because of overcrowding in many hospitals. and a lot of hot air — trying to beat the world record for crossing the channel. and coming up on bbc news: we've got the latest from the second round of the masters, where the weather has been far more friendly to the players, including england's lee westowood, at augusta. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. russia, an ally of syria, has condemned a missile strike authorised by president trump on a syrian government target. 59 tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from us warships in the mediterranean at the shayrat air base — from where mr trump said this week's deadly chemical weapons attack in northern syria was launched. in a moment, we'll get the latest on russia's response and how the strike could affect the long war in syria. but, first, here's our north america editorjon sopel and a warning, his report does contain some distressing images. it was after dark on the east coast of america and before the sun had risen in the middle east when the commander in chief gave the order. from wo war ships a volley of cruise missiles were fired at a military air base, that has been used, say the americans to launch the chemical weapons attack on idlib. it is in the vital security interest of the united states to prevent and to deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons. there can be no dispute that syria used banned chemical weapons, violated its obligations under the chemical weapons convention and ignored the urging of the un security council. the after affects of the attack, the united states believe a nerve agent was used, horrified the world and horrified this president. a line had been crossed and unlike his predecessor, he was going to act. he choked the lives of men, women and children. it was a slow and brutal death for so many. even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this very barbaric attack. 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. there was no talk of regime change. 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. 59 tomahawk missiles were issued. the air base is 20 miles from homs. 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. the pents gone say — pentagon said it didn't target the runways, the 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, he has an obligation to act. 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 into action as he ended his address last night he didn't sound like an isolationist. good night and god bless america and the entire world. thank you. the president not yet 100 days in, has travelled a long way in a short time. russia — as a supporter of president assad — has accused the united states of violating international law. it said that president trump's actions damaged the fight against terrorism and the islamic state group in syria. 0ur moscow correspondent steve rosenberg has the latest on russia's response. until recently, the russian media have been singing donald trump's praises. no more. 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 of the international rule book. it's definitely an aggressive act against international law, against a sovereign country, and without any true evidence of the assad regime using chemical weapons. it is russian military power that's been keeping president assad in power. russia's air force and navy is helping syria's leader turn the tide of the country's civil war, and boosting moscow's role in the middle east. today, the kremlin accused washington of inventing a pretext for the missile strikes. those american tomahawks may have been targeting the syrian military, butjudging by what the kremlin has been saying, its us— russia relations that will take a real battering out as a result of the missile strike. 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 make big military power was in the area operating without any contact and any coordination, which is very dangerous. 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. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. until this week's chemical attack in northern syria, president trump had appeared set against any intervention against the regime of bashar al—assad. 0ur middle east editor, jeremy bowen, reports now on the implications of the us strike for the six—year syrian war. the war crime that killed so many in a village pushed the americans into military action. the long—term impact on the war itself depends on what the americans to next. more chemical attacks would provoke a tougher american response. but the us might accept a return to conventional killing. the syrian regime denies it has ever used chemical weapons. i think president trump himself knows that syria did not use any chemical weapons, it does not have any chemical weapons, as it has given all its stock pile too the international organisation responsible for that. the americans say they have clear that the proof that the syrian forces carrived out —— carried out war crimes, they're certain of that, that is whoo i they carried out this raid. 14 years after the invasion of iraq, we see iraq has been destroyed. syria is the second secular state after iraq thatis the second secular state after iraq that is being targeted by the west, simply because it is secular and it has an army and it is against the israeli occupation of palestine. in one of damascus area, people stopped believing the regime years ago and wa nt believing the regime years ago and want more military action from the americans. translation: we hope that any foreign intervention will be an intervention to bring an end to the suffering of the syrian people and notjust a single hit. translation: the solution is for the assad regime to step away from power. the ends of massacres, the ends of targeting of civilians. a reason why the 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. these days the rebels still fighting the regime are mainly sunni muslim slammists. muslims. there is also the war against so—called islamic state. led by the us and its allies. think of it all as layers of conflict. sometimes they're parallel. and sometimes they intersect and now donald trump has added a whole new layer. the vents and the us response will force the syrian regime to take american threats more seriously, including calls for regime change. force equals influence in syria and more foreign intervention will not bring peace any closer. let's go back tojon sopel in florida. is this a one—off strike or can we expect more? well, that is the key question and i think the president would love to think the president would love to think that this was a one—off attack, taken in revenge, because bashar al—assad used chemical weapons. it was discreet and signify nod further us engagement in the situation in syria. but asjeremy described, it is complex and there are huge questions about us foreign policy towards syria. does the americans, do the americans strike again if barrel bombs are used? where does this leave their position on bashar al—assad staying in power. 