this is bbc news. the headlines at 11am: north korea stages a massive military parade to mark the birth of the country's founder — amid warnings over rising tensions with the us. the sun columnist, kelvin mackenzie, has been suspended over comments he made about everton footballer ross barkley. tributes have been paid to a british student who was stabbed to death on a tram injuries and yesterday. —— in jerry sullivan yesterday. rebooting the driving test — from december learners will have to show they can follow a sat nav. also in the next hour, could park run fees be scrapped? councils in england will be prevented from charging people to take part under new rules put forward by the government. and coming up at 11.30am, this week's edition of dateline london. ——jerusalem.

good morning and welcome to bbc news. north korea is staging a massive military parade in the capital pyongyang — amid warnings that it will retaliate if it is provoked by the united states. president trump has sent a naval strike force to the region because of concerns that north korea is preparing to carry out another test of its nuclear weapons. in a speech at the parade, a senior official said his country was prepared to "respond to an all—out war "with an all—out war". our correspondentjohn sudworth was invited to witness the event. his movements are being tightly controlled, but earlier he described the scene in pyongyang. it's an extraordinary sight. you can actually feel the ground shake as thousands upon thousands of goose—stepping soldiers, tanks, rockets and other weaponry have marched and rumbled their way through the capital city. this is a display of unity for the young north korean

leader and it's meant, of course, to send a key message on the anniversary of his grandfather's birth that his grip on power is unassailable, but as donald trump threatens to thwart his nuclear ambitions, it also sends a message to the outside world that this country's military with its nuclear tests and missile launches is vital for its survival and military analysts will, of course, be pouring over these pictures for evidence of the latest state of technological advancement of these forces. there is that speculation that it maybe preparing for another underground nuclear test. i think it's probably unlikely that we'll see a test today, but kimjong—un is making it absolutely clear that he is not prepared to negotiate away his nuclear weapons whilst being threatened and challenged by the united states.

and experts believe that with missiles, with weaponry like this, they are just a few small steps away from having a real deliverable nuclear arsenal and, of course, once they reach that stage, it's a game changer in terms of the regional security situation and the global international diplomatic calculation about what can be done about north korea's military ambitions? it changes things for good and the young man sitting up there in those stands has learned those lessons from his grandfather and from his father before him. the us vice—president mike pence will be in south korea on sunday as part of a 10—day asia trip. steve evans reports from the capital, seoul, on how the country is responding to events north of the border.

you know seoul is only 100 miles from pyongyang, but it could be a million miles in terms of atmosphere. that big parade has been on two of the channels here, but it doesn't get really big audiences. you get the sense that life here has just gone on here as normal. the streets have been full of people on what feels like the first day of summer. the military here in south korea has been studying the pictures of missiles and it reckons it does see developments in the long—range missiles. north korea, the south korean military, thinks is making progress. experts have picked up on new kinds of tracked vehicles carrying missiles and those matter because if north korea can convey missiles around the country, much more easily, it's much more difficult to hit them before they launch anything. so, the sense of the common

people is life goes on. this continual barrage of rhetoric and threat from the north has been there since 1953 when the fighting between the two halves of korea finished, but the military and the intelligence services look very intensely. on sunday, we are visited by the vice—president of the united states, mike pence, and he will come here and he is expected to say that the alliance between the us and south korea and between the us and japan is iron—clad is the word that he uses. so the feeling here is north korea is there in the background. we hear the threats, but we've had threats before, we're not panic buying, we're not planning on leaving the city, but we are concerned, i think that would be the mood here. officials in afghanistan now say

