46.to define his presidency Russia has strongly condemned
:05:47. > :05:55.the US missile strikes, describing them as an act
:05:56. > :05:58.of aggression against a sovereign state carried out in violation
:05:59. > :06:03.of international law. Our Moscow Correspondent,
:06:04. > :06:19.Steve Rosenberg, reports On Russian TV, the first pictures
:06:20. > :06:25.from inside the Syrian air base hit by US cruise missiles. In the
:06:26. > :06:30.distance, one aircraft that is still intact. Russia's military claims the
:06:31. > :06:34.damage he was limited, but Moscow is calling the US strike a gross
:06:35. > :06:38.groundless violation of international more. It is definitely
:06:39. > :06:41.an aggressive act against international law, against a
:06:42. > :06:50.sovereign country. And without any true evidence of the Assad regime
:06:51. > :06:53.using chemical weapons. Up until now in Syria, it is Russian military
:06:54. > :06:59.power that's been keeping President Assad in power.
:07:00. > :07:06.Russia's air force, and the Russian navy, helping Syria's leader turned
:07:07. > :07:14.the tide of the country's six-year long Civil War. And helping Moscow
:07:15. > :07:18.boost its role in the Middle East. Today, the Kremlin accused
:07:19. > :07:21.Washington of inventing a pretext for the missile strikes, which
:07:22. > :07:26.Moscow claimed had harmed the fight against terrorism. There is a
:07:27. > :07:29.American Tomahawks may have been targeting the Syrian military, but
:07:30. > :07:33.judging by what the Kremlin has been saying, it is US - Russia relations
:07:34. > :07:37.that will take a real battering now as a result of the missile strike.
:07:38. > :07:41.The Russians had been hoping that with Donald Trump in the White
:07:42. > :07:49.House, relationships with America would improve. But so far, there's
:07:50. > :07:51.been no sign of that. Today, Russia said it was suspending a deal
:07:52. > :07:55.designed to prevent US and Russian warplanes from accidentally clashing
:07:56. > :07:59.in the skies over Syria. As for political dialogue, that will
:08:00. > :08:05.continue. America's Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is due in Moscow
:08:06. > :08:10.next week. Up until the US missile strikes in Syria, he could be in for
:08:11. > :08:11.some difficult conversations -- after the missile strikes. Steve
:08:12. > :08:13.Rosenberg, BBC News, Moscow. Here, the Prime Minister has given
:08:14. > :08:16.her full support to the attack. In a moment, we'll speak
:08:17. > :08:18.to our Political Correspondent, But first we can talk
:08:19. > :08:28.to our Washington Jane, is it fair to say that the
:08:29. > :08:33.administration is still very much staying at this stage that this is a
:08:34. > :08:38.one-off? Yes, it is. And there is no signs of any further military action
:08:39. > :08:41.in Syria against the Assad regime. But don't forget that there or
:08:42. > :08:47.American forces on the ground in Syria are already, supporting the
:08:48. > :08:51.push to retake Raqqa from Islamic State. That has always been the
:08:52. > :08:55.focus of the Trump administration, the fight, he says, is against
:08:56. > :08:59.Islamic State not against the Assad regime. Now, there has been a
:09:00. > :09:03.dramatic change in that in that only a few days ago by the administration
:09:04. > :09:09.was saying that Assad could stay. Now they are saying that he needs to
:09:10. > :09:14.go. But this strike is being framed as a one-off, purely as a message to
:09:15. > :09:22.Assad that America will not tolerate the use of chemical weapons. But I
:09:23. > :09:24.think it is also a message to Russia that even were Russian interests are
:09:25. > :09:27.involved, America is not afraid to act. Fiona O'Brien, thank you. --
:09:28. > :09:28.Jayne Bryant. Our Political Correspondent, Eleanor
:09:29. > :09:35.Garnier, is in Downing Street. There was support to that approach
:09:36. > :09:40.from number ten? I think Britain has been at the forefront of the
:09:41. > :09:43.international support for the US strikes in Syria. I spoke to the
:09:44. > :09:47.Defence Secretary earlier, he said that he and the Prime Minister had
:09:48. > :09:54.been kept informed brought by the White House and that he had spoken
:09:55. > :09:57.to the US Defence Secretary yesterday to discuss the options