0ne on bashar al—assad staying in power. one other thick we have learned —— thing we have learned about president trump that is contradictory, that is very quick to change his minds and he is very decisive. but maybe there is a wider picture here to consider, as it was articulated by a senator, she said what donald trump has shown is that there is a new sheriff in town and he's shown who is the boss. the world has better sit up and take notice. it probably has. thank you. a lorry has been driven into a crowd of pedestrians in stockholm, killing at least three people and injuring many others. the swedish prime minister said everything suggested it was an act of terrorism. the incident happened outside a department store on a busy pedestrian shopping street at around 2 o'clock local time. the driver of the truck is still at large and police have issued an image of him. 0ur security correspondent frank gardner has the latest. the people are scared. something is happening... a moment of panic in a peaceful city. this was stockholm this afternoon, as people fled in terror from a truck which appeared to drive deliberately into crowds of shoppers on a pedestrian street. translation: i saw exactly where the lorry went in, just there. there wasn't much of a reaction, then the police arrived. the police just said, you have to run. initial reports said two people were killed, then at least three, and several injured. stockholm has seen nothing like this for years. the truck crashed into a department store and caught fire. the brewery company that owned it said a man hijacked it earlier during a delivery. this person is a localjournalist. you could actually see bodies lying on the street and i could see the police covering the body with an orange blanket. there were lots of police around, lots of people standing around and filming, taking photos. there was a lady laying with a severed foot, there was blood everywhere, there were bodies on the ground everywhere. and there was a sense of panic. people standing by their loved ones, but also people running away. the swedish authorities say they had no warning of this attack. the question now is, who did it and why? the police have issued these pictures of a man they want to question, while the prime minister says sweden has come under attack. translation: the government is informed of the situation and i am getting continuous updates. we support all the authorities that are working on this, and we are asking the public to be alert and listen to police advice. at least two people are dead and our thoughts are with their families. whoever was behind today's attack, this has been a huge shock, notjust for sweden, but for all of scandinavia. security is now being tightened in neighbouring norway and finland. already, some are saying this has been a wake—up call. let's get the latest from stockholm and speak to our reporter maddy savage. there's a big security operation in place in stockholm tonight, but the suspect as far as we know is still on the loose? well, here in stockholm, security is incredibly tight this evening. police out on patrol, armed police all across the city centre and helicopters circling above us. it was the case earlier in the day that there were reports that somebody had been arrested. but police say that is not the case, they are still looking for the person or people behind this. in the meantime, people living here in the city centre have been told, if they're already home, they should not go out this evening. a number of cinemas, shopping mall is and theatres are closed as police keep security tight, as they continue their investigation. we are about 500 metres away from where the attack happened, and it is a very different atmosphere to a typical friday night, when this area would be packed with people out at the shops or in the bars in this area. at the moment there are a lot of people rather lost as they try to get home. the subway system has also closed, train services have been cancelled, as police try to work out what has happened. our top story this evening... russia has condemned us airstrikes in syria, and promised to strengthen the country's air defence systems. and painting a picture over dover — but did these hot air balloons break the record they were going for? coming up in sportsday on bbc news — great britain will have to come from behind if they're to make it through to the semifinals of the davis cup. and they'll have to beat france without the injured andy murray as well. hospitals in england were forced to turn away ambulances nearly twice as often this winter as in the previous three years, according to analysis from the charity the nuffield trust. it says the extra time ambulances spend on the road after being diverted to other a&e departments delays their response to fresh emergencies. 0ur health correspondent dominic hughes has this report, which contains some flashing images. they are the very front line of emergency care, but across england, ambulance services are struggling to cope with demand, and when things go wrong, the consequences are devastating. we were all sort of stood outside waiting for the ambulance. in december, suzanne's husband jack collapsed with chest pains, but by the time the ambulance arrived, jack had died. but nothing came. ifeel very bitter, because he didn't geta chance, did he? i mean, there was a good chance that they could have done something, saved him, you know. but we didn't get that chance. none of the main targets for ambulance response times have been met since may 2015, and that reflects the intense pressure accident and emergency departments have been under, sometimes diverting ambulances to other local hospitals. today's report shows how the number of diverts has leapt in the past few months. during the three winters beginning in 2013, this happened on average 249 times, but in this most recent winter, the number of diverts increased to almost 500. they are the tip of the iceberg. they have doubled, they reveal a service under tremendous pressure. there will be 500 diverts, but there will be many more a&e departments working right to the limit. if we were to fall ill, we would all want an ambulance to reach us quickly, but the health service is like a great big ecosystem, and if one local a&e shuts its doors, even for a short time, that can have a really big knock—on effect