that 90 islamic state fighters were killed by a powerful bomb launched by the united states on thursday — more than double the original estimate. is has denied it suffered any casualties in the attack, which targeted a network of caves and tunnels in eastern afghanistan. the sun columnist, kelvin mackenzie, has been suspended after he compared the intelligence of the everton footballer ross barkley to that of a gorilla. the mayor of liverpool, joe anderson, reported him to merseyside police for what he called "racial slurs". caroline rigby reports. it was this column published yesterday which has seen kelvin mackenzie suspended from the sun. the article was about everton mid—fielder ross barkley who was punched earlier this week in a liverpool bar. in it, the paper's former editor compared the footballer, whose grandfather was born in nigeria, to a gorilla. mr mackenzie also wrote that men with similar pay packets in liverpool were drug dealers. my stomach turned when i saw

the picture of ross barkley alongside a gorilla. i think that was totally racist. it offended me. i'm sure it offended ross barkley and his family and it offended lots of other people and that's why i reported this to the police. i'm not reporting it to the police as a gimmick. i've reported it to the police because i felt and i do feel that it was a racial attack on an individual. merseyside police are now investigating whether the comments constitute a racial hate crime. in a statement the sun's publisher, news uk, apologised for the offence caused and said the paper was unaware of ross barkley‘s heritage. kelvin mackenzie has also responded saying it was beyond parody to describe the column as racist. the former editor of the sun is an unpopular figure on merseyside after accusing liverpool fans of drunken and abusive behaviour during the hillsborough disaster and as our media editor, amol rajan pointed out this

is a particularly sensitive weekend as it's the anniversary of that tragedy. what happened yesterday is that the sun and news uk themselves came out and said this is something we have got wrong. it is notjust what kelvin mackenzie said, but the way he said it. he is known to many people in liverpool and merseyside as the man who was the editor of the sun ini989 as the man who was the editor of the sun in 1989 when he punched —— published a controversial front—page. it has been banned and ostracised in many parts of liverpool. the football club band reporters from the sun because they did not like it very much. that is the legacy of what kelvin mackenzie said. it is notjust the comparison of ross barkley to a gorilla, which kelvin mackenzie says he had no idea about. and the paper as well. but it is also this joke, where he says the only people paid as much as

ross barkley in merseyside were drug dealers, where he's tarring people with the same brush. when kelvin mackenzie gets back from his holiday, the question will be, how severe reprimand is given? will he get sacked, is he going to lose his:, or will it be a severe disciplinary? he will presumably have not been responsible for the pictures, but that amplifies the headline. it amplifies the offence that has caused. but is it possible that he was kind of, he should not even have been writing about liverpool this weekend, and that somebody above him should have had a red light flashing, hang on a minute, kelvin, liverpool, this weekend, not a good idea? it sometimes takes guts to stand up toa it sometimes takes guts to stand up to a columnist. and kelvin mackenzie isa to a columnist. and kelvin mackenzie is a pretty big figure, he has been associated with the sun for many yea rs. associated with the sun for many

years. standing up to him would take guts. i am years. standing up to him would take guts. iam hoping i will get years. standing up to him would take guts. i am hoping i will get an a nswer guts. i am hoping i will get an answer as to whether the editor of the sun was in on thursday night when this went out. he might have been away. but there has to be editorial responsibility beyond the columnist himself, and we have got to investigations, merseyside police dealing with the complaint on racial grounds, and the mayor of liverpool has also complained to the press ready later, and they will be keen to show that they are in touch with public opinion. there does need to be some sort of editorial responsibility, and is it worth having kelvin mackenzie, known to be controversial, it is single—handedly destroying the relationship between the sun and merseyside, at a time when the paper is keen to repair relations. a british student who was stabbed to death on a tram injerusalem has been named as hannah bladon from burton—on—trent. the 20—year—old was studying in the city as part of an exchange programme with the university of birmingham.

