part in celebrations to mark the anniversary of the birth of the country's founder, kim il—sung. ahead of the traditional parade, there's been speculation that the current leader, kim jong—un, could order another nuclear test to mark his grandfather's birthday. us commanders have insisted that the huge bomb used against so—called islamic state in afghanistan was the right weapon for thejob. afghan officials say there were no civilian casualties, but 36 is fighters were killed — the group has denied any losses. several thousand people have been evacuated from four besieged towns in syria as part of a deal between the government and rebels. around 30,000 people are trapped in a humanitarian crisis described by the un as "catastrophic." much more online anytime at bbc.com/news. do check it out. now on bbc news, an affectionate portrait of elizabeth gathoni koinange, who celebrated her 117th birthday last month. welcome to my great—grandmother's

117th birthday. right now she is taking pictures of people who have come to celebrate this week day with her. there is more than 90 years difference between me and her. she is 117, andi difference between me and her. she is 117, and i am just 23. difference between me and her. she is 117, and i amjust 23. iam priscilla ng'ethe, and i'm returning to my ancestral home in kenya to celebrate a remarkable birthday, of one of the oldest people in the world. my great—grandmother, elizabeth gathoni koinange. i am here to discover the secrets of her long life, as she throws a party and reunites five generations of my family. this is the village where i was

born. it is about ten miles from nairobi, the capital of kenya. this fertile land has been home to our tribe and to my family for at least six generations. today there are hundreds of koinanges like me spread around the world. i'm returning from my home in london to visit a woman very close to my heart, who has never left kenya, but has cultivated a globalfamily. never left kenya, but has cultivated a global family. we never left kenya, but has cultivated a globalfamily. we arejust heading up a globalfamily. we arejust heading up to a globalfamily. we arejust heading my a globalfamily. we arejust heading up to my great—grandmother's house. the road is quite bumpy because it isa the road is quite bumpy because it is a makeshift road. this is a shrine where most of my family are buried. my great grandad, my

grandad, his children and his five wives. my great—grandmother is the fifth wife out of six. we are heading up to my great—grandmother's home, she lives right by the sight of where my great grandad used to live. i'm really excited to see her. here she is. hi! hello! how are you? how are you? iam fine, hi! hello! how are you? how are you? i am fine, good to see you. a long time. a long time, many years. this is my great—grandmother,

elizabeth koinange. she is going to be 117. this is my great aunt, irene, who is here to help me with the translation. i can understand everything that may great—grandmother tells me, but to speak our language is really difficult. great—grandmother in elizabeth has lived on this land for 90 years. she grew up tending cattle on her father's farm, 90 years. she grew up tending cattle on herfather‘s farm, then moved here as a young bride and raised seven children. she built this house with profits from the farm. my great—grandmother is proud of her government identity card. it doesn't show the exact month war day that she was worn, but does have her year of birth as 1900. —— she was born. the kikuyu tribal tradition of age

groups gives the same name to all children born in the same year. my great—grandmother beer longs to be kihiu mwiri age group, which means she was born sometime between 1899 and 1900. do you remember when you got married? do you remember your wedding day? force. so... she was brought by

force, she was married by force because she was too young. at that time she didn't want to get married to an older person, because she was the fifth wife. great-grandmother in elizabeth was the fifth of six wives of the senior chief koinange. he worked with the british during colonial rule and is well—known in kenya for playing a part in the country's independence. so, was it difficult for you to be the fifth wife? leonards koinange leona rds koinange is leonards koinange is elizabeth's sixth child, and he is my great

uncle. he lives next door to my great—grandmother and was a child during the 1950s when his father, senior chief koinange, was detained during the mau mau uprising. the mau mau uprising was a revolt against european ownership of land. mau mau suspects were being checked prior to interrogation. all were members of the tribe which has suffered most from the mau mau. a state of emergency was declared in kenya, and although it eventually lead to the end of petition rule, it was a tough time for my great grandparents and my uncle leonard. —— end of british rule. in 1952 my father was taken into detention. can you had been declared under emergency and he was detained for the next seven years. —— kenya had been declared. we used