on notjust the ambulance service, but also neighbouring hospitals. that's what's happening in the north—east of england, which has some of the highest number of diverted ambulances, but that simply piles on the pressure elsewhere. what we see is the pressure building up within emergency departments. and when we are already under pressure, then we get this call that we need to take some more patients, it's, of course, people feel that this is just additional pressure they could do without. nhs england says too many ambulances are being dispatched simply to meet targets on response times, and a review of the system is now underway to find a better way to relieve pressure. but delays to ambulances can harm patients and make an already stressfuljob even harder. a man who avoided being sent to jail for domestic violence by claiming he would lose the chance to become a professional cricketer has been jailed for 18 months following a review of his case. mustafa bashir attacked his partner with a cricket bat and tried to force her to drink bleach. but the club he claimed had offered him a contract, leicestershire, contacted police after the original hearing to say they had never heard of him. a romanian tourist knocked into the river thames during the terror attack at westminster 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 khalid masood to five. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds reports. there had been a hope that andreea cristea would make it. she was young, she'd been on holiday, about to receive a marriage proposal. it wasn't to be. doctors at st bartholomew's said she'd been in a critical condition since the attack. yesterday, they decided to withdraw life support. we are saddened by the death of miss andreea cristea at st bartholomew's hospital. she had been receiving care here since the westminster terror attacks, having been initially treated at the royal london hospital. and our thoughts are with her friends and family at this difficult time. 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 staff and the police. 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. 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 also lost their lives. 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 and the thoughts kept coming. the actor tim piggott smith has died at the age of 70. he played prime minister herbert asquith. he was well known for his portrayal of ronald merrick in the epic drama jewel in the crown, for which he won a bafta. he appeared in many films, including, the remains of the day and the james bond movie quantum of solace. the skies above dover were a picture this morning. 82 hot air balloons took off, hoping to break the world record for crossing the channel. so, did they manage it? 0ur reporter fiona lamdin was on board one of the balloons. they gathered at first light in a field in kent. and as the sun rose, with almost military precision, at exactly seven o'clock, the mass ascent began. 82 pilots from across europe were here to set a new record. the pack drifted over dovehs record. the pack drifted over dover's castle and cliffs. england will soon behind them as they headed 26 miles over the channel in mainland europe. it is fantastic being able to see the other balloons. it is a once—in—a—lifetime opportunity. the cameraman is in a balloon somewhere out there so i am filming there myself. we are right in the middle of the flight. can't see france, can't see england, all i know is, i'm above the world's busiest shipping lanes. after three hours trusting above the sea, they arrived in france near calais to the warmest of welcomes. after three hours 21 minutes and 20 seconds, it was down—to—earth with the most gentlest was down—to—earth with the most ge ntlest of was down—to—earth with the most gentlest of bumps. bend your knees... when we began to see a little point in the air, and so, with the car, we tried to follow the course of the balloons, and we are happy to see you! the pilots are confident they've broken the previous record of 49 balloons but are waiting for confirmation that they hold the new title. lovely skies on both sides of the channel. will it continue, darren bett? it is really going to be warming upfor bett? it is really going to be warming up for some of us, and there will be more blue skies and sunshine. if you can see on the map, you can see how the cloud has broken across northern england and northern ireland, so we have got a sunny end to the day here. the cloud should retreat up to the far north—west and the northern isles. this fog could affect the m4 and the five tonight. warming up quickly in the sunshine tomorrow morning. the fog does not last long at all tomorrow morning. this time, across scotland and northern ireland, away from the far north of the country, temperatures will be depressed a little. 0therwise, will be depressed a little. otherwise, we could get as high as 20 degrees possibly across some eastern parts of england. and it will be a much warmer day for northern england and ports of northern ireland, too. we have got a southerly breeze drawing up some warmer air. at the same time we've got this weather front approaching the north—west. not such a good day for scotland and northern ireland with this band coming in. some cloud wandering in over the irish sea, but for most of england and wales, it will be warm and sunny. temperatures ranging up to a high of 23 celsius. that's probably the peak of the temperatures, because we've got this weather front bringing rain to the north—west on sunday, and introducing a north to north—westerly airflow which will bring down some much cooler air. for most of us, it mark white cloudy skies like this on monday. across scotla nd skies like this on monday. across scotland and in the north, there could even be some wintry showers. 0ur our main headline... russia has condemned the us missile strikes in syria which targeted a regime airbase and have promised to strengthen the country's air defence systems. that is all from us. it is time for the news where you are. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines this evening. . three people have been killed and many others injured, after a lorry drove into pedestrians outside a department store in the swedish capital, stockholm. the swedish prime minister says everything points to an act of terror. local media say the lorry was hijacked from a brewery earlier in the day. eyewitnesses spoke of horrific scenes. there was blood everywhere, there were bodies on the ground everywhere, and the sense of panic, people standing by their loved ones, but also people running away. police release images of a suspect who they think is connected to the attack.