a palestinian man — thought to have a history of mental illness — has been arrested over the attack. in the last few minutes, we have had a statement from the family which the foreign office has issued on their behalf. in it, the family say hannah was the most caring, compassionate doctor you could have wished for. she was a talented student studying for a degree in theology and archaeology. at the time of her death was part of a student exchange programme and studying at university injerusalem. she was taking part in an archaeological dig yesterday morning. she was very talented, and enthusiastic rugby player, and a keen supporter of derby county. she was driven, passionate, and her death leaves so much promise unfulfilled. our family are devastated by this senseless and tragic attack. but as the statement from the victim's family, issued on

their behalf by the foreign office. police in sheffield are investigating four unexplained deaths in the barnsley area which they think might be linked to heroin use. they're trying to find out if the deaths were caused by the strength and content of the drug being used locally. the three men and a woman were aged between 31 and 47 and were found at separate addresses. driving tests are getting an mot in order to better reflect the demands of modern motoring. from december, learner drivers will no longer have to tackle some traditional manoeuvres, but will instead be expected to demonstrate new skills — such as using a sat nav safely. judith moritz has the details. every motorist has been through it, the rite of passage of taking a driving test, but in future learners will be examined on new things. the first driving test was taken in 1935. clearly today's drivers are used to a very different road experience. more than half of them use satnav and so the test has been updated to reflect that. so it's turning right out of gate and then continuing to follow the signs. i went for a drive with

graham o'brien who helped develop the new test. satnav: turn right and then at the end of the road, turn left. drivers will have to follow satnav directions. so if we can incorporate it into the test that will drive the training and get people more familiar with dealing with that level of distraction as well which we know is one of the biggest causes of accidents in the first six months with new drivers. learners will also be asked to show they can cope with real life scenarios such as parking within a bay. we were often taking people down into housing estates where they would be reversing around a corner and perhaps using up half a test doing some of these set piece manoeuvres. the point is to change all of that, to get people far greater experience of roads. the new tests have been trialled in some areas and will be introduced for everyone by the end of this year. candidates will be asked to drive independently for longer, but the cost and length of the exam will stay the same as no doubt will the nerves of those going through the process.

with me is carly brookfield, ceo of the driving instructors association. thanks very much for being with us. let itemise what is going and what is coming in. the main changes will be the reduction of satellite navigation. that is intended to enable a situation where people can actually be self—directed in their drive, giving examiners are better chance to examine their driving independently. the two main manoeuvres, the turn in the road predominately, have been removed. we are focusing on manoeuvres that cause more real risk in real driving, including pulling up on the right—hand side and reversing in, and they parking. that is responsible for millions of pounds of property damage. yes, having passed my driving test a long time ago, i have been

responsible for some of that! but in terms of making a test more practical and avoiding the risks that drivers can experience, the danger is particularly to young drivers, horrendous statistics on the number of young people who are killed the wheel, have the government looked at things like, for example, driving on motorways, as part of the test, so that drivers get real experience of a situation that they could suddenly be thrown into maybe weeks and days after they have passed their test? a number of these messages are currently being looked into. we are taking a more pragmatic look. i am not breaking any mass of confidences, but we will have the introduction of drivers on motorways. there is an overwhelming support for the public and for driver trainers themselves. your professionals are the people who encounter learner drivers, and probably some of them quite scary,

right from the start. they actually think that kind of change would be sensible? yes, because exposure build experience and decreases risk. the more chances we can have four young people to be exposed to more elements of risk in the training process , elements of risk in the training process, the better. and we're talking about dual control of the car. exactly. mum and dad will not be allowed onto the motorway to do this. it will be done with a qualified professional approved driving instructor, and i think that is the right way to do it. there should be more of an emphasis on training with properly qualified professionals. in terms of these changes, should people be worried about them? the kind of people starting to learn to drive, should they think, this will be even harder? there were a500 individuals involved in the trials, there was a lot of talk in the press about where this idea came from... nobody hasjust