:09:58. > :10:02.available to viewers administration. He said he thought the response by
:10:03. > :10:07.the US was both proportionate, but it was also limited -- to the US
:10:08. > :10:09.administration. He said it was an appropriate response to what he
:10:10. > :10:14.called the barbaric chemical attack in Syria earlier this week. I asked
:10:15. > :10:16.him if the UK support for the US military action was so strong, why
:10:17. > :10:29.was Britain not involve itself? They didn't ask us to get involved
:10:30. > :10:33.or choose a particular option. They decided to take this very limited,
:10:34. > :10:36.appropriate action, attacking the airfield, the aeroplanes and the
:10:37. > :10:40.equipment that they believe were involved in the gas attack with the
:10:41. > :10:44.very specific purpose of trying to deter the regime from future gas
:10:45. > :10:48.attacks on their own people, including civilians. That is the
:10:49. > :10:51.view of the Defence Secretary. It would appear this lunchtime there is
:10:52. > :10:58.not unified response from the opposition? That's right. The
:10:59. > :11:02.strikes have polarised political opinion here, with the Labour leader
:11:03. > :11:06.Jeremy Corbyn criticising the Trump ministration, saying the actions
:11:07. > :11:10.could in fact make the situation in Syria even worse -- the Trump
:11:11. > :11:14.administration. I think it is the wrong time to do it. I think they
:11:15. > :11:19.should have been in consultation with the UN before anything
:11:20. > :11:23.happened, but it just happened. Let's now have a rapid ceasefire and
:11:24. > :11:31.return to the negotiating table in Geneva. Millions of people have been
:11:32. > :11:34.forced into exile, tens of thousands have died in this conflict, weapons
:11:35. > :11:36.are pouring into the region and it's getting worse. There has to be a
:11:37. > :11:40.political solution. I should doubt that Jeremy Corbyn's stance is that
:11:41. > :11:44.direct odds with the deputy leader of the Labour Party -- I should add.
:11:45. > :11:49.Tom Watson believes the US strikes were a proportionate response to the
:11:50. > :11:53.chemical attacks. The Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has urged the UK
:11:54. > :11:56.Government to consider further military action. The Defence
:11:57. > :11:59.Secretary has said that this stage it doesn't look like that is going
:12:00. > :12:03.to happen. If there were an appetite for it, the Government would go to
:12:04. > :12:11.Parliament, it would go to the Commons to ask MPs to vote on
:12:12. > :12:14.further military action. And I think it would only do that if it knew
:12:15. > :12:16.that it could win the vote. Eleanor Garnier, thank you.
:12:17. > :12:19.Our Security Correspondent, Frank Gardner, is with me is now.
:12:20. > :12:26.Do you think there is any sense in which the Assad regime. To consider
:12:27. > :12:29.that chemical attack and on goal, essentially? I think it will
:12:30. > :12:34.certainly think twice before doing it again. It got away, according to
:12:35. > :12:36.chemical experts, with three chlorine strikes on civilian areas
:12:37. > :12:42.last year with no action. And remember that there was no action,
:12:43. > :12:46.punitive action, after the 2013 chemical strike, the sarin gas
:12:47. > :12:49.attack on the outskirts of Damascus. So clearly President Assad is
:12:50. > :12:58.determined to reclaim the Hall of Syria. And he wants to punish those
:12:59. > :13:01.areas outside his control, and basically drive them back into the
:13:02. > :13:03.Syrian government or by -- the whole of Syria. This was an extraordinary
:13:04. > :13:05.on goal really. There is a similarity here with the so-called
:13:06. > :13:09.Islamic State. Back in 2014 they were carrying out atrocities and
:13:10. > :13:13.nobody was really paying any attention. Then they went and
:13:14. > :13:17.captured that Yazidi people, the sex slaves and Western hostages and
:13:18. > :13:20.beheaded them on camera, that brought the West into the war, it
:13:21. > :13:27.was an own goal. Now they are using... Abusing Mosul and they will
:13:28. > :13:31.lose Raqqa. There is a similarity -- now they are losing Mosul. Assuming
:13:32. > :13:35.President Assad did this chemical strike, he will think very carefully
:13:36. > :13:37.before doing any more. It is a deterrent. Thank you, Frank Gardner.
