07/04/2017 World News Today

This is BBC world News. The United States warned it could take further

military action against the Syrian government. After its missile dry on

a Syrian air base, Washington says it will no longer allowed President

Assad to use chemical weapons without consequences. The United

States took a very measured step last night. We are prepared to do

more. Russia says the strikes could have very serious consequences in

the region and the UN calls for restraint. America 's allies offer

their support. In other news, four people are

killed and many injured as a lorry ploughed into strop is in the

Swedish habit. Holm. There were buddies in the street and I could

see the police covering the body with an orange blanket.

The United States has said it could take further military action

It comes after Washington fired missiles at an airbase from which it

believes President Assad's forces launched a chemical weapons attack.

Addressing an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council,

the American ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said it is in America's

vital national security interest to prevent the use

Our military destroyed the airfield from which this week's

The moral stain of the Assad regime could no longer go unanswered.

His crimes against humanity could no longer be met with empty words.

It was time to say "Enough" but not only say it, it was time to act.

Bashar al-Assad must never use chemical weapons again.

The Syrian government denounced the attack as reckless and irresponsible

but America has had support from other countries.

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

risen in the Middle East when the commander in

From two US warships, a volley of cruise missiles

air base, that has been used, say the Americans to launch the chemical

It is in the vital security interest of the

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

There can be no dispute that Syria used banned

chemical weapons, violated its obligations under the chemical

weapons convention, and ignored the urging

The grotesque aftereffects of the attack, the United States believe

a nerve agent was used, horrified the world and

A line had been crossed and unlike his

Assad choked the lives of helpless men, women and

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 astonishing, is the speed with which this administration has

changed its policy to Syria and decided to act.

At the start of week, President Trump saw Bashar

al-Assad as a useful ally against Islamic State.

But the chemical weapons attack changed everybody and

within two days, targets had been identified and struck.

Here what is we know about the attack.

Targets included, aircraft, fuel depots and radar.

Because Russian forces are also at the base, Russia

was informed of the attack in advance.

The aftermath shows damage at the base, but hardly devastation.

aim was to destroy the infrastructure that allows the base

to function and the attack has brought the president support.

The president was authorised to conduct

the strike, he is not asking for a declaration of war,

he was dealing with circumstances and as the

commander in chief not only did he have the right,

Despite the enthusiasm we can see, to quote Churchill, it is

the end of the beginning, not the beginning of the end.

Donald Trump, who didn't want to get embroiled in

foreign conflict, has just ordered US forces

address last night, he didn't sound like an isolationist.

Good night and God bless America and the entire

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

Russia - which supports President Assad -

has reacted angrily - accusing the United States

There would be negative consequences it said.

Moscow also accused President Trump of damaging the fight

against terrorism and so-called Islamic State group in Syria.

Until recently, the Russian media have been singing

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

with the missile strike he ordered on a civilian air base.

Moscow said it was a gross, groundless violation

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 is Russian military power that's been keeping

Russia's air force and navy is 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

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, its 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.

So far, there's been no sign of that.

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.

Reaction from Moscow pretty much resistant from the reaction of the

security meeting. Our correspondent Nada Tawfik

is in New York where the UN Security Council has been holding

an emergency meeting. A polarised debate at the UN.

Absolutely. We got to hear from several states about their opinion

on the US air strikes. We heard strong language from the US

ambassador saying the US was justified in their actions and that

they would do more if necessary, also calling on the Syrian

government to start engaging in political talks that the UN has been

holding, saying they haven't held up to that agreement. On the side of

the US we had Britain and France saying they thought this was a

legitimate response to what they consider a war crime and really

holding Russia counter to the several failed the toes they have

used to block action against President Assad. On the other hand,

we had those who were upset with the US action, Russia's position. It was

said to be against international law, they didn't get permission from

the UN Security Council, saying that they were the investigator,

attorney, judge, and executioner. We heard this is going to be the end of

the beginning, not the beginning of the beginning, not the beginning of

the end. The ambassador saying that more could happen. Under what

conditions will she talking about? I think she was trying to send the

message that the US will act decisively in the case of any kind

of chemical weapons use, the idea that President Assad and act or

whoever was responsible for the chemical weapons could act without

international reaction, those days are over. What we did see on the

council was disagreement amongst council was disagreement amongst

everyone, really, that we wanted to tempt down the tone of the things,

escalating. The US Secretary General escalating. The US Secretary General

also heard anyone talk when this also heard anyone talk when this

Newlyn has been negotiating in Newlyn has been negotiating in

Geneva. The key question is how the talks really are going to make any

progress for the Syrian people when the seventh year of this conflict

these kinds of division still remain. Thank you.

Until the chemical attack in Syria, President Trump seemed to be against

any intervention. Jeremy Bowen reports evocations of the US strikes

for the seven-year Syrian war. The war crime that killed so many

pushed the Americans into military action. The long-term impact on the

war itself depends on what the Americans do next. More chemical

weapons attacks on civilians might bring a tougher response. The Syrian

regime denies it has ever used chemical weapons. I think Trump

himself knows that Syria did not use any chemical weapons and does not

have any chemical weapons and it has given its stockpile to the

International organisation responsible for that. The Americans

say they have cleared proof that the Syrian Armed Forces carried out war

finds by using nerve gas against civilians, they are certain of that,

that is why they carried out this raid. Four 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 the West simply

because it is secular and it has an army and again with the Israeli

occupation of Palestine. In one of the Damascus suburbs in which more

than 1000 people were killed by chemical weapons in 2013, local

people stopped believing the regime years ago. They want more military

action from the Americans. TRANSLATION: We hope that foreign

intervention will bring an end to the suffering of the Syrian people

and not just a single hit. The solution is for the Assad regime to

step away from power, the end of the massacres in Syria, the end of

targeting civilians. 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 trees. These days, the rebels still fighting the

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

are Jihadis. Revel sometimes fighting but -- each other. There is

also a 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 layer. The events and the US response will force the

Syrian regime to take American threats more seriously, including

calls for regime change. What is certain is that more foreign

intervention, no matter Do stay with us. We will be live in

Stockholm with the very latest on a spec it terror attack that truck in

which four people were killed. Today is about the promise of a new

future, a day when a line can be drawn under the bloody past.

