welcome to bbc news, broadcasting at home and around the globe. i'm ben bland. our top stories: north korea fires a ballistic missile into the sea ofjapan — the latest military test by pyongyang. side by side with president trump — japan's prime minister says the launch is absolutely intolerable. donald trump insists the american legal system is broken — in his latest attack on judges over his travel ban. in romania — thousands of protesters have turned out in bucharest for the twelfth day in a row to demand the resignation of the government. and in italy — the venice carnival kicks off with a spectacular hello. "absolutely intolerable" —

the words ofjapan‘s prime minister shinzo abe after north korea test—fired another ballistic missile its first since donald trump became us president. the south korean military said it flew for about 500km eastwards into the sea of japan. the pentagon confirmed reports of the missile test, saying it was a medium— or intermediate—range ballistic missile — adding that it unlikely to have been a missile capable of reaching us soil. bill hayton reports. this significance of this test will depend upon what kind of missile was used. the successful launch of this would be a step forward for north korea's homegrown missile programme coming after seven failures last year. however, if it's the tried and tested technology of the scud types,

it will not symbolise any significant development. the beast is important is the timing of the test. one of the aspects of the timing. kimjong—un has not been testing because of the crisis going on in south korea over the south korean president being impeached. he doesn't want to influence the people in south korea to support the conservative replacement but i think he is also anxious to take some action against the trump administration and coming up in march, there will be a major exercise in south korea and he will very much not like that and so i think he is reacting to several things going on at the same time. both the japanese and south korean governments have said they will protest strongly to pyongyang. north korea's most recent missile launch is absolutely intolerable. north korea must fully comply with the

releva nt u n korea must fully comply with the relevant un security council resolutions. the white house said it would consider the full range of options including new sanctions, increased military deployments and calls on china to do more to influence the north but president trump was not giving much away. influence the north but president trump was not giving much awaylj just want everybody to understand and fully know that the united states of america stands behind japan, its great ally, 100%. thank you. president trump has talked tough on north korea. now he faces a test of will. so what is the reaction to the missile test in south korea? i asked the bbc‘s kevin kim in seoul. the government has called this

called this a great provocation. the timing might not be a coincidence. the worries about the direction relations may go with kim jong—un. north korea has warned that its long—range nuclear capabilities were near completion. president trump has made it clear that he would not let this happen. the theory is that a miscalculation of intentions may lead to an escalation of events which could ultimately end up in real military confrontation along and already tense border and times of difficulties, will president trump be able to take measured steps over emotional responses? that is the big question of the region. the timing comes quite soon after america talked about japan

timing comes quite soon after america talked aboutjapan being the cornerstone of peace and stability. is there any significant meaning while the prime minister is being hosted in the us? north korean observers would argue that north korea's actions today was based on trying to attract attention. under the leadership of kim jong—un, trying to attract attention. under the leadership of kimjong—un, north korea has tested more ballistic missiles last year than during the last 20 years rule of his father and many believe that there are various reasons behind this but there may be true intentions that north korea may wa nt to true intentions that north korea may want to perfect its missile technologies. we saw president trump at a news conference with shinzo abe. before meeting with the japanese prime minister, he had some harsh words to say about the us legal system. he thinks it's broken in fact. it was the latest attack onjudges who've blocked his controversial travel ban.

0ur washington correspondent — david willis — reports. president trump has spent most of the day in the company of shinzo abe, who has spent the day in what hasfbegeme ifs.“ as the winter white house, president trump's florida retreat. the two men took to the trump golf course in the morning. that hasn't prevented mr trump from tweeting. in his weekly address to the nation, mr trump said he believed urgent action was needed to protect the united states from the threat of terrorism. in his weekly address to the nation, mr trump said he believed urgent action was needed to protect the united states from the threat of terrorism. we will continue to fight to take all necessary and legal action to keep terrorists, radical and dangerous extremists, from ever entering our country. we will not allow our generous system of immigration to be turned against us as a tool for terrorism, and truly bad people. mr trump has said he is now looking beyond the legal system for a means of implementing his travel ban, and that may include filing

a revised executive order which addresses the judge's concerns, among them the fact that, since the september 11 attacks, nobody in the united states has been killed in a terrorist incident carried out by a citizen of any of the countries mentioned in the ban. issuing a new order would be tantamount to admitting that the administration didn't think it could easily overturn the appeals court decision. but, with challenges mounting in courts across the land, starting all over again might prove the easiest, and perhaps the only, solution. david willis, bbc news, washington. let's go to iraq now — where clashes in the capital baghdad have left at least five people dead. the trouble broke out between the security forces and supporters of the powerful shia muslim cleric muqtada al—sadr. it happened during a demonstration

against government corruption. alan johnston reports. huge numbers of demonstraters converged on a square higher translation: we call for the electoral commission to be changed. this commission is corrupt, and created by the corrupted. if they don't change it, we will continue to demonstrate until they do. the upcoming steps we take will be more severe. if they don't respond to our demands, we will implement them with force. translation: we demand a change of government. we want patriotic people to replace them, and start rebuilding iraq. the elections were manipulated, and a sham.