:13:38. > :13:40.And we'll have more on this story later in the programme.
:13:41. > :13:51.But you can also get more online at bbc.co.uk/news.
:13:52. > :13:54.Now we will take a look at the rest of the day's news.
:13:55. > :13:57.The Romanian tourist who was knocked into the River Thames
:13:58. > :13:59.during the Westminster attack two weeks ago has died.
:14:00. > :14:01.Andreea Cristea, who was 31, had been visiting London
:14:02. > :14:04.Her death brings the number of people killed to five.
:14:05. > :14:21.Andreea Cristea was much loved. She had come to London with her
:14:22. > :14:22.boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, when they became victims of the terrorist
:14:23. > :14:26.attack on parliament. On a spring day two weeks ago,
:14:27. > :14:29.the couple had been strolling along Westminster Bridge
:14:30. > :14:31.when Khalid Masood deliberately Ms Cristea fell into
:14:32. > :14:37.the River Thames, Despite intense efforts
:14:38. > :14:40.by medical teams, yesterday it was decided her life-support
:14:41. > :14:44.machine should be switched off. Today, her family
:14:45. > :15:07.made this statement. Last week, hundreds walked
:15:08. > :15:09.across Westminster Bridge to pay Among them was Miss Cristea's
:15:10. > :15:15.partner, Andrei Bernaz, whose foot was broken
:15:16. > :15:23.during the assault. It'a emerged he had intended
:15:24. > :15:26.to propose to her that evening. They were coming to London
:15:27. > :15:28.to celebrate their birthday. The floral tributes
:15:29. > :15:36.at Westminster Bridge to the four people who lost their lives
:15:37. > :15:40.there continue to grow. Ms Cristea's family say
:15:41. > :15:42.the thousands of pounds raised by the public for her care will now
:15:43. > :15:45.be donated to charity. Hospitals in England were forced
:15:46. > :15:55.to turn away ambulances almost twice as often this winter
:15:56. > :15:59.than in the previous three years. The Nuffield Trust says its analysis
:16:00. > :16:02.shows ambulance services are facing even more pressure
:16:03. > :16:06.than NHS hospitals. Our Health Correspondent,
:16:07. > :16:20.Jane Dreaper, has the details. A grieving brother. Sam has suffered
:16:21. > :16:23.from an Ambulance Service under strange. His brother died in
:16:24. > :16:28.December after a six-hour wait and he feels he's had to battle to get
:16:29. > :16:34.answers. We believe the ambulance arriving late, very late, had a
:16:35. > :16:42.direct result, so it's absolutely devastating and I'm not sure that
:16:43. > :16:47.myself and other members of the family really quite believe what's
:16:48. > :16:51.happened. It's like a really bad dream. Emergency services are under
:16:52. > :16:56.increasing pressure, with ambulances sometimes being sent to hospitals
:16:57. > :17:01.further away as a temporary measure. Today's report shows hospitals are
:17:02. > :17:05.diverging ambulances more often. During the three winters beginning
:17:06. > :17:09.in 2013, this happened on average 249 times. But in the most recent
:17:10. > :17:15.winter, the number of diverts jumped, to almost 500. You may say
:17:16. > :17:19.that's not a big number for stopping the tip of the iceberg. They have
:17:20. > :17:25.doubled. They reveal a service under tremendous pressure. There will be
:17:26. > :17:30.500 diverts, but many more A departments working right at the
:17:31. > :17:34.limit that they could have diverted. Ambulance trusts in England are
:17:35. > :17:40.missing their expected response times and paramedics say being found
:17:41. > :17:45.elsewhere doesn't help anyone. -- being sent elsewhere. The report
:17:46. > :17:50.says morale is low amongst ambulance staff. NHS England believes too many
:17:51. > :17:54.ambulances are being dispatched to simply try to hit targets and it's
:17:55. > :17:59.reviewing the system. Jane Dreaper, BBC News.