done it to make a change, it has been thoroughly evaluated, the organisation is very experienced, and the trial test proved that both the trainers and the pupils felt that they were more aware of the risks in independent driving, and more aware of the reasons they had to better prepare. i think it will up to better prepare. i think it will up people's game, and that is a good thing. and will be instructed to be put through more training? —— your instructors. everybody should be preparing for what they should be doing. the stu d e nts what they should be doing. the students will be coached to become better drivers for life. they will better drivers for life. they will be thinking about what is great to carry risk when they have got their licence and they need to manage it on their own. thank you very much, and thank you for letting us know about a significant change in the future. the headlines on bbc news: north korea stages and huge military

parade to mark the anniversary of the birth of the country's founder will stop amid rising tensions with the us. the sun columnist kelvin mackenzie has been suspended over comments he made about the everton football club ross barkley. and drivers will have to show they can and drivers will have to show they ca n safely and drivers will have to show they can safely follow us that love is an update —— follow a sat round as evidence of a new driving test. it will be legal for councils to charge for park run events, and which aim to encourage people to exercise. it comes after a backlash against a parish council in bristol which last year proposed a £1 charge on park run participants. the national union of teachers annual spring conference continues in cardiff today. delegates will be debating workloads, as well as asbestos in school buildings and the future of grammar schools.

a survey ofjust over 3,000 staff carried out by the union has found that almost half of young teachers expect to quit the profession within five years amid a backdrop of increasing paperwork, longer hours and concerns over their mental health. almost a fifth of parents are being asked to make a financial contribution to their child's school, according to a survey by the nasuwt union. it comes as school leaders and teachers have voiced concerns about growing funding pressures in england's state schools. the government says school spending is at a record high. 25% of parents are saying they can't afford to make the contributions and as a result of that, their children are unable to participate in creative subjects, in art, in school trips and so on and so forth. we don't think that's right. 16 people have died after the collapse of a huge rubbish dump in the sri lankan capital, colombo. tonnes of debris fell onto about 100 homes on friday as residents were celebrating the tamil and sinhala new year. the dump had been destabilised by a fire and heavy rain.

hundreds of troops have been searching for survivors, while heavy earth—moving machinery is being deployed to clear the rubbish. are you planning an easter bank holiday walk this weekend? if you are, you may well come across a beautiful bluebell wood. they've been voted britain's favourite wildflower, but this spring it seems the blue—violet carpets have arrived later than in previous years. catriona renton is in hertfordshire for us this morning to find out why... well, look at this. for as far as the eye can see, there is this beautiful carpet of bluebells. now, they only come once a year. they'll be around for three orfour weeks. we are at langley woods in hertfordshire. now they are a sign that spring has sprung, but they've come a little bit later this year. to explain that to us is steve marsh from the woodland trust. why have they come later? they are later this year because we've got a colder spring. last year was a bit warmer so the bluebells came out earlier. it's nothing to worry

about, they are coming, but later this year. now, you want the public‘s help to map these beautiful flowers. tell us what you want them to do. so through the woodland trust's big bluebell watch campaign, we want people to map and tell us where the bluebells are and whether they are native or non—native. can you explain that? so this is a native bluebell. it droops over. a non—native is very upright and stiff. it has flowers that are one side of the stem, the non—native all the way round. the native has a white pollen, the non—native has blue and the petals on the native curl back and they don't on the non—native. they look incredibly fragile when you see them close up, but are they under threat? to look at this, you wouldn't think so, but are they under threat? in our ancient woodlands, bluebells are an indicator of ancient woodland and they are under threat from climate change and development. and also people trampling on them. so we ask people not to trample

and don't pick them, but enjoy them. so you can go on to the woodland trust white and put in your postcode and it will bring up the nearest bluebell wood to you to go out and enjoy this easter. the sea of blue is something to behold, if you don't believe in magic or the fairies that live underneath them, you might once you come and see this! time for a full round—up of the sport. good morning for sub snooker‘s world championship is underway in sheffield, and ronnie o'sullivan is inaction later against fellow engorgement terry wilson. that is in the afternoon —— englishman. the crucible has played host to the tournament the a0 years, and it seems that ronnie is keen to lift that famous trivia game. everyone looks forward to going here every year. it should be a great tournament. it is still the

crucible. great tournament. if you get to pick up the trophy at the end, it is amazing. we will bring you news later of what is going on. mark selby, the defending champion at the moment, at the mid—session interval is three frames up. with chelsea not playing until tomorrow, tottenham have the opportunity to narrow the gap at the top to four points. their manager is not letting his players think about the title race. it is important to be ready on saturday, tried to give our best, and try to win. and then, what will happen will happen in different games. it is true that it can provide us with the possibility to narrow the gap, but we must focus.