riot police were determined to drag them back, and the deadly violence erupted. video images from the scene show tear gas filling the air, and the sound of explosions and gunfire can be heard. alan johnston, bbc news. anti—government protesters in romania have turned out for the twelfth day running to demand the resignation of the social democrat—led administration. protesters fear that proposed laws redefining corruption offences will revive much of a government decree that was scrapped just a week ago. they're calling for country's prime minister to leave office — as greg dawson reports. the crowds may have thinned from a week ago, but several thousand remain outside the parliaments in bucharest. what began as protests against plans to decriminalise some corruption offences has become a movement with a much bigger ambition. i think this is our revolution.

ithink... we hope it's a new revolution, to change something in this country, to change the mentality. because enough is enough! the government only took office a month ago, and said the law change was needed to reduce the prison population. but protesters said it was a measure designed to help some politicians avoid jail time. after facing the largest demonstrations in his country since the fall of communism, romania's prime minister, sorin grindeanu, eventually backed down and agreed to scrap the decree. but his opponents say he can't be trusted, and has to go. they have even got the backing of romania's president, klaus iohannis, who voiced his support for the demonstrators. but that, in turn, has now triggered rival pro—government protests. around 300 demonstrators rallied outside the presidential palace. they say they back their new

government, and are angry at their president's involvement. he divided romania. he has no right. no, not at all! please, our president, help romania, help us to work, to be together. on wednesday, the government survived a no—confidence motion in the romanian parliament, and the prime minister made clear he has no intention of leaving. but nor do the protesters, who are promising a much bigger rally on sunday night to make their point. greg dawson, bbc news. swiss voters are going to the polls on sunday to decide on a proposal to relax switzerland's traditionally strict rules on citizenship. it would make it easier for third generation immigrants, people who were born in switzerland, and whose parents and grandparents

already lived permanently in the country, to become swiss nationals. imogen foulkes reports. becoming swiss is long and often costly. candidates must typically live 12 years in switzerland before they can apply, speak a swiss language, and show they are integrated in interviews and tests. the fee can run to several thousand pounds. supporters of the plan to simplify the process say it is ridiculous to ask people who are born and have lived all their lives in switzerland to prove they are integrated. translation: we're talking about a lot nfgggfigigeggtgzwhgzliliz in switzerland, who were born in switzerland, and even their parents were born here. their grandparents once immigrated in switzerland. these are actually people who live here, but do not have a red swiss passport. but opponents claim the measures are just the first step in allowing

all immigrants to switzerland, 25% of the population is not swiss, to get easy citizenship. an opposition poster of a woman in a burqa, a rarity in switzerland, even suggests the proposal could lead to a so—called islamisation of the country. this, however, may have backfired. 0pinion polls show a majority of voters are likely but, to pass, the measure will need the support of a majority of swiss cantons, too, and the more conservative rural cantons could still defeat it. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: more on those pilot whales that were stranded on a beach — 200 of them have managed to refloat and are back at sea. there's mr mandela.

mr nelson mandela, a free man, taking his first steps into a new south africa. iran's spiritual leader, ayatollah khomeini, has said he has passed a death sentence on salman rushdie, the british author of a book which many muslims say is blasphemous. because of his considerable valuable as a stallion, shergar was kept in a special secure box in the stud farm's central block. shergar was driven away in a horse box the thieves brought with them. there stepped down from the plane a figure in mourning, elizabeth ii, queen of this realm and of all her other realms and territories, head of the commonwealth, defender of the faith. this is bbc news, i'm ben bland.