:18:00. > :18:02.Lloyds banking group is to set aside ?100 million to compensate customers
:18:03. > :18:04.who were victims of a large fraud at its subsidiary, HBOS.
:18:05. > :18:06.Six people, including two former HBOS employees,
:18:07. > :18:09.were jailed earlier this year for their part in the scheme.
:18:10. > :18:11.The Financial Conduct Authority is resuming its investigation
:18:12. > :18:13.into the fraud, which was put on hold because of
:18:14. > :18:25.A man who was spared prison sentence for domestic violence after telling
:18:26. > :18:28.the court he would lose an offer to play professional cricket has now
:18:29. > :18:32.been jailed, after the judge reviewed his sentence. It emerged
:18:33. > :18:36.after the original hearing that Mustafa Bashir had not been made an
:18:37. > :18:40.offer, as he'd claimed, by Leicestershire County Cricket Club.
:18:41. > :18:44.Judith Moritz is outside Manchester Crown Court. There was a huge
:18:45. > :18:50.reaction after that original sentence for stuff explain what's
:18:51. > :18:56.happened now. What's happened today is that most Bashir was led down to
:18:57. > :18:59.the cells to begin serving his prison sentence immediately. Last
:19:00. > :19:05.month, when he was brought before this court, he was given an 18 month
:19:06. > :19:09.suspended sentence. But today, the Judge Richard Mansell QC told him he
:19:10. > :19:15.was altering that sentence, because he had been fundamentally misled by
:19:16. > :19:20.Mustapha Bashir. He had pleaded guilty previously to assaulting his
:19:21. > :19:24.wife, to forcing her to drink police bleach and hitting her with a
:19:25. > :19:27.cricket bat but when he was being sentenced his original defence team
:19:28. > :19:31.told the court that if he was allowed to keep his liberty, that
:19:32. > :19:34.he'd be employed as a professional by Leicestershire County Cricket
:19:35. > :19:41.Club. On hearing that, the club denied it, contacted the proud
:19:42. > :19:45.prosecution service and the judge brought the man back in front of the
:19:46. > :19:49.court today to have his sentence reviewed. We were told in court that
:19:50. > :19:55.Mustapha Bashir had played cricket at local league level but never had
:19:56. > :19:58.the offer of a professional contract. He said there had been a
:19:59. > :20:01.series of misunderstandings but he had not intended to mislead the
:20:02. > :20:06.court. The judge dismissed that and said he had misled them. The judge
:20:07. > :20:10.addressed criticism that had been made about comments he'd previously
:20:11. > :20:14.made to do with the vulnerability of the Victor Minnis case for stopping
:20:15. > :20:17.been reported as saying siege hadn't been particularly vulnerable. Today,
:20:18. > :20:24.he said he'd been sticking to guidelines issued by the court do
:20:25. > :20:25.with victims' vulnerability, and she should be considered a vulnerable
:20:26. > :20:32.victim. The US launches missile strikes
:20:33. > :20:36.on the Syrian airbase believed to have mounted the chemical attack
:20:37. > :20:38.earlier this week. President Trump said
:20:39. > :20:51.it was in the interests Reaching new heights, the coastal
:20:52. > :20:53.rope bridge that is so popular timed entry has been brought in to deal
:20:54. > :20:56.with the crowds. Coming up in sport at 1:30pm: Unsafe
:20:57. > :20:59.conditions force second practice to be abandoned ahead
:21:00. > :21:02.of the Chinese Grand Prix - leaving the drivers to find other
:21:03. > :21:04.ways of keeping the crowds Refuges and shelters in England
:21:05. > :21:16.are now turning away more women and their children
:21:17. > :21:18.than they accommodate. That's according to the domestic
:21:19. > :21:20.violence charity, Women's Aid - which says a lack of funding
:21:21. > :21:22.is putting lives at risk. Our home affairs correspondent