I think the works of Picasso were beautiful, they were intelligent,

and it is a sad loss to everybody who loves art.

This is BBC News. Our mains dory, after a missile strike on a Syrian

air base, Washington says it will no longer allow President Assad to use

chemical weapons without consequences.

In other news, Swedish police are investigating suspect it terror

attack that killed four people, injuring many others. A man has been

arrested in connection with the attack with his identity not

disclosed. The incident happened outside a department store on the

busy pedestrians treat in the afternoon. People have warned

against travel to send. Holm against -- are less strictly necessary.

Sadly this afternoon panic. People running for their lives. Around the

corner, Laurie has ploughed into a department store. And on its way,

smashing through this pedestrian area, killing and injuring those who

happens to be there. I could actually see bodies lying on the

street, I could see the police covering the body with an orange

blanket. There were lots of police around, lots of people standing

around filming, taking photos. I heard the noise on the screens and

saw the people, as I walked out. There were just outside the store, a

dead dog of the owner screaming, it was a lady laying with a severed

foot, there was blood everywhere, there were bodies on the ground

everywhere. And a sense of panic. People standing by their loved ones

but also people running away. Mainly into the minor streets around. A

sense of sheer panic. After the police and ambulances arrived at the

scene, it became clear this was not an accident. TRANSLATION: Sweden has

been attacked. Everything indicates this is a terrorist act. The

government is doing everything to support the authorities who are

working now and we urge the public to be alert and to listen, not least

to the information from the police. The police locked down the city

centre, the Metro was closed, and government offices shut. They have

not found the truck driver at the scene, it was thought he may have

entered a nearby Metro St -- station to get away. But soon these pictures

were released of a man the police wanted to speak to with connection

with the incident. And now there has been an arrest. After a day in which

four people were killed and many more injured. The people of Sweden

have not suffered an incident like this for many years.

A short while ago, the Swedish Prime Minister gave this statement. Sweden

has been attacked at 2:53pm, a truck violently ram a pedestrian rate in

the heart of our capital, leaving at least four people dead, and 15

people Syriza the injured. -- seriously injured. My thoughts are

first of all with the Vic Tims and their families. In this difficult

moment police and hospitals are doing everything they can to stay

day wise and maintain our safety. Thoughts, concerns, and condiments

is 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, democracy, human rights,

and freedom, to be changed by hatred. Let's cross live to

stockholder. Manny Savage is near the scene of the attack. The hunt is

still on for the driver of the truck. The hunt, we understand, is

still on for the driver of the truck. One person has been arrested

person is understood to fit the profile of somebody else or possibly

the same person from a picture that release released earlier on today.

Somebody wearing a light jacket with a black pudding and the leaflet -- a

black pudding underneath it. We haven't even given the name of the

person. We are waiting to find any more information emerges on that.

You might be able to hear distracting traffic in the

background, the roads around the city centre are starting to reopen,

having been closed for several hours, the subway system also

reopening which is allowing a lot of people who were stranded in the city

centre says the attack to finally make it home to their loved ones. As

you heard, the Prime Minister said he will do everything it takes to

make Sweden's safe but I think it is safe to say that while people are

very shocked about a terror attack happening here in a very peaceful

country, this has happened at a time when there has been heightened

national political debate about Sweden's repaired this for an

attack. Very early on, the Prime Minister said everything pointed to

an act of terrorism in this case. Yes, that is understood to be the

case, and that message is still something that he is seeking to

betray. One other thing he mentioned in the press conference earlier was

that he is adding reinforcements to Sweden's borders, to ensure that

safety is maintained there, and also, this Friday night, a lot of

major public places also remaining closed. Shopping mall is, all of

this on and theatres as well, so that police and security forces can

focus their efforts on the places they believe to be most important

for the investigation. Thank you. Here in London, are mainly tourist

two was locked -- knocked into the River Thames last month has died.

31-year-old Andreea Cristea had been visiting London with her boyfriend.

Her death brings the number of people killed by the attacker

There had been a hope that Andreea Cristea would make it.

She was young, she'd been on holiday, about to receive

Doctors at St Bartholomew's said she'd been in a critical

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

attacks, having been initially treated at the Royal

And our thoughts are with her friends and family

I'd 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

After fighting for her life for over two weeks, they said,

our beloved and irrepressible Andreea, wonderful daughter, sister,

partner, dedicated friend and the most unique and life-loving

person you can imagine, was cruelly and brutally ripped away

from our lives in the most heartless and spiritless way.

She will always be remembered as our shining ray of light that

will for ever keep on shining in our hearts.

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, Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochrane and PC Keith Palmer

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 of witnesses.

It's thought 1,500 people may have seen what happened.

Last week, Andrei Burnaz laid a single flower in memory

of the woman he'd hoped would be his wife.

Today, for all the victims, the flowers, the candles

Senators in the United States have confirmed as the preening quart

judge following a battle over the post. It is seen as the biggest

success so far for president tramp. -- resident trumps. -- President

Trump. There are rallies in South Africa

demanding the resignation of the president following his dismissal of

the finance minister. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to keep

the rival groups of them as traitors apart. -- the groups of

demonstrators. Lots more on our website. From us,

thanks for watching. Thank you for joining me, let's

start with North America, the