the latest headlines: north korea has fired a ballistic missile into the sea of japan. the south korean military said the flight distance was about 500 km. in response, japan's prime minister described the missile test as absolutely intolerable. donald trump said the us would back japan 100%. it has been a tumultuous few weeks in central italy, which has been hit by earthquakes, heavy snow and landslides. last month, four quakes above magnitude—five struck in just a day, isolating villages and leaving thousands of families without power. now, snow in the abruzzo region, just east of rome, is melting, and causing sudden flooding and yet more landslides. david campa nale reports. landslides and sinkholes have struck across the abruzzo region, after heavy snowfalls,

rains and earthquakes. the mountain village of bisenti expects weeks of complete isolation after two landslides blocked the only access roads. even as emergency workers assessed the resulting damage, a ridge collapsed, sweeping away part of a provincial road in a few seconds. snow reached two metres in height in this valley, and on melting caused heavy rains. a collapse, ten metres in diameter and ten metres deep, has opened on one of the main streets leading to the historic centre of chieti, which has been badly hit in recent weeks. local administrators don't blame seismic or meteorological events, but point to lack of funds for maintenance. translation: from 2012 to now, a series of natural disasters hit the city, and it seriously affected the infrastructure. unfortunately this series of disasters means the municipality must continuously deliver exceptional funds for previous

disasters, as in 2012 or the flood of 2015. to address this last snowfall, we have no funds. we lack funds. in many roads in these central italian regions, the asphalt has crumbled, so it's difficult even to pass through on foot. david campanale, bbc news. some news in brief now: violence has broken out in a suburb of paris where hundreds turned out to protest against the alleged rape of a black youth by police. some of the protesters threw firecrackers at police patrolling the demonstration, and a car was set on fire. the president of the european commission, jean—claude juncker, says he doubts that the remaining 27 members of the union can maintain a united front as they negotiate britain's exit from the eu. in an interview with german radio, he also reiterated that britain could not negotiate trade deals as long as it remained a member of the european union. hundreds of people in taiwan have been marking the end of the annual

lunar new year festival by writing wishes on lanterns, before releasing them up into the sky. groups, who say they are concerned by the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the mountains nearby. conservationists in new zealand say more than 200 pilot whales that had been stranded on a beach on the south island have re—floated themselves overnight and are back in the sea. only a few remain on sand. hundreds of animals died the previous day when they became stuck in the waters near farewell spit in the south island, as fiona lamdin reports. doing whatever they can to help, before it's too late, these volunteers have been working for many hours, trying to keep the whales cool

as they lie stranded. some say singing also helps to keep them calm, but what they really need is high tide. very quickly, this tide has come racing in, and now we're all up to our knees, some people up to their waists in water. and we're starting to get a bit of floating happening, and we're just helping assist the whales with their breathing until the water gets deep enough so that they can swim. this is one of the worst whale strandings in new zealand's history. 400 whales came into farewell spit on thursday. but only 100 survived. and then another 240 arrived a day later. conservationists aren't sure why beaching happens. one theory is the shallow water affects their navigation system. the echo—location is designed for deepwater use, and doesn't work very well in shallow water. they become confused when they end up in places like farewell spit, which is a very shallow, sandy beach.

and if one does get into distress, and others follow it, it's difficult for them to know which way to go. but at last, there is some good news. most of these whales managed to refloat. rescue teams will now be focused on the remaining few. parts of western australia are being evacuated as floodwaters threaten people's homes, while in the eastern states, authorities are warning of catastrophic bushfire conditions as temperatures soar past 45 degrees. lucy martin has more. residents evacuate their homes as floodwaters threatened to inundate the west australian town of northam. the nearby a-fiflfi‘lxe‘fias saga—j locals say the water levels are the highest they've seen in 30 years. three people had to be rescued with some properties cut off by the floodwaters. my backyard will probably go under shortly, i reckon.

it's only got probably another six inches to go. so we've sandbagged all around, so we can try and stop it a little bit. but if it comes, it comes. what can we do? more rain is expected over the next few days and while the west has had too much of it, australians on the east coast are sweltering through a record—breaking heatwave. temperatures reached over a0 degrees in more than 50 cities and towns across the state of new south wales. the highest was 117.6. authorities say the worst is yet to come. the most catastrophic fire conditions in new south wales's history are expected in parts of the state's north on sunday. it's not another summer's day, it's not another bad fire weather day, this is as bad as it gets in the circumstances. it is simply not a safe environment, which is why we're making it very clear to people, the only safe place to he is not in at—risk areas.

the bush is a no—go zone, but conditions are better in sydney, where thousands of people are taking to the beach. lucy martin, bbc news. bolivian farmers and government officials are fighting a locust plague which is threatening to destroy part of the country's harvests. it comes just as agricultural areas were starting to recover from the country's worst drought in a quarter of a century. sophia tran—thomson has this report. after 25 years of drought, water rationing, conflicts over use and slashed harvests, a plague of locusts is the last thing bolivian farmers need. recent rains relieved the central bolivian city of santa cruz from drought, but injanuary, reports of locusts in the eastern grain belt brought new fears. 500 producers and 1,000 hectares of crops have been affected by the swarming insects.