:21:23. > :21:25.June Kelly has been talking to women These children in an art
:21:26. > :21:33.class are the victims They may not have been physically
:21:34. > :21:39.hurt, but they have witnessed And they fled with their mums
:21:40. > :21:45.to this refuge in Surrey. Clare arrived here last
:21:46. > :21:48.year with her young son. We left with one
:21:49. > :21:51.carrier bag, literally. I had five minutes
:21:52. > :21:55.to grab what we could. All my belongings, my child's
:21:56. > :21:57.toys, just left behind. I came here and, basically,
:21:58. > :22:03.I broke down and cried and cried. Although her partner didn't
:22:04. > :22:06.harm her physically, he subjected her to years of mental
:22:07. > :22:08.torment, what is known I used to say, "I'll lock
:22:09. > :22:17.you out," and he'd say, The Government has a strategy
:22:18. > :22:24.for tackling violence And it says it's earmarked
:22:25. > :22:29.at least ?40 million But those who work on the frontline
:22:30. > :22:33.say there needs to be The Government is putting
:22:34. > :22:39.money in at the moment, which we're very grateful for,
:22:40. > :22:42.but it's a very short-term approach. What we need is a longer-term
:22:43. > :22:45.approach, and a longer term investment with a long-term
:22:46. > :22:47.strategy, so that refuges can If that doesn't happen, refuges
:22:48. > :22:53.will close and more women will die. Clare is now preparing to move out
:22:54. > :22:59.of the refuge, into a new home. This refuge, run by the charity
:23:00. > :23:02.Women's Aid, is so short on space that this office will soon be
:23:03. > :23:05.converted into an extra bedroom. Staff will then have to work
:23:06. > :23:09.from a shed in the garden. One in six specialist refuges
:23:10. > :23:12.in England have closed since 2010 because of a shortage of money,
:23:13. > :23:16.according to domestic And they're warning that around
:23:17. > :23:24.the country, the future of many At the refuge in Surrey,
:23:25. > :23:49.new arrivals are provided with the basics for mums
:23:50. > :23:53.and children, as they But for all the women and children
:23:54. > :23:57.they give a home to, there are many more that they have
:23:58. > :23:59.to turn away. Brexit poses an unprecedented threat
:24:00. > :24:08.to the environment - that was the warning
:24:09. > :24:10.from the Green Party, as it launched its local election
:24:11. > :24:13.campaign Speaking in Worcester, the party's co-leader
:24:14. > :24:16.Jonathan Bartley said the UK's withdrawal from the European Union
:24:17. > :24:18.puts 40 years of environmental Timed tickets are being introduced
:24:19. > :24:28.at Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, to try to deal with the crowds
:24:29. > :24:30.at the coastal attraction Its popularity has been boosted
:24:31. > :24:50.in recent years by its link Yes, there's been a huge growth of
:24:51. > :24:55.visitor numbers here to Northern Ireland's northern coast and part of
:24:56. > :24:58.that is due to Game of Thrones, which builds around here. There's a
:24:59. > :25:02.tour on now. This bouncy rope bridge is something a lot of people come to
:25:03. > :25:08.see. However, the National Trust has taken the decision to put in place a
:25:09. > :25:11.strict time limit. This lot will have 16 minutes to cross to the
:25:12. > :25:14.island, because of the sheer pressure of numbers. The National
:25:15. > :25:16.Trust says that's important to protect both people and the
:25:17. > :25:24.spectacular environment. Each year, 100s of thousands of
:25:25. > :25:33.people test their nose by crossing high above the rocks to the tiny
:25:34. > :25:36.island of Carrick-a-Rede. This rope bridge hangs many metres over the
:25:37. > :25:44.sea but it's only 18 inches wide and just eight people are allowed across
:25:45. > :25:48.it at any one time. But there is such a demand from visitors that the