to be children of a chief. we became beggars. we were being helped by those people we would have called poon those people we would have called poor. during the mau mau comment it was not only affecting our family, it was affecting other families. 0ne of my aunts, i think they had nine children, and my mother took them. in order that she had taken two other children who belonged to her sister who had died. so, my mother was raising about 20 children! so, it was... it was chaotic, you know? we were fighting for food. this shrine is the resting place of my

great—grandfather. he lies alongside his five wives and there is a space reserved for my great—grandmother elizabeth. as fairs was a polygamist marriage, visiting the shrine puts into perspective how large the chiefs family really was. —— theirs was a polygamous marriage. my great—grandfather is resting here. but his legacy is living on in hundreds of descendants. what do you think about polygamy today? would you advise me to go down that route? you wouldn't like me to do that?

you were the last one to practise polygamy. does that mean that our family will now be smaller and smaller? how do you feel about that? so you wouldn't want me to just have one 01’ so you wouldn't want me to just have one or two kids? regardless of how many children i may have in the future, there's no doubt that the family is growing. my great—grandmother gave earth to seven children, and there are tens of grandchildren. —— gave birth. my father was one of them, and i am his second child of three, making me one of many, many great—grandchildren to elizabeth. who is in those pictures?

is that you? so pretty! without picture there? i think it is you, and there are kids around you. ican i can see that photographs play a big part in my great—grandmother's

life. to celebrate her birthday, she is throwing a party. and we are going to attempt something very special. a family photograph. a living family tree with five generations of my family and my great—grandmother at the centre. but with so many people involved, it could take a while. the first of january is a big day for my great—grandmother. she has invited family and friends to celebrate her 117 birthday. we have travelled from farand 117 birthday. we have travelled from far and wide 117 birthday. we have travelled from farand wide and 117 birthday. we have travelled from far and wide and for me it is a chance to reunite with my kenyan family. so the family, your children and their children, were all spread out across the world, like me, i am

in london. do you like that we are all over the world, now? so have you always celebrated on the first of january, since you can remember? right now, everybody is preparing

the food. there will be loads of meat, loads of vegetables. so now i think it is time for me to get changed, because all the guests are slowly arriving, so i will wear something a little bit more co mforta ble. by by throwing this party, my great—grandmother is continuing the tradition is started by her late husband, of gathering friends and family together on the first day of the year. so right now, the party is in full swing. most people have

eaten. there are still some people getting served over here. we still have some late arrivals coming in, as you can expect. we have my great uncle right now giving a speech and saying once everybody has eaten, or the family should get together and ta ke the family should get together and take a picture of our family tree. next, it is time for the guest of honour to take the microphone. time for cake. and one of elizabeth's granddaughters does the honours. happy birthday! happy birthday! great grandma puts her longevity down to a diet of boiled yam and milky tea. but today, she is happy to indulge. everybody hasjust

milky tea. but today, she is happy to indulge. everybody has just been given some cake. the first people to be given some cake was everybody named after my great—grandfather. so what my auntie said was could they come up and give your grandmother, at your great—grandmother, your great—great—grandmother some cake. i can she is very happy. she has eaten a lot of cake. yes, it is a beautiful thing. i am quitejealous, to be honest. —— i think she is very happy. we're just to wait. this cake is very good. we are just going to wait for my great—grandmother to go to where we are taking the family picture. when she sat down, we will all picture. when she sat down, we will a ll start picture. when she sat down, we will all start moving towards that area. —— when she has sat down. 0rganising

semitic people is a tough task. everybody is keen to catch up. and while great—grandmother patiently waits, it is a chance to meet relatives i didn't know i had. —— organising so many people. you know how we are related? this is my cousin. cousin? his son is your dad. yes. thank you very much. i am your art. yes? i am your art. people are so art. yes? i am your art. people are so excited to see each other and they are slowly moving towards this way. —— aunt. hopefully we get the picture by the end of the day. first tojoin our living picture by the end of the day. first to join our living family tree, it great—grandmother elizabeth, surrounded by her six surviving children, who have a combined age of more than 400. next to join our my