i% of santa cruz‘s grain farms. translation: the authorities, farmers, businesses and fumigation crews are working together to confront this unfortunate situation in santa cruz. it's devastating a lot of cropland, especially small farms, and it's important that we react quickly to early warnings. there is a risk that, if the plague spreads further, the country's food supply could be endangered. the authorities plan to fumigate 17,000 hectares of land to stop the plague, and bolivia's president, evo morales, says argentinian experts have been brought in to assist. translation: it's going to be difficult to eradicate them, but we have to stop these flying locusts. they are doing a lot of damage to agricultural production. the plague raises the issue of farming regulations. bolivian producers have lobbied for years for permission to grow genetically modified seeds, resistance to plagues and climate events. but, until this plague passes the farmers' next battle will likely

have to wait. the annual venice carnival has opened with a spectacular show along the city's canals. thousands of revellers watched performers apparently floating over the water. the sea queen surfaced along the cannaregio canal and, surrounded by her attendants, floated through the city's watery ways. jellyfish billowed and swam, as overhead giant butterflies floated by, celebrating this year's opening theme, the beauty and mystery of the underwater world. they were extravagant. there were a lot of sea animals. i'm from the coast, so i love sea animals. this was awesome, it was an awesome display. the venice carnival is thought

to date back to the 12th century, the world. just as in the past, extravagant costumes and ornate masks are a big part of the party. it's very exciting. it's very different. i mean, we celebrate mardi gras back home, but it's not like this. this is amazing. this was just the first day of the festival. still to come are the masked balls, concerts and costume competitions. celebrations go on right up to the christian festival of lent, in three weeks' time, and this year venice is aiming to reach new heights. this is bbc news. most of the snow that we've seen build up so far over the last 2a

hours has been up over high ground. for example, near the pennines, bramhope in west yorkshire, near leeds, a good covering of snow in the last 2a hours. thanks to our weather watcher for sending that picture. generally a fine line between rain and snow. a lot of what you can see on the charts at the moment is rain coming in, but that said, there is the prospect of seeing an odd centimetre or two of snow maybe in east anglia and maybe across the hills of central southern england through the night. the chilterns and downs at risk of seeing that. but otherwise, for most of us it is going to be another grey, cloudy and cold start to the day, quite damp too, with outbreaks of rain at lower levels. across the pennines there will be ongoing heavy snow through sunday morning. we could see up to ten centimetres of snow above 300 metres elevation. so we're talking about quite high up in the pennines, but there is the potential to see some disruptive weather here. further west a lot of cloud around.

yes, we will have patches of rain. go into the hills of east wales, it is more likely we will see a bit of snow here. but for west wales it is a largely dry start, perhaps with a few glimmers of brightness. starting off cloudy, perhaps with patchy rain, sleet over the hills. through the rest of sunday it stays grey and gloomy. the cold wind with us again. temperatures really struggling. the snowiest weather, no doubt about it, is continuing to affect the pennines, but elsewhere there will tend to be a transition from snow back to rain as we go into the afternoon. the temperature just begin to rise a little bit. highs reaching between 4—6, but feeling colder than that due to the strength of the east, north—easterly winds. rugby union takes place again on sunday. the match between france and scotland probably dry. temperatures around seven degrees here, so it should be warmer in france than it is here in the uk. things will get a little bit milder over the next few days, as the wind switches more to a south—easterly direction. the winds won't be as cold.

so overnight sunday night, the temperatures not quite as low for most of us, 3—4 fairly typically for england and wales. still cold enough for a sharp frost in northern scotland. perhaps down to minus five, minus seven here. monday will be especially windy around some of our western coasts and hills. that is something to watch out for, temperatures climbing, but still feeling cold in that easterly wind. further north, grey and gloomy, with patches of rain and drizzle. but the trend is that things are going to turn milder towards the middle part of the week, as we lose the easterly winds. temperatures in london hit 12 by wednesday. the latest headlines from bbc news. i'm ben bland. north korea has fired a ballistic missile into the sea ofjapan. the south korean military said the flight distance was about 500 kilometres. the pentagon confirmed reports of the missile test, saying they thought it was a medium or intermediate range ballistic missile with no threat to america. this has been the first missile

launch by north korea since donald trump took office. the american president held a joint press conference with japanese prime minister shinzo abe. mr abe said the missile launch was ‘absolutely intolerable' and mr trump said he stood 100 % behind japan. clashes in the iraqi capital, baghdad have left at least five people dead. the trouble broke out between the security forces and supporters of the shia muslim cleric — muqtada al—sadr. tens—of—thousands of demonstrators at the rally denounced government corruption and demanded electoral reform. not it's time for politics europe.