:25:49. > :25:55.National Trust have put in place a strict time limit. It's to ensure
:25:56. > :26:00.people have a safe visit and time to access the site. We welcome 425,000
:26:01. > :26:11.people here last year. NEWSREEL: Isner 90 feet to the land
:26:12. > :26:16.below. It was built in the 1700s by salmon fisherman. It's long been one
:26:17. > :26:20.of Northern Ireland's most tour popular tourist attractions. It's
:26:21. > :26:23.gradually been made safer and sturdier over the centuries,
:26:24. > :26:30.although it still sways in the wind and many choose not to look down. If
:26:31. > :26:39.someone is walking behind you, it feels terrifying. Very, very
:26:40. > :26:43.beautiful. Magic. The Giant's Causeway, which sits nearby, also
:26:44. > :26:47.attracts many visitors. There are some people concerned about
:26:48. > :26:51.protecting the natural beauty along Northern Ireland's rugged north
:26:52. > :26:57.coast. But they also want to ensure tourists get a chance to see as much
:26:58. > :27:01.as possible, even if here at Carrick-a-Rede that will now be
:27:02. > :27:02.against the clock. Chris Buckler, BBC News at the Carrick-a-Rede rope
:27:03. > :27:07.bridge. It's Ladies Day at Aintree,
:27:08. > :27:10.on the second day of And thoughts are also
:27:11. > :27:13.turning to the world's most famous steeplechase
:27:14. > :27:14.which takes place tomorrow. Top female jockey Katie Walsh
:27:15. > :27:17.says she will be fit to ride in tomorrow's race
:27:18. > :27:19.despite injuring her arm Our correspondent Andy
:27:20. > :27:34.Swiss is at Aintree. Hello, yes, welcome to Aintree,
:27:35. > :27:41.where, as you say, Ladies Day is very much in full swing. Around
:27:42. > :27:45.50,000 fans here already soaking up the atmosphere. If today is the
:27:46. > :27:49.social highlight, tomorrow is very much a sporting highlight. It's the
:27:50. > :27:53.Grand National, and as usual, it's wide open.
:27:54. > :27:55.Welcome to Aintree's annual fashion stakes - Ladies Day.
:27:56. > :27:57.The glitzy warm up, ahead of tomorrow's main event.
:27:58. > :28:00.And this year it's something of an anniversary National -
:28:01. > :28:07.exactly 40 years since a legend completed a memorable hat-trick.
:28:08. > :28:12.COMMENTATOR: Red Rum wins the National.
:28:13. > :28:15.Appropriately enough, this year's favourite is another
:28:16. > :28:17.red - Definitely Red - trained in Yorkshire,
:28:18. > :28:23.The pressure is always there, whether you are running
:28:24. > :28:28.It's great, we've got one of the favourites
:28:29. > :28:31.so all we want to do is get him there and in the race
:28:32. > :28:37.Well, the challenge of the National is like nothing else.
:28:38. > :28:41.These huge fences make it one of sport's most unpredictable events
:28:42. > :28:45.and as history has proved anything can happen.
:28:46. > :28:52.It's exactly this 50 years from this melee,
:28:53. > :28:55.from which remarkably all emerged unscathed, allowed a 100-1
:28:56. > :28:59.outsider to romp to victory and half a century on,
:29:00. > :29:03.the National's surprise factor is as great as ever.
:29:04. > :29:07.It's the biggest horse race over jumps for sure in the world
:29:08. > :29:10.and the biggest test for any horse, and for a jockey it's one
:29:11. > :29:14.of the best thrills in the world to have a good ride round there.
:29:15. > :29:16.I've been lucky enough to finish second twice, but there's
:29:17. > :29:21.So while for the fans it might be all for fun, for the riders,
:29:22. > :29:26.racing's sternest test is now within their sights.
:29:27. > :29:36.Let's return to the news that the US has carried out a missile strike
:29:37. > :29:39.on a Syrian air base, in response to the chemical
:29:40. > :29:45.weapons attack earlier this week in Idlib province.
:29:46. > :29:51.Our Middle East editor, Jeremy Bowen, is with me now.