aunts and uncles. now that another generation has been called, the people who call her their great—grandmother are coming. i am pa rt great—grandmother are coming. i am part of that. we have been holding this party for about 20 years. she enjoys it. she would like to do it every quarter of the year. she is happy to see our family coming together. she has become a pillar for the family unit. many of us enjoyed tracing our family tree. but for most families, gathering so many generations together like this is impossible. it is no surprise that people have travelled from far and wide, because great—grandmother

elizabeth's enthusiasm for life is infectious. i finally got my selfy! pers is a life well lived. a life focused on providing her descendants with advantages that she did not get to enjoy. —— selfie. faith, love, and food are the fundamentals of my great—grandmother's life. and although she rarely leaves her small house, the world comes to her through her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, like me. 0ne and great grandchildren, like me. one of the things which i like about her, and i think this is god—given, isa her, and i think this is god—given, is a memory. because she does not get old. if you come here and say hello to her, and talk to her, next time you come, she will remember you very well. she cannot forget. goodbye! improvements in medicine

mean we can all expect a longer life. but it is how you leave it that really matters. and for this, my great—grandmother, elizabeth, is my great—grandmother, elizabeth, is my inspiration. hello. rain for some of us on good friday. for very few of us, though, during saturday. it is an easter weekend of up—and—down weather. it is cool throughout, but there are sunnier days. saturday will be one of those. there are wetter days. looks like for some of us the rain will come back on sunday,

easter day. we'll get to easter monday, as well, in this forecast, but we'll start with saturday. rather a cloudy start across parts of southern england. it will brighten up. sunny spells from the word go, elsewhere. it is quite a blustery day across the northern half of the uk. some gales across parts of scotland, and the showers are going to be most frequent coming into northern scotland. there will be some snow on the higher hills. one or two showers elsewhere, in scotland, for northern ireland, and a few pushing into northern england on the wind as well. it will be breezy, so that means the showers will move through quite quickly. and, for the rest of england and for wales, we will see very few showers here. just one or two around, but the vast majority are going to stay dry. not quite as windy the further south we come, but it is a cooler, fresher feel to the weather wherever you are, especially in that breeze. so on through the day, then, we will keep a feed of showers coming into scotland, most frequent in northern scotland, again wintry on the hills. one or two for northern ireland,

northern england, but very few for the rest of england, and for wales, the afternoon here will be largely dry. those temperatures down compared with good friday, so 14 degrees possible in london, but nine in glasgow. for most of us, we will be around 9—12 degrees in the wind, making it feel a bit cooler. and bear that in mind, heading into the higher scottish hills and mountains, with gales, so wind chill will be a factor. there could be some snow showers as well, so some wintry conditions, you have to be prepared. now, as we go into saturday evening, it will turn quite chilly. many of the showers will start to fade away, so we're left with a mainly dry saturday evening, but we are watching a weather system coming in from the atlantic for part two of the weekend. that is easter day, for sunday. now, still some uncertainty about the detail. it looks like it is going to push some rain into northern ireland, and then feed into scotland. the risk of some snow into the scottish uplands, perhaps the higher parts of the pennines, too, for a time, as the wet weather then pushes across northern england, wales, the midlands, east anglia, leaving much of southern england dry, and the far north of scotland.

but again, some uncertainty about the position and timing of this weather system. so keep watching the forecast during saturday if you've got plans on sunday, easter day. those temperatures around nine to 15 celsius. for easter monday, we're dealing with showers, most frequent down the eastern side of the uk, where it will be quite windy. but there will be sunny spells around, too. bear in mind, once those showers clear away on monday night, it is looking frosty, and we've got some very chilly nights, for the time of year, coming up next week. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting at home and around the globe. i'm tom donkin. our top stories: tens of thousands of north koreans commemorate their founding father, but as tensions grow, will there be an act of defiance against the west? this is the scene live in pyongyang now. a simple tactical decision or a show of strength to the world? we assess the impact of america's bomb attack on afghanistan. we're also on the front line in iraq, as security forces surround the old city of mosul, ahead of an all—out assault. and enlightening the planet —

new night—time images from nasa give us the clearest view yet of human activity and settlement across the earth.