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Sweden’s prime minister has told the families of the victims of Friday’s truck attack they are not alone, after the country held a minute of silence.

Stefan Lofven said all of Sweden’s thoughts were with them following a ceremony outside Stockholm City Hall, also attended by the mayor and most of the Swedish royal family. Four people died and 15 were injured when a hijacked truck was driven into a department store in central Stockholm.

An Uzbek man, 39, is the main suspect.

Addressing those affected by the attack, Mr Lofven added: « You are not alone, we are thinking of you. All of Sweden stands with you. »

Police have not released the identities of the victims, but said they were: Two Swedish nationals – one reported to be an 11-year-old girl

A Briton – named by his family as 41-year-old Chris Bevington

A Belgian woman, said to be a 31-year-old from the city of Halle

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The funeral of PC Keith Palmer, who was killed in last month’s Westminster attack, is taking place at Southwark Cathedral in central London.

Thousands of police officers lined the route of a 2.6-mile funeral cortege starting at the Palace of Westminster.

PC Palmer, 48, who was married with a five-year-old daughter, was guarding the Houses of Parliament on 22 March when he was stabbed by Khalid Masood. A floral tribute left on top of his hearse read: « No 1 daddy ».

The cathedral service, which is being attended by around 50 members of PC Palmer’s family including his wife, child, parents, brother and sisters, will be followed by a private cremation.

PC Palmer was killed as he tried to stop Masood enter the Houses of Parliament. Masood, who had already driven into people on Westminster Bridge, was shot dead by police.

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Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has announced a three-month state of emergency after attacks on two Coptic churches that left at least 44 dead.

The measure allows authorities to make arrests without warrants and search people’s homes. It needs to be approved by parliament before it is implemented.

So-called Islamic State (IS) said it was behind the blasts in Tanta and Alexandria on Palm Sunday. The group has targeted Copts in Egypt recently and warns of more attacks.

Mr Sisi made a defiant speech at the presidential palace after a meeting of the national defence council to discuss the explosions. He warned that the war against the jihadists would be « long and painful », and said that the state of emergency would come into force after all « legal and constitution steps » were taken. The majority in parliament backs Mr Sisi.

The president had earlier ordered the deployment of the military across the country to protect « vital and important infrastructure ». The move by Mr Sisi is likely to raise concerns among human rights activists, observers say. The president, a former army chief, has been criticised by local and international groups for severe restrictions on civil and political rights in Egypt.

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The Basque militant group Eta says it will hand over all its weapons on Saturday – but warns that its enemies might still block the process.

The pledge came in a letter, confirming earlier reports about Eta disarmament plans.

Eta killed more than 800 people and wounded thousands in over 40 years of violence aimed at Basque independence. Eta declared a ceasefire in 2011 but did not disarm. Spain refuses to negotiate with the armed group.

The letter, dated 7 April, says that « after giving up all its weaponry (arms and explosives) to Basque civil society representatives [Eta] now is a disarmed organisation ». But further on it warns that « the process is not completed » and « ‘disarmament day’ is tomorrow ». « We want to warn that still the process can be attacked by the enemies of peace. The only real guarantee to succeed are the thousands of people gathering tomorrow in Bayonne [south-western France] supporting the disarmament. »

In recent years police in France and Spain have put Eta under severe pressure, arresting hundreds of militants, including leadership figures, and seizing many of the group’s weapons.
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The US has carried out a missile strike against a Syrian air base in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town.

Fifty-nine Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from two US Navy ships in the Mediterranean. Six people were killed, the Syrian army said. It is the first direct US military action against forces commanded by Syria’s president.

The Kremlin, which backs Bashar al-Assad, has condemned the strike. It comes just days after dozens of civilians, including many children, died in the suspected nerve gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province.

On the orders of President Donald Trump, Navy destroyers USS Porter and USS Ross fired dozens of cruise missiles at Shayrat airfield in western Homs province at about 04:40 Syrian time (01:40 GMT). They targeted aircraft, aircraft shelters, storage areas, ammunition supply bunkers and air defence systems at the Syrian government-controlled facility, according to the Pentagon.

Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Mr Trump said he had acted in America’s « vital national security interest » to prevent the use of chemical weapons.

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