:29:52. > :29:58.Might thoughts turn to regime change as a result of this? Just before the
:29:59. > :30:01.attack the US Secretary of State said Assad has no part in the future
:30:02. > :30:07.of Syria. That's been said loads of times before. But when it said in
:30:08. > :30:12.conjunction with an attack on the regime, crossing a self-imposed red
:30:13. > :30:17.line on the US Administration, then that I think means that it will be
:30:18. > :30:20.taken much more seriously. But how would they actually make that
:30:21. > :30:23.happen? When he says it has no future, I think they've still been
:30:24. > :30:27.talking about some sort of political deal that excludes him full stop not
:30:28. > :30:31.active Saddam Hussein style regime change, which is a much bigger
:30:32. > :30:34.event. But I think the big question now is will the Americans do
:30:35. > :30:39.something else? They've been indicating this is job done. But if
:30:40. > :30:42.they have any other plans, certainly at the very least is what they've
:30:43. > :30:47.done is inject a big note of uncertainty into the regime, which
:30:48. > :30:50.seemed to have been riding high. Although the regime in Damascus
:30:51. > :30:54.absolutely denies it had anything to do with a chemical attack and blames
:30:55. > :30:57.the rebels. Thanks very much, Jeremy Bowen.
:30:58. > :31:05.Time for a look at the weather, with Tomasz Schafernaker.
:31:06. > :31:12.It's good news as far as the weather goes this weekend. The temperatures
:31:13. > :31:16.are going to be rising. We could get temperatures as high as 23 LCS in
:31:17. > :31:22.some spots. Not for everybody, but warm enough. The warmth, as
:31:23. > :31:26.predicted, will be coming in from the south, from Spain, from France.
:31:27. > :31:32.The temperatures that will happen in London on Sunday could be as high as
:31:33. > :31:37.Paris and even Madrid. Some pleasant warm weather on the dot way. The
:31:38. > :31:42.pollen level has been high and will remain high in England and Wales for
:31:43. > :31:46.a couple more days at least yet. Stating the obvious, we are not used
:31:47. > :31:50.to that strong spring sunshine just yet, so if you are heading off to
:31:51. > :31:53.the beach where the temperature may be 13-14, you will burn. All this
:31:54. > :31:57.talk about sunshine, there's certainly a lack of it across a
:31:58. > :32:01.number of parts of the country in the last couple of days. Suddenly
:32:02. > :32:05.Northern Ireland, the north-west of England, North Wales and West of
:32:06. > :32:09.Scotland. It's been cloudy, the clouds have been stuck on this very
:32:10. > :32:12.sluggish area of high pressure. Here I think it will be fairly cool
:32:13. > :32:15.today. Temperatures of 12 Celsius, the best of the weather by far
:32:16. > :32:20.across some southern and eastern areas of the UK. Very little change
:32:21. > :32:25.on the way tonight, like last night it will be chilly this coming night.
:32:26. > :32:30.In towns and cities, probably around 6-7. In rural spots, maybe 2-3 above
:32:31. > :32:35.freezing. Saturday dawns on a beautiful note. We are exciting
:32:36. > :32:39.about it. A stunning sunny day. Earlier today, 12-macro people said
:32:40. > :32:43.wherever I touch the map, the sun comes out! I'm going to touch the
:32:44. > :32:49.map pretty much everywhere across the country, hear, hear, hear, are
:32:50. > :32:52.really beautiful day! Adventures into the 20s across parts of
:32:53. > :32:56.Yorkshire, nudging into the north-east, maybe 18-19 across
:32:57. > :33:00.southern Scotland. I'm not going to reach the far north-west of Scotland
:33:01. > :33:03.for our friends in Stornoway, Kirkwall and Lerwick, it looks like
:33:04. > :33:08.it will be cloudy with spots of drizzle. Great for the Grand
:33:09. > :33:12.National. Ladies Day was a little cloudy. The sun will come out.
:33:13. > :33:16.Sunday, while it will be the warmest day for England and Wales, things
:33:17. > :33:20.are going to go downhill across north-western areas. Much fresher
:33:21. > :33:25.across Scotland and Northern Ireland eventually. In England, temperatures
:33:26. > :33:30.could get up to 23 Celsius. It's going to end on a sour note as we
:33:31. > :33:33.head into Monday. Not that sour, but temperatures are going to lower and
:33:34. > :33:39.we will see a little bit more cloud. But the weekend is looking good.
:33:40. > :33:44.A reminder of our main story this lunchtime.
:33:45. > :33:49.The US has launched missile strikes on the Syrian air base believed to
:33:50. > :33:55.have mounted the chemical attack earlier this week.
:33:56. > :33:57.On BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.