there are six other games in the premier league ‘s day, crystal palace host leicester, stoke face hull, watford play swansea, and the tea—time matches between southampton and manchester city. city could go above liverpool with a win. i think they have had an exceptional season. they have a really good team. i was really impressed when they came here. and in the moment we came back from barcelona, we were a bit tired, but it was a real good test for us. sebastian vettel is the man to beat at this weekend's grand prix. the ferrari driver who leads the standings, along with lewis hamilton, was quickest in the practice sessions yesterday. qualifying is underway at apm this

afternoon, with commentary on bbc radio five live sports extra. luke donald is thejoint radio five live sports extra. luke donald is the joint leader of golf‘s heritage tournament in south carolina. former world one hit a second—round 67 to him on ten under par, along with graham delaet. the superlightweight champion ricky burns will look to retain his world title tonight against unbeaten opponent in glasgow. he is already the first scottish boxer to have won world titles at three different events. some flash photography coming up. for me this is the biggest fight of my career. the unification fights have been talked about for so long, at lightweight and super feather, not very excited, but i am very excited now. very excited about the crowd that is coming along. we can check what is happening right

now in the snooker. mark selby, the dividing champion, up against fergal o'brien, who was involved in that record—breaking frame, the longest frame ever in his qualifying round. selby lifted the trophy for the second time round last year. the longest frame in history, two hours, three minutes, a1 seconds. no problems for selby today, in com plete problems for selby today, in complete control. that is all the sport from now. let's get the weather forecast. time to update you on the weather prospects for the holiday weekend. it was going to be something of a mixed bag, just a little bit cool in the breeze. there will be sunny spells around, some rain as well, and that message is a whole has not changed. the rest of saturday

proving to be one of the better days of the weekend. accommodation of sunny spells and showers —— a combination. we come further south, it is essentially a dry picture. word to the wise about scotland, the cause of you get into the high ground, things will be decidedly wintry. the wind will be strong, will force, very strong gusts, so the wind—chill quite a factor. at lower levels, sunny spells and showers, northern ireland, the north of england. further south, the odd shower that you may have seen at the early start of the day, probably will have quit the scene. the exception to the rule may be in norfolk. at night, the skies will clear, temperatures will dip for a while, and we will bring in cloud and rain towards northern ireland from the atlantic. the skies will

stay clear towards the north, but just as cold further south. on is today, we're not sure how far not that rain will go. i suspected it gets into the central belt it will have quit the scene, and if you're looking for a bit of rain across what has been a particularly dry south of late, this may not be the system for you. it will bypass the south of wales and the south of england, the odd that will get down to worse the far south—east. the bulk of it comes right through the heart of the british isles. amateurs again in the range we have seen again in the range we have seen again —— 8—9 —— temperatures. the wind on easter monday flicks around into the north and north—west, and it rattled a few showers down from the central and eastern parts. many western areas could get away with a dry day, and next week will be mainly dry with sunny spells, but watch out, there will be frosty

nights. hello and welcome to dateline. this week we learnt three things from president trump. that he is prepared to wield a global stick, to be precise the ‘mother of all sticks', that nato isn't obsolete, and that the united states needs to condemn china a little less and hug it a little more, not least to help deal with a little problem called north korea. and, after this weekend's massive show of military might by pyongyang and that regime's bellicose posturing, how should we interpret president trump's words: "the problem will be taken care of"?